A Matter of Fate by Heather Lyons Read Free Book Online Page A

Magical, too, you know. And, besides, I have a cell phone.”
    Sure enough, Caleb is hovering in my doorway. And for once, he’s not smirking.
    “Good. You’re here,” my mother says. “I expect you to hold to our bargain, Caleb.”
    He flies into the room and lands on my desk. “Of course.”
    When she leaves, I ask, “Bargain?”
    He drops a small duffle bag next to him. “I’m supposed to go with you everywhere until this guy gets here.”
    “Everywhere?”
    “Everywhere.”
    “You’re not going to the bathroom with me,” I tell him, and he just laughs.

Chapter 8
    Graham is throwing a barbeque today at the beach. Well, it’s really more like the football team is throwing the party, but it’s mostly due to Graham. He’s a people pleaser and loves getting everyone together in one place to make sure they’re all having fun.
    I didn’t feel like getting the fifth degree from Cora, so I neglected to tell her when she picked me up about what my parents had said the night before. And when it came time to leave, Caleb gave her some line about wanting to sketch the shoreline rather than ratting me out. He even insisted on staying in the car, as long as we cracked the windows and left water and food, like he was some kind of dog rather than a person.
    “Where’s Graham?” Cora asks Lizzie as soon as we find her. There are already a ton of people at the beach—playing volleyball, laying out despite the cool temperatures, playing board games, or just milling about, talking.
    Lizzie points at the water. “Out surfing.”
    My eyes follow Lizzie’s finger. I scan the group of surfers bobbing up and down on their boards for Graham. He loves to surf, but it’s the one sport he doesn’t excel at. He keeps trying, though, bless his heart.
    “The red wetsuit,” Lizzie clarifies. And then, a tad defensively, “He’s been doing great today.”
    Cora snorts, but manages innocence when Lizzie glares at her. I continue scanning the waves, seeing if I recognize anyone else.
    And . . . there they are. Clad in dark wetsuits that match their hair, Jonah and his twin are out in the water. I marvel at how skillful Jonah is when he catches one of the larger waves. I don’t know much about surfing, but I do know this: he’s good. Like, really good. Way better than any of the guys I know at school. It’s like being at an art gallery and seeing a masterpiece hung next to a stick figure. He’s so amazing he takes my breath away.
    And then another large wave swells, and Kellan catches it. He’s just as talented as Jonah is, and the two of them on back-to-back waves are quite a sight. But I’m not the only one who’s blown away. Nearly everyone on the beach has stopped to watch their sets.
    “Did you know he surfed?” Lizzie asks me.
    Yeah, I did. He loves surfing. He’s been doing it since he was little. I just had no idea he was so good at it.
    Graham comes to shore and joins us, shoving his board into the sand. The salt water on him smells tangy and sharp when he hugs me. “If it isn’t my favorite trio of ladies. How’s everyone today?”
    Cora grins. “I see you return victorious.”
    He laughs, embarrassed. “If wiping out five times today still qualifies as victorious, I’ll take it.”
    Lizzie immediately jumps to his defense. “I thought you did a great job out there!”
    He can’t hide his pleasure, even when he evades. “Man, did the new guys put us all to shame, though.”
    “Hmm, yes,” Cora says. “We most certainly did notice that.”
    I discreetly stomp on her foot. She stomps right back on mine.
    Graham shakes the water out of his hair. “I guess they’ve been surfing a long time.”
    Cora nudges me slyly. “Are they here for the barbeque?”
    He looks out at them. “Nope, just for the surfing. I invited them to join us, but I guess they already have plans for the afternoon.”
    “That’s too bad,” Lizzie says, eyeing me meaningfully. I try to downplay this by yawning.
    It doesn’t