The Pass Page 5

  “Good point.” He stands and helps me to my feet. “We need food.”

  “I’ll order pizza, you start making a list of things she likes.”

  7

  Tanner

  The sound of the TV and the end credits of the movie wakes me. The side of my face sticks to the leather couch as I try to sit up. Sydney’s using my ass as a pillow. She groans and then her big, brown eyes meet mine.

  “I love that movie. It’s my favorite.” Her voice is thick with sleep.

  “Obviously.”

  “Shut it.” She sits tall and rolls her neck. She’s so freaking gorgeous. It hits me at the weirdest times. Years ago, when it was clear Sydney and I were going to be just friends, I made the decision to stop looking at her like that and enjoy what we had—an awesome friendship. I know that sounds like it would be hard, but when it came down to it, I knew it was either see her as a friend or lose her.

  I couldn’t bear that. I mean who else would stay up half the night coming up with a list of ideas to smooth things over with Amelia? Still, sometimes, it just hits me that my best friend is a knockout.

  I wince as I hear Amelia’s disappointed voice in my head. I’m not sure anything Sydney and I came up with will work. It isn’t the first time that I lost track of time and accidentally blew her off to hang with Sydney.

  Still, Amelia is great, and I want to make it up to her.

  “I’m going to bed. Are you coming?”

  Sydney’s eyes briefly flit over my bare chest. “I’ll sleep down here. It’s fine.”

  “Come on, don’t be silly.” I stand but she doesn’t budge.

  “I was thinking while I was sleeping—”

  “You were thinking while you were sleeping?”

  “Hush.” She closes her thumb and fingers on her right hand to mimic a shushing motion. “I was thinking, maybe we should stop hanging out so much or at least not do things I know will make Amelia uncomfortable.”

  “What?”

  “We’ve always said, screw everyone else. If they can’t deal with it, it’s their problem, but maybe it should be our problem.” Her face is stoic and dead serious which makes something in my chest ache. “We’re going to be apart this summer anyway. Maybe it’ll be good for both of us. Amelia is nice and I want you to be happy.”

  “Hanging out with you makes me happy. You’re my best friend.”

  “Same.” She stands and wraps herself around me. The top of her head comes up just under my chin and I tuck her in close and breathe in her shampoo.

  She pulls back first with a big smile. “So, I’ll sleep down here.”

  I scoop her up and throw her over my shoulder. “Don’t be dumb. The plan obviously has to start tomorrow. No one makes a plan and executes it on the same day.”

  She laughs as I start toward the stairs. “Fine, but I’m sleeping on the floor.”

  “Whatever you want, babe.”

  The next morning when I wake up, Sydney’s already gone. I grab my phone and read her text.

  * * *

  Sydney: Have a great summer. Don’t forget the roses for Amelia!!

  * * *

  After showering and loading up my car, I get on the road. It’s only about two hours to Amelia’s hometown which will have me arriving right around lunchtime.

  My phone rings from the console. I take it and press speaker. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” Tara’s chipper voice replies. “Are you at the lake?”

  “Nah, not yet. I should be there late this afternoon.”

  “I’m so jealous.” Her dramatic sigh makes me chuckle.

  “That’s what you get for taking classes during the summer. Super lame, T.”

  “Yeah, yeah. We can’t all be career jocks. Speaking of, did you give any more thought to our conversation about focusing on just one next year?”

  An uncomfortable knot forms in my chest and I shift in the driver’s seat. “Of course, I’ve thought about it.”

  “I know you love playing both basketball and baseball, but if you put all your energy to one, it makes it more likely you’ll go higher in the draft and it frees up more time for a real life. That last picture Amelia posted on Instagram of your date night was pathetic. You don’t even leave the house for dates now?” I get another giant sigh.

  “We had a good time. We watched all her favorite movies and ordered a ton of food. She said it was awesome.”

  “She lied.”

  I don’t really think that’s the case, but I know better than to argue with my sister on what women do and don’t want.

  “What do your coaches say, or your teammates? And Amelia, what does she say? She shuts me down any time I bring it up, but I know it must be hard for her. I can’t be the only one who thinks you’re crazy to do this another year?”

  Amelia hasn’t voiced any concerns to me, but I haven’t really asked her opinion either.

  “Maybe not just another year. It’s possible I could keep doing both after college.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “It’s been done before.”

  “Yeah, but Tanner, what kind of life is that? Not just for you, but for a family?”

  The low battery notification comes up on my phone. “My phone is going to die, and my charger is buried in one of my bags. Can you call me back later to yell at me about this?”

  “I’m sorry.” A little of the fight in her voice dies. “I just don’t want you to forget to have a life while trying to be some sort of super jock.”

  “I won’t. I’m not. I have a life. An awesome one. One that’s going to the lake this summer, unlike you.”

  “Ha! All right, fine. I’m temporarily satisfied, but I’m calling you back tonight because I want to talk about our plans for the Fourth this year. Is Amelia going with you today?”

  “She’s coming up for the week of the Fourth and maybe one more weekend. She’s working at her parents’ insurance office this summer.”

  “I can’t wait to see her again. You two are so cute together. Okay, talk later. Drive safe.”

  I swear she’s more of a mother hen than our mother.

  When I get close to Amelia’s, I swing by to get her flowers and then head to her parents’ house. I haven’t met her mom or dad yet, so I’m grateful they’re at work. I don’t want the first time I meet them to be when I’m digging myself out of a hole.

  But Amelia throws open the door with a smile and then launches herself at me, crushing the roses between us.

  “Hey,” I get out with a mouthful of her hair. “You smashed my apology.”

  She pulls back, glances down at the roses, and then kisses me. I guess that means apology accepted. Points for Sydney.

  Inside her house, we sit on the couch in the living room. It’s a nice place, homey, well taken care of, lots of photos of Amelia and her sister, Beth. Her close relationship with her sister is one of the things we bonded over. Family is important to us.

  And my sister and girlfriend get along, so that’s a bonus. I brought Amelia home with me for a quick trip to celebrate my parents’ anniversary and Tara quickly befriended her.

  “I’m really sorry about last night. Sydney was bummed about her shoulder, and I offered to stay before I thought it through.”

  “It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re here now, and we’ll have more time this summer just the two of us.”

  Slowly, I nod. “Yeah, that’s what Sydney said.”

  “Really?” Her brows furrow together. “I’m surprised she hasn’t found a way to invite herself along to the lake.” I don’t understand the bitterness in her tone. Sydney’s always been great to her.

  “Come on, Sydney doesn’t do that.”

  Amelia pauses waiting for… something.

  “She doesn’t,” I insist.

  “Oh my god, you’re totally oblivious.”

  “To?”

  “Sydney is in love with you.”

  “No, she isn’t. I’ve told you before, we’ve only ever been friends. It i
sn’t like that between us.” Minus one hot kiss, but this is not the time to bring that up. I tried full-on honesty with the first girlfriend I had after Sydney and I became friends, and that just made her that much more leery.

  “You’re blind.”

  “No, I’m not. Listen, we actually talked last night about giving each other some space so it would make you more comfortable. Sydney is on your side. Whose idea do you think it was to bring roses?”

  “So…” She pauses, deep in thought. “You told Sydney you wanted some space, for us? And she was cool with it?”

  “The whole thing was her idea. She said she wants us to be happy.”

  I wait for the relief to show on her face, maybe a smile. Instead she looks sad.

  “This isn’t going to work.”

  Well, that’s unexpected. “What are you talking about?”

  “I can’t believe I didn’t see it,” she mumbles under her breath. She gets to her feet and I follow her, not realizing we’re at the front door and she’s seeing me out until we’re standing in the entryway. “All this time I thought it was Sydney that was in love with you, but it’s the other way around, isn’t it?”

  My brain is tripping along trying to catch up.

  Amelia crosses her arms over her chest. “You’re in love with Sydney.”

  Her words slam into me and my first instinct is to deny, but she doesn’t give me a chance.

  Unfolding her arms, she opens the front door. “Goodbye, Tanner.”

  I’m still wrapping my head around what the fuck just happened when I pull back onto the freeway. I call Sydney.

  “Hey,” her bubbly voice answers. “How’d it go?”

  “Great,” I say. “I mean, not great but it’s fine. Are you still at Valley?”

  “Yeah, I am packing now, should be on the road in fifteen minutes or so. Back home for the summer.” Her voice sounds defeated as she says the last part.

  “Good. Stay put. I’m coming to get you.”

  “Uhh, what?”

  “You’re coming with me to the lake this summer. I’ll explain everything when I get there.”

  It takes very little convincing to get Sydney to agree, and as soon as she does and we pile her bags into the back of my car, I feel lighter than I have in months. In love with Sydney? I shake my head. I left that part out of the replay I gave Sydney. The important thing is, we broke up and that Amelia isn’t the right one for me.

  Sydney thought we needed space to make Amelia happy and I think I need someone who can accept that I’m not going to pretend she isn’t important to me just because they’re insecure. Plus, the best way to get over a broken heart… or a wounded one, if I’m totally transparent, is to hang with Sydney.

  Two years, Sydney has had my back. Through girlfriends, the loss of my grandpa, fights with teammates, bad grades—you name it, she’s always been there to support me. I’m not tossing her over for a girl. Another girl.

  “This is going to be the best summer ever,” I tell her, glancing over as she pulls on a pair of sunglasses. “Four weeks with no cares in the world. And my sister is coming up for Fourth of July weekend with a couple of her friends. We do it up big every year. There’s nowhere better than the lake for the Fourth.”

  “I can’t believe after all this time I still haven’t met her. Thank you for this. I’m sorry about Amelia, though.”

  “It wasn’t meant to be.”

  And honestly, I’m more excited about the next month knowing Sydney’s going to be there. My original plan was to spend all of June at the lake by myself. My family has a house there that largely goes unused. My parents bought the place a few years ago in anticipation of retirement, but neither of them have retired yet which means Tara and I are the ones who use it most.

  Amelia was going to come down for the last week so we could spend the holiday together before I head back to Valley for basketball camp, but this is even better. Four weeks on the water, kicking back, and enjoying my last real summer with my favorite person.

  Next year I’ll have to worry about the real world and the responsibilities that come after graduation. But not this summer.

  It’s dusk when we finally get to the lake. We stop at the grocery store and grab enough food and alcohol to get us through a few days, and then we’re pulling up to the house.

  “Wow, Tanner, when you said that you had a place at the lake, I was picturing a condo or, well, something a lot less house than this.”

  “It’s three bedrooms, three bath—basically big enough for the whole family to stay. That was important to my parents when they were looking for real estate out here. I think they’re hoping we can keep spending time out here even once Tara and I graduate.” I grab the bags from the back. “Come on, I’ll show you the best part.”

  We go in through the garage and I drop the groceries in the kitchen and usher Sydney to the living room. It’s too dark to get the full effect, but Sydney still gasps beside me.

  “Right?”

  “Tanner, this is amazing. Holy shit. Are you sure it’s cool that I’m here?”

  “Definitely.”

  I watch as she scans the horizon and takes it all in. Her blonde hair is wild from the drive up with the windows down and her brown eyes are wide with excitement. Totally worth the entire trip to see her this excited.

  The lake is lit up with boats. The moon shines down over the water and there’s a faint lull from the boat motors.

  “Tomorrow, I’ll take you out on the boat, but it’s pretty killer sitting out there at night if you’re up for dinner and drinks on the deck.”

  “Definitely. What can I do to help?”

  “I need to turn on the water and check around the place, then I’ll cook. Grab a drink and relax. I’ll join you when I can.”

  She doesn’t need me to tell her twice. She has a Malibu and Coke poured and is padding outside before I even get the groceries put away.

  Tara calls as I’m pulling the toasted raviolis out of the oven and putting them on a plate.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I hold the phone between my ear and shoulder and grab a mostly still warm beer from the fridge.

  “Did you make it to the lake?”

  I twist off the cap and toss it in the trash. “Yep, just got in about twenty minutes ago.”

  “Ah, I’m so jealous. Stupid summer school.”

  The sliding glass door opens and Sydney steps into the dining room with an empty glass.

  “Do you want another drink, babe?” I ask away from the phone.

  “I got it.” She snags a toasted rav on her way to the fridge.

  “Is that Amelia?” my sister asks excitedly. “Did you convince her to come up sooner?”

  “Nah, Sydney’s with me.”

  “What about Amelia?”

  “We broke up.”

  “In the five hours since I’ve talked to you, you’ve managed to break up with one girl and replace her with another? Jesus, Tanner,” my sister admonishes. “Insensitive much? I need to call Amelia and check on her.”

  “It’s just Sydney, and Amelia’s fine. She broke up with me.”

  “Not without reason, I’m sure. You were so good together. She was nice and decent.” She sighs and then her voice softens. “What happened?”

  “Can we talk about this later?” I glance at Sydney and force a smile.

  “Yes. Are you okay?”

  “Never better.”

  Sydney makes another drink and takes it and the plate of raviolis out to the deck.

  “I gotta go. I’m starving and Sydney’s about to eat all the toasted ravioli. I’ll call you next week to hash out plans for the Fourth, and I’ll see you in a few weeks with my sweet summer tan.”

  “Jerk,” she says playfully. “Bye T.”

  I pocket my phone and hustle outside. The sun has almost completely disappeared, and the only sound is the water lapping and the boats speeding by. I love everything about being on the lake. The heat of the sun out on the boat, zipping around o
n jet skis, party cove, but sitting outside after dark chilling with a drink in hand, might be my favorite.

  Taking a seat next to Sydney, I raise my beer. “Cheers to the best summer ever.”

  8

  Sydney

  When I wake up it takes a few seconds to remember where I am. Smiling, I throw back the comforter and pad across the hall to the master bedroom where Tanner is spread out face down on the king-size bed.

  “Wake up.” I bounce onto the bed. “It’s after nine.”

  He groans. “We’re on lake time. Nothing good happens before noon.”

  Still, he turns over, hair mussed and face lined from the pillow. His gaze drops to my chest and over my body and he smirks. “You’re already in your suit?”

  “I slept in it.” I get up on my knees and bounce. “Get up. Get up.”

  He grabs me around the waist and pulls me down beside him. “Five more minutes.”

  His hold tightens and I’m caught between his arms and his chest and his very hard dick. It’s an important rule of Tanner’s and my friendship not to point out things like this. While we have no problem showing a little skin from time to time—changing clothes in front of one another and the like—noting his morning wood is one of those things I just let go. Still, I’m all too aware of it.

  Squirming, I wriggle out of his hold and get to my feet beside the bed. “I’m going to get ready. If you’re not up by the time I’m done, I’m going without you.” It’s an empty threat, but one that I know will get him moving.

  I brush my hair into a ponytail, spray on sunscreen, slip on my shoes, and grab my sunglasses. The shower’s running in the master bathroom which means Tanner is up. I grab water and head outside to the deck.

  Despite what Tanner said about lake time, there are already boats on the water. In the daylight, I can see so much more than the lake though. There’s a trail behind the house where people are walking and jogging. The houses on either side have a similar setup with a deck overlooking the wide expanse of water. It looks like several houses share a dock. Either that or Tanner’s family has a lot of boats.