Read Online Beyond the Rising Tide by Sarah Beard - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sarah Beard
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to get me to open up about my feelings, but he couldn’t pry them out no matter how hard he tried.
It’s not his fault my heart has been doubly broken. It’s mine.
I look at his long, tan fingers spread on the counter, and wish I could press them to my cheek and promise him things will be different. That I am better. Fearless and strong, like he believes I am. But it would be a lie, so I say nothing, just nod and clench my teeth, biting back the tears I feel coming.
There’s a high-pitched cough at the shop entrance, and I look up to see Tourist Girl—Gem—standing there, arms folded over her bare midriff and sandaled foot tapping impatiently.
“I’m giving her another lesson today,” Tyler explains, but it does nothing to assuage the jealousy rearing inside me.
“I have to get back to work,” I manage, and then turn and go to the kitchen before he can see the stupid tears welling in my eyes.
On the counter in the kitchen lies a sheet of nougat, ready to be cut into squares. It’s exactly what I need. I grab a butcher knife and slice into it, cutting off a long strip.
My sister Sophie comes up behind me, a small, understanding smile on her cherry-red lips. “Harder.” She grabs another knife and plunges it into the sheet, tip first. “Like that. If you’re going to pretend you’re killing someone, don’t slice. Stab.”
I raise the knife and bring it back down, stabbing the nougat right in the middle. It feels pretty good.
“You need more force,” Sophie says. “Try raising it high above your head before coming down.”
I do, and when I bring the knife down, the nougat breaks into two jagged halves.
“What are you doing?” I turn to see Paige in the doorway, hands on hips, mouth wide open. “Stop it or we’re going to have to make a whole new batch!”
“Better the nougat than Tyler’s spleen,” Sophie says.
Paige takes the knife and points it at me, huffing out a sigh. “Why don’t you see? It’s a no-brainer! He wants you, Avery. You can see it in his eyes. All you have to do is be yourself. Is that so hard? I mean, look at that girl he’s hanging out with. She’s like how you used to be. Fun. Spontaneous. Carefree. Just be the same, and he’s yours!”
I’ve lost count of the times people have said things like that to me recently. If you want Tyler back, then go after him. Fight for him. Be happy. Be yourself. But I’m stuck somewhere inside this body. I don’t even know who I am anymore, or what will make me happy. And I’m tired of people making it sound like it should be so easy.
Sophie takes another swipe at the nougat. “I’m never falling in love. It sounds worse than having my toenails ripped off.”
Paige makes a disgusted face. “Ew. And it’s only torture when the person you love doesn’t love you back. Or when they do love you, but they don’t know it. Or they know it, but they don’t know how to show you or tell you. Or when—”
Dad pokes his head into the kitchen. “Girls, there are customers.”
“I’ll take care of the nougat,” Sophie whispers, standing in front of it so Dad doesn’t see the mess. Paige and I go up front to tend to the customers, and something white catches my eye through the window.
This afternoon may not turn out so bad, because pacing slowly outside the shop window is my new friend, Kai.
have a twenty-dollar bill in my front pocket. It took me four hours of hard labor to earn, give or take thirty minutes to convince a vineyard manager to let me work one afternoon for cash, without identification. And now I’m loitering beneath the striped awning of the Chocolate Couture, trying to get up the nerve to go in and see Avery again. I’ve been here at least ten minutes, long enough to see Tyler talking with her, and long enough to see him leave with the same petite blonde he was with at the beach last night.
I don’t know what Tyler and Avery were talking about, but hopefully he didn’t say anything to make things
It’s not his fault my heart has been doubly broken. It’s mine.
I look at his long, tan fingers spread on the counter, and wish I could press them to my cheek and promise him things will be different. That I am better. Fearless and strong, like he believes I am. But it would be a lie, so I say nothing, just nod and clench my teeth, biting back the tears I feel coming.
There’s a high-pitched cough at the shop entrance, and I look up to see Tourist Girl—Gem—standing there, arms folded over her bare midriff and sandaled foot tapping impatiently.
“I’m giving her another lesson today,” Tyler explains, but it does nothing to assuage the jealousy rearing inside me.
“I have to get back to work,” I manage, and then turn and go to the kitchen before he can see the stupid tears welling in my eyes.
On the counter in the kitchen lies a sheet of nougat, ready to be cut into squares. It’s exactly what I need. I grab a butcher knife and slice into it, cutting off a long strip.
My sister Sophie comes up behind me, a small, understanding smile on her cherry-red lips. “Harder.” She grabs another knife and plunges it into the sheet, tip first. “Like that. If you’re going to pretend you’re killing someone, don’t slice. Stab.”
I raise the knife and bring it back down, stabbing the nougat right in the middle. It feels pretty good.
“You need more force,” Sophie says. “Try raising it high above your head before coming down.”
I do, and when I bring the knife down, the nougat breaks into two jagged halves.
“What are you doing?” I turn to see Paige in the doorway, hands on hips, mouth wide open. “Stop it or we’re going to have to make a whole new batch!”
“Better the nougat than Tyler’s spleen,” Sophie says.
Paige takes the knife and points it at me, huffing out a sigh. “Why don’t you see? It’s a no-brainer! He wants you, Avery. You can see it in his eyes. All you have to do is be yourself. Is that so hard? I mean, look at that girl he’s hanging out with. She’s like how you used to be. Fun. Spontaneous. Carefree. Just be the same, and he’s yours!”
I’ve lost count of the times people have said things like that to me recently. If you want Tyler back, then go after him. Fight for him. Be happy. Be yourself. But I’m stuck somewhere inside this body. I don’t even know who I am anymore, or what will make me happy. And I’m tired of people making it sound like it should be so easy.
Sophie takes another swipe at the nougat. “I’m never falling in love. It sounds worse than having my toenails ripped off.”
Paige makes a disgusted face. “Ew. And it’s only torture when the person you love doesn’t love you back. Or when they do love you, but they don’t know it. Or they know it, but they don’t know how to show you or tell you. Or when—”
Dad pokes his head into the kitchen. “Girls, there are customers.”
“I’ll take care of the nougat,” Sophie whispers, standing in front of it so Dad doesn’t see the mess. Paige and I go up front to tend to the customers, and something white catches my eye through the window.
This afternoon may not turn out so bad, because pacing slowly outside the shop window is my new friend, Kai.
have a twenty-dollar bill in my front pocket. It took me four hours of hard labor to earn, give or take thirty minutes to convince a vineyard manager to let me work one afternoon for cash, without identification. And now I’m loitering beneath the striped awning of the Chocolate Couture, trying to get up the nerve to go in and see Avery again. I’ve been here at least ten minutes, long enough to see Tyler talking with her, and long enough to see him leave with the same petite blonde he was with at the beach last night.
I don’t know what Tyler and Avery were talking about, but hopefully he didn’t say anything to make things
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