The Last Song (19 page)

“It’s funny!”

“You’re just a mean man.”

“Sometimes,” he said. He motioned toward the house. “So if you don’t want to go home yet, do you want to come with me?”

“Why? Are you planning to show or tell me about yet another way you kill small animals?”

“I’ve got a volleyball game soon and I want you to come. It’s fun.”

“Are you going to spill soda on me again?”

“Only if you bring a soda.”

She debated for an instant, then fell into step with him in the direction of the pier. He nudged her and she nudged him back.

“I think you have problems,” she told him.

“What problems?”

“Well, for starters, you’re an evil duck killer.”

He laughed before catching her eye. She looked down at the sand, then up the beach, then finally toward him. She shook her
head, unable to suppress a smile, as if marveling at what was happening between them and enjoying every moment.

R
onnie

I
f he weren’t so damn cute, none of this would have happened.

As she watched Will and Scott scramble around the court, she reflected on the series of events that had brought her here.
Had she really gone fishing earlier today? And watched a wounded turtle swim around a tank at eight o’clock in the morning?

She shook her head, trying not to focus on Will’s lean body and visible muscles as he chased the ball across the sand. Tough
to ignore, since he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

Maybe the rest of the summer wouldn’t be so terrible after all.

Of course, she’d thought the same thing after meeting Blaze, and look how
that
had turned out.

He wasn’t really her type, but as she watched him play, she began to wonder whether that was such a bad thing. She hadn’t
had the best luck when it came to choosing guys in the past, Rick being the prime example. Lord knows Will was smarter than
any of the other guys she’d dated, and more than that, he seemed to be doing something with his life. He worked, he volunteered,
he was a pretty good athlete; he even got along with his family. And even though he liked to play things off in an “
aw, shucks
” sort of way, he wasn’t a pushover. When she tested him, he called her on it—more than once, in fact—and she had to admit
she sort of liked it.

If there was one thing about him that gave her pause, it was this: She didn’t know why he liked her. She wasn’t anything like
the girls she’d seen him with the night of the carnival—and in all honesty, she wasn’t even sure he’d want to see her again
after today. She watched him jog back to the service line, then glance in her direction, obviously pleased she’d come. He
moved easily through the sand, and when he got ready to serve the ball, he signaled something to Scott, who seemed to play
the game as though his life depended on it. As soon as Scott turned toward the net, Will rolled his eyes, making it plain
that he found his friend’s intensity a bit over the top.
It’s only a game
, he seemed to say, and she found that heartening. Then, after tossing the ball in the air and serving hard, he raced toward
the side of the court to keep the volley going. When he sacrificed his body by diving for the ball and sending a plume of
sand in the air, she wondered whether what she’d seen a moment earlier had been only an illusion—but after his shot went wide
and Scott threw up his hands in frustration with an angry glare, Will ignored him. After winking at Ronnie, he readied himself
for the next shot.

“You and Will, huh?”

Mesmerized, Ronnie hadn’t realized someone had taken a seat beside her. Turning, she recognized the blonde who had been hanging
out with Will and Scott on the night of the carnival.

“Excuse me?”

The blonde ran a hand through her hair and flashed her perfect teeth. “You and Will. I saw the two of you walk up.”

“Oh,” Ronnie said. Her instincts told her that it was best not to say much.

If the blonde took notice of Ronnie’s wary reaction, she didn’t show it. Tossing her head with practiced skill, she flashed
those teeth again. She definitely had to be a bleacher, Ronnie decided. “I’m Ashley. And you’re…”

“Ronnie.”

Ashley continued to stare at her. “And you’re on vacation?” When Ronnie glanced at her, she smiled again. “I would have known
if you were from around here. I’ve known Will since we were kids.”

“Uh-huh,” Ronnie said again, trying to sound noncommittal.

“I guess you two met when he made you spill your soda, huh? Knowing him, he probably did it on purpose.”

Ronnie blinked. “What?”

“It’s not the first time I’ve seen him do it. And let me guess. He just took you fishing, right? On that little dock on the
other side of the island?”

This time, Ronnie couldn’t mask her surprise.

“That’s what he always does when he starts getting to know a girl. Well, either that or he brings her to the aquarium.”

As Ashley went on, Ronnie stared at her in disbelief, feeling the world around her suddenly begin to narrow.

“What are you talking about?” she croaked out, her voice deserting her.

Ashley roped her arms around her legs. “New girl, new conquest? Don’t be mad at him,” she said. “It’s just the way he is.
He can’t help it.”

Ronnie felt the blood drain from her face. She told herself not to listen, not to believe it, that Will wasn’t that way. But
the words kept echoing in her mind…

Let me guess. He took you fishing, right?

Either that or he brings her to the aquarium…

Had she really misjudged him? It seemed like she was wrong about everyone she’d met down here. Which made sense, considering
she’d never wanted to come down here at all. When she drew a long breath, she noticed that Ashley was studying her.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her perfectly shaped eyebrows knitted together in concern. “Did I say something to upset you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Because you looked like you were about to get sick.”

“I said I’m fine,” Ronnie snapped.

Ashley’s mouth opened and closed before her expression softened. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me you were actually falling for it?”

New girl, new conquest? It’s just the way he is…

The words kept ringing through her head, and Ronnie still didn’t answer—couldn’t answer. In the silence, Ashley went on, her
voice sympathetic. “Well, don’t feel too bad, because he’s pretty much the most charming guy in the world when he wants to
be. Trust me, I know, because I fell for it, too.” She nodded at the crowd. “And so have half the other girls you see around
here.”

Ronnie instinctively surveyed the crowd, taking in the sight of half a dozen pretty girls in bikinis, all of their gazes fixed
on Will. She felt incapable of speech. Meanwhile, Ashley was going on.

“I just figured you’d be able to see through it… I mean, you seem a little more sophisticated than the other girls around
here. I guess I thought—”

“I’ve got to go,” Ronnie announced, her tone steadier than her nerves. She felt her legs shaking slightly as she stood. On
the court, Will must have seen her stand because he turned toward her, smiling, acting…

Like the most charming guy in the world…

She turned away, angry at him, but even angrier at herself for being so stupid. She wanted nothing more than to get the hell
out of this place.

In her bedroom, she tossed the suitcase on the bed and was shoving clothes inside when the door opened behind her. Over her
shoulder, she saw her dad standing in the doorway. She hesitated only briefly before crossing to the dresser and grabbing
more of her things.

“Tough day?” her dad asked. His voice was soft, but he didn’t wait for an answer. “I was in the workshop with Jonah when I
saw you come up the beach. You looked pretty mad.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Her dad stayed in place, keeping his distance. “Going somewhere?”

She drew a furious breath as she continued to pack. “I’m out of here, okay? I’m calling Mom and I’m going home.”

“That bad, huh?”

She turned toward him. “Please don’t make me stay. I don’t like it here. I don’t like the people here. I don’t fit in here.
I don’t belong here. I want to go home.”

Her dad said nothing, but she saw the disappointment in his face.

“I’m sorry,” she added. “And it’s not you, okay? If you call, I’ll talk to you. And you can come see me in New York and we’ll
spend time together, okay?”

Her dad continued to watch her in silence, which made her feel even worse. She surveyed the contents of her suitcase before
adding the rest of her things.

“I’m not sure I can let you go.”

She knew this was coming, and inwardly she tensed. “Dad…”

He raised his hands. “It’s not for the reason you think. I’d let you go if I could. I’d call your mom right now. But given
what happened the other day at the music store…”

With Blaze
, she heard herself answer.
And the arrest
…

Her shoulders sagged. In her anger, she’d forgotten about the stolen goods.

Of course she’d forgotten about them. She hadn’t stolen them in the first place! Her energy suddenly evaporated and she turned
around, plopping down on the bed. This wasn’t fair. None of this was fair.

Her dad still hadn’t moved into the room.

“I can try to reach Pete—Officer Johnson—and see if it would be okay. I might not be able to reach him until tomorrow, though,
and I don’t want you to get into any more trouble. But if he says it’s okay and you still want to go, I won’t make you stay.”

“Do you promise?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Even though I’d rather you stay, I promise.”

She nodded, pressing her lips together. “Will you come to New York to see me?”

“If I can,” he said.

“What does that mean?”

Before her dad could answer, there was a sudden knocking on the door, loud and insistent. Her dad glanced over his shoulder.
“I think that’s probably the boy you were with today.” She wondered how he knew, and reading her expression, he added, “I
saw him heading this way when I came in the house to find you. Do you want me to handle it?”

Don’t be mad at him. It’s just the way he is. He can’t help it.

“No,” she said. “I’ll handle it.”

Her dad smiled, and for an instant, she thought he looked older than he had just the day before. As though her request had
somehow aged him.

But even so, she didn’t belong here. This was his place, not hers.

The knocking at the door sounded again.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks,” she said. “I know you really want me to stay, but I can’t.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Though he smiled, the words came out wounded. “I understand.”

She tugged at the seam on her jeans before rising from the bed. As she reached the door, he placed a hand on her back and
she paused. Then, steeling herself, she went to the door and pulled it open, noting that Will’s hand was hanging in the air.
He seemed surprised that she’d opened it.

She stared at him, wondering how she could have been so stupid to trust him. She should have listened to her instincts.

“Oh, hey…,” he said, lowering his hand. “You’re here. For a second there—”

She slammed the door, only to hear him immediately begin knocking again, his voice pleading.

“C’mon, Ronnie! Wait! I just want to know what happened! Why’d you leave?”

“Go away!” she shouted back.

“What did I do?”

She swung the door open again. “I’m not going to play your game!”

“What game? What are you talking about?”

“I’m not stupid. And I don’t have anything to say to you.”

Again, she slammed the door. Will began pounding on it.

“I’m not leaving until you talk to me!”

Her dad motioned to the door. “Trouble in paradise?”

“It’s not paradise.”

“So it seems,” he said. “Do you want me to take care of it?” he offered again.

The pounding started up again.

“He won’t stay long. It’s better to just ignore him.”

After a moment, he seemed to accept that and motioned to the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”

“No,” she said automatically. Then, putting her hands on her stomach, she changed her mind. “Well, maybe a little.”

“I found another good recipe online. This one has onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil, served over pasta,
and tossed with Parmesan cheese. Does that sound okay?”

“I don’t think Jonah will like it.”

“He wanted a hot dog.”

“Now there’s a surprise.”

He smiled just as the knocking sounded again. When it continued, he must have seen something in her face because he opened
his arms.

Without thinking, Ronnie walked toward him and felt him hold her close. There was something… gentle and forgiving in his embrace,
something she’d missed for years. It was all she could do to stop the tears from coming before she pulled back.

“How about I give you a hand with dinner?”

Ronnie tried once again to absorb the contents of the page she’d just read. The sun had set an hour ago, and after surfing
restlessly through a handful of channels on her dad’s TV, she had shut it off and picked up her book. But try as she might,
she couldn’t seem to make it through a single chapter, because Jonah had been standing near the window for almost an hour…
which forced her to think about what was outside the window, or rather
who
was outside.