command.
“What? Why?” Her shock hadn’t worn off; she sat up to look at me.
“I have plans.”
“Okay.” She was obviously intrigued.
“And I need you to keep quiet about it. All of it. The plans and the switch. Can you do that for me?”
A smile spread over Keisha’s face. “As long as you tell me every detail when you get back.”
Chapter Eleven
Sleep was way too much to ask for that night. I couldn’t calm my brain. All I could think of was the million ways I could get caught. Did I tell my mother what day the concert was? Where? What it was? I didn’t think so. Maybe she didn’t even remember our fight from last week. Nah, that was impossible. My mother didn’t forget things like that. She would know something was up when Keisha showed up in my place this morning.
Keisha’s alarm startled me when it went off. Maybe I did sleep after all. She planned to tell my mother that she needed to switch the day with me because she had plans with Ray on Saturday. Funny how it was perfectly acceptable for her to go out with her boyfriend.
Through heavy lids, I watched her get ready for work. “Have fun today,” she whispered, leaning over to give me a kiss as she left. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
As the sun fully rose, I got out of bed. Whoever had the day off always had morning animal duty. I fed the chickens and the goat, practically tip toeing to avoid seeing my dad. I had no problem sneaking around my mom’s back, but I couldn’t face my dad when I was up to no good.
His pickup truck rolled down the driveway at 7:30. One last check in the mirror. I was used to not getting much sleep, but it was starting to catch up with me. My face was puffy and dark smudges underlined my eyes. I hoped my yellow crochet babydoll top and jean shorts were appropriate for this concert. It was my favorite summer outfit, and I felt good wearing it.
I wrote a note so nobody would panic when they realized I was nowhere to be found. My heart pounded as I placed it on the kitchen table where my mother dropped the mail on her way in. I forced myself out the door to go meet Tristan.
I found him in the driveway, loading the Jeep for what looked like a week’s vacation. He pushed bags and blankets in against the coolers in the hatchback.
“Hey,” I said in greeting. “Was I supposed to bring anything?”
“Good morning.” He stopped what he was doing, put his arms around my waist and kissed me. “Nope, I’ve got it.”
“I feel bad.”
“Don’t.” He let go of me and went back to work.
“Why do we need all of this stuff for a concert?”
“It’s an all day show. And we have to tailgate before we go in.”
“What?”
“Party in the parking lot.” He winked.
My heart sank a little; thinking first of what Taryn told me and secondly of my soapbox rant to my mother about being such a good influence. But I’d been to plenty of parties in my life, and none of them were scandalous, so maybe this wasn’t going to be either.
Maybe I just had to trust him.
“So, what did you tell her?” Tristan asked as we drove to the ferry.
“The truth.” I watched his face for reaction.
“What?! You can’t surprise me like that while I’m driving, Callie. She actually went for this?”
“No, not exactly. I told her, she said no, I freaked out, we fought, and I told her I was going anyway.”
“And the island isn’t on lockdown?”
“I never had a chance to tell her any details. Keisha is going to tell her she needed Saturday off and switched with me.”
“So Keisha’s the one lying.” He grinned, liking that twist.
“Exactly. But I’m the one who has to sneak around.”
“Don’t worry about it anymore today. Just have fun.”
I tried to relax as we approached the ferry dock, but it wasn’t easy. Once I got on that boat, it was final. I was leaving the island with someone I had been forbidden to go out with. I left a note only saying I was “out” and didn’t know when I would
“What? Why?” Her shock hadn’t worn off; she sat up to look at me.
“I have plans.”
“Okay.” She was obviously intrigued.
“And I need you to keep quiet about it. All of it. The plans and the switch. Can you do that for me?”
A smile spread over Keisha’s face. “As long as you tell me every detail when you get back.”
Chapter Eleven
Sleep was way too much to ask for that night. I couldn’t calm my brain. All I could think of was the million ways I could get caught. Did I tell my mother what day the concert was? Where? What it was? I didn’t think so. Maybe she didn’t even remember our fight from last week. Nah, that was impossible. My mother didn’t forget things like that. She would know something was up when Keisha showed up in my place this morning.
Keisha’s alarm startled me when it went off. Maybe I did sleep after all. She planned to tell my mother that she needed to switch the day with me because she had plans with Ray on Saturday. Funny how it was perfectly acceptable for her to go out with her boyfriend.
Through heavy lids, I watched her get ready for work. “Have fun today,” she whispered, leaning over to give me a kiss as she left. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
As the sun fully rose, I got out of bed. Whoever had the day off always had morning animal duty. I fed the chickens and the goat, practically tip toeing to avoid seeing my dad. I had no problem sneaking around my mom’s back, but I couldn’t face my dad when I was up to no good.
His pickup truck rolled down the driveway at 7:30. One last check in the mirror. I was used to not getting much sleep, but it was starting to catch up with me. My face was puffy and dark smudges underlined my eyes. I hoped my yellow crochet babydoll top and jean shorts were appropriate for this concert. It was my favorite summer outfit, and I felt good wearing it.
I wrote a note so nobody would panic when they realized I was nowhere to be found. My heart pounded as I placed it on the kitchen table where my mother dropped the mail on her way in. I forced myself out the door to go meet Tristan.
I found him in the driveway, loading the Jeep for what looked like a week’s vacation. He pushed bags and blankets in against the coolers in the hatchback.
“Hey,” I said in greeting. “Was I supposed to bring anything?”
“Good morning.” He stopped what he was doing, put his arms around my waist and kissed me. “Nope, I’ve got it.”
“I feel bad.”
“Don’t.” He let go of me and went back to work.
“Why do we need all of this stuff for a concert?”
“It’s an all day show. And we have to tailgate before we go in.”
“What?”
“Party in the parking lot.” He winked.
My heart sank a little; thinking first of what Taryn told me and secondly of my soapbox rant to my mother about being such a good influence. But I’d been to plenty of parties in my life, and none of them were scandalous, so maybe this wasn’t going to be either.
Maybe I just had to trust him.
“So, what did you tell her?” Tristan asked as we drove to the ferry.
“The truth.” I watched his face for reaction.
“What?! You can’t surprise me like that while I’m driving, Callie. She actually went for this?”
“No, not exactly. I told her, she said no, I freaked out, we fought, and I told her I was going anyway.”
“And the island isn’t on lockdown?”
“I never had a chance to tell her any details. Keisha is going to tell her she needed Saturday off and switched with me.”
“So Keisha’s the one lying.” He grinned, liking that twist.
“Exactly. But I’m the one who has to sneak around.”
“Don’t worry about it anymore today. Just have fun.”
I tried to relax as we approached the ferry dock, but it wasn’t easy. Once I got on that boat, it was final. I was leaving the island with someone I had been forbidden to go out with. I left a note only saying I was “out” and didn’t know when I would
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