“That was amazing!”
“Thanks,” he said. Suddenly, Celeste realized what she was doing. She could feel the warmth of his skin beneath her arms, and their faces were only a few inches apart. She dropped her arms fast and backed away, tripping a little on a raised part of the sidewalk.
“Um, yeah,” she said, pointlessly brushing her hair back from her face even though it was in a ponytail.
“No, seriously, that was really good.”
Nick shrugged. “Come on, the car’s this way.” He started heading down the sidewalk. “Honestly, it’s not hard to get someone to listen to you. I hate that people always feel like they can blow off teenagers. I’ve learned that you just have to be polite, even if they’re being rude. And you know he was totally bluffing about not being interested. He put your name in a song! That guy just enjoys being an ass.”
“Yeah,” Celeste said thoughtfully. Suddenly, she remembered what Nick had offered to pay them and felt herself deflate. “But, um, Nick, we’ll never be able to afford them.”
Nick didn’t look concerned. “Yeah, we will. What, do you think I’d willingly break our budget? I’m not stupid, you know. I actually do know what a budget is.” As they walked down the decaying block, he dug a piece of paper from his pocket. “One of my buddies keeps a website for music managers that lists what different venues pay. I took a look at it before we came over.” He unfolded the paper and handed it to Celeste. “See? This place only pays one fifty. I mean, look at it. You’re local and you’ve never been there before. We can totally afford three hundred for music.”
Celeste glanced at the paper and looked carefully at Nick, who was ambling along the sidewalk. His white T-shirt clung to his wiry chest, and his straight blond hair was falling in his eyes as usual. It was nice having someone else take care of things once in a while, she thought. Instead of chasing Travis around, trying to pick up the pieces of his various screwups. No, stop.
Travis is awesome and fun, she reminded herself hastily.
They reached the Alfa Romeo, parked halfway up on the curb and directly in front of a giant NO PARKING ANY
TIME sign.
“Wow. I guess you’re not quite as good at parking as you are at negotiating,” Celeste teased.
“That sign was totally not there before,” Nick insisted, his eyes wide.
Celeste slid into the front seat and Nick started the engine. “So, do you know how to get back to the resort from here?” she asked. “I have no idea.”
“Totally,” Nick reassured her. “I’ll just go back the same way I came.” The car thumped off the curb and he pulled into the street.
“Um, Nick?” Celeste said after a minute. “This is a one-way street. And you’re going the wrong way.”
“Damn!” Nick dragged the steering wheel over to one side and executed a perfect U-turn in the middle of the street. He turned onto another one-way street, this one deserted and lined with trash cans.
“Do you see a street sign?” he asked, peering up at the corner.
“Um, no. I think this is an alley. Why don’t we try that way?” She pointed ahead, where they could see busy cars crossing a wide boulevard.
“Good idea.” Nick floored the accelerator and the car shot ahead.
“By the way,” Celeste said, “I’m glad you know where you’re going, because I am totally turned around. Plus, all the signs are in Spanish now.”
“Crap,” Nick said, looking behind him and trying to switch lanes. “I have a confession. I have no idea where we are. Or how to use the GPS thing.” He peered at the endless streets around them, with colorful signs in Spanish and bodegas and cell-phone shops lining the sidewalks. Suddenly, Celeste pointed ahead.
“Hey,” she said. “Is that a park?” At the end of the street, they could see an expanse of grass and, just beyond it, a glimmer of blue water.
“It definitely is. And it looks like there’s a little lake or something.” Nick glanced over at Celeste. “How about a break?”
Celeste resisted the urge to look at her watch. She was technically due back at the resort right after the band audition, according to her father, but the water ahead looked so tempting. And didn’t she deserve a little break during her summer of hard slogging? She glanced over at Nick. “Sure,” she said. “Let’s do it.” Every one of her brain cells knew this was a bad idea. But none of them stopped her from jumping out of the car.
Chapter Eighteen
They’d pulled up on a little strip of asphalt near the park. The noise and traffic of the city blared behind them, but if Celeste faced forward, all she could see was smooth green grass and gravel paths. The lake Nick had pointed out lapped at the grassy bank about fifty feet way. A sign near them read RATHBONE MEMORIAL
PARK. The place was almost totally deserted. Just a few figures were scattered across the green, strolling with dogs, or sitting on blankets. Celeste inhaled as the breeze lifted her ponytail.
The car door slammed next to her, and suddenly
Nick grabbed her hand. “Come on!” he said, and raced her toward the lake.
Celeste paused at the edge of the small lake. The gray-blue water glimmered in the sun. Peering forward, she could just make out a sandy bottom under the ripples. She kicked off her flip-flops and waded in, letting the cool water splash around her ankles. Behind her, Nick was laboriously unlacing his sneakers. “Come on!”
she shouted. “This is why you have to wear flip-flops!”
“Just wait until I get over there,” Nick shouted back.
“You’ll be sorry you ever met me.”
“I already am!” Celeste called. Turning, she waded a little deeper, holding the skirt of her sundress up around her thighs, careful not flash Nick. Suddenly, a pair
