Falling For Zoe (The Camerons of Tide's Way #1) by Skye Taylor Page B

the truck bed and waited for Zoe to unlock the door. Zoe finessed the key into the rusted old door lock and turned it. Ava climbed in, buckled her seatbelt, and stared pointedly out the side window.
    The old truck coughed to life, and Zoe pulled out, negotiating the busy parking lot to the street. Clearly Debbie’s revelations had upset Ava more than she wanted to let on. Zoe glanced across at Ava’s averted profile. Ava sniffed, and Zoe waited for her to decide if she wanted to confide or not.
    Ava didn’t look Zoe’s way when she finally spoke. “Daddy was right.”
    Zoe slowed to avoid a car pulling out of a side street, then shot a quick glance in Ava’s direction before turning her attention back to the road. “Your father was right about what?”
    “About boys and sex.”
    “Oh?” Zoe queried cautiously. “I’m guessing he knows more about it than either of us. The boy part anyway.” Without a doubt he knew more than Zoe did. She’d been too busy taking care of her siblings to date much in high school, so her experience with teenage boys had been mostly limited to what a sister knows about her brothers.
    “He told me boys have a one-track mind when it comes to girls. And it’s all about sex and how far a girl will let them go.”
    “Well, I doubt sex is the only thing boys think about when they’re with girls, but it’s probably right up there at the top of the list,” Zoe offered as she thought Jake’s bald assessment over. She thought about some of the things her brother Michael had confided when he’d first hit puberty. Things that had shocked Zoe at the time, but after watching three more brothers grow up she’d gotten more comfortable with.
    “Testosterone is suddenly ruling their lives, and it’s not just about their voices changing and having to shave for the first time. Boys are suddenly discovering feelings and urges they never had before. It’s natural to want to experiment and find out more. And exciting.” Same deal for grown men as well , Zoe thought ruefully. In retrospect, the only thing Porter had wanted from her was sex. He’d put on a good act to lure her into his bed, and she’d fallen for it.
    The light turned red, and Zoe came to a stop, which gave her a chance to really look at her young companion. “Is this about your relationship with Travis?” Ava blushed and looked down at her lap. “Or about Travis and Andrea?”
    “Both, I guess.” Ava twisted the fabric of her T-shirt. “Andrea’s got a reputation as the school slut. She hooks up with anyone and everyone. At least that’s what I’ve heard. So, if boys are all so set on getting some, and I won’t put out, then maybe that’s why Travis was with her?” Tears welled up and slid down Ava’s cheeks.
    Zoe’s heart swelled in sympathy. She wasn’t so old she’d forgotten how it felt when she’d had a crush on the boy next door. He’d been the first boy to kiss her. And she’d stood there in the shadows behind her father’s garage, thinking she was in love. She had believed he felt the same about her, only to find out later that her heartthrob was doing a lot more than just kissing another girl he’d met at a party to which Zoe hadn’t been invited.
    A car tooted, bringing Zoe back to the present and the fact that the light had turned green again. She took her foot off the brake and waved a vague apology to the impatient driver behind her. Route 17 was not a good place to be having a discussion like this.
    “Travis isn’t the only fish in the sea. You’re a very pretty girl and—”
    “But I love him.”
    The anguish in Ava’s voice cut into Zoe with jagged intensity. Zoe wondered if she’d ever felt that strongly about a boy or a man. Certainly not about the fickle kid next door. And definitely not about Porter who she had slept with in spite of not loving him. For a moment, the memory of Jake standing so close she could feel the warmth of his skin flashed into her mind along with the