Just for the Summer (Chasing Carolina #0.5) by Danielle Jamie Read Free Book Online Page A

I would’ve been upchucking too.
    As soon as the cab dropped us off at our beach house, Tamara headed straight to the bathroom to brush her teeth and then headed to bed. Nikki, Becca, and I got out of our clothes and into cotton shorts and tank tops. It’s a warm night tonight, so we each poured ourselves a glass of sweet tea and went out onto the deck.
    It’s so relaxing here. The only sounds are crickets and the ocean waves crashing against the shore. There’s a gentle breeze that feels amazing right now, because it’s so humid tonight. I can see lights on in a beach house about a quarter mile down the beach, but other than that, it’s deserted around here. More than likely, everyone is down at the boardwalk partying it up, celebrating Independence Day.
    We spend the next hour talking about anything and everything. I love just hanging out with my friends. We talk about Chase and Liam, both of my girls picking on me about how they wish they were stuck between two hot guys vying for my attention.
    Liam tried to come home with me tonight, but I let him know with Tamara being sick it was probably best he didn’t. I could see the disappointment in his eyes, but I knew if I invited him back here, he’d get the wrong idea, and I just don’t want to deal with the drama of trying to keep things platonic between us.
    He leaves in two days, so I told him to text me tomorrow so we can get together to explore the boardwalk some more. He could tell things with me were off by my behavior, but it was hard to hide the fact that my run-in with Chase had dampened my mood.
    We hear a car pull up out front and the sound of Chase, Vance, and Parker’s voices traveling through the night air echoing around us. They’re laughing and cursing as they make their way towards their beach house.
    Nikki smacks my thigh and raises her eyebrows up at me. “Well, now’s your chance to try and fix things. There’s no one around to interrupt you two.”
    I feel my stomach drop as I stand. My palms are sweating, so I wipe them on the front of my shorts. “What if he’s brought a girl home with him? I’ll look stupid showing up on his doorstep, and not to mention desperate.”
    “Do you hear a female voice? No! Now drag your ass across the lawn and go knock on his fuckin’ door,” Becca snaps at me, whipping her hand out towards their house.
    Resting my hands on my hips, I glare down at her. “What about you, miss bossy pants? Why don’t you drag your ass over there right beside me and talk to Parker?”
    Huffing out a loud sigh, Becca jumps to her feet. “Unlike you, I’m not chicken shit. I’ll march my ass over there, bang on the door, and take exactly what I want.”
    Laughing, I roll my eyes at Becca and her overdramatic behavior. “Fine, let’s do this. You’re lucky I’m still kind of drunk.”

I’M JUST HEADING UPSTAIRS to shower, when I hear a knock at the door. Parker and Vance are in the kitchen making a frozen pizza, so I keep climbing the stairs, figuring they’ll get the door. I pray it isn’t Sophie and her friends showing back up here. If so, I’ll pretend I’ve had too much to drink so I can avoid her.
    “Chase!” Vance hollering my name causes me to stop mid-step.
    Shit .
    “What?” I shout back down the stairs to him.
    “You have a visitor, douchebag; that’s what.”
    Sliding my hands over my face, I go back down the stairs, preparing myself to fend off Sophie, but I’m shocked when I find Ashlynn and Becca standing in my kitchen.
    She looks just as beautiful as she did earlier tonight, except now she’s even more stunning standing before me without a drop of makeup, her blonde hair up in a messy bun, and wearing adorable, cotton, heart-covered shorts and a red lace tank top.
    “Ashlynn, what are you doing here?” Walking towards her, I rest against the kitchen island and take her in, my eyes roaming over every inch of her. A ghost of a smile forms on my lips as a tiny grin appears on her face.
    She