Love In Lilac 4i4338

Table of Contents

Title Page

SUZANNE D. WILLIAMS | www.feelgoodromance.com

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

FROM THE AUTHOR

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SUZANNE D. WILLIAMS

www.feelgoodromance.com

© 2014 Love In Lilac by Suzanne D. Williams www.feelgoodromance.com www.suzannedwilliams.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

CHAPTER 1

IT WAS AN INDOLENT summer, the air thick with the perfume of jasmine and lilacs, the sun languid in the sky, its beams filtering through lavender petals to cast a royal hue on the tile of the patio. It was this that caused me to walk outside. I felt drawn to such beauty, desiring only to stand there and drink it in, encapsulate this glorious moment for all time in my thoughts. So my hand on the metal door frame, I slid the glass s left and stepped out barefoot onto the weather-warmed surface right into the path of the most Godcreated male specimen I’ve ever seen. He stood there shirtless, his skin gleaming with sweat, a seductive trail running down his neck, and I could only gape in awe that I, Liane Arnoult, was fortunate to be there right at that place in time. But then my little brother, the lousy scamp, bumped into me from behind and sent me stumbling forward, my hands swinging outward, my feet flopping over each other right into a lounge chair where I collapsed diagonal in the most awkward position. The God-creature leaned on his pool broom and eyed me, one hand clenched around the end of the metal pole, the other at his waist. And I, of course, said the first thing that came into my head. “You’re the pool boy?” Cute pool boy. Nearby beach. Pretty girl. So okay, I was being conceited throwing myself into the mix with that description. But it struck me this was just like something out of that Miami crime scene TV show my mom watched. His lips quirked and a light sparkled in his eye. “You’re the house guest?” he asked. “Liane,” I offered. “House guest extraordinaire.” I decided to ignore my little brother, who at that moment was contemplating a head-first dive into the deep end of the pool. I could only think if he fell in it’d serve him right for not paying attention. Then again, perhaps I owed him because this thing of wonder was talking to me.

The God-creature smiled further. “I’ll bet,” he said. He began to sweep again with his pool broom, and slightly peeved he was now ignoring me, I pulled myself up and walked to his side. He paused again, tilting his head my direction. He smelled awesome, all sun-tanned and lotiony with that essence of male that makes a girl lose her mind. I was no exception to this rule, and, temporarily overcome, lost my train of thought. Then I ed he was standing there and if I didn’t speak, I’d look like an idiot. I moistened my lips. “I would bow and pay homage to your beauty, but I don’t think girls should worship pool boys.” He gave a short laugh. “Not the pool boy. The son.” I refocused my gaze. The son? This was their boy? That’s how they’d referred to him the night before. Our boy this. Our boy that. And I’d figured he was younger, probably short, and very spoiled. But no— This was one time I was relieved to be wrong. “Apollo Adderly,” he said. Apollo? Seriously? I stared at him, taking in his sandy-blond hair and ocean blue eyes, then made a bow, my hands stretched out before me. “It seems you are a god then,” I said. “My apologies.” And he began to laugh.

WHOEVER LIANE WAS SHE was entertaining. He’d heard the god joke before—his name brought that out in people—but never in such a fashion to make it so palatable and amusing. Plus, she was cute. Apollo returned to his work and ignored the girl’s stares. However, it seemed she didn’t care for that so much because she circled into his view. “Don’t your folks hire out?” she asked. Her long, brown ponytail swung back and forth between slender shoulders. He didn’t cease cleaning this time, but continued moving along the edge of the pool, pushing the broom forward. “Sometimes. But today I volunteered.” “Why? You like cleaning the pool?” He contemplated what to say to that and some teasing side of him gave his reply. “It’s a great way to pick up pretty houseguests.” The girl’s face brightened, and she wrinkled her nose, stretching the sprinkling of freckles which crisscrossed it. “Are you? Going to pick up the pretty houseguest, I mean?” He gave a crooked smile. “Perhaps if she’s around about thirty minutes from now. Where would she like to be toted?” The girl’s eyes flared a tad wider. “If you’re toting, it won’t matter because we’ll be together.” He laughed again. What an incredible flirt. He’d been flirted with before, too. His parents renting out the guesthouse during the summer often brought in a wide assortment of people, some not so pleasant, others nice enough, but usually all with children. He’d learned to deal with whoever came, to be polite, and hide if they were particularly objectionable. But every now and then, some were better than others and worth some of his time. He rounded the corner, extending the broom further toward the middle. “You might call off your little brother. The neighbors have a big dog.” He gave a nod toward the surrounding bushes. A big dog with a fierce bark. He’d encountered it

more than once himself. The girl fixed her gaze on the boy busy scaling the concrete wall. “Curtis, get down, or I’ll let whatever’s over there eat you alive.” The boy, a good image of his sister only younger and male, glanced back at her and promptly hopped to the ground. “Go bury yourself in the flowerbed or something,” she continued. She switched her gaze to his face, and Apollo pulled back a laugh. “Curtis and Liane what?” he asked. She smiled, and his gaze was drawn to her mouth. She had nice lips. Strange that he’d notice that. “Arnoult. Isn’t it a great last name? We sound all French-ified. Of course, in school, teachers who don’t know us always say it with the ‘lt’ on the end, and that’s just wrong.” “Well, Liane Arnoult,” he pronounced her last name carefully. “Where do you live when you’re not here talking to the pool boy?” He altered his grip on the broom. “Tampa.” “Tampa?” He halted yet one more time. At this rate, he’d never get done. “What’s wrong with Tampa?” she asked. “Well, nothing, but most people come from Texas, New York, or New England. We once had a family from Kansas. But Tampa’s just right over there. You can go to the beach on a quick drive.” Her facial expression turned a bit peculiar. “Long story,” she said, her beautiful lips turned down. She held the unhappy look only a second before her smile reappeared. “But it gets me here with you, so no regrets.” He nodded and continued his way around the pool. No regrets. So there was a tale to be discovered about cute, little Liane Arnoult. Ordinarily he wouldn’t care why she was here, who she was with, or how long they’d stay. This business was his parents’ doing, and he’d learned to not ask questions. But—

He concentrated on completing the job then returned the broom to the pool equipment closet around the corner of the house. He spun around to find the girl at his side. He laid his hands on his hips. “I’m ready now,” she said. “To be picked up. Just paste me to your chest.” He raised an eyebrow. “Are you always so ... aggressive?” “You like shy, timid girls better? Because if you do, I’ll work on it.” He scooted past her to where he’d hung his shirt over the pool pump. Giving a quick swipe of his chest with the cloth, he put it back on. The girl gave a long sigh. “I’m thinking,” he said, facing her, “that you’re fine like you are. I never have liked fakes.” She stepped closer, her face tipped upwards, and for a brief second, he had the strongest impulse to kiss her. He blinked and inhaled. Where had that come from? He couldn’t afford to get involved with the houseguests. He’d have to watch himself around this one. Yet her answer said that might be harder than he thought. She clasped her hands behind her back and tilted her head a bit sideways. “That’s perfect because I do real the best.”

I WAS OVERCOME. HE was not only god-like in my poor, pea brain; he was delectable and sublime as well. Both words I’d never thought I’d use on a human being, but there they were. Never a more perfect specimen of manhood had ever stood before me, and I think perhaps that knowledge influenced my thinking and thereby my behavior. Okay, I know it did. I was being excessive. That’s what my mom always called it when I got this way. But honestly, it was partially his fault. He eyed me, looking over my shoulder for a moment, then brought his gaze back. But not to my face, which was odd. His mouth curved into a crooked smile. “Don’t move,” he said. I had this brief fear that a spider was crawling on me. It’d be like a boy to let it sit there, breathing and contemplating scurrying down my neck, but somehow, I didn’t think Apollo god-boy would do that. I held still. He picked at something in my hair and brought it down into my view laid out in his palm. “Lilacs,” he said. “Though they look good on you.” I scrunched up one side of my face, the sun being in my eyes, and focused my boring browns on him. “In that case, I’ll change my name. You can call me Lilac instead.” “Lilac Arnoult,” he commented. “A pretty name for a pretty face.” I got all warm and toasty inside. Anytime a boy gives a girl a nickname and a compliment, especially if he’s as divine as this one was, it’s a good day. “I think I’m flattered,” I said. He smiled and dusted his palm. “Tell you what, Lilac, I have to go indoors for a few, but how ’bout you knock on the back entrance in about fifteen?” “And you’ll let me in? Little ole me, poor, lonely houseguest?” The thought of going in the main house was pretty cool, especially if he was my escort.

“I thought you were house guest extraordinaire, and it seems to me, she’d be worthy of coming indoors.” I grinned. “Okay.” I stepped to the side, and he pushed past me across the thick St. Augustine lawn. I waited until the last trace of his magnificence was gone, then turned and looked for my little brother. “Curtis, I wasn’t being serious about digging holes in the flowerbeds,” I snapped. “Now, c’mon.” I was always babysitting him. He was seven, and therefore, old enough to be a major annoyance to a seventeen-year-old. But really, I shouldn’t have been hard on him because he generally did what I asked. This time was no exception. He trailed after me to the guesthouse, scooting to a halt on the reed welcome mat to wipe his shoes. My mom looked up from her place at the kitchen island. “Back so soon?” I’d been whining only thirty minutes ago from complete boredom, so she’d sent me outdoors. Go before I lose my mind, she’d said, and I’d complied. “I’ve met an angel descended from heaven,” I said, raising one palm upward toward the ceiling. She kinked her head to the left. “At the pool?” “Cleaning the pool,” I said. “Why did no one tell me their son was divine?” I brought my arm back to my chest and crossed it over the other thereby giving myself a squeeze. My mom’s face cleared, and she smiled. “Is he? I haven’t seen him myself.” “He’s like ...” I searched for an apt description. “He’s that first blob of whipped topping on an ice cream sundae, the one with the right amount of fudge mixed in.” “I see. So blinded by him, you came indoors?” She was joking, of course.

I crossed in front of her, heading for the bedrooms. There were two in the guesthouse, and unfortunately, that meant I shared a room and a bed with my brother. “I want to change. He’s invited me into the inner sanctum,” I called. “I have to match up to his beauty.” She gave no reply, but I could imagine she was tickled. I shed myself of the shorts and t-shirt I had on and donned a sun dress in cornflower blue and a pair of strappy sandals. I reemerged, glancing at the time on the clock in the kitchen. I had five minutes to blow still. “He’s renamed me,” I said. My mom, who had returned to her contemplation of the view out the window, probably deciding on a plant species in the garden, lifted her gaze. “Renamed you? Something is wrong with Liane?” “No. At least, he didn’t say there was. But I had flowers in my hair – those lilacs by the pool. And so he’s going to call me that.” “Lilac. That’s very pretty.” “He said that, too,” I continued. She patted the cushion at her side, a gesture I knew meant “come here,” and so I obeyed. The cushion depressed beneath my bottom, and I slanted against her. She ran a hand through my hair, draping it over my shoulders. “A handsome boy who told my daughter she was pretty. I could have told her that, but I know it wouldn’t be the same. Well, and if you make friends with him, that’s very nice, but we’re only here for a little while.” She’d try to put a damper on my fun? Yeah. I got it. It was what mothers do. I mean, I didn’t know this guy from the next and had no reason to believe he’d be nice to me. But I had hopes he would because otherwise I was stuck here for fourteen more days wishing I could be anywhere else. “Just ing the time,” I said to her.

She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I understand.” But I wasn’t sure she did. She’d sprung this vacation on me and Curtis only a week ago and acted all funny about it. “It’ll be good for us to get away,” she’d said. “We never go anywhere and this place came recommended.” Then I’d found out the truth—Dad—and it hadn’t sat so well since. I laid my qualms aside and refocused on Apollo. Right now, he was way more interesting, and I had all these suspicions in me about him. Good ones. I stood and walked to the door. My little brother looked up at me. “Nope. You stay here,” I said. “I have an appointment to worship the sun and would like to keep it alone.”

CHAPTER 2

APOLLO PAUSED INSIDE the back entrance to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkened interior of the main house then crossed left through a small sitting area and from there into a hallway leading to the bedrooms. ing his own, he entered his parents’ room instead. Looking across the European-style furniture, he met the eyes of his mom where she reclined on a beige couch. She set her magazine upside-down across her lap. “Uh oh,” she said. “I recognize that look.” “What look?” he asked. “I can’t want to talk to you?” She tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “That depends on what you want to talk about, and I’m betting it’s a certain very attractive teenage girl staying in the guesthouse.” “You should have warned me,” he said. “Warned you? Why? Does she bite?” “Almost.” His mom’s expression became a cross between curiosity and amusement. He brushed it off. “I’m taking a shower, then I promised to let her in. I thought I’d warn you because I have no idea what she’ll say or do.” “That bad, huh?” she asked. “If that’s the case, why let her in?” He leaned on one hip. “I haven’t figured that out yet, except she makes me laugh.” He turned on one heel and headed back into the hall. However, his mother called out to him. “Why don’t you ask her to the bonfire? You’re supposed to bring a date.” He spun back around and peered in at her. “I said she makes me laugh, not that I wanted to date her.”

His mom was laughing silently, however, her eyes lit. “Just a suggestion.” He continued on his way. Ask her to the bonfire? She was cute, yes, and strangely appealing, but there was no point in taking it beyond that because come two weeks from now, she’d go home, and he’d still be here. But all through his shower, he couldn’t get the girl’s determination and openeyed gaze out of his head or the idea that she’d solve his bonfire-date problem. Yet asking her would mean ribbing from his mom and uncertainty on Friday about how she would behave. He tucked the idea into the corner of his thoughts, dressed, and wandered back into the foyer. As he expected, a knock came immediately. Lilac would be punctual. He swung the thick mahogany door inward and took in the girl’s smiling face. “The altar of worship,” she said. “I thought I should dress up for the occasion.” She’d switched from the shorts and shirt she’d had on by the pool to a sundress and sandals. “Plus, I ditched my little brother.” He made no comment, and she narrowed her gaze. “Here’s where you tell me I look nice.” He laughed once. “You look nice, and I appreciate the change of clothing, but you looked nice before.” Her eyes spun wide, and she craned her head left to right looking around the foyer space. “Wow. It’s ... huge, and dark and old. I like it in a creepy sort-of way.” He waved her from the foyer into the sitting room. Here, she spun in a circle. “This is like ... the best reading spot ever. I’d sit right here.” She plopped into a chair. “And pick out a good romance novel. It’d have you in it.” This comment made his eyebrows rise of their own accord. “Me?” “Oh, yes, you’d be the handsome hero come to sweep me off my feet.” “Are we back to that?” he asked. “Me toting you somewhere?”

She leaned back in the chair, acting like she totally belonged and had sat there many times. “We’ve never left that. Sometime before I leave, it’s gonna happen.” He trailed his eyes down her slim form, the dress fit her nicely, and back to her face. That wouldn’t be so bad from the looks of things. “Why do I believe you?” he asked. Her already sunny demeanor somehow intensified. “Because you’re smart.” He motioned at her. “Get up. There’s more to the place than this one room.” She hopped to her feet and flitted before him into the hall. “Take a right,” he said. This moved them into the kitchen. Here, once again, she turned in a slow circle. “It’s perfect. Homey. That’s where you drink your orange juice in the morning.” She nodded toward the island. “You do drink orange juice?” He inclined his head. “Of course. Every day.” Which wasn’t true, but hey–– “And here’s where someone, but not your mom, cooks.” He stared at her. How would she know that? “No, your dad cooks. I’m right. Aren’t I?” She glanced at him. “My dad is a fantastic cook. But tell me how do you know that?” She walked up to him, standing so close he had to look down at her. “Because the potholder is too big for your mom’s hands. Plus, I’m a good judge of character. Like earlier, you wanted to kiss me but you didn’t.” He started, but attempted not to show it. “I don’t think that would’ve been appropriate. Do you?” “Maybe not. But I’d feel awfully good to hear you it it.” Apollo cleared his throat at the sight of his mom entering the room, and Lilac, without batting an eye, turned. “You held out on me,” she said. She spoke as if

his mom was an old friend. His mom’s still amused expression grew even more so. “My apologies. But how did I do that? Our aim is always to please our guests.” “You didn’t tell me about him. I had to find out on my own.” “Oh, well, I didn’t figure your mom wanted to hear me brag about my son, though I think he’s pretty fabulous. However, since you’re here, I’ll just come right out and say what I should’ve said. That way, there are no secrets. How’s that?” Lilac kinked her head to the right as if thinking. “Okay.” Apollo looked up at his mom. He’d warned her about Lilac’s frankness, which evidently sparked something in her. However, he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what she’d say next because a crawly feeling in the pit of his gut told him exactly what it was. His mom laid a finger to the side of her nose. “Let’s see. You know what he looks like, so I won’t go into that. He’s seventeen and unattached.” Lilac grinned. “He’s very good to his mother,” his mom continued. “And what else? Oh, I know. He needs a date Friday.” Lilac revolved, her arms spinning outward. “A date? Like a-girl-on-his-arm kind of date?” Apollo shot his mom a look. She really should not get involved. He would have handled it, found someone less ... outgoing. “I’m a girl, and I have nothing to do. Besides ...” She crept close to him again. He swallowed. Please, don’t say it. But in one hour of being acquainted with her, he already knew she would, and why was that so very attractive? “Besides,” she said, repeating the word. “He really likes me.”

“DUDE. YOUR MOM GOT you a date?” Stefan guffawed into the phone. “That’s priceless.” And not so funny, not when his best friend was falling out over it. Apollo leaned back on the bed, his eyes on the ceiling. It’d taken an hour to get Lilac out the door, an hour that flew by. She was very absorbing. “Well, is she cute at least?” Stefan asked. “Extremely, but ...” “But what? Cute’s good. You’re not still hung up on Christine are you?” Apollo frowned into the phone. “No.” He was over Christine. “Then what’s the issue?” “For starters she’s ... outspoken.” That was the only word he could think of to describe Lilac. Stefan laughed lightly. “No,” Apollo stressed. “You don’t get it. I mean really outspoken.” Stefan paused. “How bad can she be? Is she rude or something?” “No. Not rude.” She hadn’t said anything to hurt any feelings. In fact, he suspected she wouldn’t. “Unladylike?” “No.” That wasn’t it either. She’d even changed clothes with some idea it was the right thing to do. “Then what?” Apollo lay back on his bed, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. “She’s ... perceptive? And a flirt.” “Let’s take these one at a time,” Stefan said. “What kind of flirt? A flirt-with-

anyone flirt? Because if that’s the case, I don’t blame you.” Apollo considered that. No, she didn’t seem like the type to flirt with any boy she saw. “Probably just flirting with me,” he replied. “She flirts with you, and you’re objecting?” “Yes. No. I don’t know.” He exhaled. Stefan laughed again. “She’s gotten to you.” That was part of the problem. She had, and his mom had fueled it. Now, he was on the hook for Friday and half-terrified. “That’s because of the perceptive part,” Apollo said. “She seems to figure out what I’m thinking. It’s very disturbing.” “Maybe it’s good for you. You’re kind of a square,” Stefan said. He was; that was true. He enjoyed having his comfort zones arranged just so. What man didn’t? “Wait,” Stefan said. “What were you thinking?” “That’s the problem,” Apollo returned. “It was all I could do to keep up with her, and then there she was an inch away and all I had was this weird desire to kiss her.” “Gees, man. Rein it in.” “Tell me about it. So now I’m sweatin’ bullets about Friday, not knowing if it’s the right thing.” “Let me come by in about an hour and you can introduce me. I’ll make an assessment.” Apollo pressed a finger to the bridge of his nose. “Okay, but I’m warning you in advance. I have no control.” Stefan laughed yet again. “This should be fun.”

Apollo disconnected and tossed his phone on the bedside table. Fun. She was that; he had to give it to her. Lilac seemed like the kind of person to enter a room and turn it on its ear. He’d already seen that in action. Now, he had to figure out how to get her to come outdoors without actually knocking on the guest house door. The last thing he needed was to look nosy ... or desperate. He churned the question over for a while, and a smirk crawled on his lips. Perfect. One thing would draw her out and one thing only. He jumped from his bed and over to his dresser. Yanking open a drawer, he extracted his swim trunks. “Haven’t had a dip in the pool lately,” he said with a laugh.

THIS DAY COULD NOT be happening. It wasn’t possible that I would see someone so magnificently created without his shirt twice in one day, yet there he was swimming laps around the pool. Even the water parted for him as he moved. “Lord, help me,” I prayed. I stood there, drooling on the front of my shirt. Okay, so not really, but as good as. My feet began walking on their own, and next thing I knew I was standing at the end of the pool. His head popped out of the water. He gave me what I can only describe as a selfsatisfied grin and crossed his arms on the edge. “You came,” he said. I wrinkled my brow. “You were expecting me?” “Maybe.” “Yo.” Another male voice came from the side, and I turned my head. A boy of similar age entered the pool area from a side gate. Running a hand through thick, jet black hair, he headed our direction. “Hey, man,” Apollo called out. I was still trying to figure out what he’d meant by maybe, only now I had this other guy to contend with and that distracted me. Apollo clasped his friend’s hand, stretching out of the water, then returned to his casual position. “And who’s this?” the other boy asked. “This is Lilac,” Apollo said. “Lilac this is my best friend, Stefan.” I eyed him, a certain knowledge clicking into place. He was checking me out. This was about the date thing. “Do I ?” I asked. Apollo’s friend, Stefan, laughed. “You warned me.”

“Yep.” I glanced down at Apollo. “I’m a threat now?” “No, of course not, but I needed a second opinion.” “Of me?” I couldn’t recall being assessed before. “Is that good or bad? And do I have to answer questions?” Stefan had pulled up a chair to the edge of the pool, so I was now looking down at both of them and getting a kink in my neck. “Can I sit, too, or is that out of the question since I’m under fire?” I asked. “Sit.” Apollo replied. I seated myself at the edge of the pool, hanging my legs in the water not six inches from him, then straightened my shoulders and inhaled. “Okay, I’m ready. Question number one.” Stefan chuckled. “Name, rank, and serial number.” I flicked him a look. What kind of question was that? I answered anyway. “Liane Arnoult. Female. Tampa, Florida.” “Liane? But he called you ...” Apollo flipped his hand. “Long story. She’s Lilac, just stick with it.” Stefan appeared confused by that, but shrugged. “And you first noticed Apollo here when ...” He left the statement open-ended. “When I walked outside and my little brother shoved me. That was this morning. And there he was all gleaming masculinity.” This must’ve hit Stefan funny because he was back to laughing. I didn’t mind. I was kind of enjoying someone talking to me for a change. “Setting your image of him aside, what else was your impression?” he continued.

I thought about this. I’d been really focused on the image, which was hard not to do, so the other impressions were fleeting. “He was trying to ignore me,” I said, “and I it I don’t do that so well, so I stuck my head in front of him where he had to look. I have this theory ...” “Which is?” Stefan asked. “That saying something off the wall throws people off balance, and often finds out the truth.” “And you like the truth?” I nodded. “Always. I tell the truth, and I ask for the truth, which makes me and god-boy here compatible.” “God-boy?” Stefan asked. Apollo was smiling huge. I guess I was doing exactly whatever he’d said to his friend I would do. Stefan evidently decided to let that one go because he switched gears. “You think you’re compatible. Why?” I stared at him for a moment. He wasn’t a bad looking guy in a dark, Italian kind of way, a little lean in the chest though with a patch of curly hair mid-center. Apollo on the other hand was sleek, shiny, and muscular. I had to stop myself, so I blinked. “There’s the fact he called you,” I said. “He found me interesting enough he wanted you here, and there’s also him swimming in the pool to get me to come out.” That had clicked into place somewhere in our conversation. Sly and creative, I liked that. “Plus, his mom said he didn’t have a date Friday, so he’s not into fishing around. I’m not either. But he didn’t like her asking me. He wanted to do it himself.” “If I might ...” Apollo interjected. I looked across at him. “I was considering asking because she’d suggested it earlier, but ...”

“But she knew you wouldn’t without some prompting.” I finished his sentence. “You’re reluctant to get yourself involved. Probably because some other girl, who I have no idea why, rejected you.” Silence. They were both staring at me now a bit open-mouthed. “I’m putting that down to her infidelity, which means you didn’t like it. You want someone who’s interested in you for you, not for your name or your parent’s money, someone who wants a relationship for all the right reasons. But most of all ...” I was really warmed up now. “Most of all,” I said. “You want sparks.” Stefan whistled. “Dude, she’s got your number.” He threw up his hands palm outward. I smiled, and some voice in the back of my brain dared me to prove my point. I made a brief glance at the guesthouse, more out of nervousness than anything else, and slipping into the pool, sank below the water, reemerging face to face with him. His cheeks were red. Sun or embarrassment? Body heat, I decided. The water was actually fairly warm and comfortable. I posed there in front of him, my legs brushing his, my hand an inch away. “You want to kiss me again. Don’t you?” His lips curved upward. “I don’t kiss on the first day.” “Didn’t ask you to,” I replied. “But the day you decide you’re ready, I’m willing.” With that I dipped below the surface and swam to the other side.

LILAC’S HEAD GLIMMERED in her way across the pool, and he followed her graceful movements, conscious of Stefan’s voice in his ear at the same time. “She’s ...” “Unbelievable.” Apollo completed Stefan’s thought. And right. She’d pegged him exactly. Her head surfaced then, and a tingle crept up his spine. She was so attractive soaked to the skin, her hair plastered to her skull. They stared back at each other, and without turning around, he spoke to Stefan. “I’m going to go in. You follow. We’ll give her privacy to get out.” Stefan nodded unspeaking. Propping his hands on the edge of the pool, Apollo pulled himself out of the water. “Toss me that towel,” he said. The towel landed in his lap, and he stood. Rounding the side of the pool, he paused over her. She craned her neck back toward his face. He sat the towel down at his feet. “You might need this,” he said. “I’ll get it later.” She nodded, and he turned and walked toward the house. Inside, he moved to his bedroom, and changed clothes, afterward collapsing on his bed. Stefan sat opposite, staring at him, his eyes still spread wide. “Man, you’re done for,” he said. Apollo gave a soft laugh. “See what I mean?” “Where does God get the idea to make girls like that?” “I think he broke the mold, and somehow I’m grateful.” Apollo ran one hand over his eyes. “You are bringing her Friday. Right? Please? If I beg?” Apollo twisted his neck to see Stefan’s face. “You’re begging? Why’s it so

important?” “I’m not sure except it just is.” “But you don’t have a date either.” Stefan flicked his wrist. “Working on that. I asked a girl at work, but she hasn’t replied.” “Maybe I should get Lilac to talk to her.” Stefan shook his head at that. “What’s with the ‘Lilac’? She said her name was Liane.” Apollo inhaled. “She reminds me of them,” he said. Stefan’s expression said he didn’t follow. “They’re the first thing you smell when you go outdoors,” he explained. “And they stick with you afterward.” “Sounds about right, and here, I didn’t know you were poetic.” Apollo turned his head away, his thoughts drifting down to the pool. “I’m not, but maybe now I am.”

CHAPTER 3

I CRAWLED OUT OF THE pool, grateful Apollo had thought to get out first and leave me a towel because my dress, now pasted to my skin, was showing every curve, and I felt self-conscious. I cocooned myself tight and crept my way back to the guest house, my shoes making squishy water noises. Squee. Squee. Squee. And leaving a slithery trail behind me. I didn’t much notice. I was too busy going over exactly how to explain to my mother why I was wet. But on approaching the door, I’d come up with basically nothing. I sucked at lying anyhow and so opted for the truth. Or at least part of it. She was standing in the guesthouse’s small kitchen about ten steps from me, a loaf of bread in her hand, and her face, needless to say, had what in the world written all over it. She sat the bread down and crossed her arms, a sure sign I’d better speak first. “I, uhm, went swimming,” I said. This was true. I did swim from one side to the other. But she knew me well enough to know there was more to it. “Apollo had a friend over,” I continued. This didn’t help my case because I’d just put myself swimming in a dress with not one, but two boys I’d met only today. “They were asking me a bunch of questions, like could I tell what they were thinking, and I could because I’m good at that. Like right now, you’re thinking of killing me.” She smiled then, but made no comment. “Anyhow, Apollo was thinking ... uhm ... a-about me, so I decided to see what he’d do if I got in.” “And?” I flinched. It was the first word she’d spoken. “A-and what?” I asked.

“And what did he do?” “What I thought he’d do ’cause I was right.” She released her tight hold on herself and relaxed against the counter, her fingers curved over the edge. “What am I going to do with you? Every time I think I’ve figured out how your brain works, I haven’t. You’re so much like your father.” I froze. The last, last, last person I wanted to be like was him. I shoved a lock of dripping hair from my cheek and tugged the towel tighter as if it could shield me from my thoughts, but they badgered me the same. And I felt it all boil up in me, my rage at being there. She’d tricked us into coming, and that wasn’t right. She couldn’t make me like him; she couldn’t make me want to do what she’d planned. Right then, I wanted to be anywhere else than in the room with her, so I turned around with no plan in mind and stomped out the door. She followed, yelling my name, but I ignored her. The only good thing that had come of this trip was meeting Apollo. He liked me for me, without a motive, or at least I thought so, and so soaking wet and shivering, I tromped all the way to the main house and knocked twice. The door opened and Apollo looked out at me, his eyebrows raised upwards. “Lilac?” “I have to come in,” I said, “and you have to loan me some clothes because right now I can’t go back, or I’ll explode.” He glanced past me at what I figured was my mom standing somewhere outside the guesthouse, then back at my face. “Okay,” he said. “Come in.” And he shut the door.

APOLLO CLEARED HIS throat. “Y-your mom was mad about the dress?” Lilac glanced up from apparent contemplation of his borrowed shirt and shorts. Even ill-fitting they added to her curvy figure. “No,” she said. “She told me I was like my dad.” Taken aback, Apollo didn’t reply right away. “I guess that’s bad?” She nodded. “The creep.” So maybe talking about her dad was not the thing to do. He’d take her mind off it. He had a question for her anyhow. “Hey, I wanted to ask you something. On my own this time.” She brought her eyes to his face and for a moment, pain reflected there, something deep and troubling, then it was gone. “You have to let me ask though without guessing.” This made her smile, albeit a bit crooked and half-hearted. She looked so much better happy than upset. “I need a date Friday like my mom told you,” he said, “and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather go with. It’s for a friend’s birthday, but she only wants couples to come.” “She?” Apollo laughed at Lilac’s puzzled expression. “Just a friend. Why else would I ask you?” His thoughts altered. “Your mom will let you go, won’t she?” Lilac tossed her head, causing the towel wrapped around her hair to slant. “Yes, because she owes me now.” She all but spat the words, and he stared at her. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes hard. What had happened between her and her dad to make her this angry? “Hey, I won’t ask,” he said. “But if you ever need to talk ... I’ll listen.” She nodded. “I don’t want to talk about if that’s okay.”

“Sure.” He stuck his hands in the pockets of his shorts. So what then? Stefan solved the problem. “Where’d you learn how to read people like that?” he asked. The anger on her face evaporated, so much steam rising in the sun. “That’s easy. Movies.” “Movies?” “Yeah. My mom likes to hit mute and sometimes she forgets to take it off, so I figured out how to pay attention to what the actors are doing. Most of what we think shows up in our body language. Take you, for instance.” Apollo moved his gaze to Stefan. He was half-perched on the window sill, one hand on his right leg the other clutching the marble sill. “Your back hurts, and I’d say it was the result of more than your awkward position. You injured it.” She held up a hand at his open mouth. “Don’t tell me. Looking at your physique, I’d say tennis or bton, but I’m guessing bton. “How ... do you know that?” he asked. “Well, it isn’t basketball because you don’t have the reach, and obviously not football, you’re not beefy enough.” Apollo restrained a laugh at her reference to Stefan not being beefy. “It could be baseball, but I doubt it because you’d be more likely to injure your back with all the stretching and reaching of tennis or bton. So which is it?” Stefan crooked a smile. “Bton. I slipped on the court trying to return the shuttlecock and pulled a muscle. It bothers me sometimes. Gees, Pol, you’re going to have to watch her or you’ll not have any secrets left.” Apollo grinned, though he’d had that thought himself. “Speaking of movies,” he said. “How about we go downstairs and watch one? You don’t have to go anywhere do you?” he asked Stefan.

Stefan shook his head. “No.” “If I can make a request,” Lilac said. Apollo brought his gaze to her face. “No chick flicks.” No chick flicks? Didn’t all girls like chick flicks? Not that he was going to watch one. I mean, why would he? His questions must’ve been fully displayed on his face though because Lilac felt free to answer them. “Right now,” she began, removing the towel from her head and running a hand through her hair. He stared a mite too long, and she offered a coy smile. “Right now, I really need something to blow up and someone to die.” He gave a short laugh. “I think that can be arranged.”

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE first movie, a Liam Neesen flick where he kills everyone, and the sequel, where once again he kills everyone, I fell asleep. This was because my little brother spun around at night and hogged all the bed space, so I hadn’t gotten much rest the night before. I awakened, bleary-eyed, trying to where I was, with Apollo smiling down at me. “I hate to do this to you,” he said, his expression relaxing. “But your mom is here.” At the mention of my mom, I looked past him to where she stood uncertain in the doorway. She had on her will-she-still-be-mad-at-me look, and yeah, I was still mad. I didn’t want to talk to her, yet I hauled myself up anyway. Like I had a choice. But I didn’t move far outside the room because I figured she’d make less of a scene with people nearby. I was prepared for war right then, my teeth clenched, my hands fisted, but she only looked across at me apologetically. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” I jerked my chin in a sort of okay. “I know this is hard on you and your brother both, and I should’ve handled it differently. But I do believe it’s for the best.” I couldn’t see how it was. How could anything involving my dad be for the best? “Sweetheart, you can’t be so angry at him,” she said. “It’s not good for your health, and ...” “What does my health have to do with it?” She quieted. “I don’t understand how you can look him in the eye, much less expect me to.” She exhaled, and I could tell I was giving her pain. I didn’t want to do that, but I’d toted this around for so long.

“He’s apologized to me,” she said, “and he wants to apologize to you and Curtis.” His apology would do him no good. As far as I was concerned, his leaving was the best thing he could have done. “Irregardless, I want to say I’m sorry.” She extended her arms, asking for a hug, and with all that was in me, I wanted to deny it to her. But in the end, I couldn’t, so she wrapped me to her and squeezed, then pushed me to an arm’s length. “Now, I think you’ve imposed on the Adderlys enough for one day. Run get your things and come back to the guesthouse. I’ve made us some sandwiches.” Sandwiches. I had to trade Apollo for sandwiches? Talk about unfair. I circled around and walked back into the room. “I gotta go,” I said. He looked past me towards the entrance. My mom had stayed behind. Nevertheless, he lowered his voice. “You okay?” I stared down at him, curling and uncurling my fingers. “I ...” I wanted to say I looked forward to our date, but I figured I’d pushed myself on him enough for today, and he was probably annoyed. Much like I got with my little brother. So I didn’t. “I’m fine,” I said instead. “I need to go get my dress. I’ll return the clothes.” He waved his hand, dismissive. “Don’t worry about it. Keep them and think of me.” I smiled wide because thinking of him was all I’d be doing. My mom coughed from the hallway. I made a face. “See you tomorrow, I guess.” “Will do,” he said. Reluctant, I pulled myself away and into the hall. I glanced at my mom only

once before running upstairs. In the bathroom across the hall from his room, I snatched my dress where I’d left it over the shower curtain and turned my steps toward the stairs. But I paused and an idea jumped into my head. I dashed into his room and over to a small desk set beside the window. Opening various drawers, I located a pencil and a slip of paper, then wrote rather sloppy, my thoughts spilling over each other. I stood up after, thinking where I could leave it he’d be sure to see it and spied his phone on his bedside table. I weighted it beneath, recaptured my dress, and skipped from the room. That’d give him something to think about. I half-laughed on my way down the stairs, but at the sight of my mom, it fled. Shoving past her, I stomped out the door and around the pool, walking to what felt like, at that moment, my certain death. Or at least complete boredom again.

“LATER, DUDE.” STEFAN saluted on his way out the front door, and Apollo shut it behind him. Scooting through the foyer, he took the stairs two and a time and came to a halt inside the door of his room. He sighed. What exactly was he supposed to do about Lilac? He rubbed his forehead. This morning he’d gotten up with no thought besides cleaning the pool like he’d been told and making himself scarce for the guests. Guests who’d made their reservations rather late. He turned that over in his mind. Most people paid well in advance, months even. Yet his mom indicated this was last minute. Why? He stepped toward his bed. Did it have something to do with Lilac’s dad? Whatever that story was, it wasn’t a happy one. Snatches of her conversation with her mom only substantiated what Lilac had already said—that she didn’t want to talk about him. It wasn’t his business. She was a nice girl, more than nice actually, but troubled. He’d do best to let it be. He was looking forward to Friday now because of her, but past that, it’d really be in his best interest to keep her at an arm’s length. She didn’t live nearby anyhow if he even was willing to be serious. No, like Lilac correctly guessed, he’d been burned too much and recently. Christine. He scowled. She’d seemed all nice on the surface, devoted and sweet, but working behind his back the whole time to secure a “better catch.” Dalton Kelvin III. More money to spend on her. More status to give her. He should’ve known. He reached for his phone and his gaze fell on a piece of paper fluttering in the breeze of the overhead ceiling fan. He unfolded it and leaned sideways against the wall. Laughter burst from his lips, bringing tears to his eyes. His hand fell slack. “You’re just too much,” he said. Too much, and yet so far this summer, the best thing to knock on their door. He

brought the paper back into his view. God-boy, Tomorrow I am returning the favor of such a fine view as you gave me of yourself. Meet me at the pool at ten. Lilac What in the world did she have planned? And why was tomorrow now so very far away?

CHAPTER 4

AN ETERNITY. IT TOOK an eternity for ten o’clock the next day to roll around, especially since I’d had to spend the previous evening with my mom and my brother. I made it worse by going to bed early to escape them, which caused me to wake up at seven. Seven was three whole hours until ten, three excruciatingly slow hours. I dug my swim suit out finally and put it on, modeling a bit in the bathroom mirror. Then I donned my bathing suit cover up, grabbed a towel, and headed for the door. My mom stopped me. “You need to take Curtis.” Yeah, fine. I’d take him. Not that he didn’t have the right to enjoy himself; it was his pseudo-vacation, too. But he couldn’t swim and so that’d limit me to the shallow end. I had no choice though. It was take him or don’t go. So I waved at the little beast to hurry it up and stomped out the door. I didn’t actually wait on him in my walk toward the pool. The guesthouse sat on the western side of the property, about one hundred yards away. It wasn’t so far and there was no way to get lost. I had a few minutes to spare, so I took my time. This was all for show anyhow, and I wanted to make it good. God-boy needed to sweat like I had yesterday. I strolled across the pool deck, tossing my towel at the end of a lounge chair, the back door of the main house in my peripheral vision, and I poised myself for the right moment to remove my wrap. A doubt crept in at the last moment, and instead of shoving it aside, I entertained it. Maybe I shouldn’t do this. Maybe the Adderlys wouldn’t appreciate a girl making a move on their son. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do. I in no way considered myself the prettiest female on the planet, so this was also kind of conceited. But harmless, right? I couldn’t back out now, or I’d look foolish. I was only swimming in the pool, and we’d paid for two week’s stay. I couldn’t avoid the

pool all that time, and it wasn’t really my fault he lived here. I was the guest. All of this ran through my brain and the time slipped by. I heard the click of the door, and I knew it was now or never. Do or die. I grasped the end of my wrap and drew it over my head. Shaking my hair out, I dropped it beside the towel. I turned my vision toward what I assumed would be Apollo, gawking at me. And looked right into the eyes of his dad.

APOLLO OVERSLEPT, LIKE 10:15 A.M. overslept, and woke up in a complete panic, his first thought on whatever Lilac had planned out by the pool. He was ordinarily an early riser, but a combination of too much caffeinated soda and a late-night movie had kept him awake until almost two. He hauled himself out of bed and to the bathroom, then back to get dressed, ignoring his grumbling stomach in his haste to reach the pool. There, groggy, rubbing sleep-encrusted eyes, he scanned the chairs and spotted one wellenshrouded female figure lying completely flat in the shade of a table umbrella. He inhaled and crossed the distance between them. She was wearing a straw hat, with the brim tilted over her eyes, and a pair of Jackie-O sunglasses. Somewhere beneath a large beach towel and her bathing suit cover up, he spotted the straps of a swimsuit. If she heard him approach, she didn’t acknowledge his presence. Her face was a study in calm, not a muscle twitched, her lips were perfectly even, neither smiling nor frowning. As far as he could tell, she wasn’t awake. He seated himself at her head and leaning over, took hold of her sunglasses on either side and gently removed them from her face. Her two wide brown eyes gazed back at him, but her expression didn’t change. “You know ...” she said at last. “I completely deserved that.” He winced. “I know I’m overbearing, and I talk too much. Plus, I pushed you a lot yesterday, and it’s really childish of me to have even left the note. But ...” “I overslept,” he said. She never flinched and made no remark. “I apologize,” he added. “Yes, well, you’re forgiven, I suppose.”

But her body language didn’t agree with that. He might not be as perceptive as she was, but he wasn’t blind. “Let me make it up to you,” he said. “We’ll go somewhere, anywhere you like.” She blinked once. “Anywhere?” “Within reason.” She smiled. “A qualifier. You’re afraid of what I might suggest.” “Terrified,” he replied, nodding. She laughed, then her face settled. “You owe me big time. Big, huge big. Because I have suffered the ultimate humiliation and for a girl like me, it takes something really special to get over that.” “Oh? My oversleeping was the ultimate humiliation?” That seemed far-fetched, even for her. “No, sun-god, not your oversleeping, it’s the fact that ...” She paused and swallowed, her cheeks turning pink. Heavens. What exactly had happened? “Your father’s a nice man,” she said, switching gears. Apollo wrinkled his forehead. His dad? What did he have to do with this? “Very affable and talkative. Told me I could swim however often I like. Said he was so glad his son had a date Friday.” Apollo’s blood drained from his face. “That’s ...” “Embarrassing. There I was in my full glory staring right into the eyes of your dad.” “Man, I am so sorry.” But sorry didn’t begin to cut it. She was right. He owed her big, huge, big, and he was definitely going to pay up. He inhaled deep. “You name it. We’ll do it. Forget the qualifier.”

A triumphant smile pasted itself to her face. “Good because I’ve given it all some thought. I no longer want to swim. I want to go one place and one place only, and you’re going to take me there.” She pulled herself upright, towel, cover-up, and all somehow staying perfectly in place, and swung her legs over the side of the chair. He reversed and turned himself for a better view of her. She adjusted her hat and stuck out her hand for her sunglasses. Sliding them back on her face, she stood to her feet. “Go ahead,” she said. “Ask me where that is.” “Okay. Where am I going to take you?” Her smile broadened and she licked her lips. “You, Pool Boy, are taking me to Grandma’s Gift Shop for Girls.

I ONLY KNEW OF THE gift shop because my mom had mentioned it on the trip down. She’d said it was the biggest store of its kind in the area, and that alone had intrigued me. Yet add to that the idea of a shop strictly for girls, and I was hooked. I loved trinkets, knickknacks, and baubles, especially if they were pink or purple and fluffy. I had a tremendous collection of stuff like that in my closet at home, and I could tell you exactly where I’d acquired each of them and the approximate date and cost. Therefore, I entered those majestic double electronic doors my heart pattering reckless in my chest, thirty dollars given to me by my mom clenched in my hand, and a skip in my step. Apollo, on the other hand, looked like he was walking toward his death, and I can’t say that I blamed him. No boy wanted to be seen in such a place. Despite this, there were husbands, brothers, and other males everywhere, all sporting the same doom and gloom expression. However, his discomfort didn’t stop me from squealing inside. My hands clasped to the buggy, I raced down an aisle, leaving him to drag along. It was by far the most marvelous place I’d ever been, like something from a girl’s dreams. There was row upon row of gift items – stuffed animals, jewelry, hair accessories, purses, and the Holy Grail—shoes. I had one of those heavenly moments where the sky opens, a bright light descends, and the angels sing. Never had I seen so many pairs of shoes: heels, flats, sandals, boots, and sneakers in every size and color and decoration. I spun along, changing my mind a thousand times then caught sight of Apollo in a mirror. He was as out of place as a snowflake on the Fourth of July, and to put it short, miserable. I circled around, returning to where he stood. “You’ve eaten a rotten tomato,” I said, and I gave a soft laugh. “I promise you’ll like the ending.” “The ending?” he asked. I think his brain had gone numb. I nodded. “Uh huh.” I motioned wide. “The ending of this day.” I meant because we’d go swimming later, and he’d get to see me in a suit. I was going to

capitalize on that, but his poor mind went another direction. “We ... we’re here all day?” I giggled like a young child. He really was being tragic. “No, we’re not here all day, but I figured I’d reward you for being such a good sport.” “Is that what I’m being?” he asked. And it came to me; he needed some of his manhood back. Something happens to males in those kinds of places, it’s like all their backbone leaches out and they’re left with nothing but a shell. I bet if I’d thumped him hard enough, he would have dissolved in front of me. So I cast in my mind for exactly what would return it to him, and an idea crept into my head. It was so simple, and it went right back to his promise on day one. I released my buggy, leaving it midway down the aisle and taking hold of his arm, turned him around and walked to the end of the aisle. Really, he more trailed behind me, but in any case, standing there at the end of the aisle, I faced him and placed a hand on either side of his face. He gave me a dazed look. “Apollo,” I said, getting really close to him. “Nod if you can hear me.” Listless, he nodded. “Okay, good. Do you your promise to me?” “My promise?” “Mmhmm. By the pool, you said you pick up pretty houseguests.” He blinked slow, the action reminiscent of a turtle poking its head from its shell. “Yes, why?” he asked. I jerked my head toward the front s. “Now’s your chance. Paste me to your chest, Pool Boy.” He stared back, benumbed, then a slow smile crept on his lips, the corners

gradually curving upward and pulling back. A sparkle came in his eyes, and he stooped, swooping me off my feet. I threw an arm around his neck and laid my head against his neck with a dramatic sigh. “I told you you’d get your chance.” He laughed and carried me right out the door.

“I THOUGHT I WAS A GONER,” Apollo said, dipping a fry in the ketchup on Lilac’s hamburger wrapper. He stuffed it in his mouth. “You almost were,” she said. He picked up two more, but halted without eating them. Instead, he turned them around and fed them to her. She tilted her head, chewing, and smiled. He absentmindedly dusted salt from his fingertips. She was so pretty, yet he’d seen that yesterday, been overcome by it even. He dropped his hand to the table top. She’d been right, too. He’d wanted to kiss her, still did in fact. She wrinkled her nose and sipped her soda, ducking her eyes for a minute. “You ... you what you said? About if I ever needed to talk?” He nodded, suddenly ashamed of his thoughts. Here he was thinking about kissing, and she was upset. “I’m a good listener,” he said. Her hands were in her lap, where she seemed to be wringing them, judging by the motion of her arms. “This about your dad?” he ventured. The smile she normally held faltered and fell. On impulse, he rose from his side of the booth and moved to hers. “Scoot,” he said. She slid left and he seated himself, but opened his arm and drew her in. “Here, sit right there.” She laid her head against his neck. “You know, I liked having you ‘pasted’ to my chest.” She gave a light laugh. “We fit. Don’t you think?” “Do we?”

“Mmm.” Her breath warmed the base of his throat, and her lashes fanned across his skin. She stretched an arm over his chest. “Did you ... sit like this with her?” He mulled that over. Of course, she might wonder that. Perhaps your average girl might not ask though. “I can’t recall it. She was very standoffish. I should have seen through that, I think.” “Did you kiss her?” Well, sure he did, but there again ... anything between he and Christine had been remote. “A few times, though she never was too affectionate.” Lilac quieted, and time ticked on. She seemed to change thoughts. “He left. Six months ago.” Her dad. That was what she’d wanted to talk about. “You were upset?” he asked. She shook her head against his chest. “No. Glad. I hate him.” Her statement startled him. Hate was such a strong word. “I’ve hated him ever since Curtis.” “Curtis?” What did her brother have to do with this? “Curtis was an accident,” she said. “Unplanned.” That explained their obvious age difference. “Mom was upset. She hadn’t wanted to have another. She loves Curtis now, but finding out, you know ...” “Sure.” “Thing is, Dad told her he was happy about it, but when Curtis was born, he

wasn’t around.” “Where was he?” This was the suggested next question in his mind, but not the direction Lilac was apparently headed. “Meeting. Work. Something. He disappeared, and it became me, Mom, and Curtis. The little he was there, they argued. Over anything.” “But why did Curtis make him stay away?” Lilac fell silent again. Her hand had warmed on his side and her cheek to a patch of skin on his shoulder. He rested his head atop hers. “Would you kiss me?” she asked. Shocked she’d asked in the middle of the conversation, he pushed back and gazed down at her. “Why?” She moistened her lips. “You wanted to.” “Yes, but I need to know why first. Is this the houseguest asking, Lilac, or Liane?” Her expression changed at the sound of her real name. “Liane. I like being called Lilac,” she added. “I think of you that way, but Liane is the girl behind it all, the one who makes Lilac tick.” “If I lived here, you’d date me. Right?” He gave a crooked smile. “Yes, I would. I like you.” After yesterday’s declaration to his mom, this surprised even himself, but he meant it. They clicked somehow. “You’d kiss me then.” She folded herself back against him. “I guess so. But who are you kissing?” he asked. “The pool boy, the son of the Adderlys, or Apollo? Because the answer makes the difference. I want to kiss the girl in my arms and not the one who’s led me on for the last two days. I like that

girl, mind you. But kissing is more serious. Therefore, I want you to kiss the right image of me as well.” “I want to kiss Apollo. I ... I bet you don’t go around kissing houseguests.” “No.” “Don’t make me the first. Don’t kiss the houseguest. Kiss the girl you would have if you’d asked her out.” He adjusted his grip on her, tightening it some. “Okay, but first answer my question. Why did Curtis make your dad stay away?” His mind was supplying dozens of answers, an affair on the part of one parent or the other being the most obvious. But the answer again surprised him. “Curtis is autistic.” Autistic? That’d make her dad stay away? “Dad called him names.” “You call him names,” he said. “Well, only because he annoys me sometimes. I’ve never called him what my dad did, nor have I ever walked away. But now he wants to play nice, to ‘apologize’ to both of us, but I don’t want to hear it.” She stuck her lip out in a well-defined pout. “Don’t you owe him a chance?” Apollo asked. Lilac pulled away, her eyes sparking. “He had his chance.” “Okay.” Apollo raised his hands in surrender. “I’m not trying to get involved.” But in his thinking, at some point she’d gone off base. If her dad was sorry for his behavior, then it stood to reason, she should allow him to apologize. Evidently not, in Lilac’s mind. “Let’s get out of here,” Apollo said. Exiting the booth, he toted the tray to the trashcan and waited for her.

She appeared beside him. “I never did get to spend my mom’s thirty dollars.” “In that case, I know just the place, and one less scary.” Lilac smiled. She made to walk forward, but he snagged her arm. Pulled short, she gazed back at him. He slid his fingers down to her hand and took it in his own. “Any girl I’m going to kiss, I can hold hands with.” Her cheeks pinked, and it struck him this was the real Liane Arnoult, the doubtful girl who put on brashness to cover her pain, and though he liked that side of her—it was, after all, what had attracted him in the first place—it was nice to see she wasn’t that way all the time. He folded their fingers together and headed for the door.

CHAPTER 5

THE SHELL SHOP WAS owned by a British couple who’d moved to the Gulf Coast of Florida sometime in the 1980s. He was a red-faced, balding fiftysomething and his wife, gray-haired and pale, this despite living in a beach community for so many years. Both were extremely friendly, and Apollo had gone inside many times in his youth to chat as much as to buy things. The Shop held the typical touristy items—bins of sea shells and other sea creatures, I-love-Florida t-shirts, rubber-soled flip flops, assorted hats, sunglasses, and suntan creams. All relatively inexpensive items someone on a vacation might purchase as a memento. However, on one wall there was a jeweler’s case filled with hand-designed items by local artisans. Apollo took Lilac across the store and stood her before the case. Her eyes spun wide. “They’re so pretty, but I only have thirty dollars.” “I know,” he said. “I’ll pay the rest.” She raised her face from contemplation of the jewelry. “You will?” “Yes, a pretty girl needs a pretty keepsake.” She smiled. “Did she ever tell you how sweet you were?” No, Christine had never done that. She was all about me and I most times, what she’d like, what she hated, what she’d change. He shook his head. “Can’t say she did.” “Mr. Apollo,” said the owner’s wife from across the store. “I didn’t see you come in.” Her floral skirt sweeping the floor tile, she slipped behind the counter. “And you’ve brought a lovely friend.” Lilac tilted her head. “British. London, I’d guess.” The owner’s wife chuckled. “How’d you know?”

“Your accent mostly, but you’ve been gone long enough you’ve lost a little of it.” “She’s a smart one, Mr. Apollo, so she needs the nicest piece of all.” The owner’s wife reached underneath the counter and extracted a box. Flipping it open, she pulled out a necklace. “Oh, what is it?” A pendant hung at the end of the chain, a clear, green stone set in silver. “That’s sea glass,” the owner’s wife said. “Sea glass?” “Yes, they find broken bits of bottles and such in the sand and use them to make jewelry. Here, you can hold it.” Lilac took the necklace and turned it in the light. “I love it.” She flicked at the tag. “Oh, but that’s too much. I can’t.” She handed it back. “No, I said I was paying,” Apollo said. “If you want it, then it’s my gift.” She paused and stared at him. “Why? Why would you spend all that? I mean, I know what you and I said earlier, but at the end of the week, I’ll have to go home and ...” Apollo took her hands and glanced at the owner. “Give us a minute.” She smiled and nodded, then scooted across the shop. “We talked about this,” he said. “You asked me if I’d date you, and I said I would. You asked me to kiss you, and I said I’d do that, too. What’s a little driving distance between us if I like you and you like me?” “But ...” He inhaled. “I like you, Liane Arnoult. You aren’t simply a houseguest who flirted with the pool boy. You’re not just my date on Friday night because I needed someone to go with. You’re Lilac, the girl who more and more makes me

want to be with her.” “I don’t know what to say,” Lilac said. Apollo laughed softly. “That’s a first.” She smiled. “Let me buy it for you,” he continued. “You’re paying half anyway, so it’s like we’re sharing.” She glanced back at the necklace. “And if things don’t work out?” “Who says they won’t? I want you to have it. It’s unique, each piece handcrafted, no two alike, like you. And no hard feelings in the future.” “What about the kiss?” she asked. Her bright smile was back and the overt enthusiasm that had caught his eye. “I have just the place for that as well.”

I FINGERED THE NECKLACE the whole way back, unable to believe the God-creature of yesterday was such a kind, generous human being. I was fast on my way to becoming enamored of him. I mean, wasn’t he perfect? Beautiful on the inside and outside. I found myself wishing this vacation could go on and on. Already at the end of the second day, I couldn’t imagine what it’d be like to go home to the same mundane existence without Apollo in it. With every fiber of my being I anticipated his kiss. I’d been kissed once before by Alexander Thomas. It was an okay first kiss, but there’d been not a lot of enthusiasm for it at the time. He hadn’t repeated it for which I was grateful. Yet Apollo ... it seemed like his kiss would be grand. He parked his car outside his parents’ place, and we went indoors to make our presence known, then straight through and out the back in time to catch the last rays of the sunset. The pool lights had come on, reflecting turquoise in the water, and green spotlights lit the pool-side flowers as well. Apollo pulled me by the hand over to the lilacs. “Here?” I asked. He tugged me to him, wrapping his arms around my back. “Here beneath the lilacs where I can think of you always.” Wow, did that remark earn him brownie points. Perfect inside and out and romantic as well? Yet surprisingly, my first doubt crept in at that moment. I mean, no one is perfect, right? He was way up there in my estimation, but I began to think there had to be some unknown flaw to trip me up. Like, what if I fell for him first? Or what if he kissed me and there was this awesome moment between us, and then the unknown flaw became obvious and I couldn’t live with it? What if— “Maybe we should wait,” I said. He furrowed his brow. “Wait for what?”

“T-to kiss.” “You’re nervous?” he asked. Well, yes, I was, that was part of it. “A little.” “We don’t have to, if you don’t want.” I could see he was disappointed. He thought he was being gallant, and I was turning him down. “I want to,” I said. And I’m an idiot for changing my mind. Really, seriously an idiot. But I was fast discovering that flirting with him was one thing and going through with it was another. He released me and brought his hands to my face. “I want to do this,” he said. “No strings. I promise.” No strings. What if I wanted the strings? No strings was exactly how my dad was with my mom? He’d wanted out and now he wanted back in. I backed up. I couldn’t do this, no matter how great he was. I wanted him to love me, not just want to kiss me. Apollo’s hands remained outstretched, but his face took on a different shape, long and sad. “Lilac?” he called. “I ... can’t. I’m sorry,” I said, and turning tail, I ran for all I was worth.

“HEY, CURTIS, YOU WANT to draw together? I brought some paper.” His face brightened, and he nodded. I pulled a tablet out of my pack and laid it in my lap. “Here, you draw first.” Drawing was one of the best ways to communicate with him. He had an amazing talent for his age. His head bent over the page, he clutched the pencil in his left hand and drew a series of lines. I watched him for a moment, feeling guilty on two counts. One, because Apollo had spent all that money on me. I’d taken the necklace off before I’d gotten back at the guesthouse and not told my mom about it. Two, because I’d been mean to my brother the first day there so I could flirt with Apollo, and I shouldn’t have been. Disappointment shot through me, mostly at myself. If I’d behaved better, if I’d not tried so hard, if— There were an awful lot of ifs. I had to stop punishing myself. I couldn’t turn time back. Curtis’ head bobbed up and down and his arm scooted across the page as he continued to draw. No, I couldn’t change time. But if I could, I’d do things different. I’d maybe not stare so much, though that’d be hard to do because Apollo was so handsome. I’d not speak so forward to him like I had, for sure. He hadn’t seemed to mind though, and in fact, had said he liked it. I wouldn’t take him to Grandma’s Gift Shop for Girls. He hadn’t enjoyed that anyway. And I would’ve kept all that about Curtis and my dad to myself. I’d been asking myself why I’d told him. Of course, the situation had been bothering me for a couple days, more than that really because my mom had told us the week before about our little vacation, so I’d had plenty of time to stew. But that in itself wasn’t enough to make me spill. All I could figure was between the pressure of it and Apollo being so nice, I’d caved. I dismissed my thoughts and leaned over Curtis’ shoulder to check out his sketch. “Whatcha drawing?” I asked.

He glanced up at me and back down at the paper. I shifted myself for a better view, and my eyes distended. “Who ... who is that?” I asked, though I knew the answer. Curtis didn’t reply right off but returned to his sketching, so I waited. He wouldn’t let me see it until he was done anyhow. It was about ten minutes before he sat up and handed it to me. My guilt rose back up at me again. “Why’d you draw this?” I asked him. Curtis curled his fingers tighter around the pencil. “He’s your friend,” he said. I ran my thumb down the sketch of Apollo. It was a good likeness for a sevenyear-old. I paused my nail where Curtis had drawn our hands and looked back down at him. “You saw us like this?” I asked. He nodded. “When? Last night?” Another nod. My stomach lurched, my breakfast shoving into my throat, and I knew what I had to do. But I also knew I couldn’t go alone. I extended my hand to my brother. “Want to go for a walk?” He took my fingers, and I led him from the bedroom into the living room. My mom glanced up from the couch. “Curtis and I are going over to the main house,” I said. She smiled. “Have fun.” He wriggled free once we were outdoors, and I let him go, hollering for him to slow down near the pool. I had to snag him again on the other side though because he got distracted by a butterfly. “Here, we’ll go see my friend,” I said. I cringed in saying that because I’d been particularly horrible to Apollo, but I couldn’t think of another word to use to describe him.

Curtis got excited near the door, hopping from foot to foot. I tightened my grip on his hand. “You have to be nice,” I said. “No touching stuff.” On cue, he stuck his free hand in his pocket. Mom had trained him to do that. “Okay, here we go.” I raised my knuckles to the door and gave a sharp knock. We didn’t need to wait long before the door opened. It wasn’t Apollo but his mom. “Hi,” I said, my insides all jittery. “Is Apollo in?” She gave me a smile I couldn’t interpret. I had no idea if he’d spoken to her about last night or not. But in any case, she backed up in the doorway and allowed us inside. A good sign. “He’s upstairs. You know the way?” she asked. “Yes, ma’am.” Curtis was a bit wide-eyed at everything. I had to tug him along to get him up the stairs. At the top, I gave an extra yank, and he followed behind me down the hall. I paused and inhaled outside Apollo’s room, feeling a lot like puking, then let out my breath and rounded the corner. Apollo looked up from his bed, and his eyes lit on me, then Curtis, and back. “Hey. I ... I wanted to talk.” He didn’t say anything, but pulled himself into a sitting position. “Curtis, sit in the floor,” I said, “and keep your hands to yourself.” He did, but he was wiggling some. Apollo eyed him and got up and walked to his closet. “You like video games?” he asked. Curtis’ eyes lit. Boy did he ever. He could play for hours. “Here, I have an old PS2.” Apollo took the handheld device down and handed it

to Curtis. “And here’s a box of games.” He set the box at Curtis’s feet. Curtis immediately dove in, tossing things this way and that. Apollo reseated himself on the bed. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked. “I wanted to apologize and give you this back.” I pulled the necklace from my pocket and held it out. Apollo made no attempt to take it. “I told you that was yours no matter what,” he said. “But I shouldn’t. It’s too much, and I acted awful.” He tilted his head, rubbing his fingers down the back of his neck. “No, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have pressed you just because it’s what I wanted.” I stared at him, considering what to say. The fact he’d wanted to kiss me meant a lot, and made me feel obligated to tell him the truth. “I wanted you to,” I began, “but I ...” I balked on my words and quieted. That he was waiting on the rest of my statement was written on his face, and I owed it to him. I drew in a deep breath. “I want the strings.” He crinkled his forehead. “You know, you said it was with no strings, but I want the strings.” His face cleared. He didn’t smile, but he didn’t frown either. We remained that way for a number of minutes, then he reached out, and taking hold of my hand with the necklace in it, turned it over. Peeling my fingers apart, he lifted it from my palm. “Turn around,” he said. My hands were shaking, so I mashed them against me. He made a revolving motion with his fingers. Reluctantly, I obeyed. I shouldn’t wear the necklace, but if I refused he’d be upset. I stood there waiting, and he lifted my hair from my neck and laid it over my shoulder. He brought the

necklace around and fastened it. “Okay, now look at me.” I did, only he was standing now and very close to me. “We have a date Friday,” he said. Friday. I’d forgotten about Friday entirely. My guilt increased. I had to go. I couldn’t not go. “Yes,” I said. “I want to go with you. I want to introduce you as my date, sit with you, hold hands by the bonfire. I want to kiss you in the firelight.” “You do?” He smiled slightly. “I want all the strings. When you go home next week, I want to get in my car and drive all the way there just to see you. I want to ask permission for you to come for the weekend. Whatever it takes.” I coughed. “Wh-why? I’m not rich or important or any of the things you’re used to.” “Maybe not, and maybe I wouldn’t have asked you out before. But now I have, and I can’t possibly go back to my life before Lilac.” I was completely stunned. He was serious. “Why?” I squeaked. I mean, I’d been so awful to him, yet here he was forgiving me like that. “Because I’ve never met a girl like you before, and I never will again. Because I like you exactly how you are, bold and outspoken and candid. Because you make my heart race and my insides feel funny. Because you’re so beautiful.” He’d moved closer then, and I was completely overcome. I gave up trying to figure this out. Perhaps that was what love did, made you unable to think. At least, it felt that way to me, like I was robbed of reason and nothing else

mattered but him and me and this right now. He tipped my chin with the fingers of his right hand and brushed his lips against mine. I started to cry. He dried my eyes with his fingers. “That stuff with your dad,” he said. “I’m here for that, too.” Dad. It rose up inside me, all the anger and torment that I’d tried to bury. It made my head hurt. “I hate him,” I said. “Can I give you an honest opinion?” he asked. “You have to promise to think about it.” I inclined my head. “Okay.” “I think you’re hatred for your dad is far worse than what he did to you.” Oh, I really didn’t want to hear that. I wanted to scream and act unkind and childish. But I stopped myself because this was a guy who’d said he liked me, who’d wiped my tears. I gulped, my anger rising. “That makes you mad,” he said. “But Lilac, you can’t go through life angry. I want you to think about that, and I promise not to bring it up again. Okay?” I nodded. “Now, Curtis can bring that with him, but let’s go downstairs because my mom baked a cake.” I tapped Curtis on the head. “Come on, bonehead, we’re going to go eat cake.” He set the PS2 in the floor. “No, bring it with you,” Apollo said. He recaptured the device and hopped to his feet. With him walking before us, we went out the door.

CHAPTER 6

THE TV WAS ON, BUT Apollo couldn’t focus for Lilac’s apology replaying in his head again and again, along with the anger that’d boiled up at the mention of her dad. Though she’d told him what happened and he agreed it was awful, he still didn’t understand how she could let it eat at her like that. His thought from days ago returned. They’d called and made their reservations late, and ordinarily the guesthouse would have been rented already, but it wasn’t, which was strange. He rose from the couch and moved into the hall where the flickering light of the TV played on the ceiling. His footsteps took him to his dad’s office. His dad’s office was to the right of the foyer in a small room with a thick wood door. He knocked lightly and hearing no response, slipped in and shut it behind him. He wasn’t forbidden to go in there. The need arose now and then, but he’d never been one to snoop or pry into the financial side of things. Therefore, a needle of guilt pricked at him. He set it aside. This was for Lilac. He’d never thought to get his own feelings involved, but now that they were, seeing her happy meant everything. He sat in the large leather chair behind his dad’s desk and flipped open the booking calendar. Running his finger down the page, he located the date of their arrival and paused. The name C. Arnoult was written in the margin. Who was that? Her mom? He couldn’t recall hearing her mom’s first name. He shut the calendar and returned it to its place. Then he revolved and slid open a metal file drawer. Filtering through the names, he looked for Arnoult and found the rental agreement. He spread it out on the desk. The signature at the bottom wasn’t a C. Arnoult at all. There in a clear, legible hand was the name Lydia Arnoult. “C. Arnoult must be her dad.”

That made sense. Lilac had indicated they were there to see her father. That’s what had her so upset. But if her family lived in Tampa then why come here? Couldn’t he go to them? He scanned the form again and noted a phone number penciled to the side. That area code was the same as theirs, not Tampa at all. Whose was it? Her dad’s? He replaced the form in the drawer and left the office.

I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT the party. After all, this was a bunch of people I didn’t know and had never met. Also, there was the pressure of being Apollo’s date. He hadn’t kissed me again, but I had it in my head what he’d said about the firelight; and I was both edgy and eager at the same time. Given the state of my nerves, it took me several tries to dress and be satisfied, as well as do my hair and makeup. At the end, I put on the necklace he’d given me and modeled in front of the bathroom mirror. Then I stepped into the living room. My mom looked up from her perusal of the TV. “You look pretty,” she said. “Are you nervous?” I guess she could tell I was. I nodded. “A little.” “Well, I’m sure you’ll have a good time. He’s a nice boy to spend so much time with you.” This made me wonder if she had any thought at all that he wasn’t simply “spending time” with me. I decided probably not, but didn’t express it. “I really like him,” I said. She switched off the TV and waved me over. I approached and braced myself for whatever she was going to say. Her eyes turned soft and her face rounded. “Liane, I’m happy that you’re having a good time, and the Adderlys are fine people.” “But?” I asked. She inhaled and swallowed, her Adam’s apple bobbing. “But nothing. I just hate for you to get hurt.” “Like you were,” I said. I didn’t say it hateful, but I guess she took it that way. Her lips trembled. “That’s unfair.” “Well, Dad hurt you, and now, you’re taking him back. He called Curtis names, said he was ‘deficient.’ Don’t deny it. I heard him say it more than once. He also

said the other word, the ‘r’ one.” No way was I saying that word. “But Curtis is only more special than other kids. That’s all. Not dumb.” “He knows that now. Please.” I crossed my arms. “There is no please, and he can crawl on his belly for all I care. I won’t accept his apology.” She was really hurt then, and I was sorry for doing that. But she never listened to me on it, only herself, and I was done. The knock at the door cut our conversation short anyhow, and my nervousness returned. I half-skipped across the room, then grasping the knob, turned it. Apollo looked at me and past me at my mom. “Hello, Mrs. Arnoult.” “Hello, Apollo.” “We’ll be back around midnight. I know that’s late, but it’s quite a drive. Oh ...” He reached in his pocket and took out a slip of paper. “Here’s my cell number if you need it.” I took it from him and handed it to her. She glanced down and stuck it in her pocket. “Thanks. You both have a good time.” Apollo returned his gaze to me. “You ready?” I inclined my head and took his offered hand. The door closed, and we walked together toward his car. We had to pick up Stefan and his date on our way. I was interested in this. I knew it wasn’t far since that first day he’d come over so quick. Turns out it was only around the block, right next to a marina. “The marina’s new,” Apollo said, exiting the car. I didn’t understand how a marina could be new or old, but maybe he meant the building standing there. It was a huge metal warehouse stuffed with boats in tall racks, one over the other way up to the ceiling. I stared for a good while wondering how they got the boats up in the top racks, but then my attention was taken by Apollo’s return.

Stefan stuck his head in and introduced his date. “Hey, Lilac,” Stefan said. “This is Melissa.” She was pretty, dark hair and tanned skin like him. Their clothes matched, too. I have no idea if they planned it that way. But he was wearing a navy blue polo shirt, and she had on a navy blue top with blue jeans. “Hi,” I said. She smiled and ducked her head. “Hi.” We settled in for the drive. It was further than I’d ever been down the shores of the Gulf. We crossed a drawbridge onto the island where the girl lived. Fortunately, we didn’t get stuck with the bridge open because of any sailboats and so crossed over quickly. The road ended at a street traveling north and south along the coast. Apollo drove north, and I gazed out at the crystal blue waters while Apollo and Stefan chatted. The houses along the beach were interspersed with hotels, a lot of small momand-pop places at first. Then the houses disappeared and the hotels grew larger and larger. I was getting pretty goggle-eyed at this point, drinking it all in, and realized Apollo had called my name. “What?” I asked. He laughed, his eyes sparkling. “Where’d you go?” “Sorry, I was looking around. Did you need something?” He shook his head. “No, but Stefan asked you a question.” I knew he’d been talking, but figured it was stuff between them and not involving me. I twisted my head around. Stefan was smiling wide. “I heard a rumor,” he said. “Oh?” “Mmm. I heard Apollo’s ex is going to be there.”

His ex? I transferred my gaze to Apollo. He didn’t appear to be upset or nervous at all. He’d said it was done between them “So this is a heads-up?” I asked. He tilted his head. “Sort of. I figured you can take her.” I pursed my lips, contemplating that. “You want me to watch her.” He gave a crooked grin. “Only to see what you can figure out. Test your skills.” A test? He was joking around. So okay, I’d play along. “And if I win?” I asked. “A steak dinner Saturday night on me. The four of us.” He glanced at Melissa, and she tilted her head, unspeaking. Steak sounded good, but I had a major question. “How do I know if I’ve won? I mean, what exactly am I trying to find out?” There had to be a point where I’d hit the jackpot, something that constituted a win. “I think we’ll all know,” he said. He’d reclined more in the seat, one arm on the window ledge. “You want the past, the future, or what?” “Either, but the future would be awesome. Like, what’s she up to now?” I stared at him and back at Apollo. “You have any opinion?” It was his ex, after all. He dropped one hand to his lap. “Nope.” I caught Melissa’s eye. She was confused. I was sure he hadn’t explained anything to her, so I stuck out my hand. “Liane Arnoult.” “Liane?” Her eyebrows rose an inch. “But I thought your name was Lilac.” “That too,” I said. I eyed her. She had her hands crammed tight in her lap. “You’re uncomfortable,” I said. This was pretty obvious to me. As well as her

hands, she was stiff as a board and keeping a certain distance from Stefan. Melissa didn’t respond, so I forget ahead. “You like Stefan, and you agreed to the date. But you’re afraid he’s going to think there’s more to it.” Stefan’s eyes flared a bit wider, and he looked at Melissa. “You thought that?” She bit her bottom lip. “Y-yes, but how does she know?” “Nothing he told me,” I said. “It’s how you’re sitting. You have your hands wadded up like that.” She released them quickly, placing one to either side. “You don’t like his cologne either because you keep leaning away.” “My cologne?” Stefan raised his collar and sniffed. “What wrong with it?” Apollo laughed from the front seat. “It smells like a wet dog.” We all laughed at that, Melissa included. She turned to me then. “What else can you tell?” She was catching on. I was glad because I really only wanted her to relax. “Well, there’s your hair.” “My hair?” She raised a hand to it. She had lovely soft, black hair. “It’s curly,” I said. “But you straightened it.” “Your hair’s curly?” Stefan asked. He reached out a finger and touched the ends. She blushed and her voice fell to a whisper. “No one’s supposed to know.” “But I bet it’s pretty, curly.” “And you like curly hair,” I said, pointing at him. “Now, wait a minute,” Stefan replied. “You have no way of knowing that.” “Sure, I do,” I said. “You just said so.”

We all dissolved into laughter again. Apollo flipped on his blinker, turning left onto a short street at the end and pulling up before a large, white house. It was something that house, ultra-modern with huge paned windows that looked straight through to the water on the opposite side. Expensive royal palms were planted beside two huge front doors. Apollo shut off the car and took my hand. “You ready?” he asked. I nodded. “Lead on Sun-god.” Stefan opened the door to the back seat. “Let the party begin.”

APOLLO HAD NEVER BEEN particularly close friends with Megan Tanner, but they attended the same high school and had some of the same friends. She was nice enough, inclined to be a bit Richey-Rich at times, but not snotty. Her family lived in an enormous house. He’d been there twice before, once with his parents for a Christmas party, and the second time to take her some school work she’d missed after being sick for a week. Both of those incidents gave him some foreknowledge of how impressive it was in scale. Lilac looked a bit stunned by the size of the house as did Melissa. But it had that effect on people at first glance. Yet if you looked close enough, you saw it had flaws. Much like people. Christine came to mind. She was attractive on the outside, but her heart was colored several shades of gray. He didn’t see her upon entering the house, but did spot a number of other people he was familiar with. He took Lilac around the room, introducing her to this one and that one, then wandered outside with Stefan and Melissa in tow to where a bonfire was being prepared on the sand. Tables draped with red-checkered cloths had been set out on the patio. In the center of each was a tropical flower arrangement set with unlit candles. Lilac spent considerable time staring at the display. “Heliconia,” she said, “and Butterfly ginger, and these are Phaelanopsis orchids.” The fact she happened to know their names should have surprised him, but didn’t. “And that’s a Cattleya. Here, smell.” He obliged her. It was quite fragrant. “Not as nice as lilacs,” he said. She smiled at him for that and hooked her hand through his arm. They stepped into the sand, the warmth seeping immediately into their shoes. “Can we go down to the water?” she asked. He cast a look behind for Stefan and Melissa, but they’d found a seat on the logs at the soon-to-be bonfire’s edge. Lilac, not waiting for his reply, tugged him

forward. The waters of the Gulf swished back and forth across the sand. Seagulls with gray wings and black heads squawked and argued with each other for space. A tiny brown bird darted in and out of the receding waves. Apollo folded her fingers in his and walked down to the edge. However, Lilac, heedless of her shoes, detached herself and plunged right in. “Won’t that ruin the leather?” he asked her. She’d caught the edge of her dress up in her hands, revealing her knees and a very nice length of leg. “Probably.” She waded up to her calves. “If only I could take this back with me,” she said. “The water?” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “The sound. The fragrance. The freedom.” He made no remark to that. Freedom like she wanted could only be found by letting go of her anger. But he wouldn’t remind her of that tonight. He stretched out a hand. “Come back or you’ll be drenched.” She whirled, releasing her skirt, which flew out around her and slapped into the next wave, the tail of it sinking into the water. He caught her hand and attempted to pull her out, but she dug her feet in, a playful look in her eyes. “Don’t you dare,” he said. He hadn’t time to say more than that because, his balance thrown off, he toppled forward onto her, and they both plunged into the waves. He sat there, chest high in the water, his mouth agape, his eyes spread wide. “You’ve done it now.” He turned his head. She was both smiling and fearful. He sucked in his breath at the sight and leaned over and kissed her. Her lips were salty, her breath sweet. “What was that for?” she said quietly. He sought her hand beneath the sloshing waves. “For being yourself. Though how we’re going to get out of this one is beyond me.” He glanced back toward the house, relieved to see Stefan coming to their rescue, towels in hand, but was pulled back by the sound of Lilac’s sob.

Her hands pressed over her eyes, she wept, shoulders shaking. “Lilac? What is it?” He pulled her to him, and she collapsed on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m such a fool.” He tipped her head up. “A fool? What makes you say that?” “I should’ve stopped, but something in me always wants to go a bit too far.” “But I’m not upset,” he said. “It’s only water.” She sucked in a ragged breath. “It’s more than that. It’s me. Dad left as much because of me as he did Curtis.” He lost his grip on her hand temporarily and floated upward. “How’d you figure that?” “I heard him say so.” She nodded sharp. “He called Curtis a name and then said I was ‘uncontrollable.’” Apollo stared into her eyes, aware of the crowd forming behind them. Stefan had arrived at the edge with several of the others. He turned his head and his gut sank. Christine. She looked triumphant almost, like the sight of he and Lilac had won her something. Lilac followed his gaze. “Is that her?” she asked, her thoughts diverted. “Yes.” She tilted her head. “Wow.” “Wow, what?” Pushing to her feet, seemingly unembarrassed by her water-logged state, Lilac stood tall, hands dangling at her sides. Apollo followed suit. “What is it?” She inhaled. “I can’t say just yet, but something’s off. Is that the guy she ran off with?” She nodded her head.

Apollo looked at the boy standing a little left and behind her. “No. I don’t know who that is.” She stared a moment longer, then trudged through the water right up into Christine’s face. She had a glint in her eye, one that said she was thinking. “Who’s this?” Christine asked, fastening her green gaze on his face. She slid it icily to Lilac. “This is Lilac,” he replied. Christine gave a horse-like snort. “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.” She curled her lip, backing up a step. As if he needed to report to her. As if it was any of her business. Lilac stepped forward, her dress clasping tight between her legs and dripping onto the sand. Her pony tail hung in a long string down her back. “It’s okay, really,” she said. “He’s moved on.” Apollo held in a laugh. “Moved on? She speaks for you now?” She stared back at him. “That figures. You would find a girl who ...” “He didn’t find me. I found him,” Lilac continued, interrupting her midstream. “He was displaying himself by the pool, and what a beautiful sight.” She waved a hand outward. “But you wouldn’t know because you never saw him like that.” Christine threw one hand to her hip. “Just how would you know what I did or didn’t see?” “Well, gut feeling, for one,” Lilac said. “But also because you never went out to the back of the house. You don’t like the smell of the flowers.” Christine was staring back at Lilac a bit agog. Apollo was also curious how she’d figured that out. She didn’t wait to explain. “You’re not wearing any perfume, which means you don’t like the fragrance, and when I approached you just now, because I am, you

covered your nose.” She had indeed covered her nose, but she used to do that a lot. His eyes spread a tad. When he dressed up. When he wanted to go out back. “That was ... was ... the smell of the ocean. You’re all wet.” That sounded like an excuse. Lilac plunged ahead. “Plus, there’s something else I know about you, but you’d rather I didn’t tell him.” Her voice became strangely calm, and she lowered it until it was almost imperceptible. In fact, if he hadn’t been standing so close to both of them, he’d never have heard her. But as it was, her words sent him reeling. “Wh-what did you just say?” he asked her. Lilac glanced at him over her shoulder then sighed and turned. She placed her hands on his shoulders. “She cheated on you. Didn’t you tell me that?” He had, in so many words. Lilac turned back around and pressed up beneath Christine’s nose. She didn’t mask her voice this time, but her question pained him just the same. “How far along are you?” she asked. Christine’s pallor blanched. “Y-you ... how?” “You keep rubbing your stomach.” Christine raised her face from Lilac’s to his, and he couldn’t decide whether to feel sorry for her or vomit. However, she spoke clear enough, looking him straight in the eye. “Six weeks.”

CHAPTER 7

SIX WEEKS. APOLLO LOOKED like he’d ate a rotten tomato, and I can’t say as I blamed him. Christine had dumped him only four weeks ago, and anyone could do the math. “I can’t believe it,” he said, staring at her. “You dumped me for him because you ... you were ...” And Christine did the two things girls always do to protect themselves. Girls in defense mode will first lie through their teeth and then cry. Christine started by justifying her actions. “It’s not my fault you wouldn’t do anything,” she said. Apollo’s voice rose. “Because I respected you.” “Respect? I call it fear. You were afraid.” “Not afraid, Christine. Or, okay, maybe I was. Afraid of being stupid. But I can see it all now,” he said. “We never had enough to stand on anyhow, not like I have with Lilac.” His words stuck to my skin, and I grew all warm inside. Had he really just said that? And after I’d cried and acted so stupid moments ago. But he continued speaking, affirming his words. “One minute with her, and I can’t think straight. One minute with you, and I was ready to be alone again.” Christine looked really hurt then, and her countenance changed. A new thought fit itself into my head. “He told you he didn’t care,” I said. He, the baby’s father. I glanced at the guy she’d brought with her. He looked like he was about to bolt. Whoever he was, he didn’t want to be here, and I suspected would take off at first chance. Her eyes grew moist, and she folded her lip between her teeth.

“He did,” I continued. “What was his name?” I asked this of Apollo who supplied the answer. “Dalton.” “Dalton,” I said, repeating it. “He told you he’ll have nothing to do with it. In fact, I’d go even one further and say, he’s denying the baby’s his.” There was really no way I knew that except by her response to my remarks, and at that moment, I felt really sorry for her. “You know,” I said. “Apollo’s right. It’s about respect. No guy with any respect for a woman would ask her to give up the most important thing she has. Truth is, Apollo and I, I guess you could say don’t know each other all that well.” I could feel him breathing down my neck. He’d crept up close. “I’m just the girl renting his parents’ guesthouse. I needed a friend and found one.” We hadn’t talked about anything so personal, but Apollo had risen considerably in my eyes at this point. There were girls at home expecting babies, and guys bragging about being fathers. It had always bothered me that others could act like it was so normal at our age when there wasn’t anything normal about it. “That’s a nice confession,” she said, her voice cracking. Whispers were growing in the crowd and spreading up the beach. I hadn’t meant to embarrass her, but knew I had. “Not a confession,” I continued. “I simply can’t figure why you’d give him up for anyone else, especially some fleeting sensation from a guy with no idea of commitment. Because being a parent is the best thing ever. I only hope you see that.” She stared at me a moment longer, then she gave a small cry and ran off. I watched her go, feeling cold with being wet so long. Apollo’s arms snaked around my waist, and he laid his chin on my shoulder. “How’d I find you again?” he asked.

“You didn’t,” I said. “I found you.” “Lucky me,” he replied.

HE KISSED HER BENEATH the firelight like he’d said he would and didn’t care that everyone saw it. By that point, they’d seen an awful lot already—his and Lilac’s dive into the surf, the scene with Christine. What was a kiss against the size of it? Lilac curled up against him for the rest of the night, not saying much. He put that down to the late hour and there being a lot to think about. It was sad driving home because he knew the atmosphere of the evening would end. He walked her to the guesthouse door, his thoughts picking at him. He really wanted to talk about Christine, but standing there outside the guesthouse, the mosquitos buzzing around them, seemed like the wrong moment, so he said goodnight instead. His mom had left the hall light on. He switched it off on his way upstairs. In his room, he still couldn’t turn his head off, and it came to him he’d spent a great deal of time walking around blind, unable to see what was going on around him. Yet Lilac, in just minutes, had figured it all out. That worked two ways, though. He saw her problem clear as day, too, yet she remained blind, and for her, it was on purpose. She didn’t want to get past her feelings over her dad and so made no effort to do so. In the meantime, all the anger she stored inside ate at her. If he’d learned one thing from his parents it was that unforgiveness only ever destroyed you, not the other person. What her dad had done was bad. He agreed with her on that. But for her to refuse to speak with him when he was making an effort to do better was as wrong as what her dad had said to start with. Lilac simply couldn’t see that. Apollo rolled over, facing the wall, and stared at the strange pattern the shadows made. Blue moonlight pushed through tropical leaves, which waved in the breeze. He fell asleep awakening in much the same position with a definite kink in his neck. Pulling himself out of bed, he threw on shorts and a t-shirt and wandered downstairs. Before he could enter the kitchen, however, the front door bell rang, so he shifted his path. He was surprised to find Lilac’s mother standing there.

“Good morning, Mrs. Arnoult. You’re dressed nice.” Apollo took in her appearance, questions arising in his mind. Lilac’s mom had kept to herself pretty much the first week, not going anywhere. Now, however, she looked like she was headed someplace important. “Thank you, Apollo. I have an important brunch today, and so I’m leaving Liane here to watch her brother for a few hours.” She seemed to grow uneasy then, leaning on one hip. Eventually, she inhaled, some decision having been made. “You’re actually the person I came to talk to.” He braced himself. Him? To talk about what? “I was wondering if you’d entertain the pair of them today,” she said. “I know you and she have become fond of each other.” She smiled when she said it, which seemed important. To his mind though, she ought to know just how fond. He coughed lightly. “Mrs. Arnoult, I like Lilac. I mean, Liane.” Her smile spread. Maybe calling her daughter by a pet name wasn’t the best beginning to this. He plunged ahead. “I know you live in Tampa and all, but ...” He halted mid-statement, and his thoughts changed some. Was this harder to ask because he knew of the situation with Lilac’s dad? It didn’t affect his personal feelings for her, but it did complicate things, at least in his mind. Mrs. Arnoult’s expectant face brought him back to the current conversation. “I’d like to see her,” he finished. Hopefully, he sounded more confident than he felt. “You know, date,” he added. Mrs. Arnoult seemed focused then, but not upset. “That’s a big step after only one week,” she said. “Yes, ma’am, it is, but I like her that much.” A twinkle lit in her eye, and she slanted her head left, brushing her fingers across the shoulder of her blouse. “I’m happy she’s found someone to spend time with, but dating is a serious thing,” she said. “Why don’t we see how this week ends and take it from there?”

Not exactly the answer he wanted, but, most likely, all he would get for now. Apollo nodded. “About today, I promised her we’d have dinner with some friends tonight if ... if that’s okay?” Mrs. Arnoult dipped her chin. “Sounds fine. I should be back sometime after lunch and can get Curtis out of your hair then. I know he can be trying.” Apollo pursed his lips. “He’s no problem. Always wished I had a brother.” Her countenance wavered then, a struggle appearing on her face, and it struck him ... maybe her husband’s words had affected her more than she wanted to it. After all, if Lilac struggled so hard to overcome them, seems like she would, too, and perhaps even more so. She continued to smile, and he tried not to act like he’d noticed any hesitation on her part. “I also wanted to mention about a visitor I’m expecting,” she continued. “He shouldn’t get here before I return, but if he does ...” She hesitated. “I’ll make sure he’s comfortable,” Apollo replied. She made her escape moments later, and he watched her walk away, his mind spinning. He who? Mr. Arnoult or someone else? Surely, she wouldn’t bring him here with her not being around, not knowing how Lilac felt about seeing her dad. Which left the question, who the man would be. It wasn’t his business, but maybe when he saw Lilac today he’d find out something. She came to the door an hour later, Curtis’ hand in hers. Apollo leaned on the doorpost and stared at her for a few seconds. Her gaze narrowed. “You’re not letting me in?” He laughed once and reversed. “Of course, but I wanted to look at you.” Her cheeks pinked. Stepping through the foyer, he paused in the sitting room, half in and half out of the space. “Your mom said she had a meeting?” he asked. Surely, Lilac knew about that, so it shouldn’t be uncomfortable for her to answer.

“Yeah, she’s having lunch with some people.” A non-answer, and again, not his business, so he let it go. Curtis pulled away toward the stairs, and Lilac hauled him back. “No, bozo, we’re not going up.” “It’s okay. We can if he wants,” Apollo replied. He led them toward the stairs where Curtis tried to free himself from her for the second time. Her eyes grew sharp, and her mouth opened. Apollo didn’t give her a chance to speak, however, but reached out and took Curtis’ hand in his. “Walk with me,” he said. “I know it gets tiring holding your sister’s hand, huh?” Curtis made no acknowledgement of this, but seemed more content at his side. Inside his bedroom, he waved toward the floor. “Why don’t you sit down,” he suggested, “and I’ll find those games for you.” He pulled the box of games out of his closet where he’d left them the last time and placed it in Curtis’ lap. Apollo looked up to find Lilac staring at him. Her expression was curious, thoughtful, and a bit sad. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Nothing ... except Curtis doesn’t take to people really, but this is twice now he’s seemed relaxed with you.” Apollo sat on the end of his bed. “That’s good. Isn’t it?” She nodded. “It’s good, yeah.” She seated herself at his desk, leaning back against the rolled edge, and the distance struck him. Her, over there. Him, over here. He motioned to her. “Come sit with me. You’re too far away.” Once she’d seated herself at his side, he took her hand in his, folding their fingers together. “Boys like to be around other boys,” Apollo continued. “Maybe Curtis needs that sometimes. He goes to school, has friends. Doesn’t he?”

Lilac inclined her head. “Yes, a regular school. He’s not as difficult to teach as some kids with autism, but he does go to special classes sometimes. I don’t think he has any friends though.” No friends? Apollo looked down at Curtis, now happily playing video games, and a new thought entered. How had their dad’s absence affected her brother? He flicked Lilac a glance. Maybe she hadn’t considered that, but it stood to reason that it would have changed him as well. A boy needed his dad for so many things. He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. He wouldn’t mention it right now. “I asked your mom about dating,” he said instead. She pulled her head back. “You did?” He offered an encouraging smile. “She didn’t say no.” Lilac gaze became thoughtful. “What did she say then?” He glanced away from her, toward Curtis. “A mom answer. ‘Wait and see about the rest of the week.’” Lilac drooped, her body bending over, and Apollo tightened his grip on her. “Hey ... She probably just wants to make sure I’m serious, and ...” “It’s not that.” Lilac interrupted him. “It’s Christine.” Christine? Stunned, he blinked, his brow furrowing. “I’ve thought about it all night. I feel bad for what I did. I mean, what if ... what if I only contributed to her problems? She’s been rejected by Dalton. That has to feel awful considering the baby is still ... you know ... there. Plus, she came to the party, which means she wanted to fit in, and I go and embarrass her.” “She cheated on me,” Apollo said. He tried not to sound hurt, but knew he did. Lilac separated herself from him, standing to her feet and wandering to the window. He stared at her slender waist, her hair draped over her shoulders, and was struck all over again by how pretty she was.

“I thought maybe we could invite her to dinner tonight,” she said. Invite Christine? She glanced behind. “We’re going, right?” He nodded, unable to reply. “Maybe if someone made an effort to include her, she wouldn’t feel so bad about herself.” Lilac’s words smacked Apollo in the face. This wasn’t about Christine at all. Once again, this was about Lilac and her father. He ran his fingers through his hair. Did she realize that? Probably not. His conscience twisted, the right and wrong of his answer painfully clear. He wanted nothing to do with Christine. Though he felt sorry for her now, her behavior when they were together still hurt, and the thought of speaking with her, having to carry on a conversation, was incredibly depressing. But Lilac, whether knowingly or not, needed him to do just that. Because this was about her own rejection. Her dad walking away had left her with a rift in her life, one she’d dwelt on far too much, and all the stuff she did spun off of that—her boldness, her willingness to do things slightly outlandish. She thought it made others notice and therefore, accept her. She’d said as much this last week. Apollo stood to his feet and walked over to her. He hugged her, placing his arms around her, and drew in a deep breath. But despite all that ... where Christine was concerned he really had no choice but to set his own pain aside. If he refused, then Lilac would feel dismissed again. “I can call her and ask,” he said. The words lay heavy on his tongue, and the task of calling huge. What could he possibly say that would make sense? His stomach tied itself into a knot. Lilac turned her head sideways and pressed her cheek to his chest. “I knew you’d understand,” she said. “This means a lot to me.” He pulled in a sigh. He did understand. Way too much.

Releasing her, he retrieved his phone. If he was going to do this, he might as well get it over with. But Lilac simply had no idea how hard this was going to be.

I WASN’T STUPID. I knew asking Apollo to set aside his past with Christine and spend time with her was something he’d rather not do, something no one in my position would ordinarily ask. But it meant a lot to me, and I knew he’d agree if I begged. In seven days, I’d learned that Apollo was one of those rare human beings who did the right thing even when it hurt. That was the same reason why Apollo hadn’t brought up my dad. At the restaurant days ago, he’d said he wouldn’t, and I appreciated that he’d kept his word. I didn’t really want to talk about him. But at the same time, our meeting with him was getting closer, and the pressure of it was getting to me. I felt a bit like a ticking time bomb, only I was unsure what would set me off. Apollo walked to the opposite side of the room while he called. He kept his voice low, so I couldn’t hear much of his conversation. It did take a while though, and the couple glances I made in his direction told me he was uncomfortable talking to her. When he hung up, he didn’t move for a moment, but stood in place. Guilt picked at me. If calling her was awkward, then seeing her tonight would be worse. I really was overstepping things where he was concerned. I waited for him to approach me, and he crouched in front of me eventually, his gaze steady on mine. “She was surprised,” he said. Well, yeah, I’d figured she would be. “She also refused.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She might be mad at me, obviously. I’d embarrassed her, after all. Plus, I was the new girl involved with her exboyfriend. That made things worse. “But I insisted there was no motive other than feeling sorry about last night, and I think she ...” He silenced. She what? I didn’t ask, but sat there mute. “I think she was crying,” he finished. “Maybe you’re right, and she feels bad about herself. Maybe she only needs someone to tell her that she’s not alone.”

I tried reading between the lines right then. Was he referring to Christine or me? As usual, he didn’t explain it, so I didn’t ask. Instead, doing my best to act more cheerful, I pushed to my feet, taking hold of Curtis’ video game. “Well, bonehead, we can’t sit up here all day while you do that. Maybe Apollo will take us both outside. What do you say?”

CHAPTER 8

THE BACK GATE RATTLED and I looked up to see a man standing on the opposite side. Evidently dressed for business, he wore black slacks, a white dress shirt, and a striped tie. In his hand was a leather briefcase. “I’m here to see Lydia Arnoult,” he called. Apollo rose and let him in. My mom had been back from her brunch for about thirty minutes. She’d asked Apollo and me to watch Curtis while she lay down for a moment and to keep an eye out for her visitor. “Daddy?” Curtis’ voice surprised me, and I glanced his way. He rose from the grass, where he’d been busy chasing ants, and raced across the lawn, flinging himself at the man’s legs. “No, that’s not Dad,” I said, my cheeks warm. What made Curtis think it was? Taking hold of his arms, I hauled him back and tucked him against me. I took another look at the man. I guess he could be mistaken for Dad if you weren’t paying attention. They were of similar height and build, both with dark hair. But the similarities ended there. The man laughed lightly, not seeming offended by Curtis’ actions. “She’s in the guesthouse,” Apollo said. “Just go right around there. She’s expecting you.” The man nodded and crossed the space, disappearing from view. Mom hadn’t told me who her visitor was or why he was coming. I’d been curious, of course, and given his appearance now, was even more so. But all she’d said at the time was it was related to her brunch and then something about

“a deal for your father.” Mention of my dad had made me shut down. Apollo’s gaze right then asked what I knew, but I didn’t feel like sharing, so instead, I sat back in my chair, the crisscrossed straps of the seat making weird patterns on my skin, and turned Curtis toward me. My initial question returned. Why in the world had he thought that man was Dad? Worse, why had he seemed eager to see him? Dad had mostly been absent from his life, and the few times he’d come around, ignoring him entirely. Then there were all the things Dad had said about him behind his back. He’d been shielded from those for the most part, and so would have no reason, I supposed, to hold a grudge. Yet in all this time, he’d never asked for Dad or reacted like that to someone else. “Curtis, what made you think that was Dad?” Curtis looked back at me, his eyes innocent, and I tried to read his expression. But it was a bit mixed up, as usual, his autism always making things difficult. “I want to see Dad,” he said. “Why?” I had no intention on filling his head with negative stuff. My issues were just that – mine – and would only make Curtis unhappy. “I miss him.” It seemed simple said like that, but I didn’t know what there was to miss. “Look, you’ll see him in a few days. Mom told you that.” I wanted to add, but don’t expect anything. But I didn’t. Curtis bobbed his head, and I released him, motioning toward the grass. “You can go see mom when the man leaves. Go chase ants again.”

He returned to his place at the base of an anthill. My gaze crossed with Apollo’s, and something he’d said to me earlier returned. Boys like to be with other boys. I’d never considered Curtis’ needs in the absence of our dad. Had that been what Apollo meant? I really didn’t want to ask. In fact, I was tired of thinking so much. It seemed like my life had become a series of endless questions. I scooted my chair left, butting it up against Apollo’s, and laid my head on his shoulder. He reached for my hand. My insides went warm and fuzzy, the fuzz taking over my mind when minutes later, he kissed me. Our lips clung together, fueling a second and a third. God, he was great. Kind. Gentle. Patient. Maybe too patient if that can be considered a flaw. Apollo was always worried about the consequences of his actions and so was inclined to hold back at times when he probably should leap in. In that way, I was his direct opposite. I jumped, not knowing where I would land, but in my thinking, that was half the fun of it. Being uncertain. He ran his thumb back and forth over my hand, sending a tingle up my arm, and right then, I entered some sort of incredible nirvana where a golden glow surrounded everything in view and this was the best minute of the best hour of the best day of my life. I felt invincible. I’d met the perfect boy, one who in seven days had become my best friend. One who kissed away my tears at a low moment in my life. One who went out of his way to make me happy even when it involved his ex-girlfriend. Who didn’t mind playing ball with Curtis half the morning, didn’t say anything when Curtis had one of his screaming fits, and would sit here doing absolutely nothing. The spell I was under seemed to strengthen me. I’d get past this thing with my dad. My mom would finally see what a jerk he was, and, though we’d go home to Tampa, Apollo would come see me every weekend. I built up this perfect image in my mind, feeding it with his caress and so was completely in a cloud when I heard the splash. Splash. Squawk. Gurgle. Curtis. I shot out of my chair and jumped into the pool. Curtis had sunk to the bottom. Taking hold of his body, I swam him toward the

surface and over to the edge. Apollo fished him out and laid him flat. Curtis gave a cough, spewing water everywhere, and I curled him in my lap. My eyes streaming with tears, water dripping from my hair, I clutched him to me. Apollo took off toward the guesthouse without saying a word, returning with my mom and the man in tow. She fell down at my side, gathering us both to her, heedless of our sodden state. “It’s all my fault,” I babbled. “I wasn’t watching. If I’d only watched what he was doing. I know how he is, always doing things without paying attention.” He’d probably followed some bug over there, wanting to know if it would float, or some such. “I tried to teach him to swim.” I was sobbing hysterically now. “He was doing good, too, but he always thinks he’s better than he is. I do love him. I do.” She wiped my damp cheeks with her palms. “I know you do, sweetheart. I know you do.” Curtis sat up, rubbing his eyes, then started to wiggle. I took hold of his shoulders. “You shouldn’t go near the pool. I told you that,” I said. He blinked back at me, unspeaking, then twisted around. I followed his gaze. Apollo had disappeared. I figured he’d gone inside for towels or something. The man stood back by the hedge. Curtis stared at him for a moment, then stood and ran his direction. “Daddy,” he said. My mom was looking that way, confused. “He did that a minute ago,” I said. “Why’s he think that’s Dad? He’s not seen Dad in years.” My mom didn’t respond, and I glanced back at her. Her face was red. Added with her clothing, now wet and stuck to her, and her hair sticking out every

whichaway, she was as bad a sight as me. “Actually,” she said. “He’s been spending time with your father for several months.” My lungs seemed to seize, air fleeing. I bent over, my head falling in my hands. “S-seeing Dad?” She laid a hand on my back, but I shrugged it off. I didn’t want her comion. I heard her sigh, long and drawn out, then she stood and her footsteps receded. “I’m sorry about that,” she said. “He’s been waiting to see Clyde.” The man’s response sounded soft and friendly. “I understand. I know Clyde can’t wait to see him either.” I spun around. He knew my dad? This was all too much. She’d been taking Curtis to see Dad and not telling me about it. Now, she’s bringing around his friends. Not that I should have been surprised. After all, she’d said her meeting had something to do with him, and I’d known for a couple weeks they were getting back together. But it all became too much right then. And real. And happening. I stood up and ran towards her, shoving myself into her face. “I hate him,” I spat. “I hate him, and you knew that. All I’ve had was you and Curtis. You’ve even taken that away.” “Liane ...” She reached for me, but I shook her off. “No,” I snapped. “My name is Lilac. Don’t you call me that anymore.” I reversed my steps until there was a gulf between us, not just physically, but mentally as well. And the hurt inside became huge. Two hands on my shoulders revolved me around. Apollo stood there, his face sad. “Liane is who you are,” he said, using my real name. “I like Lilac, but Liane is the girl I fell in love with.”

Love. Frozen in place, I couldn’t speak. He couldn’t love me, not after seven days. Yet I saw on his face that he did. He smiled, brushing his fingertips down my cheek, and I surged forward, wrapping myself around him.

HE HAD TO SET ASIDE what happened that afternoon—Lilac’s brother falling in the pool; her yelling at her mom; and her mom’s pained expression at Lilac’s angry words—and instead, think about how to get through dinner with Christine. Because as hard as all that was, having to talk to the girl who’d cheated on him was harder. Knowing she was carrying that guy’s baby made it even worse. He had to keep things in perspective, too. It wasn’t the baby’s fault. The baby deserved life, to be loved and ed as he grew regardless of how he was conceived. Apollo told himself that continually as he dressed, repeating it in his brain during the drive to Christine’s, and yet again on his walk to her door. Awkward didn’t begin to describe dinner tonight. Christine lived in a moderate-sized home in a neighborhood of similar houses, the standard one-story ranch built in the nineteen eighties. Evenly trimmed boxwoods lined a concrete walkway leading to the front door, where someone had hung a festive wreath spiked with American flags. The aura of the place screamed nice, and for Christine, that was part of the problem. She had never wanted simply to live nice. She wanted grandeur and extravagance. But to accomplish such an ideal, she needed someone with more money. He’d seen that from the start. He wasn’t stupid. But she’d been friendly and she was attractive, so he’d overlooked it. The episode with Dalton had only solidified his thoughts, however, and now, in looking at the big picture, made him set aside Christine’s feelings entirely. As Lilac had indicated, this was a hard spot in Christine’s life, and, knowing how her parents would react to finding out their daughter was pregnant, would only make things worse for her. Her dad was always a bit hard-nosed and her mom, a tad too dramatic. He didn’t have to think too hard to imagine the pair of them coming unglued. He raised his knuckles to the door and knocked. Christine answered, holding up one finger and reaching behind for her purse. If you didn’t know she was expecting, you’d never guess. She hid it well beneath a flowing floral blouse and a loose-fitting skirt. Both elegant, to her taste, as always, but he suspected picked out on purpose.

He didn’t say anything on the way back to the car, but opened the door for her, and she climbed in. Lilac turned around backward. “Hey. You look nice.” Christine acknowledged Lilac’s greeting with a nod, then an uneasy silence descended, lasting until they arrived at the restaurant and were seated at a table. Stefan and Michelle’s arrival lifted it some. Apollo had called and warned him about Christine’s coming along. He’d also offered to pay for her meal. Still, Stefan had insisted on picking up the tab, saying he had, after all, instigated things. It struck Apollo then that Christine’s being here was a bit ironic, since the whole night began with the idea of Lilac checking out Christine at the party. That thought made him feel a bit guilty. He should never have encouraged it. Yeah, Lilac was good at reading people and, most likely, would have figured out about Christine’s pregnancy anyway, but maybe poking fun of someone wasn’t the best idea. Plus, it had been in front of all their friends. A waitress arrived, and they placed their drink orders. Faces hidden behind the menus, no one said much until she returned. Then moving clockwise around the table, she started with Michelle’s order and ended with Christine’s. Christine flattened her menu, one finger on the words. “I guess I’ll have the baked chicken, but leave off the wine sauce, and bring me a salad,” she said. “Ranch dressing.” The waitress scribbled on her tablet, giving a nod, then scooted off toward the kitchen. “Not that I can keep it down,” Christine finished. Surprised, she’d brought her situation up so easily, Apollo squirmed. Lilac exchanged a gaze with him, then reached out a hand and laid it on Christine’s sleeve. No words were spoken, but they look they shared spoke volumes. Christine raised her eyes to his face. “I should apologize to you,” she said.

One hand lain on the table, he reached for his glass, more to have something to do right then than anything else. “I guessed I messed up.” His emotions over her actions resurfaced, a mixture of pity for her now and the anger and sadness he’d felt for weeks. Not trusting himself to speak, he said nothing. Christine looked back down at the tablecloth. “I haven’t told my parents, but you probably have figured that out. I don’t know how.” She silenced for a moment. “I don’t know why I’m here either, why you insisted on doing this. Not like I acted right the other night ... or ever.” “I didn’t act right either,” Lilac said. Apollo glanced at her. She looked stunning. She had on a simple dress, casual and meant for her vacation, but on her slim figure and with her hair down like she had it tonight, it was very flattering. “I see things sometimes, and I just say them without thinking,” Lilac continued. “We’ll wipe the slate clean,” Stefan said. “Start over.” His words seemed to calm the atmosphere and, at his further instigation, the conversation moved to more trivial things. By the meal’s end Christine had begun to relax. Lilac did her best to steer topics off of babies and relationships. Michelle turned out to be really good at saying the right thing. Between the pair of them and Stefan, he was spared having to really talk to her. He comforted himself. It hadn’t been that bad. Thirty minutes or more, and he could take her home. This was his good deed, proof he could swallow his pride. His smile straining his face, Apollo swallowed the last bite of dinner and sat back. Looking past their table, he took in the other nearby customers, all chatting happily, the busy motions of the wait staff, and past there to a handful of people entering the restaurant. His gaze fell on one face in particular, and he blanched. This could not be

happening, not tonight, not here, not with him and her both at the table. “Dude, what’s wrong?” Stefan asked. Aware he must look peculiar, Apollo grasped his napkin and wiped his mouth to regain some composure. But it was too late. Christine followed his gaze, and started to shake. Tears pooled in her eyes. Lilac reached for her, curving her arm over Christine’s back, at the same time glancing his way, her forehead creased. Stefan, his back to the front of the restaurant,turned around. His curse word, flung carelessly from his lips, framed things perfectly. “What is it?” Lilac asked, clutching at Christine. Apollo couldn’t make the words form on his tongue, couldn’t it who stood there not twenty feet away. Even staring at Christine’s sobbing form, he couldn’t bring himself to do anything. “Apollo?” Lilac tried again. Stefan cleared his throat. “The guy at the entrance,” he said, his voice low. She turned her gaze that direction. “The one in the blue shirt and red tie?” She nodded. “Yeah?” He hesitated, his swarthy skin turning yet darker, and picked at his silverware, discarded on his plate. “That’s Dalton.” And Christine, hearing his name, erupted from the table and fled.

CHAPTER 9

“DO SOMETHING!” I stared at Apollo unable to believe he would make no effort to fix this. He’d been the perfect guy to this point. Only now, he sat there, tongue-tied, looking much like a chicken choking on a piece of corn. “You can’t let her run off like that,” I continued. But he obviously intended to do nothing, so I thrust myself to my feet and followed her footsteps toward the back. I found her in a restroom stall, puking. “Christine?” I knocked on the door. “Go away,” she cried. I had no intention of going away. I knocked again. “Come on. I know it’s bad, but ...” The door flung open. Her eyes were red, her lips mashed together tight. “But this is your fault,” she said. My fault? I swallowed hard, my stomach suddenly swishing like the ocean. “You couldn’t just leave me be. You had to rub my face in the fact that you and Apollo are ... are ...” Her voice faded. I gulped, but didn’t back away. I determined to see this through. “That isn’t what I’m doing,” I said. And hadn’t been my intention at all. Her legs wobbled, and she threw a hand to the wall. Sweat had popped out on her brow and her skin washed pale. “Isn’t it?” she asked. “He’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. No, Dalton was the biggest. But letting Apollo go was the second. Only now, he’s taken, and I’m

pregnant; and my parents are going to kill me; and I’m sick and scared.” “My dad left my mom six months ago because my brother has autism,” I blurted. I don’t know what made me it that to her, of all people. But she got really quiet. “He said no son of his would be ...” I balled my hands into fists. I hated this part. “Retarded. He called his son that name,” I spat. “And so when he left, I was glad to see him go. Who needs him? Not me, and I was doing just fine until my mom decided to take him back. She brought us all this way so he can apologize, but nothing he can say or do will ever make me love him. Nothing.” Her eyes were wide now, her color a bit better. She tilted her head. “He’s your dad. You can’t hate him.” I sucked in a breath. “That’s what Apollo says. What my mom says. But I just can’t see how everyone else’s opinion will change anything.” “What about your brother? What does he say?” Curtis’ voice rose up in me as clear as if he was standing there and the scene from earlier in the day—him thinking that man was Dad and running over there, not once but twice. Mom telling me he’d been spending time with Dad. “He’s seven,” I said, in defense. “He’s smarter than people think, and he draws really well.” I was stalling. She had her hands on her belly now, looking down at herself. “I could do away with it,” she said. My insides clenched. She couldn’t possibly do that. That was ... “But I don’t want to,” she finished. Wrong. My thought ended the same moment she spoke. “Even if he or she has autism or is deficient in any way, he’s a part of me, and I have to do this.” I leaned on the side of the stall. “Sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”

She smiled, the first time I’d seen her close to happy at all. “It’ll be worth it to be yelled at. Worth it to do whatever punishment I’m made to do. I think my parents will come around.” She raised her gaze and switched the subject. “Your dad made a mistake. Maybe he deserves a second chance.” My tongue was heavy, my throat clogged. The door to the restroom opened and a woman entered, a young child in tow. The little girl was squirming and dancing. I couldn’t help but smile. “Now, wait a minute. Let Mommy help you,” the woman said, tapping the child into an adjacent stall. The door clicked shut, and I stuck out my hand. “I’ll face my problem if you’ll face yours.” I didn’t know how I’d do it, but it seemed like life was pushing me that direction anyway. She settled her fingers in my palm. “I know why Apollo likes you,” she said. I led the way out of the stall toward the door, stopping by the sinks so she could wipe her mouth. We walked to the door and exited. “Why?” I asked, more curious about her answer. “Takes someone with a big heart to care for those others have rejected,” she said. I halted, and she stopped by my side. “I’m sorry for embarrassing you,” I said. She nodded. “Not your fault. I did this to myself, so like you said, I’ll simply have to face it.” We returned to the table and found everyone watching us. Christine didn’t sit, but scanned the restaurant for Dalton. He was sitting with an older couple who I assumed were his parents. She got a crooked smile on her face. “If you don’t mind giving me a minute, I think I need to go introduce myself.”

THE BRIGHT LIGHT OF a full moon washed the earth several shades of blue, including the lilacs up by the main house. For some reason, they smelled so much stronger at night. I drank in their fragrance and swished my legs in the heated water of the pool. Apollo reached for my hand. I allowed him, though my heart and mind were somewhere else right then. I couldn’t get my promise to Christine out of my head. I meant to keep it. I’d face my dad, let him say what he wanted to, and I’d try to not hurt my mom again over it. She loved me, after all. But more and more, it felt like doing that was pushing me and Apollo apart. I liked him a lot, and he’d said he loved me. I guess he meant that at the time, though I think maybe it was more spur of the moment than he wanted to it. But the fact was, I didn’t live here, and even if he wanted to come see me, once a week wasn’t enough to build on. He was the best guy in the world—maybe still working through his feelings over Christine, but that was to be expected, I guess—and so deserved to be with someone who didn’t have so much junk in her life. Someone who lived nearby and could spend hours with him. He deserved to grow up with her, to be destined when they reached twenty-something to reach some epiphany in their relationship where they knew the direction they’d take together. Yet more and more, I wasn’t sure I was her. Not that I didn’t want to be, but I didn’t understand who I was on my own yet, much less who I should be with him in the picture. That said, I wasn’t quite ready to let go and wanted him to kiss me again. But more to see if I felt anything. It seemed like if our lives were meant to be intertwined at that moment I’d know it. Then again, stuff like that only really happens in books. “You want to go shopping tomorrow?” he asked. “We can take Curtis.” Curtis. Apollo was really good with my little brother, didn’t mind his odd behavior, was super patient. But I saw one thing clearly now. Curtis needed our dad. He had no idea what Dad had said or done. He had no messed up thoughts like me, and it was wrong of me to treat him otherwise.

“We can eat lunch at the dock,” Apollo continued. “They have great fish sandwiches.” I nodded. “Sure. Sounds great.” I looked across at him. “I have to see my dad Wednesday, so I thought I’d spend Tuesday with my mom and Curtis if that’s all right.” His expression became peculiar but not negative really. “If you want,” he replied. “Funny, how it was Christine that made me see it,” I continued. Apollo didn’t respond, but he did wedge our fingers together. “She walked right up to Dalton and announced her pregnancy to the entire table, and I have to walk right up to my dad and say, ‘Look. This is how I feel.’ Then I have to listen. I mean, he’ll always be my dad.” “Dalton’s dad looked like he’d kill him,” Apollo said. I gave a half-smile. Yes, he had, and I’d hate to be in his shoes. “I’m glad you’ve decided to see him. Your dad, I mean,” Apollo added. I bobbed my head. “Yeah. Me too. It’s kind of a relief. I only wish ...” My words fell away. “Wish what?” he asked. I shook my head, “Nothing. What time do you want to leave tomorrow?” He paused, and I could see he wanted me to say more. But I just couldn’t. “Ten? Is that okay?” “Sounds fine.” He reached for me, running his knuckles down my cheek and paused with his thumb near my lips. He leaned in. I shut my eyes. Either, stars would explode at this moment or I’d remain exactly

how I was, a girl with her feet in the pool. But whatever the case, I determined to never forget it, to never forget Apollo Adderly and how my life changed here. He took my bottom lip in his, tugging it downward, and lingered on my mouth. Then he pulled back and wrapped an arm around me. In that instant, I knew what I had to do, and I had four days left in which to get up enough nerve to do it.

THE TELEPHONE NUMBER staring him in the face, Apollo paused his fingers on the keypad of his cell, his decision wavering. He shouldn’t do this, go behind Lilac’s back, but something deep inside pushed him ahead. She was doing the right thing, seeing her dad, and he was glad she’d finally gotten herself to the point of accepting it. She’d said Christine had helped her. Odd, but again, a good thing. She also hadn’t asked him why he didn’t stick up for Christine, and that was a relief. Christine still rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe eventually, he’d get past it. But for now it was like a sandspur in your shoe, slightly painful. He held his breath and dialed, determination rising inside. He had something to say to Mr. Arnoult and not until he got it off his chest would he find any relief. It’d be better afterward. He’d see. It simply had to. The line rang once, twice. On the third ring, a deep male voice answered. “Clyde Arnoult.” Apollo gulped, the knot in his throat the size of a baseball. “M-mister Arnoult,” he began. “My name is Apollo Adderly. Your wife ... is renting our guesthouse?” There was a pause on the other end, then Mr. Arnoult’s answer. “Yes? Is there a problem with the guesthouse?” “No. No, it’s fine. This is personal.” Apollo expelled his breath, his insides awash. “Well?” Mr. Arnoult prompted him to speak, and Apollo fixed his thoughts. “It’s about Liane, your daughter. I ... I’d like to talk to you in person if that possible.” “About Liane?” Apollo nodded, though he knew Mr. Arnoult couldn’t see it. “Yes sir. If there’s any time good with you?”

“I’m free in the morning if you can meet me early.” Early. So he was local. Apollo switched the phone from one ear to the other. He’d guessed as much from the area code. “Where and what time,” he replied, “and I’ll be there.”

APOLLO WAS CURIOUSLY absent Tuesday morning and, when he returned around nine thirty, really quiet about where he’d gone. I’d knocked on the main house door at nine to be informed he wasn’t back yet. He played it off, saying he had an errand to run but he was back now and wasn’t I ready to go? I couldn’t make him talk, so I said yes and went to retrieve Curtis. Curtis was wound up about going somewhere, and I wasn’t sure I could contain him. He bounced and jumped, spouting random statements the entire drive. He settled down some by the time we arrived, walking calmly at Apollo’s side. We had a nice day, bought some useless trinkets, had the promised great fish sandwich, and climbed the rocks at Bradenton Beach. We ended things by the pool, me with my gaze sharp on Curtis, having barbeque my mom purchased from somewhere. I avoided talking about my dad entirely, and Apollo kissed me goodnight around ten, saying to have a nice day on Tuesday. Tuesday was actually super boring, but profitable, I thought. My mom and I talked about a lot of things, too many really, and played with Curtis for a while. It wasn’t until late that I got really nervous. I mean, Wednesday was the day I’d see Dad, and I wasn’t sure yet what to say. Plus, I had my decision about Apollo to deal with by Friday. It seemed like everything was coming to a head on me. All of it kept me awake until around three a.m., and as a result, I was sleepy the next day, dozing on and off until dressing to see my dad around ten. I was jittery in the car, bouncing my leg, fiddling with my dress, fixing and refixing my hair, and my stomach balled up as we pulled into the parking lot. Mom got out, taking hold of Curtis, and I followed her toward the building. “Are you sure this is where we’re going?” I asked. She looked back at me. “Yeah, why?” Because it wasn’t that far away and I distinctly ed ing it on the way to Michelle’s house the night of the party. “Why’s he here?” I was suddenly full of questions. What exactly had my dad been doing for the last six months? I knew he’d moved off somewhere, but not the location. Hadn’t

really cared where that was, for that matter. But given the distance of it from the Adderlys, it seemed odd. I mean, he was so close to us all this time? The sun beat down on the asphalt and into my eyes, and I squinted in the glare, seeing only the barest form of the building and my own footsteps, for the most part. The shade of the overhang was a relief and the darkened interior of the warehouse. “Wow.” My voice echoed in the huge space. Curtis was as agog as I was, looking upward, his mouth open. Aware my mom never answered my question, I tugged at her arm. “Why’s he here?” I asked again. She looked at me with a smile. “That’s a surprise.” A surprise. As if this was a birthday party and something great would jump out of the cake. I wasn’t much in the mood for surprises, but I’d already come this far, subjected myself to so much, what was another few minutes to find out. “This way,” she said. Trailing behind, we wove our way through the space toward a small airconditioned office. Here, she tugged the door open, after peering through the glass, and ushered us inside. Curtis spotted Dad right off and ran over there. Dad bent over and hugged him tight, then he stood and kissed my mom’s cheek. Touching really. Except I was all mixed up inside. I hadn’t seen him since he’d left, after all. He hadn’t changed much, maybe lost a few pounds, but was otherwise the same, his dark hair parted on the side, his shirt tucked in the front but not the back, like he wore it so many times, his black loafers on. “Liane,” he said. He made no effort to reach for me, which made me wonder if he’d been warned. “I met a friend of yours the other day,” he said. A friend of mine? I had no friends here except Apollo.

“He called me, wanted to tell me something important.” He. The anger I’d been fighting for months rushed upwards. Why would Apollo do this? It had to be him. He knew how I felt, and here, I’d thought he was special, thought he loved me for me. “He’s a fine young man,” my dad continued. “Told me something I’d forgotten.” I sucked in my breath, reining in the retort rising on my tongue. “Wh-what was that?” My dad took a step forward. He had on the cologne I ed him wearing, some slightly musky scent reminiscent of seawater. Appropriate, I thought. “That my daughter was beautiful inside and out.” My throat clogged, and it was as if some big hammer in the sky crashed down, smashing my life into tiny, fragmented pieces.

CHAPTER 10

APOLLO BOUNCED OUT of bed, a rush of emotion surging through him and a lot of curiosity about how yesterday had gone for Lilac. She hadn’t come to see him after they returned, and he’d put that down to too much for her to deal with. Understandable. He dressed carefully, wanting to make the best impression on her last day here, then took the stairs two and a time and swung into the kitchen. His mom looked up from the table. “Good morning,” she said. “You look chipper.” He smiled and crossed over to her, kissing her cheek. “I’m good.” “There are cinnamon rolls on the stove.” He inhaled the sugary scent and, taking a plate from the cabinet, plopped two on it. Icing stuck to his lips and the tips of his fingers. “These are great. I’ll take some to Lilac.” His mom’s brow wrinkled. “You don’t know?” she asked. “Don’t know what?” He swallowed the bite in his mouth, another already halfway up. “They left last night.” Left? Frozen in place, Apollo stared back at her, the roll a cold lump in his gut. Why would they leave? Worse, why would Lilac not say anything to him? “You were taking a shower maybe,” his mom said. “Mrs. Arnoult came to the door, saying they were going a bit early, that we’d been very nice and accommodating. Oh ...” She held up one finger. “There was an envelope for you. I think your father has it in his office.” An envelope. Setting his plate on the counter, Apollo left the kitchen, headed for

his dad’s office. He knocked on the door, but didn’t wait for the usual greeting. His dad closed a file drawer and turned. “There you are,” he said, a wide smile on his face. “Your little friend left you something.” He seated himself, his chair squawking with his weight, and filtered through the numerous papers on his desk, extracting an envelope. “Here, it is.” Apollo stared at the white paper, blank. Had it all come down to this? Everything he’d shared with her, all she’d come to mean to him able to fit in an envelope? She hadn’t even said goodbye. What did that mean? His dad shook the envelope, extending it further, and Apollo grasped it at last. He exited, walking through to the sitting room and ensconcing himself in the big chair. He stared at the fabric for a moment, her voice returning. You’d be the handsome hero come to sweep me off my feet. Hadn’t he done that? Hadn’t he stepped out, tried to fill in the gap in her life, guide her back toward being happy at home? Hadn’t he told her he loved her, kissed her in the moonlight, spoken for her to her dad? He’d been very nice, flattered even that Apollo would take the time to tell him how special she’d become to him. Her dad had itted he made a mistake with her, one he was planning on correcting, even encouraged him to ask her out, officially. Apollo stuck his thumb beneath the flap and tore the envelope open. A letter fell out and an object which landed in his lap. He reached for it, his eyes wide, and raised it into the light. The green stone flared bright, throwing diamond-like reflections on the ceiling. The necklace. She’d returned it? Why? He peeled open the letter, his throat clogged. Sun god— Despite his mood, a smile emerged and a piece of his heart warmed, but as quickly as it’d risen, it fell and was gone. He continued reading.

I decided to do this days ago, but wasn’t sure how to go about it. I intended to say a long goodbye, tell you how great you were again, and that all of this meant so much to me. But ... and you know there had to be one ... when Mom said we were leaving last night, I knew I was left with no way to communicate but through a letter. So I asked for a few minutes to write. I found myself here, seeing, at last, who Liane Arnoult was, who she can be, and have learned, most of all, how to do the right thing. I owe that to you. You are the best guy a girl could ever wish for, as you said of me, beautiful inside and out. I am returning the necklace, not because I don’t appreciate it, nor because I’m angry and upset. I’m okay actually. Dad and I talked and have agreed to work on our relationship. He’s sorry for what he said, makes no excuses, and seems to have changed. Besides, Mom needs him and Curtis needs him. Maybe me too, though I won’t it it yet. All of that set aside, I want you to have the necklace as a promise from me to you. Apollo clutched the stone in his palm, the rounded edges of it forming to his skin, and sat back in the chair, slumping to a supine position. He shook the letter out over his head. Below is my new address. But before you get in your car and come see me, before you give me some long speech about how much I mean to you, before you say a lot of things you may or may not mean, I’m asking you to give me time to settle in, get used to having my dad around, and figure out exactly how my life has led to here. I’m not sure how much time I need, truthfully, so I’m going to leave that up to you. I think you’ll know in your heart exactly when it comes. Until then, the necklace is your reminder that Liana Arnoult thinks the world of Apollo Adderly, and maybe even more than that. Love, Lilac His eyes moist, Apollo mashed the letter to his chest and sighed. She was so close and yet, as they say, so far away. How much time would it take? And at

what point would he know it’d been long enough? Because one thing was for sure. There was only one girl like her, and he wasn’t about to change his mind.

“HEY, DUMBO, GET DOWN from there before you break something.” My hands on my hips, I narrowed my gaze at Curtis, now one leg in someone else’s boat. He was forever climbing in them and had become part monkey it seemed. Curtis reversed and hopped back down on the pavement, his sneakers making a loud smack which echoed through the dry dock. “Come on, we’ll go see if Dad has anything constructive for you to do.” Taking his hand, I led him around the mesh of boats toward the office. I could not believe my dad owned this place. All those months he was away he’d been building the warehouse and collecting clients. Tampa now seemed far away, part of my past. I was glad. I liked it here. A blast of cold air smacked me in the face through the open door. I shoved Curtis in ahead of me. “There you are,” my dad said. “I was wondering where my boy was. I need a new drawing for the file cabinet.” Curtis eyes lit up. “I put your pencils on the desk over there,” he said, motioning to the right. Curtis ambled over, climbing in the chair and fumbling through the collection of objects. Dad looked back at me. “How’s my daughter?” “Fine,” I replied. “I saw you and your mother decorated your new room. It looks nice.” We had put it off for weeks, more because there was so much to do with moving, selling the house, packing things, then settling in. “You ed for school?” he asked. I nodded. The summer was coming to a close, both good and bad, as the end of

summers usually were. It meant the end of one thing but the beginning of another. “Your last year,” he continued. “I can’t believe it. Have you given any thought to what you want to do after?” “No,” I replied. I couldn’t see past having just moved here, much less thinking of going anywhere else. My life was so disordered now. “You’ll figure it out.” He picked his pen back up, jotting on a form. “Need you to run an errand for me,” he said, minutes later. He shoved his car keys across he desk. “Your mom’s birthday is coming up, and I was thinking of the perfect gift. Already paid for it and everything. Think you can go pick it up?” “Sure.” Any excuse to drive was fine by me. I’d had my restricted license when he left, but never bothered to get my permanent until moving here. He’d taken to sending me a lot of places for him, which was nice. “What is it?” I asked, capturing his keys. “You’ll know when you get there,” he said. Curious, I wrinkled my face and stared back at him, but he was his usual self, smiling and not talking. That was a side of my dad I’d forgotten about, how he’d have fun with you, keeping a secret that you just wanted to know about. “Here’s the address,” he said. I took the paper he held between his forefinger and thumb and stuffed it in my pocket. Behind the wheel of his SUV, I extracted it, then plugged the numbers into the GPS. It was easy to get lost here still, me not knowing my way around. The electronic woman’s voice gave me the time and distance, and I backed out. I enjoyed the scenery as I drove, gazing at all the fine homes along the bay, the boats sailing past, tourists lining the roadway. Dad’s house was actually on the other side of the bay from the dry dock. It was bigger than the one we’d moved

out of in Tampa with a huge yard and a swimming pool. He’d taken it on himself to teach Curtis to swim, especially after I told him how he fell in the pool at the Adderlys and almost drowned. Curtis was doing pretty well, too, which made me glad. The GPS voice instructed me to make a left. This area looked familiar to me. I saw moments later why. The Adderlys. I drove past, staring hard at the house. I hadn’t had one word from Apollo, though he lived only a few blocks from the warehouse. Could be he’d found someone else, moved on. I was sad about that. I had liked him, after all, but things had been so weird those two weeks we were together. It was probably better. I was ten minutes more getting to the destination and pulled up outside the little tourist shop unable to believe my eyes. Here? He’d bought her gift from this place? I knew it, of course. It was the shell shop where Apollo had bought me the necklace. Funny coincidence Dad hearing about it and buying something from here. Then again, some client had probably told him. A sweat formed on my brow from the car to the front door, making me feel damp once I’d gone inside. I took a moment for my eyes to adjust then scanned for the British couple I’d met before. The woman emerged from the back. She had on a similar outfit to the last one I’d seen her in, a long floral skirt with a flowing blouse. “There you are,” she said. I stared at her. She ed me? “You’re here for the Arnoult gift.” He’d called ahead. Had to. Probably told them his daughter was coming. “Let’s see. Where did I put it?” Moving behind the counter, she opened the case and took out a box. “Here, it is.” She snapped it open. “Yes, I believe so. Tell me, what do you think?” She spun it around.

My heartbeat took up the pace of a thousand airplanes, capturing my breath. It couldn’t be, not one exactly like it. Apollo had said they were all unique. “Go ahead,” she said. “Take it out.” I tugged the necklace from the box and a slip of paper fell out on the counter. The pendant hanging over the side of my hand, I retrieved it, unfolding it carefully, and my eyes misted. On it were written only two words. It’s time. Tears skated down my cheeks and a slight cry escaped. I was so overcome I didn’t hear the noise behind me. “Lilac,” said a voice. I breathed in, unable to believe my ears, and spun around. He was glorious, the most wonderful boy on the planet, tanned skin, blond hair, and a smile that reached down into my soul and squeezed. I stood there, unmoving, and he approached. “You thought I would forget,” he said. I had. I’d expected him to get over me and me to get over him. But there are some things time cannot change, some people that you never let go of. He raised his hands to my face, caressing my cheeks. “Impossible,” he said. “Like not smelling the lilacs.”

FROM THE AUTHOR

I LOOK UP FROM MY COMPUTER keys unable to believe this story is actually complete. It was a hard fought battle, which halfway through I gave up on, saying I can’t do it. I even changed the cover completely and the character names, forever altering the storyline. But in the end, Apollo and Lilac called out to me. I’m glad now they did, and that I took the time to listen. I hope you enjoyed the story and for a few hours of your day felt young again. I know I did. Suzanne D. Williams www.feelgoodromance.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR, Suzanne D. Williams, is a native Floridian, wife, mother, and photographer. She is the author of both nonfiction and fiction books. She writes devotionals and instructional articles for various blogs. She also does graphic design for self-publishing authors. She is co-founder of THE EDGE. To learn more about what she’s doing and check out her extensive catalog of stories, visit http://www.feelgoodromance.com or www.suzannedwilliams.com or link with her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/suzannedwilliamsauthor or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SDWAuthor.

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Also by Suzanne D. Williams

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Renegade Brides The Gunslinger

Rodeo Girl Series Kickin' Hearts Racin' Hearts

Superhuman The Underground The League The Coalition The Family The Child

The Coralee Chronicles The Girl In The Pink Bikini The Bride Wore Blue Sneakers Mommy Wears A Green T-Shirt

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Standalone Me & Timothy Cooper Of All the Ways He Loves Me I Kissed the Boy Next Door The Best Week Of My Life Ichabod & Penelope New ~ Jersey All About Romeo A Miracle For Mari A Kiss in September Love in Lilac Give Me Chocolate (And Jordan) She Loves Me Anyway Phenomenal Pick Me Pink That Love Your Neighbor Thing Take My Breath Away Eight To One Blushed

Conversations With God The Other Player What A Woman Needs The Quarter Glass Fearless Tattooed Indian Summer Cops & Robbers It Don't Rain In Texas Love Dangerously Not Done Living For Tonight The Romance Of Summer: Young Adult Romance Collection The Way To A Man's Heart Wings, The Set Love & Justice: Romantic Suspense Collection The Coralee Chronicles: The Girl In The Pink Bikini Series A Little Christmas Magic (The Cowboy & The Librarian) The Romance of Youth Mega Collection A Mail-Order Bride For Christmas

Just Between Us: Student-Teacher Romance The Christmas Pie: An Atlas Bellamy Short Story A Good Life: A Daily Walk in God's Presence The ionate Church: Being the Church in an Age of Offense Fabulous: Young Adult Romance Series A Christmas Blessing: A Best Friend's Widow Romance Baptized Cowboys Of The Double R (Complete Series) How The West Loved (Historical Romance Collection) He Was A Soldier Cowboys, Billionaires, and other Christmas Fantasies: A Christian Romance Collection

Watch for more at Suzanne D. Williams’s site.