The Deepest Blue by Kim Williams Justesen Read Free Book Online Page B

“I designed a brochure for the boat,” I tell her. “Dad took it to Raleigh to see about getting a printer. He thinks it’s pretty good.”
    â€œSo do you want to take over your dad’s boat?”
    â€œI don’t know. I don’t want to be like Trevor, doing what his dad tells him to do.”
    â€œYou’re better than that,” she says. “You want something more, even if you don’t know what that is. And even if what you want is to run your dad’s boat, it won’t be because that’s what your dad wants. It’ll be what you want.”
    My stomach gurgles and rumbles. Rachel laughs. I sit up and grab my pack, which she has been using as a pillow for the past hour or so. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich I tossed in has become a peanut butter and jelly decal: flat and sticky. Rachel giggles again.
    â€œWanna grab a burger somewhere?”
    â€œSure,” she says.
    â€œI need to run my board home first, but that’ll only take a second. We can just walk to Sandy’s or something, if you want.”
    â€œSounds good,” she says.
    We brush the sand off each other and then head back to the house to drop off the board. “What time is it?”
    Rachel looks at her cell phone. “Three forty-five, and I need to be home by six.”
    â€œGotcha.” We get to my house and stow my board. I run inside to grab my wallet, then we walk the two blocks to Sandy’s Drive-In. We order burgers, onion rings, and chocolate-caramel milkshakes.
    â€œWill you be online tonight?” Rachel asks between slurps of her shake.
    â€œI’ll be at Maggie’s tonight, so I don’t know. If she says I can, I’ll get on. She usually lets me.”
    â€œHow come you’ll be at Maggie’s?”
    â€œDad’s staying in Raleigh overnight. He doesn’t want me home alone, ’cause I might sneak a girl over or something.” I wink at Rachel, and she smiles.
    â€œAre they seriously getting married?” she asks.
    I draw a deep breath. “About that,” I say. “You can’t say anything to anyone right now. I shouldn’t have even told you. But yeah, I think so. That’s why my dad went to Raleigh. To buy the ring. He hasn’t officially asked her, though.”
    Rachel grins. “I won’t tell anyone. But that is so cool! Are you excited?”
    â€œI don’t know. Maggie’s been like my mom for so long now that it sort of seems like getting married is silly. Then again, I haven’t lived with her full time, so I don’t know what that’s going to be like.”
    â€œI think it’s great, and I think your dad should have done this a long time ago.”
    â€œYeah. Me, too.”
    We finish eating, and Rachel calls her sister to come and pick her up.
    â€œI’ll try to catch you online,” I say as she drives away.
    I head back to the house and climb the steps just as the phone rings.
    â€œHello?”
    â€œHey, Mike,” Dad says. “I talked to a couple of printers today, and I think we found one we can work with.” He sounds excited. “He wants you to email what you’ve got to him so he can fix it up a bit, but he said it looked like a professional job.”
    A grin spreads across my face. “Awesome. Give me his email, and I’ll get it to him.”
    â€œI’ll bring it home with me tomorrow.” He clears his throat and then says, “No girls at the house, right?”
    â€œNot a one, unless you count the twelve I hid in the shower just now.”
    â€œVery funny.”
    â€œHow was the drive up?”
    â€œNo problems. I picked up the ring first thing. It is beautiful, so Maggie better say yes.” Dad chuckles.
    â€œYou got it under control.”
    â€œBe good for Maggie. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    I hang up the phone and decide to play on the computer for a while. While I’m reading my