[COMPLETE]
When Hanna Haddad embarks on what's supposed to be another uneventful summer as a lifeguard on Cape Cod, a trip to the past comes as an unnerving surprise. The discovery of her estranged mother's journal opens up the world of tragedy and...
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When I'd asked Jesse the day he'd invited me to his birthday party if there was anything else I needed to know, he could've mentioned one small detail.
He lived in the ocean mansion of my dad's dreams.
His house was the kind I saw scrolling through real estate websites when I was bored, the ones that listed for ten, fifteen, even twenty million, with eight bedrooms and thirteen bathrooms because for some reason rich people needed more places to take a shit than to sleep.
I was pretty sure Jesse said something to me as he opened the passenger door, but I didn't hear him, too lost in endless ocean peeking behind acres of landscaped grass. I forced myself to stop gawking when I realized I was probably making him think I lived in a dilapidated shack.
"What was that?" I asked, taking his outstretched hand.
"I asked if you were ready to meet my family," he repeated, laughing lightly.
Meet his family. Oh right. That was the whole point of this thing.
"Of course," I murmured and gave him a smile for reassurance, while my stomach somersaulted in fear.
The sound of indistinct chatter grew clearer as we walked down a stone pathway on the side of the house, leading to the backyard. A few steps in, I stumbled forward in my heels on the uneven ground, but Jesse caught me before I toppled over on my face. I fell into his chest, a hand flat against the buttons of his white shirt.
"You okay?" he asked, his face only inches from mine.
"Yeah," I breathed, nodding, "I am."
We stayed like that for a few seconds, seconds that felt more like minutes, until I just wanted to kiss him and forget that I was going to go meet people he was related to.
At least the first I'd already met before.
Bella raced to her older brother like she'd just spotted Santa Claus in the off season, soles of her gold sandals stomping against the hard ground. This must have been a routine occurrence for the two of them, as he smiled and shook his head, reaching to pick her up with a flurry of endearments.
High up in Jesse's arms, she turned to me. "Oh, I remember you! What's your name? I'm Bella."
"My name is Hanna," I told her, smiling. "I like your dress, Bella, it's very beautiful." Ironically, her white eyelet dress was rather similar to the one I donned, only mine didn't fan out as much and I'd paired it with a block heel.
"Thank you," she chirped, and my heart warmed at how small her voice sounded. She seemed so loved and pacified in Jesse's arms; I could only wonder how she felt about her other older brother.
Giggling, she reached her hand out to play with a lock of my hair. "You're pretty,Hanna. And our dresses match!"
"Thank you, little cutie," I beamed back, lightly tweaking her cheek. She went to bury her head in Jesse's shoulder, but he chuckled and set Bella back down on her feet, earning a hmph from her.
