Never Let Me Forget (Summer of First Kisses Book 2)

  Never Let Me Forget

  by Michelle Pennington

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter One

  Sunset is the best time to be on the beach. Not only did I no longer have to worry about being fried to a crisp, but I loved the romantic, almost mystic scene.

  The dimming light and brilliant blush in the sky softened the edges of the landscape and washed the world with rosy light. Couples walked along the water’s edge hand in hand, some of them with potent electricity—you could tell the ones who had been together a long time and those who were just falling. I watched them, riveted as if I were watching a scene from one of my books. And if I imagined that the occasional hot guy was a werewolf or vampire stealing time away with his soul mate before they faced a battle with their sworn enemy…well, nobody knew about it but me.

  Piper sighed next to me. “Sadie, I swear. Even when you aren’t reading, you’re impossible to talk to. Mind coming back from la-la-land and listening to me for a minute.”

  “If I have to,” I teased her.

  “You have to if we’re going to make a plan.”

  I glanced over at her, feeling the usual tug of envy at how she looked so relaxed sitting around in a bathing suit, her tan, slim legs stretched out in front of her. But I pushed it down and steeled myself against an urge to pull my cover up on. “Why does there have to be a plan?” I nodded sideways at Kat, who sat next to me on a beach chair with her boyfriend Tate laying back with his head in her lap. “Your plans for Kat didn’t work out anyway.”

  Ever since the night of our high school graduation when Piper had found out that none of us—Kat, Liv, and me—had ever kissed anyone, she’d entered into a full-on campaign to get us all kissed before the summer ended. It had only taken two weeks before Kat had enjoyed hers, but that was only because Piper’s brother had already been in love with her—and she with him. Despite Piper’s best efforts to hook her up with several guys, including a really hot tourist, Kat and Tate found their way together on their own. Then, poof! Kisses galore.

  “Technically, Kat would have been kissed the same night with or without Tate that night. And since you swear you don’t have feelings for anyone—”

  “I don’t.”

  “Then your case is completely different than Kat’s. She should have been honest with me from the beginning.”

  Bananas! Now they were going to argue again. Unless Kat didn’t hear her.

  “You didn’t exactly make that possible, Pipes,” Kat said, turning away from the sunset. “And I thought you were going to stop pushing people to do things they didn’t want to do.”

  Piper pointed at me. “Sadie wants me to help her, she said so.”

  Kat shrugged. “Doesn’t sound like it.”

  Great. Now I was going to have play peacemaker. “I do want her help. I just don’t want to make a plan. Love should just happen, you know? I just need to know what’s wrong with me that turns guys off.”

  With a roll of her eyes, Piper called over to her brother. “Tate, tell Sadie there’s nothing wrong with her.”

  His hat was pulled down over his eyes, so I’d thought he was asleep, but he roused himself to say. “Sadie, there’s nothing wrong with you. But I’m not getting pulled into this argument again.”

  “Ugh. You’re such a pain,” Piper complained. She looked over to two of our guy friends, Dante and Ridge. They were showing Dante’s latest conquest, Brooklyn, how to use a skimboard, but she didn’t hesitate to call him over. “Dante, come here a sec.”

  I winced and held my hand over my ear as she yelled. Why did she have to bring Dante of all people into this? He was the resident girl-slayer of our group. With his mixture of dark good looks, charming smile, and air of elusive mystery, girls went nuts for him. And he for them. The last thing I wanted was to hear Dante’s opinion on why guys didn’t go for me.

  He jogged over to us, leaving Ridge and Brooklyn to play with the skimboard. The sharp gleam of the setting sun turned his lean and sculpted torso into a playground of male beauty with the contrast of golden highlights and shadows as he squatted down next to Piper. “What’s up?”

  Piper barely glanced at him, apparently not appreciating his stunning perfection as much as me. “Would you please tell Sadie that guys don’t avoid her—that it’s all in her head?”

  Dante’s eyes shot to my face then shifted down to the sand. He stood up again. “Yeah, I’m out of here.”

  Well, that stung like a hornet attack to the toe.

  But no one walked away from Piper Collins that easily. “Dante Moore, get your butt over here.”

  Desperate to avoid any more embarrassment—how much could I take before I literally curled up into a ball and died? — I said, “Piper, don’t.”

  “Look,” she told him. “Now you’ve hurt her feelings.”

  He groaned and came back, dropping into the sand. “This is so not cool. Okay, Sadie…we’re friends right?”

  I leveled a glare at him. “You know, you don’t have to eviscerate me just because Piper is bossy, right?”

  The corner of his mouth quirked up. “I don’t even know what that means. Eviscer—what? See, that’s the thing, Sadie. You’re just so smart and—”

  “Guys only want dumb girls?” I asked.

  “No,” he said, his voice firm. “I can’t stand that no matter how cute they are. But it’s hard to feel like an idiot around a girl too.”

  “I make you feel like an idiot?”

  “Not really, but only because we’re friends. If I was interested in you that way, yeah, you would.”

  “Okay. So it’s because I’m smart and not because of my size? Because I’m pretty sure if I was a twig it would be different.”

  “Here we go,” Piper said, shaking her head. I ignored her.

  Dante’s eyes ran over me in a lazy but thorough way that made me feel even more vulnerable. My fingers twitched, ready to reach for my cover up again. But I knew my simple blue swimsuit was as flattering as any suit could have been with its under-wire cups and wide straps to support my D-cup chest and an interior panel designed to flatten my stomach. Nothing could hide my wide hips, however.

  Okay, so this was not good. Not with Dante being so honest.

  When he finally spoke, his voice sounded deeper than before. “Look, Sadie, there’s not a guy I know who wouldn’t be all over what you’ve got if you offered. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, though, guys are idiots. It’s all about image, right? Most of the idiots our age just want to date a girl that his buddies want. And to them, that means going for what everyone else sees as hot. ”

  I clenched my teeth. “I get it.”

  “But trust me, if it was only about what turned them on…well, you’d be fighting them off.”

  “See?” Piper said, sounding way too pleased.

  “Clearly it’s not helping me any though.”

  Dante cleared his throat. “Well, and you’ve got one more knock against you.”

  My eyes widened. “Go on. Let’s just get it all over with.”

  His smile flashed briefly. Did he not know he was slicing my self-esteem to ribbons here?

  “Sadie, you’re the kind of girl you marry, not the kind of girl you date for fun. So unless you’re interested in older guys who are ready to settle down, you’re going to be out of luck.”

  “What the heck?” I leaned toward him. “How am I the kind of girl you marry?”

  He shrugged. “You just are. You’re sweet, responsible, smart. I don’t know—it’s hard to put into words. You’re the kind of girl we take home to our mothers, not the k
ind we steam up windows with.”

  That was it. I was out.

  Standing up, I grabbed my coverup and I walked away, toward the surf. Behind me, I heard Dante growl something that sounded like “I hate you, Piper.”

  He might be mad at her, but she didn’t make him say the things he had.

  Letting out a deep breath, I pulled my cover-up on, some part of my anxiety easing as I pulled the string that held the fabric closed over my chest. Dante jogged up beside me, but I ignored him and kept walking. “Go away, Dante. I don’t want to hear anymore.”

  “Why do girls freak out so much if you answer their questions?”

  “Hah. You’re such an expert on women and you can’t figure that out?”

  He jogged a few steps to get ahead of me then grabbed me by the shoulders and forced me to stop. “Sadie, we’re friends. I want to help so tell me what you want.”

  I shrugged, unable to meet his eyes. But that only focused my eyes on his well-defined pectorals so I gave up and looked up at him. When I tried to speak, my throat was so tight I could barely force the words out. “I want the kind of love I read about in stories. I want a guy to see me, the real me, and want me, in a forever kind of way.”

  Dante’s hands gripped me harder. “And you don’t see why that would scare the crap out of guys? It’s not because you can’t inspire that kind of love Sadie. It’s because you would.”

  I shrugged because even if it didn’t make sense, I couldn’t change. “I guess it is what it is. Now can you please stop trying to make me feel better? Because you suck at it.”

  He laughed and dropped his hands. “I’m sorry, Sadie. I really didn’t want to hurt you. Honestly, you’re one of the best friends I have—girl friends anyway. Uh…”

  “Girls who are friends.” I looked away from the sharp scrutiny of his hazel eyes. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll go back to reading about love and just wait. And hope.”

  “Look, no matter what you’re feeling right now, or what it sounded like, there isn’t a single thing wrong with you Sadie. There’s something wrong with the guys.”

  I laughed and hoped he couldn’t hear the jagged pain behind it. “Dante, you sound like my mother.”

  His appalled expression was everything I’d hoped for. “That was a low blow.”

  “You deserved it. Now, go play with your gorgeous red-head and give me some space.”

  “Okay. But she’s not my redhead. We’re just friends.”

  Uh-huh. Sure.”

  “Really.” But he was already turning to go back to her as he spoke. I watched as he ran back over to where Ridge was pulling Brooklyn up out of the water where she’d fallen.

  Was she the kind of girl guys steamed up windows with? Since she had two of the hottest guys I knew competing over her, she must be.

  And what did I have? A bookcase full of fantasy.

  Chapter Two

  The beach had been anything but romantic after that, so I’d left.

  When I pulled up at my house in my little gray Ford Malibu that had seen better times, I took a moment to lock away my emotions so they wouldn’t show in my expression. My mom would know immediately that I was upset about something if I gave even the smallest sign, and I did not feel like talking about it anymore. I already felt like a wrung-out swimsuit left on the bathroom floor.

  One of the drawbacks to being the only kid left at home was that it got me way more attention than I’d been used to having after years growing up as the youngest of three. My older sister and brother thought it made me a spoiled little princess, but mostly it just meant that I got way more attention than I wanted.

  As I went inside, my cat London looked up from her favorite seat on the living room ottoman, her blue eyes disdainful as always, but that didn’t stop her from dragging herself up and stretching.

  “Let me guess. You want to be fed. Really. You and I need to curb these late-night snacks.”

  She followed me into the kitchen and waited with tragic patience as I put some salmon pate on a plate for her. While London licked delicately at her food, I went to the fridge and stared inside. Just a few years ago, there would have been several containers with leftovers from the homemade meals. Now there was nothing but yogurt, sandwich makings, and takeout container with my name on it.”

  “Looks like its…” I opened the container and looked inside, “Jorge’s enchiladas. Again.”

  “Don’t complain,” my dad said, coming in behind me. “She was about to get meatloaf from the grocery store deli, but I talked her out of it.”

  I laughed and put my dinner in the microwave. “Thanks for the save. Any chips and salsa left?”

  He opened the fridge and reached in for another container I’d missed. “Here you go. The chips are on the table. You were gone a long time. Were you on the beach?”

  “What else?”

  The microwave beeped. As I grabbed my plate and settled down at the table to eat, my dad sat across from me.

  He was a high school math teacher and had all kinds of opinions on parents spending lots of time with their kids and fostering open communication. So, yeah, I knew what was coming. I didn’t mind that much unless he went off on awkward topics.

  “So what’s the gang up to this summer?”

  I shrugged. “Lots of things. Jobs mostly. We had a birthday party for Katriel last week and we always have Sunday’s to hang on the beach.” I took a bite and tried to decide if I should say any more while I chewed. I swallowed and added, “And I’m working on having my first kiss.”

  He’d been staring at his phone, checking emails or something, but that brought his attention right back to me. He put his phone down. “Come again?”

  I chuckled. “You heard me.”

  He shifted in his chair. “I’m having conflicting reactions here, princess. I’m gleefully relieved that you haven’t even gone that far. I’ve had nightmares about that.”

  “Yeah, well yours and mom’s presentation on human reproduction and sexual relations was a nightmare for me and overly detailed. If Cory and Brooke got the same talk I did, you’ll be lucky if you ever get grandkids.”

  “Oh yeah?” He laughed. “I have faith that your reproductive drive will kick in at some point. But let’s get back to this first kiss thing. Who are you trying to kiss?”

  “I don’t know. That’s kind of the thing. I’m trying to find a willing smooching partner.”

  He narrowed his eyes, studying me. “Why? Just for the sake of kissing someone?”

  “Pretty much.” He opened his mouth, probably to try to convince me how stupid this was. “Don’t worry. I’m not taking it that seriously. It’s kind of just a dumb idea we’re playing with over the summer. But, um, I do kinda want to have a relationship some time, you know? Just to find out if it’s possible. And who knows, maybe it would turn into something.”

  My dad reached across the table and dropped his big, warm hand on top of my left one. “It’s not only possible, sweetie. It’s a certainty. You are a special, beautiful young lady.”

  “You have to think that. You’re my dad.”

  “So what guy knows you better than me? And I don’t mind at all that you haven’t dated a lot. Boys are dumb until…well, don’t ask your mom how long because she might say I still am. But they definitely are in high school and for a few years after. Maybe by the time you find the right one, he’ll have grown up enough to know how lucky he is and treat you right.”

  “And maybe stop only wanting skinny girls?”

  “To learn how to see true beauty when he sees it, inside and out.”

  I smiled at him, because I had my doubts about that, but it was great to know my dad loved me. “Thanks, dad. Now, can we stop being all mushy and stuff? My enchiladas are getting cold.”

  He squeezed my hand and got up. “You're right. Absolutely enough mushy stuff. Hey, don’t stay up too late. Your mom told me to make sure you know that your Aunt Shauna is dropping Madison off at seven o’clock tomorrow morning.”<
br />
  Unlike my friends, my summer job didn’t pay anything. Ever since my mom and her sister had started their own cleaning business, I’d been volunteered to watch my seven-year-old niece during the heavy tourist season.

  “I know. I’ll be up. Thanks, Dad.”

  “Goodnight, princess.”

  When he’d left, the silence in the kitchen settled uncomfortably around me. Even London had finished her dinner and gone to find the litter box. I ate quickly and rinsed off my dishes. Once I’d gotten upstairs and gotten ready for bed, however, my brain refused to shut off. So, even though it was a terrible idea, I grabbed the book I was reading. This one had a family of hot werewolf brothers and a sexy monster slayer. I hadn’t decided who I was rooting for to get the girl yet. If only the loser could have gotten me instead.

  Mmm, yes. That was nice. It was so nice to settle into another world and be someone else for a while. Only, as I read, something about the slayer character reminded me of Dante. Soon, all I could picture was Dante—and picture him kissing me instead of the main girl in the book. Which was way too unsettling—and the only reason I managed to put the book down and get some sleep.

  ***

  The next morning, I sat eating Golden Grahams out of the box on the couch, watching cartoons on Netflix with Madison. That showed the extent of my motivation for the day. After a restless night with disturbing dreams where Dante was killing demon spawn trying to get to me and save me, I was in a total and complete funk. I mean, I did not like Dante—not like that. So the fact that my subconscious was spinning fantasies about him showed the extent of my desperation.

  Maybe I should listen to Piper and Dante and give up on this whole soul mate, forever love thing.

  “Sadie, are we going to do anything fun today?” Madison asked. There was a definite whine to her tone. I didn’t blame her.

  Outside there was a beautiful, sunny Florida day and we could go and do anything we wanted to do. Well, as long as it was free.

  “I don’t know. Want to go to the beach or the beach? Or maybe the beach?”