Chapter 27

After the first night, I quit sleeping there. There was no way that getting caught would be good for any of us, and if we said we were just drinking, other people would wonder why they hadn’t been invited.

Cole had taken to waiting for me by the beach every night. I tried to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but we both knew how much easier it made my life. If people just believed that Cole and I were still doing our evening swims, it simplified things tremendously. Still, I hated the idea of Cole waiting on the beach by himself. On the third night, we talked about it all a little.

“I could see how they feel about me inviting you in, but…” I offered, not sure what exactly I was offering.

“Nope. I am just fine. Thank you, but no thank you. You three go ahead and do whatever you want to do, and if you want to ever talk about it, we can do that too, but that’s really the only involvement I want. Once again, thanks though.”

“Got you,” I said. “I totally got you.”