A Summer Remade Read Online Free PDF Page B

continue to dry the glass as if it were my only goal in life. To create a streak-free refrigerator shelf.
    I feel his eyes search the side of my face with the kind of curious intensity a child has when he’s sent to hunt for hidden treasure. Only there’s no treasure to be found here. The only thing waiting at the X is a lonely girl pretending she can escape her future.
    At twenty-one, I’ve become a sad sort of cliché.
    “No. Not this summer.”
    “What about your family, then? Are they coming up for the Fourth?”
    The pulse beat in my throat constricts my voice box. “Nope.”
    He lifts the shelf from my hands and sets it onto the counter. He faces me, his fingers curled around the counter edge. They’re my focus point—his hands, both strong and reliable.
    “So you’re like what, a summer squatter?”
    In typical Drew-style, his happy-go-lucky charm pulls me out of my introspection. I blurt out a laugh. “I guess that’s exactly what I am. A squatter.”
    He angles his head, nods. “I thought so—you have the look.”
    Based on first impressions alone, squatter is a compliment.
    A lull spans between us, and I wonder what Drew sees when he looks at me the way he’s looking at me right now. Because it’s this look that makes me want to spill my sorrows, trust him in a way I’ve yet to trust myself.
    I open my mouth—
    “The island’s a great place to sort out whatever needs sorting,” Drew says.
    Even in the dim lighting, the sincerity of his eyes matches the kindness in his tone.
    And though I’m certain my parents felt the exact opposite was true, Drew’s words washed me in calm and filled me with courage. “I’m glad you think I can sort from here because you might be the only one.”
    “What about you? What do you think?”
    I have no idea what I should think. This particular topic of running off to the island to escape my family drama hasn’t exactly been opened up for discussion with my friends. Sure, I could say there wasn’t time to call them before I left, or that I didn’t want my problems to interfere with their busy schedules, but neither of those excuses is the truth. My friends would make time for me. I just simply hadn’t asked them to.
    Drew’s thumb slides across the back of my hand and a shiver waltzes slowly down my spine.
    “I think you’re brave—coming out here on your own.” He exhales and shifts his weight from one leg to the other, and then tucks his hands into his pockets.
    The absence of his hand on mine feels like cold disappointment.
    “I wish I felt brave.”
    “Feelings rarely tell us the truth.”
    The candle closest to the sink flickers. Then, in an instant, we’re standing almost entirely in the dark, relying only on a candle a room away, on the dining room table.
    But I’m not scared. Not with Drew here.
    “What do you mean?”
    He shifts his body again, only this time I can’t tell where or how.
    “Feelings aren’t concrete—they’re fickle, easily swayed by circumstance.” He exhales, his breath sweeping across my cheek. “If you let feelings drive you, you’ll run out of steam before you ever reach the finish line. They lie to you—cheat you from seeing what’s real. Sometimes we have to outsmart our emotions in order to deal with our junk.” I think he taps his temple before bumping my shoulder with his.
    Then he pushes away from the counter. “Let’s head out. I have to catch the ferry first thing in the morning.”
    “You do?” I hate the needy whine that exits my throat, but I hate even more that he won’t be around tomorrow.
    He reaches back for me, offering his hand, as if to guide me through the dark house.
    I give it to him.
    “I’ll be back by dinner. Hope you can survive that long without me,” Drew says.
    “Har har.”
    But little does he know I’ll be counting down the hours.

Chapter Six
    ‡
    J-
    Don’t do anything crazy today. See you later.
    Drew
    I tuck the note inside the back pocket of my jeans, lock