Stolen by Lauren Barnholdt, Aaron Gorvine Read Free Book Online Page B

shouldn’t shorten your name unless they ask you first. Or unless they know you really well.
    I sneak a glance at my phone to see if Gabe texted me again. I wonder if it would be rude to just walk into the house.
    “Would you like to stay for dinner?” my mom asks.
    I look at her, not even trying to disguise the look of horror on my face. Would he like to stay for dinner? Is she crazy? You don’t just go around asking hot guys to stay for dinner.
    “Oh, I can’t,” Lucas says. He’s still kneeling down by the pool, testing the chlorine levels. “I have plans. In fact, I’m already late.”
    “Plans?” My mom looks interested. “What kind of plans?”
    “One of my friends is having a party,” Lucas says. He packs up the chlorine testing kit and stands up. “Pool’s all set.”
    “A party sounds wonderful!” My mom turns to me and claps her hands. “Emily, wouldn’t you love to go to a party tonight?”
    I feel my face turn hot. One of the curses of being a redhead is that I blush super easy. And everyone around me can usually tell. “No, Mom,” I say, “I wouldn’t.”
    “I’m sure Emily wants to stay here and get settled in with her family,” Lucas says, sounding like he’s trying to be diplomatic.
    My blush gets even deeper. Great. Now not only is my mom trying to dump me off on some guy I just met, but he doesn’t even want to take me to wherever he’s going.
    Not that I blame him. I wouldn’t want to take some stranger to hang out with me and my friends, either. But still. Hasn’t he heard of inviting someone just to be polite?
    “Yes,” I say, nodding. “I have to stay here and get settled in. Plus I have to call my boyfriend.”
    “Oh, nonsense,” my mom says, waving her hand in the air like what I’ve just said is completely ridiculous. “You should go to the party. Shouldn’t she, Lucas?”
    “Um, sure,” Lucas says, giving me a polite smile. “You should come.”
    “I don’t want to.”
    “Why not?” my mom asks.
    “Yeah, why not?” Lucas asks. Now all of a sudden he wants me to go? Probably he’s not used to girls turning him down.
    “I’d need time to get ready,” I say, trying once again to extricate myself from this situation. “And I’m not even unpacked.”
    “All you’d have to do is change your clothes,” my mom says. “You look beautiful already. Doesn’t she, Luke?”
    “Sure,” he says, his smile a little strained.
    I can tell my mom isn’t going to let this go – she’ll keep pushing and pushing until I give in. I know exactly how she gets when she wants something. I think about it, trying to decide if it’s worth getting into a big fight with her. Maybe the party won’t be that bad. And if I go, maybe I’ll be able to meet some friends here, instead of just having to sit inside all summer, hanging out with my parents and missing Gabe.
    “Fine,” I say, sighing. “Just give me a sec to get ready.”

    ***
    I lug my suitcase upstairs, and then pick a bedroom at random. I drop my bag onto the big, comfy looking queen-size bed that’s sitting in the middle of the room. It’s covered with an aqua blue comforter, but I brought my own bedding from home, a pink and chocolate polka-dot spread. I thought it would be good to have at least some of my own stuff here.
    I wonder which one of these rooms is Lucas’s. Probably not this one, since I’m sure he doesn’t sleep with an aqua blue comforter. Of course, it’s possible that they changed all the bedding and put all their stuff away before we got here. The thought of sleeping in Lucas’s bed starts to make me feel a little hot, so I push it out of my mind and quickly unzip my suitcase.
    I rummage through the tangle of shorts, tank tops, and dresses, wondering what I should wear. What kind of party is this, anyway? Is it the kind you dress up for? Lucas didn’t say anything about dressing up. But this is the Cape. People here are hoity-toity.
    Or at least some of them are. Doesn’t that