Moonlight Cove

“It sucks,” she said candidly.

“Maybe it’s time to stop pretending,” Will suggested.

“I don’t know if I can. I don’t want to lose him, Will.”

“But you don’t have him now,” he pointed out.

“He’s my friend now,” she corrected.

“Then you should be able to go to him and ask what’s going on,” Will told her.

“I thought maybe you could just tell me, and then I’d know what he needs from me.”

Will laughed. “If I promised to keep your confidence, what makes you think I’d violate his?”

Her expression brightened. “Then something is going on and you do know what it is,” she said triumphantly.

“Talk to Mack,” he advised.

“You won’t even give me a hint?”

“Not a chance.”

“I guess I knew you wouldn’t tell me,” she said, looking resigned. “Do you want to talk about Jess now?”

“I do not,” he said emphatically.

For the first time since they’d begun their walk, Susie laughed. “I figured as much. We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”

Will sighed. “We are, indeed.”

Jess had watched Will head off to the beach with Susie, and an unfamiliar feeling had stirred inside her, one she’d never felt before, at least in connection with Will. It was flat-out jealousy. She knew it was ridiculous on a whole lot of levels, especially since everyone knew Susie had eyes only for Mack, but there it was. Jess didn’t like staying behind while Will was off with another woman, especially Susie. She’d had some kind of crazy rivalry going with her too-perfect cousin for years now. That’s probably all it was, not wanting to share Will with the cousin who already had everything Jess had always wanted: respect, academic success, popularity.