"We’re not dating… we’re just hanging out, like I said. Everything will be fine." I follow her lead, grabbing my drink and taking a hefty glug.
Mom laughs, Dad shakes his head, and I’m pretty sure Sam grumbles something about me being an idiot. But their opinions don’t matter when it comes to Sadie and me. We have an understanding, and they will see why I can’t resist the chance to make memories with her as soon as they spend more than five minutes around her.
nineteen
Sadie
It's a Party
"Sadie," Mom calls down the hallway. "I think your boyfriend is here."
Racing out of my bedroom with my beach bag slung over my shoulder, I practically bowl her over as she stands with her face plastered to the window of our front door.
"He’s not my boyfriend, Mom." I slip my toes into my brown leather flip-flops. "He’s just a friend."
"With benefits? There better be benefits, or I have officially failed as a mother." She wiggles her eyebrows at me, and I groan.
Max is hot—it’s undeniable. And over the last couple of days, I decided to lean into this whole idea of having fun—to give it one-hundred-and-ten percent. But the last thing I need is my mother thinking too hard about what we are doing. My cheeksflush, and my heart races—the very same reaction I had when Bradley Bushnell took me to prom, and Dee Dee took it upon herself to hand him a box of condoms on the way out the door. She’s always been great at discussing our sexuality—great at embarrassing us.
"I’m going now."
I use my hand to push her aside gently and open the door. I’m too late. Max is standing with his fist raised, prepared to knock. He’s dressed in low-slung black board shorts, a blue t-shirt with the sleeves cut off displaying a variety of tattoos, and a backward hat. He looks like a sexy surfer, or one of those guys that makes thirst traps on the internet.
"Hey, Sade." He smirks at me, the adorable dimple in his cheek proudly on display. Max makes a big show of peering around me and waves at my mom. "Hi, Mrs. Wells. How are you doing today?"
Turning to look over my shoulder at her, the first thing that’s apparent is how rosy her cheeks are. I swear, women fall all over themselves when he speaks.
"Please call me Dee Dee." She smiles back at him, pushing her hair over one shoulder. "Do you have a minute to come in? I could make you two a coffee for the road."
She’s shameless as hell, trying to swindle him into our home so she can talk to him (translation: make this awkward). "We’re in a hurry, Mom. I’ll see you later, though." Stepping out onto the porch quickly and closing the door behind me, I grab Max’s hand and pull him toward his truck. His shoulders are shaking with the laugh he’s trying to hold in, and I can practically feel his body vibrating with each step we take.
Glad someone finds this hilarious.
We round the hydrangea bushes and approach Max’s truck. It’s a big, black monstrosity, with tires so tall the tops of them are level with my boobs. I’m short, but this is insane. I tightenmy grip on my canvas beach bag, wondering how I’ll ever be able to make it into the car, let alone to the beach.
Max slips in front of me and pulls the handle on the passenger door. "You think you can get in, or do you need a boost?"
I scan the running board, trying to estimate how high I’d need to jump to reach it, and if I’m even coordinated enough to do so. "Can you maybe just give me directions? How do people usually get into vehicles made for giant people?" Max laughs. It’s full and bright.
"It’s really not that high off the ground, Sade. You just happen to be fun-sized." Max lifts his foot and sets it on the long piece of metal that stretches the length of the doors. "Just put your foot here and hoist yourself up."
Moving in front of him, I attempt what he said. But my legs are practically in a full split when I do. Thank God I wore shorts. This would be awkward in nothing more than a cover-up and swimsuit. A laugh bubbles out of me, and Max joins in.
"Okay, well maybe it is higher than I thought. How about I just lift you in?" He moves closer behind me, running his fingers under the strap of my bag, removing it and tossing it in the truck. "If you turn and face me, I can lift you straight up so all you have to do is sit back onto the seat."
"Yeah, let’s do that. And then we can talk about why anyone needs this type of vehicle."
Spinning, he cages me in with his arms. "Hi," he says, brushing a soft kiss on my cheek. "You look gorgeous." Max runs his fingers down the length of my flowy ponytail, and my heart beats so fast I think I might have some sort of arrhythmia.
We’re leaning in, Sadie. Letting fun control our life.
"Alright, lover boy… you look great too. But I would put fifty bucks down on the fact that Dee Dee is spying around the corner of the garage right now. Can we maybe do this somewhere else?"
Max twists his head, scanning the space for my mother’s prying eyes. He chuckles when unsurprisingly, she waves from the edge of the bushes like a weirdo. Hurriedly, Max places one hand on each side of my torso and lifts me into the truck. Swinging my legs in, I grab my bag and situate it by my feet, then buckle my seat belt while Max closes my door and jumps in like it’s the easiest thing in the world.
"She’s like Mabel 2.0." He shakes his head, reaching over to give my buckle a tug as if he’s checking to make sure it’s secure. "Never thought I’d see the day that she had met her match."
Sliding my sunglasses off my head and onto my face, I grin at him. "You have no idea."