Jersey Summer Love

"No, hear us out. We take the van and camp out in it. That way we still get to be at the shore and hangout out with these cuties, but their parents can't get mad because we aren't invading their space. See where I'm going with this? And if you're driving, your Dad won't be so concerned," Mark laid the plan out.

Raina was looking back and forth between the back of the car and Logan's face. He looked like he was considering the half-cocked plan.

"Hm, well I did tell Dad that I wanted to try and drum up some business down here. We would of course have to do some advertising if we did this. But -- " Logan hesitated. He looked just as hopeful as the younger boys.

"You know, it might just work, at least for a few extra weeks." He turned to Raina. "That is, if you girls wanted us around more."

He was so considerate. She just hoped that it was genuine. "We have a lot of exploring to do." Raina smiled at him.

"And a lot of fear-busting," he added.

"It'll be an adventure," Raina agreed.

"For sure."

"Yay! It's settled, the boys will be staying," Coral whooped.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves," Raina warned. "There's still Mom and Dad to consider."

"Oh, we're working on a plan of how to make it all seem natural and like their idea." Coral winked. Coral was such a persuasive and persistent girl that Raina had no doubt that she would figure out a way around their parents.

***

Raina and Coral checked in with their Mom when they got home and begged to go over to the summer house for a little while longer. She had vetoed the idea because of curfew and had suggested that the boys come hang out on their dock and boat, instead. The boys were a little hesitant, knowing that their father would be home, but did agree.

Their Dad shook the boys' hands, had a five-minute conversation with them, and returned to the "man-cave" as the women of the house called it, to finish watching his show. Coral took the boys' into their den.

"Sweet!" Mark exclaimed. The boys' eyes lit up when they saw the beautifully crafted pool table in the center of the room. A bar lamp hung down over the table, illuminating the green felt.

"Can you play?" Ryan asked Coral.

Coral caught Raina's eye from the hallway. "I'm not very good. But I do like to play for fun. Rack 'em up, boys." She turned away so the boys' didn't see the impish grin on her face.

Raina tutted and rolled her eyes and then walked out of the room with Logan.

"Don't tell me," Logan said as she opened the backdoor to the deck, "Coral is a pool shark in disguise?" He was half-joking.

"Something like that," Raina agreed.

"She's going to school them, isn't she?" Logan wondered aloud.

"Do you want to watch?" Raina asked, her hand still on the doorknob.

"It's tempting just to report back to the other guys, but no. I have something much more tempting in front of me." Logan covered Raina's hand with his and brought it up to his lips. She blushed as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I love your backyard. Let me guess, that swing hanging on the tree is your special spot, isn't it? I can just picture you sitting there with a journal and pen and writing poetry. Or maybe a laptop in your lap, typing away to the sound of the ducks quacking, working on your latest steamy scene." Logan's gestures demonstrated exactly what Raina did every day.

"Don't forget the cushions and pillow," she added.

"Why not throw a blanket in too?" Logan asked as they sat down on the green, wooden swing. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and looked up at the tall, Weeping Willow tree.

"Sometimes I do!" Raina chuckled as Logan's long legs pushed off and swung them back and forth.

"This is really peaceful and much quieter than Jack's place, or my home for that matter."

Raina held his hand. "What's your town like?"

"Crowded and loud. All of the buildings and houses are close together, almost stacked. People are lucky if they have a semblance of a yard. I live with my parents right now, and we do have a little back yard."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"An older brother, but he lives about two hours away. He isn't married, but does have a girlfriend. No kids. I can't wait to be an uncle," he looked over at her, "and a father."

"Are you close?" She wanted to know more about his life. So he wanted to be a Dad. She filed that away in her memory bank.

"We're closer now than when we were growing up. There's a seven-year age gap between us."

"Do you live in the city?"

"Outskirts. It's very industrial."

"I've always lived on the shore. Sometimes I think that I would make a really good country girl; all those wide open spaces and peace and quiet. I can't stand the summer when the traffic is jammed with out of state licenses and the beaches and boardwalk are clogged with Be-- people."

"You mean people like me." Logan put his right foot on the ground to stop the motion of the swing.

"With tourists in general." Raina stood up and walked across the deck and down the steps. He caught up with her.

"You know that it's the tourist money that makes this area thrive right?" He towered over her.

"I know that, but I don't have to like it," she huffed.

"Just what do you have against "us," and I use that word loosely?" Logan probed.

"I'm not comfortable in crowds. I don't like people. People don't like me. I'm a hermit, okay? I have a hard time." Raina walked onto the dock and sat down, dangling her feet in the water.

"So you are antisocial," he surmised, taking a seat next to her and doing the same thing.

"No. Well, not in the way you are accusing. I'm sheltered. I'm happy in my little comfort zone. I told you that I was really sick. I guess that made me turn inward a lot. That's been great for my muse, but not at all for my social life. I have no social life." She studied the water as she gently kicked her feet, watching the water glow.

"I understand that. But, Raina you can change that. You can step out of your comfort zone. You can spend more time with people. Maybe you will realize that you have more in common with people than you give yourself credit for," he suggested.

"Woah, look at that!" Logan pointed to a flash of light in the water. "Do you see it? It looks like lightning bugs in the water or something. I don't think there are electric eels in this water, but maybe."

Raina followed the line he made with his index finger and smiled. "Those are called ctenephores with a silent C, or more commonly known as comb jellies." Raina was glad that some of her biology class was coming back to her.

"Are they jellyfish?" Logan asked as he pulled his feet up, a worried look on his face.

"No. They're in the same family. They use bioluminescence. They look like jellyfish though." Raina reached down into the water and cupped her hand. An indigo glow accompanied the transparent blob in her palm as she scooped the little sea creature up "See?"

"Very cool." Logan dropped his feet back into the water and gently kicked in rhythm with Raina. The ctenophores glowed on the surface as their feet touched their gel-like bodies. Raina wore a smirk on her face. "What?" Logan responded. "I've had bad experiences with jellyfish before."

"Well it seems someone has some fears to work through."

"Touche." Logan laughed.

She giggled as he lunged over. He tumbled her to the dock and tickled her mercilessly.

"Ack, stop stop. Please," she begged. "Be gentle."

Resting his body over hers, he grinned. As Raina arched her neck back to look up towards the house, Logan kissed the column of her throat. She gasped.

"I could spend hours finding every little tickle spot on this cute body of yours," Logan whispered low in her ear.

"That would take longer than a few hours. My entire body is super sensitive to touch and tickling. Oh," she moaned as he swept his tongue along her collarbone, eliciting a shiver. He moved away from her to sit up.

"Get a room," Coral's voice cut through the haze of lust that was beginning to take hold of Raina. She looked up at her sister's upside-down face.

"Why are you upside down?" Raina asked her.

"Ogre-face." Coral smiled. The girls shared a laugh at their inside joke.

"Huh?" Logan asked clueless.

"When we were little and shared a bedroom, our beds were next to each other. We would hang upside- down off them and one day Raina told me my face looked like an ogre's like that. I made her change spots with me and she looked like an even uglier ogre to me," Coral supplied the memory.

"Heh." Logan lay down and tipped his head back to look up at Coral too. "Interesting."

"Yeah, so anyway. I think it's time that we tell Mom that the guys are crashing in their van now so it won't look like it was planned in a few weeks. It's almost 2 am," Coral suggested. Raina sat up and saw Ryan and Mark standing behind her. Logan sat up and they all went inside.

They nudged their drowsy mother awake. She had been camped out on the couch, watching late night TV, and keeping an ear out for her daughters. They quickly explained how far the boys had to drive and that there was no room at the summer house with the party going on. Their mother yawned and relented, agreeing that it was really late for them to be driving home safely at this hour and had no problem with them staying in their van. She did tell the girls it was past curfew and to say goodnight to the boys. She told the boys she would leave the door to the boat open in case they had to use the bathroom.

The girls gave her a look and when the boys had gone out to the van, she told them she didn't know them well enough to give them free rein of the house yet. The girls thought that was fair. The boys said they could have just gone down to Jack's house if they needed to.

Raina snuck out the front door to say goodnight.

"You guys going to be okay in there? It looks cramped."

"It's like camping. And no more cramped than Jack's house is with his sister and her entourage visiting. We'll be fine. Beach tomorrow? I'll lather you up with sunscreen and buy you a beach umbrella," Logan promised.

"How can I resist?" she smiled, standing on tiptoe and kissing him.

"Sweetdreams, Rainy." Logan broke the kiss, backed her up onto the step and pulled her against him. On the second step, she was face to face with him. He resumed the kiss.

Raina was breathless when the kiss was over. "Goodnight."

***

Raina awoke at five in the morning and started a pot of coffee brewing. Her idea was to tiptoe out the house before Coral woke up, quietly kiss Logan until his eyes opened, and sneak him out of the van before anyone noticed they were gone.

"Doth my eyes deceive me?" the male voice spoke from behind her. Raina hunched her shoulders and slowly turned around. Her father wore an incredulous look on his face and had a green mug of coffee in his hand.

"Morning Dad," she went over and filled a thermos with coffee.

"Has Hell frozen over?" He took a sip of coffee and peered at her over the rim of the mug.

"Hah, very funny. I just wanted to get an early start to the day," she tried, grabbing the container of creamer from the refrigerator along with a carton of eggs.

"Trying to lose the cling-on little sister, huh?" he asked knowingly.

"Trying is the operative word. Why does Mom make me Coral's babysitter? Doesn't she understand that I'm a teenager too and I want to have fun? This is my last summer before college."

"Because you are responsible, level-headed, and protective of your sister. I don't always agree with your Mother either. But as you know, she's the boss," he shrugged.

"That's kinda woosy Dad, if you ask me," she told him.

"What? Oh, make no mistake Raina, I love the challenge. But I also know how to challenge your Mother right back. I'm just more subtle about it." He winked at her.

"Are you going to tell Mom or wake Coral up? Please, please, please don't," she begged with her best puppydog eyes.

"Nah. I got you covered kid." He walked over to the door and looked out the window. "But tell me, where you are sneaking off to and what is with the blue van parked outside the house?"

Raina had forgotten that her Dad was asleep when her Mom let the boys crash in front of the house.

"The beach." She knew that her Dad knew full well that she wasn't a beach girl and that she didn't like being under the blazing sun.

He raised his eyebrows. "The beach? There has to either be a boy involved or a mermaid sighting to get you to the beach before dusk," he teased.

"Maybe and so what if there is?" She blushed.

"A mermaid, huh? Or is it a merman?" He peered into the cooler she was neatly packing food into. "A picnic at 5 am?"

"Breakfast on the beach."

"Which boy is it? Not the brown-haired Hulk right?"

"No, Dad. That's Jack. I like Logan, the tall one."

"Ah you like Goldilocks, then," he joshed her. Her father was a jokester. "Wait, isn't he the oldest of the bunch?"

"Yeah. But I'm eighteen," Raina reminded him. "I'm starting college soon and there will be older boys there, too. Besides, I think you'd like him. He's environmentally conscious and he fixes cars."

"For a living or for fun?" he questioned.

"He works for his Dad who owns an auto-body shop. He's also an EMT," she added.

"Good he has a job. An EMT you say? Have to be responsible and have a good head on your shoulders for that. I'd like to properly meet him tonight, then. We can talk shop and about my little girl." He nudged her shoulder.

"Okay, Dad." She slipped past him and out the door.

"And Raina?" Her father's tone of voice had Raina freezing in her tracks.

"Yeah?"

"Don't let me hear that you went joy riding on that bike of his."

"Um. Dad," she stammered.

"I know he has a crotch-rocket. I saw you girls drooling over it as I pulled up to the house a couple of nights ago. I had a motorcycle at his age. I lost my best friend to a motorcycle accident. I know they are fun and riding on the back of one is exciting, but I love my girls too much to let them put themselves at risk that way, or let someone else put them at risk. You understand?" His usual carefree voice had taken on a serious tone.

"Yes Daddy."

"Even if he's a responsible rider other vehicles on the road might not be, especially in the summer," he continued.

"I understand."

"Don't forget your sunscreen," he called out the door.

Raina turned around and gave him a look of a disbelief. "Don't you remember who you're talking to?" She pointed to her pale skin.

"Oh yeah, it's Coral I should be reminding. You know me."

"Yeah, overprotective and careful," Raina finished for him.

"Safety first."

"Always," she agreed and mumbled, "so that's where I get it from," as she walked down the sidewalk to knock on the van and wake Logan up.

***

Raina had suggested that despite the boys' love of all things Seaside, that they should go to Island Beach State Park; a narrow barrier island along the Atlantic Ocean, just a short drive from Seaside Boardwalk. She knew that it would be a a much better place to hang out. The beach was less crowded, there were long stretches of shore-line to walk, places to fish, surf, picnic, explore nature, SCUBA dive, and on the off-season even horseback ride.

"Good thinking bringing your car, Raina." Logan yawned. She looked over at him. He was sitting in the passenger seat of her SUV. His wavy blonde hair was mussed from sleep and his eyes squinty in the sunlight. She didn't tell him why she chose her car over one of theirs. There was a reason for that decision though. She pulled up to the booth and rolled her window down to pay for their passes. She asked for a car-pass as well.

Raina drove past the parking lot and onto the beach itself. The crunch of sand beneath the tires made her smile. "My uncle has a fishing/beach buggy permit for the beach," she explained when Logan looked out the window.

"I'm not sure if he needs to be in the vehicle and with us, or not, but I guess I'm trying to live a little. Besides it's really early in the morning and if they tell us to move, we can."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me." Logan rested his hand on her knee.

"I'm trying to convince myself," she said nervously.

"Are we going fishing?"

"I don't have any rods with me. I just wanted to get away for a bit. We haven't had breakfast yet, so I thought we could start a fire and pretend we're camping. You know?" They climbed out of the car and Raina grabbed the cooler and beach bag she brought. Logan took it from her and carried it onto the beach.

"You can make a fire on the beach?" Logan asked, unpacking the cooler while she spread the beach blanket.

"Yup! I figured we could toast buttered rolls and make egg and cheese sandwiches. Do you like them?"

"Mm, sounds good. What good New Jerseyan doesn't love buttered rolls?" Raina joined in his laughter. "I'll take you camping any time you want."

"Not just buttered, but smothered with butter and thrown on the grill or griddle," Raina added. "I love camping."

"True. You're making me hungry. Hey, how'd you sneak out of the house without Coral noticing?" Logan asked.

"I had a little help. My Dad was already up and I begged him to keep quiet," Raina responded.

"And he agreed?" Judging from the expression on Logan's face, it seemed to be an alien concept to him. Parents covering for their child.

"Well yeah. My Dad's cool. He wants to meet you. You'll like him. You guys can talk about cars together."

"Cool. I'm up for anything. Hey we forgot to buy you that umbrella," Logan remembered.

"No need, I brought one with me. Help me put it up?"

"Sure. Do you want me to lather you up now or a little later?"

"Later when the sun is higher up."

Logan nodded and crouched to dig a hole with the pointed end of the umbrella pole. He pushed it in and moved it around in small circles to ensure it would hold. When he stood up, Raina grabbed his hand and they ran to the edge of the water together.

"I've never watched the sunrise before," Raina told him. She stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck as the water gently lapped at their feet. In the morning, the ocean was cool and refreshing.

"Never?" He asked, encircling his arms around her. His one hand swept down her back and cupped the curve of her ass, pressing her against him while he brought the other hand up to her chin, tilting her face up to his.

Raina looked into his eyes."Well, not since I was a little kid. I'm not a morning person. I love twilight and never miss a sunset unless there's cloud coverage. I go to the end of my street and look out of over the bay as day retires and evening inspires." He dipped his head down and caught her lips with his.

Logan spun her around in his arms so that her back was against him. "There's a first time for everything," he whispered in ear, dropping a kiss on her shoulder. "Watch."

"It's breathtaking," Raina breathed in wonder as the sun peeked over the horizon. She watched as the first rays kissed the ocean's surface, setting it afire with light. "So that's what I've been missing." She looked back and watched as shadows stretched. Like an artist, the sun painted the world with color and brilliance.

"Makes me wonder how I ever let a moment like this slip me by," she murmured.

"I was thinking the same. You're so lyrical and creative. Did you realize that when you were describing the sunset, that you actually rhymed?" Logan asked.

"I did? I sometimes have a rhyming curse. I didn't mean to rhyme. It just slips out. My high school literature teacher always used to get frustrated with me. She would tell me that not all poetry had to rhyme. I told her I knew that, it just happens. I don't think she really believed me though."

Logan swept Raina's hair back and kissed her neck, up to her ear. He breathed soft, warm breath into it and watched goosebumps prickle her skin.