Toe the Line(12)

“Is he just as hot as you remembered?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.” I sighed. “He’s hotter, unfortunately.”

I could’ve gone into detail about what I’d walked in on that first day—how his dick was, in fact, much bigger than his ego. But bringing up his body felt exploitative and unnecessary.

“The summer is long, Noelle. Anything can happen.” She laughed. “Now I’m really looking forward to my week there in August. We’re going to have a blast.”

“I’m looking forward to that, too,” I said. I’d been so stuck in my head lately that I’d practically forgotten I’d invited her to visit.

? ? ?

Archie strolled into the dining room fashionably late that night. It was nice to see him after he’d been out all day. While he was gone, I’d spent some of the afternoon lying out in the yard and reading.

Dinner, on the other hand, was spent listening to Archie’s father grill him about his first day at Rodney Erickson’s law practice. Apparently, after the interview, the attorney had invited Archie to stay and shadow him.

Tonight Archie had chosen the seat next to me. That didn’t go unnoticed. He also stayed through dessert for the first time ever.

As we finished eating, he leaned in and whispered, “You comin’ to the beach tonight?”

The heat of his breath against my neck gave me goose bumps. “I was thinking about it, yeah.”

His eyes fell briefly to my lips. “You should.”

“Okay. Maybe I will.” I could feel my dumb self getting excited. Why? So I could watch Bree all over him? What are you doing, Noelle?

When he’d cleaned his plate, Archie got up and left the table, and Nora went out back with the two dads, leaving my mother and me alone in the kitchen.

Mom tackled the dishes, and I stayed to help.

She smiled over at me. “You and Archie seem to be getting along.”

“Strange, right?” I took a pan from her to dry it.

Mom lowered her voice. “I know you were dreading interacting with him. It’s nice to see you enjoying yourself.”

“Yeah. I had him all wrong.”

“He’s awfully handsome, too, isn’t he?”

I looked over my shoulder. “Mom…”

“I won’t tell if you like him that way.”

My skin tingled. “Just because we’re getting along doesn’t mean I like him that way.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Although…” I added. “He’s obviously quite good-looking. And smart, regardless of what his father seems to think.”

My mother sighed. “I want to smack Archer sometimes.” She exhaled. “He’s under a lot of stress lately, and that’s making his behavior toward Archie worse.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Stress? About what?”

My mother shut off the water and spoke in a low voice. “I’m not at liberty to divulge. But things have certainly been better for their family. That’s all I can say right now.”

My stomach sank. “Mom, you can’t just hint at something serious and not elaborate.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything at all. Okay? Pretend I didn’t, please.” She turned on the water again and immersed herself in the rest of the dishes.

Dread settled in my stomach. What is going on with the Remingtons?

A few seconds later, Archer and Nora entered the kitchen, and Mom and I put on fake smiles, as if we hadn’t just been talking about them.





CHAPTER 5


NOELLE


PRESENT



STANDING BY THE window in my old bedroom at the beach house on Whaite’s Island, I gazed out at the ocean across the road. Seven years had passed since that first summer here, but it felt like yesterday.

The anxiousness running through my veins reminded me of the nerves I’d had back when I first arrived, waiting for Archie and expecting the worst. But facing him this time would be a whole lot harder.

Neither of us had known that first summer would also be our last at this house. It had turned out to be the most memorable season of my life, despite how it ended.

Archie called from downstairs. “Did someone say penne a la vodka?”

I took a deep breath and glanced at myself in the mirror. Let’s go.

My heart pummeled against my chest as I rushed down the stairs. “All I heard was vodka. And I’m totally game.”

Archie dropped the bag of groceries he was holding and held his arms out wide. “Fuck, Noelle… It’s been too damn long.”

I leapt into his arms. “You made it!” I took a deep breath of his scent as he held me tightly, and all of the unwanted memories flooded back. This trip would be short, but I would cherish every moment, while also trying to keep my heart from breaking.

He pulled away, his eyes wandering over me. “You look great.”

“So do you.”

It was hard to look at him, in fact. Archie was even more beautiful in his late twenties than he had been seven years ago, and that was saying a lot. With the same gorgeous, thick hair, he had even more definition to his jaw and slightly more facial hair.

“I figured I’d stop at the market on my way here instead of having to go back out. That way we could just enjoy the day.”