I can hear Jake’s voice as I make my exit.
"Well, Angie Stroud, you're the most stubborn girl I've ever met in my life."
As I exit the beach, I fight back tears. Jake has no idea what I went through after he left me high and dry. There's no way I can go through that again. If he thinks he can just breeze into town, screw up Puppy-Thon, and then destroy my favorite pirate festival, well that's where he's probably right.
But if he thinks I'm going to get close enough to those biceps, lips, and parts beyond to get my heart broken again, then he's dead wrong.
Fi and Kaylee join me in the storm off. Luckily, we're headed to the only place in the world I want to be right now. The Beaky Tiki. With the sun going down, a cool ocean breeze, and a few drinks maybe I can salvage what little bit is left of my calm.
Chapter 11
Angie
Thankfully, it doesn’t take long before we are seated at our favorite table overlooking the ocean with appetizers and our favorite new thing in the world. Beaky Tiki Punch.
Yes, it's as delicious as it sounds. It even comes in a pitcher full of the beautiful blue concoction and enough ice to quench any thirst.
It's exactly what I need. I grab a chip, dip it into the fresh salsa, and munch away. Then I chase it down with the punch.
I start to feel better, and that's when I also notice that my very best friends are both staring at me. "What?"
"What do you mean what? What was all of that back there?" Fi asks.
Kaylee nods.
"What are you guys talking about? I'm mad at Jake. This is not complicated."
"Girl, I saw your face when you were on top of him," Kaylee chimes in with an eyebrow raise.
Fi nods. "And what's that saying about a woman who protests too much. Or something like that."
I shake my head. "No way. He's just an ass, that's all."
"The anger did seem over the top," Fi adds, pouring herself some more punch. “And that was a moment.”
“Yes,” Kaylee adds, pointing, “that’s exactly what it looked like. There was definitely a moment there. Between the two of you.”
“No, no,” I argue, “there was no moment. He tried to cannonball us. I tried to throw water on him and tripped.”
I guess I should be honest with my friends about exactly what is pissing me off about the whole thing. They already know something's up, so there's no point in pretending.
In my defense for keeping it from them all these years, I never expected to see him again. I can’t believe I’m going to say these words out loud. "Okay, here's the deal. He was my first."
Kaylee gasps. "I knew it. That night before he left for training camp. You disappeared on us!"
I nod.
Fi shakes her head, her face is now flushed with anger. "That was your first time and he just left and never even bothered to say goodbye? I don't blame you for being mad, Angie. He’s a total asshole."
"It's worse than that. It's not that he left the next morning without saying goodbye, it's that he left the night of without saying a word."
"Shut the fuck up." Kaylee shouts. "He did not do that to you. Sweetie, why didn't you ever tell us?"
I motion for everybody to simmer down just a notch.
"Why didn't I tell you that my first time was with a guy who snuck out afterward while I was sleeping and then never spoke to me again?" I whisper-hiss at them, but I can see that they’re lost in their own follow up questions. There’s no use fighting it.
"Does he have a tiny penis?" Fi asks.
"Was he terrible in bed?" Kaylee adds.
"You mean, was I so bad that he snuck off without ever seeing me again?" I say it first. It’s what I’ve been thinking ever since.
"No," Fi says too loudly. “No way. None of us were thinking that.” She swats at me with her hand. “And you better not either. The three of us are beyond fabulous. You’re amazing, Angie. And you deserve better.” She says it too loud and other tables start to glance in our direction.
"You mean the four of us," Abigail says, bringing us a refill pitcher of Beaky Tiki Punch.
"Yes, the four of us," I correct.
"I'll drink to that," Kaylee smiles.
"Congratulations," Abigail says to me with a smile.
I wonder what the hell has finally gone right in my life that I get a congratulations. "Thanks? Um, but just for the sake of asking, why are you congratulating me?"
Abigail turns and looks at the bar. "That guy over there works for the Sun newspaper. He says that you and Jake are back together."
"Nope," Fi says as she makes a slashing gesture to Abigail. "They are not back together. They were never really a couple in the first place. Who writes that garbage?"
"Him, I guess. Sorry, Angie. Want me to march right over there and tell him he's wrong?"
"No," I blurt out, thankful that at least Abigail did not hear the most embarrassing part of the conversation.
"No, I would prefer that the guy from the Sun not even know I'm here. I'll figure something out. Besides, it won't matter, there were at least half a dozen reporters at the Pirate Festival incident a little while ago. They got pictures. There's nothing I can do about it now."
Abigail kneels down next to me. "Sweetie, what pictures?"
I feel my cheeks heat at the memory of Jake's hard body underneath me in the sand. "I fell on top of him. On the beach. It wasn't pretty."
"Found it," Fi says. "Hey, this is actually a really good angle for you, Angie." She waggles an eyebrow at me and turns her phone so I can see the absolutely crystal-clear high definition
