Love, Lucas by Chantele Sedgwick Read Free Book Online Page B

do this a lot?” I ask as I shove my last fry in my mouth.
    She shakes her head. “Not really. The last time I did this was with my ex-boyfriend.” She chuckles. “I’d rather not talk about him though. He’s old news.”
    “Oh. Okay.” I’m kind of glad; something tells me Jo’s love life is really complicated.
    “Hey, Jo!” Someone calls from across the beach. We both look over and see Carson running toward us, carrying his surfboard. He’s wet from head to toe and still has a slight limp, but he’s obviously well enough to be surfing again.
    “Carson, you better be taking care of that foot. You shouldn’t be out surfing so soon.”
    He shrugs and his eyes shift to mine, but only for a second. “It’s nothing. Good as new, in fact.”
    She frowns. “Just keep it wrapped up. You don’t want to hurt it even more. And if you bleed, you know what you could attract.”
    “I know. No worries, Jo. I’m not even surfing; I’m teaching today.” He smiles and looks at me. “Hey, Oakley. Nice to see you again.”
    “Hi.” I refuse to look at Jo. I can feel her watching me and I pray she doesn’t say anything to embarrass me.
    “Well, just thought I’d say hi. I’d better get back. My student’s waiting for me.” He backs up, his eyes still on mine until he finally turns around and runs back into the water.
    He gives surf lessons? Huh. As I watch him in the water, I think back on Lucas’s advice for the day. Learn something new . What about surfing? Right. Like I could learn how to surf. Carson’s probably been surfing since he was a little kid. I’m seventeen. I’m like that stupid saying: you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
    But what if I could learn how to surf? I wonder what he charges? Maybe if I see him again I’ll ask him about it. Learning something new could be good for me.
    I can still feel Jo staring at me. I sneak a look at her and frown at the grin she’s giving me. “He’s a good guy. You really should go out with him.”
    I sigh. “He seems like he is, but I’m not really here to date people. I’m leaving in a few months anyway.” I fold my arms and watch Carson in the water again. “Besides, he hasn’t asked me out, so how could I go out with him?”
    “Oh, I don’t know. You could always ask him .”
    I chuckle. “Can you really see me asking anyone out? I can’t even look people in the eye when I talk to them.”
    Jo laughs. “You’re not that shy.”
    “I am. There’s no way I could get up the guts to ask a guy out. Especially one I barely know. And isn’t it the guy’s job to ask the girl out?”
    “It’s the twenty-first century, babe. Girls ask guys out all the time now.”
    “I know. I just . . . can’t. It would be weird.”
    “Too bad for you.” She stands, grabs the wrappers from our dinner, and starts back toward the house. I watch Carson standing on the beach, talking to a boy who looks like he’s about eight. He says something and points to the waves, ruffles the kid’s hair, and walks out in the water with him.
    He looks so at ease. Relaxed. Cute.
    I shake my head. Stupid. I don’t need a guy to distract me. I’m trying to find myself. Or move on or whatever. Start over. I take one last look at him before following Jo back to the house.
    I’m surprised to see Mom when we walk back in. She’s on the phone and looks like she hasn’t slept in days. She sees me, stops talking, and gives me a small smile. I’m sure it’s Dad on the other end but I don’t stick around long enough to find out. Even though I want to know where she’s been all day, I don’t want to know what’s going on between them. Not now, anyway. By the way Mom looks, it’s not good.
    I head to my room, change out of my sweaty tank top and shorts, and put on a yellow sundress. I’m not a huge fan of dresses, but I like the happy color. And it’s freaking hot outside, so it feels nice to wear something light. I put more sunscreen on my arms and face, grab my