Once they reached Shoreline, they headed to the bike path, parts of which were in shade and caught the southern cross-breeze.
Evie spoke as they kept running. “I’m sorry, but I have to tell you something.”
“What’s wrong? Do you have a cramp?”
“Ha! No. Do you?”
They both laughed, recognizing the friendly competition that existed between them on this run. It turned Clancy on so much that he wished he could just throw her down in the pine needles and get jiggy with her.
“I can’t go to the reenactment with you tonight. I’m sorry. It’s my dad’s birthday, and my mom wants us all together to celebrate while we’re on vacation.”
“Seriously?”
“Are you mad?”
Clancy laughed, knowing he’d dodged a bullet. “Of course not. I was getting ready to tell you the same thing—tonight is my family’s stupid annual cookout. I thought about inviting you, but you’d have to meet everyone, including my brother, who is a complete ass.”
She laughed. “I guess we’re cool, then.”
Clancy reached out and gave her ponytail a friendly tug. “I have a feeling that we’re always going to be cool with each other, no matter what.”
For some reason, he just couldn’t spit it out about the Mermaid Ball. He was crazy nervous. But the more they ran the more time was running out. If he didn’t do it now, it wouldn’t happen.
After their run was over, Clancy saw Evie to the motel and pulled her behind the loblolly pines. He asked for a good-bye kiss, and it was one for the record books.
“Will you go to the Mermaid Ball with me tomorrow night?”
Evie stared at him and said nothing at first.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to go.”
“No! Yes! Yes, I do want to go! It’s just that—I don’t have anything to wear. Isn’t it a costume ball?”
Clancy kissed her again. He could kiss her forever. “Nah. It’s not required. It will be your last night on the island, you know? I really want to spend it together.”
Oh, no. She was going to cry. God, he didn’t mean to do that, but how was he supposed to know what would send her over the edge and what wouldn’t bother her at all? Evie almost died and didn’t even whine, but he gave her a ten-dollar wind chime and she needed a Kleenex.
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head, trying to pull herself together. “I didn’t mean to do that. It’s just the idea of it being our last night.”
“It’s the last night of your vacation on Bayberry Island,” Clancy corrected her. “It won’t be our last night, period. I know it.”
He gave her one last sweaty good-bye kiss, then jogged back home. About halfway, he heard a horn and the sputtering of the beater 1985 Toyota 4-Runner Duncan was so proud of. Clancy ignored him as his brother slowed the car and pulled alongside him with the window open.
“Hey, who’s the brown-haired cutie I saw you runnin’ with?”
Clancy kept his eyes ahead.
“She looks like that Felicity chick from TV. Real nice.”
He didn’t pay any attention to Duncan—sometimes it seemed like his big brother’s only reason for being alive was to try to jump Clancy’s case. Suddenly, the SUV swerved in front of him and nearly ran him over. That was the end of his patience.