“That’s not every childhood,” he says.
“Was it yours?”
“Well . . . yes, I guess it was.”
“And you probably took it for granted.”
He doesn’t respond, and he doesn’t need to. I feel stupid for complaining. But it doesn’t seem like Briggs is judging me right now. He looks more contemplative.
“And now I get to spend the summer cooped up in a hotel.”
“You’re not in a hotel right now,” Briggs says. He’s giving me a teasing grin. It’s in the upward curve of his lips and the look of mischief in his eyes.
“Okay, I’m supposed to be in a hotel room. And after this, I’m going to stay there.”
He gives me a questioning stare. “I don’t know. You’ve been here for, what, less than a week? And you’ve already left the resort twice.”
I cover my face with my hands. “I know. I don’t know how I’m going to do it.”
Briggs is quiet for a minute, and I pull my hands away from my face to see him looking at me.
“It can’t be that bad at the resort,” he says.
“It’s not; the resort is beautiful. It’s not that, anyway. I’m just not good at staying put. I don’t know how to do it.”
Briggs looks off to the side, going quiet as if he’s thinking about something.
“We could do some of those things,” he says.
I pull my chin inward. “What . . . things?”
“The summer stuff. While you’re here.”
“I’m supposed to be hiding in my room, remember?” He was literally just teasing me about it.
He reaches up and adjusts his glasses. “Yeah, but you just said you don’t know how you’re going to do it. So . . . don’t. I’m here for the summer and feeling pretty directionless right now, so we could, I don’t know, do stuff . . . together?”
I can’t help it when my eyes tear up a little. I blink the moisture away and hope he doesn’t notice. I’m an actress, after all. But I’m completely touched by the fact that he wants to spend time with me, especially after seeing the video of me losing my crap. Why did everyone else turn their backs, but not him?
I know right away that I can’t spend the summer gallivanting around with Briggs. Even if I really, really want to. But just the fact that he’s offered means so much to me.
“That is seriously the sweetest offer, and I’d love to take you up on it, but it’s for the best if I stay at the resort,” I tell him.
I want to say yes. I want to scream it, actually. A whole summer doing summer things with a guy who is so unexpectedly not what I’m used to. But, I can’t. I can’t risk it. This is my career. If word gets out and the paparazzi catch me roaming around an island having what would probably be the best summer ever—because, let’s face it, any kind of summer activity would be better than what I’ve been doing my entire life—the headlines would be scathing.
Presley James Living Her Best Life, Despite Video
Presley James Doesn’t Care What We Think of Her
Did She Think We Forgot Already? Presley James is at it Again
“We could be discreet,” Briggs says.
“We could,” I say. “But with everyone already talking and the teens sneaking onto the private beach, the damage might already be done. I think right now I probably need to lie low.”
It’s for the best, even if I hate it with a passion.
He nods. “Well, the offer stands if you ever change your mind.”
Even as I want to say never mind, let’s have the best summer ever, I know I can’t change my mind.
This is how it has to be.
Briggs
Jack: Let me know when we can talk, B.
I set the phone down on the counter at the bookshop with more force than I mean to use. He’s called me twice since the last text and I haven’t responded. He should catch on by now. But apparently not. Jack has always been a little thick. I should call him, but I’m not ready to talk just yet. The wounds from how everything went down are still too fresh. But honestly, what is there to actually talk about? Maybe he wants to apologize, and I probably need to as well, but is it really necessary? Can’t we just let it die like our failed business?
Some of the things I said to him were pretty awful though, and he didn’t deserve it. I mean, he said things too, but that doesn’t excuse my actions. I definitely need to apologize. I’m also still worried he’ll have bad news and my struggling finances can’t really take that hit right now.
A few stragglers at the bookshop slowly make their way out as I get ready to close up, leaving one person still hanging around, apparently until the last minute. The day hasn’t felt as long as I thought it would. It was still busier than it normally would be in the summer, but not as bad as it was Saturday. Hopefully the whole gossip mill has moved on, or maybe because no one saw Presley, they realized it was fruitless. Little did they know she did show up and spent the evening with me.
I did have a strange run-in with a woman named Jane—someone I went to middle and high school with. I thought she was fishing around for information about Presley James, but it turns out she wanted to ask me out. Which was . . . very random. I couldn’t say yes; I’m not in a place to date right now. Even though I sort of offered that to Presley. But it’s not really dating. Just she and I doing summery things . . . alone.
Okay, well, that does sound a bit like dating.
