I Shouldn't Love Him
I Shouldn’t Love Him (Book 2) – Chapter 56

LAKE

This is what summer was.

At ten thirty on the Thursday morning following our night at the fair, I lay on a beach towel on the south side of Huntington Pier with my friends. It was early, but beach real estate in August was valuable.

Normally, I applied a lot of sunscreen because I burned easily. Tanning was an art I had yet to perfect. Tiffany had the same complexion as me and she had it down to a science. She wanted to be tanned three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Tonight, however, Manning was coming to dinner. He would be home in about nine hours.

I applied sunscreen only to my face and chest. Vickie, on the towel next to mine, only used tanning oil.

“Can I borrow some?” » I asked when she was finished.

She put it back.

“You missed a crazy party Saturday night.”

“I was there,” I said.

Mona, on Vickie’s other side, sat up on her elbows. She looked at me over her sunglasses. “You weren’t.”

“I stood outside for a minute.” I squirted oil all over my legs, tucking my fingers under the elastic leg of my one-piece to even it out. “That didn’t look like much fun.”

“Are you kidding?” Vicky asked. ” Everybody was there. We tried rum and played drinking games. Not everyone, I want to say. Corbin Swenson came to mind. I scanned the surfers dancing on their boards in the water, but they were too far away for me to recognize the faces. “I went to Balboa Park,” I said. Since they admired my sister for some reason, I added, “With Tiffany. She says high school parties are lame.

“Of course they are – for her,” Vickie said. “She’s not in high school.”

Mona frowned. “Maybe they’re lame.”

“Ah, did you hear?” Vickie asked excitedly. “Kim left the party with Jack Firestone, and I guess they’ve been sitting outside in his car ever since,”

I handed Vickie her oil back, lay down on my towel, and picked up my book. I read two paragraphs before my mind wandered. Jack Firestone had graduated with Tiffany. Kim was my age. They probably had s*x. I doubted nineteen year olds would be sitting in parked cars with virgins.

As if the sun was a heat lamp shining on me, sweat beaded on my upper l*p. I liked to think that I was above s*x, that I had more important things to worry about. That I would have no trouble maintaining my virginity long after my friends gave in. But last night I had dreamed of Manning, of his big hands around my waist and his dark, humorless eyes that sometimes weren’t so humorless around me. I had woken up in the middle of the night and masturbated. I had never done it while thinking of anyone I knew. All morning, the thought of Manning had come to me with a pang in my stomach. And it wasn’t weird or bad or shameful. The opposite, in fact. I liked it.

When droplets of water fell on my shins, I put down my book. Someone was standing above me, silhouetted by the sun.

“Hey girls.” I recognized Corbin’s voice. “What’s up, Lake?” »

Vickie and Mona remained silent. I doubted any of them had ever spoken to a Swenson. I lowered my sunglasses. Corbin held a surfboard under one arm. “Hi,” I said.

“Do you see me there?” He asked.

“I think so. I didn’t know which one you were.

“The best looking one, obviously,” he said, taking off the sleeves of his wetsuit. He pushed it down to his waist. Between surfing and baseball, the Sports had done him good. He wasn’t buff, but his muscles were cut and defined and his skin was a golden brown like his hair. “What are you guys

doing?” he asked .

“Just that.” I waited for Vickie or Mona to chime in, but they just stared silently at Corbin. “You?” I asked.

“It was a late surf today. Summer vacation and all.

He laid his short, cream surfboard upside down in the sand. The bottom had a sticker of a frog smoking weed and 420 in graffiti. He shook his hair, showering me with ocean droplets.

“How was it?” I asked.

“Decent.” When he glanced at my chest, I realized my nipples were hard from the cold water. Turning to the other girls, he said, “I’m Corbin, by the way.”

“Hi,” Vickie said.

“Hi,” Mona repeated. I could see we weren’t going to get much else, so I said, “These are my friends, Vickie and Mona.”

“Cool.” He nodded at me. “Want to take out my board?”

Remembering my lie about my surfing experience, I hoped my sunglasses hid my blush. “I’m working on my tan.

“Do you have a date tonight?” ” He asked.

“No,” I said, almost defensively.

” Do you want one ? Mona

gasped and Vickie chuckled nervously, looking from Mona to me to Corbin and back again.

I studied Corbin, trying to tell if he was joking. He smiled quite hard but waited for a response. If one of the most popular guys in school asked me out, I’d be a fool to say no, but I didn’t feel that pang in my stomach like I did with Manning.

Corbin crouches down next to me. ” Come tonight. Watching a movie.”

He really was as handsome as everyone said he was and surprisingly nice too. All last year, he and his circle of friends had seemed larger than life, but sitting right next to him, everything what I could think was how different he was from Manning. Corbin was golden, sunny. Manning was dark, shady. Despite the fact that Corbin looked strong and healthy, Manning still overshadowed him , maybe because Manning’s presence was even bigger than his body. But even if Corbin was dark and tall and sexy like Manning, I would still say no. I wouldn’t miss dinner tonight for anyone. I didn’t know never when I would have time with Manning.

“I can’t,” I said. “Sorry.”

He smiled crookedly. “Another time then.”

“Sure.” “I’ll call you. Cane has Tiffany’s number. He stood up, picked up his board and waved at us. “Nice to meet you girls. Lake . . I’ll see you at camp, if not before.

“Later.”

Once he walked away, Vickie pinched my elbow.

I withdrew my arm. “Ouch. What was that for?

“How long have you known Corbin Swenson?”

“Since when have you been refusing Corbin Swenson?” Mona added.

I rubbed my arm. “I met him the other night at the Fun Zone.”

“But I saw him at the party.”

“He must have done both,” I said. “Not so stupid now, are you?”

“Um, yeah,” Vickie said. “You are. Because you said no to a date with a Swenson!

The girls laughed and I couldn’t help but join in. “They’re just people, not gods.”

“Didn’t you see him with his shirt on?” Mona asked. “You are crazy.”

“We have a family dinner tonight.” It was the truth, and it was better than the real reason I’d said no to Corbin: I’d rather spend my evening with an older construction worker.

“But you didn’t just reject it, you rejected it completely. You could have said you were free tomorrow or the next night.

Vickie rolled her eyes. “That’s why you’re single, Mona. Lake is hard to get.

“She doesn’t know how to do it,” Mona said. “She doesn’t even wear makeup.” I rose up on my elbows .At one point, everyone I knew had started wearing makeup, as if they had all gone to a class without me. I guessed it had something to do with looking sexy. Until ‘By now I had had little interest and even less knowledge in attracting boys to school. They tried to get away with stupid things like looking at our skirts or chewing gum in class . Most of them cared more about video games or sports than learning anything of value. “What does that have to do with it?” “Just that you don’t

care of these things,” Vickie said. “You’re what we call, a late bloomer.”

Mona laughed like it was some kind of joke. “Maybe she’s not so late if she catches Corbin’s attention. Or maybe she was just born with it. Like, it runs in his family.

It was ridiculous enough that I almost went back to my book, but again, it wasn’t completely wrong. My father liked to brag that he had beaten out many other suitors to get my mother’s attention. I didn’t doubt it. My mother was Miss Orange County when she was younger and competed to be Miss California. I saw the way men looked at her in the supermarket, the way my male teachers paid attention when she came to parents’ evening. Mom attracted almost as much attention from men as Tiffany. If there was a gene for it, Tiffany definitely had it – and she got it from my mother. Maybe I had it too, although maybe it was dormant. It was late in the afternoon when I got home from the beach. I dropped my towel and bag at the foot of the stairs. “Mom?” I called.

“In the kitchen.”

I found her looking in the oven. “How are you?”

“Exactly on time. » She got up and closed the door. “I might need an extra set of hands later, though.”

She never asked Tiffany, who had no interest, to help her in the kitchen. When I didn’t have homework to do, I usually enjoyed cooking with my mother, and tonight would be even more special. “I just need to take a shower.”

“How was the beach?” she asked. “You have a tan.”

“Have I got?” I inspected my arm. It looked a little red to me. “It was fun. We had milkshakes at the end of the pier afterward.

She smiled. “I hope you left room for pie.”

I hadn’t forgotten. Last night, Mom m had explained how to make a pie for tonight. I couldn’t wait to see Manning’s reaction. “I’ll come help when I’m ready,” I said. I went up to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

I I put aside my regular products. Tiffany hid her expensive shampoo and conditioner at the back of the shelf, even though she warned me all the time not to use them, and I never did. . until today.

After carefully reading the instructions on the back, I washed my hair twice. Then I saturated it with conditioner and shaved my legs slowly, carefully, from the ankle to upper thigh. After rinsing and drying, I used one of Tiffany’s lotions. I had never felt so soft and silky. I chose a summer dress to show off my smooth skin. Tiffany said that having a tan makes you look slimmer, and she was right.

After checking the hallway to make sure Tiffany wasn’t there, I went to her makeup drawer. I had burned. Not bad, but my face and shoulders were pink. The sun had also darkened the few freckles on my nose and cheeks. I didn’t trust myself with makeup, so I kept it simple with just mascara and pink l*p gloss. Despite the redness, or maybe because of it, my eyes seemed bluer. My teeth whiter. And for once, I saw what others did.

I looked like Tiffany.

After washing the basil and slicing the tomatoes and mozzarella, I prepared five Caprese salads. Not knowing which one would go to Manning, I took special care to drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar evenly.

“Where’s Tiffany?” » Mom asked.

I didn’t look up. I didn’t want to lose my concentration. “Maybe she changed her mind about him. She does that.

“I hope she would have told someone. At least him. Otherwise, we’re going to have an uncomfortable dinner.

I smiled. “Manning is easy to get along with. It won’t be uncomfortable.

The front door opened and Tiffany burst into the house with paper bags on each arm. “Manning will be here any minute. Is dinner ready?”

“We were afraid you wouldn’t make it.” Mom took off her oven mitts. “Is that what you’re wearing?” “Of course not.” Tiffany put down the bags on the kitchen table, disrupting a pile of silverware. She pulled out a package. “I have the cutest outfit.” She unwrapped a white handkerchief and held up a short leopard-print tube dress. “This is like what Drew Barrymore wears in the Guess? a d.”

“Oh, that’s sweet.” Mom always said stuff like that when Tiffany went shopping. The dress was too short for Mom, but she and Tiffany shared a lot of clothes. “It’s not too dressed for tonight?”

Tiffany put everything back in the bag. “We’ll probably go somewhere afterward

.

” Um. I’m not an amateur,” she said.

“I know, honey,” Mom said as she went to the sink to wash her hands. “Your sister and I have been working on dinner for an hour. Do you want to set the table?

Tiffany grabbed her bags. “Mom, I have exactly five minutes to transform.”

“So why did you wait until the last minute?” I pointed out.

Tiffany stuck out her tongue. “Do you have any wine?” she asked mom. “He might want it with dinner.”

“I have wine.” Mom wiped her hands on her apron. “He can have a drink.” No more if he takes you out afterwards. Tiffany rushed out of the kitchen the same way she had entered, a tornado of crumpled paper bags and blonde hair. Was he really going to take her out tonight? If so, where would they go? It would be late by the time dinner ended. Too late for me to accompany them, even if I was invited. Tiffany and her friends hung out until after midnight on the weekends. They had ways of obtaining alcohol. It was Thursday, but life was a big weekend for Tiffany. She didn’t have work to do in the morning, but Manning did. Didn’t that mean anything?

I was straightening my tomatoes when the doorbell rang. My heart stopped.

I was straightening my tomatoes when the doorbell rang. My heart stopped.

Mom showed me her furry hands. “Can you get this, honey?”

I walked through the house and stood at the front door, listening. Tiffany was still upstairs getting ready and Dad was in his office. It was just me and Manning, and that wouldn’t be the case for long. It seemed unfair that even though I saw him first, even though he was my friend, I had to savor my time with him before it was stolen.

I opened the door to Manning standing on the top step in jeans and a black button-down shirt that he wore open over a white t-shirt. He had shaved and put gel on his hair. I half expected him to show up in his work boots, but I thought he might even wear cologne.

I held the doorknob until my hand started to sweat. Manning’s dark eyes stayed mostly on my face, except for the second they flickered, down to my ankles. Maybe men had some kind of radar for freshly shaved legs. “Hi,” I said. Silly, I wanted to tell him how handsome he was.

A cricket chirped out front as Manning white-knuckled a bouquet of pink tulips. “You look different.”

I straightened my shoulders a little and tried not to smile. “You too.”

” You’re putting on makeup ? »

“A little.” I pointed my foot, showing him my leg. “I got a tan.”

He didn’t look. I stepped aside so he could slip into the doorway. One of his tennis shoes could easily crush both of my bare feet. I was almost at eye level with the flowers. It was a good guess – my mother loved tulips.

“I hope you like steak?” We should have checked with you first.

“I’ll eat almost anything. But yeah, Tiffany already asked.

That meant they’d been talking since the fair on Saturday. When? That shouldn’t have surprised me. Of course, she had to tell him when being there, and maybe she had mentioned the tulips too. It occurred to me that maybe they even saw each other. “

She called,” Manning said, getting my attention. Just about dinner and timing and stuff. That’s all.”

“Oh.” We both looked up when we heard footsteps upstairs. Finally, I closed the front door. “Come meet my mother. My dad’s going to come out in a second. He usually works in his office until dinner begins. I called Manning into the kitchen.

Mom turned around, smiled widely, and came towards us. “It’s so nice to meet you, Manning.”

“You too, Mrs. Kaplan. He held out the flowers, but she walked past for a hug. He bent down to make it easier but was otherwise stiff. “These are for you.” “You shouldn’t have.” She took the bouquet. Mom had twisted her hair back from her face, and as she inhaled, a few strands fell forward. “My favorite. Thank you.”

“Thanks for having me. Dinner smells good.

“I’ve been here all evening, so even if you don’t like steak, say you do.” Mom laughed. No one ever hated his food, but she said that a lot. “Lake helped,” she said, and as an afterthought she added, “So did Tiffany. She’s great in the kitchen. “She’s not,”

said -I. “She wouldn’t even set the table.”

“Lake, darling.” Mom laughed and passed me the bouquet. “Put them in some water and give our guest something to drink.”

I frowned. I just wanted Manning to know that I had done my share of the cooking with him in mind. But when he nodded at me and patted his stomach, I understood – he knew.

“I put wine on the bar,” Mom said. “You like wine, don’t you, Manning?”

He hesitated. “Of course.”

It didn’t seem convincing. “Daddy has beer too,” I said.

“It’s good. The wine is excellent.

I put the flowers in a vase, then went to Dad’s bar and brought two heavy bottles into the kitchen. I had never opened a wine before, although I had seen it done many times. I put them on the island and went to get the thing that looked like a screw that mom used. I rummaged through a few drawers before choosing what I was pretty sure was the right utensil. I had no idea how it worked, though.

“Did you grow up here, Manning?” Mom asked.

“Pasadena.” I assessed the bottle of wine. The pointy part went into the top, but the top was surrounded by packaging. Did this come out first?

Manning snatched the thing from me – a corkscrew, that’s what it is! – from my hand and removed the foil.

“I know how to do it,” I said under my breath.

” You should not. You are only sixteen years old.

I watched closely as he pushed the pointed, curled end into the cork. Exactly what I would have done, but when he started screwing it, I was pretty sure I would have messed it up somehow. “I don’t know how to do it,” I admitted.

That earned me his first smile of the night. The muscles in her neck tensed and the cork slipped out with a pop.

I turned around to replace mom looking at us. She fluttered her eyebrows and mouthed, So handsome.

It was. It was like our first date, I took him home to meet my parents. Manning moved around me, looking for wine glasses. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him where they were, because I couldn’t speak. I just wanted to watch it. Manning was there in my kitchen, where I made him a steak, and it was going well.

As he lowered two wine glasses, he glanced at me. ” How are you ? »

I nodded. Hard. “Yes.”

“You have some sun today, huh?” He winked. “Were you outside?”

“I went to the…”

I heard Tiffany before I saw her. “I’m here, I’m here,” she said. “Please excuse my lateness.” My heart sank, my smile melted. Tiffany came around the corner in her short dress and a black cardigan. She had plucked a synthetic daisy from an old hat and stuck it in her hair. She went straight to Manning. In her platforms she had a few inches on me and came up to her shoulder. Mom wore heels. I was the only one without shoes.

Tiffany leaned towards him, offering her cheek, but he kissed her forehead. “They entertained me.”

She smiled. “Have you met my mother?” »

“Yeah. I’m just bringing him some wine.

Tiffany stepped aside so he could get a third glass from the cupboard, but he only poured two glasses. He gave one to my mother and kept the other for himself.

Tiffany put a hand on her h*p. “And me?”

“You’re not twenty-one. The other is for your father.

“It’s good if she has one,” said Mom. “We don’t We’re not stupid; we know Tiffany drinks.