AUGUST | NH |

SEVENTEEN

Archer

"Can you pass me a drink?"

Holding my hand up, I smile over at Rebekah as she plops down into the chair next to mine. "Do you want raspberry or mango?"

"Mango!" I bring my bottom lip between my teeth, digging my toes into the warm sand beneath, sliding the can into the cup holder of my chair before leaning back and letting the sun dance across my face.

"I'm so glad that the weather finally decided to cooperate, letting us actually enjoy a day off." Inez's voice drifts to me from a few chairs away, her own body settled into a relaxed Dorothea. "I like when it rains but eventually I need to go outside."

"Thank god." With a floppy hat covering the top of her head, Dorothea stretches her arms above her head. "It's so nice out. There's nothing that could have kept me from coming to the beach today."

"Not even wedding planning?" I ask with a grin.

Dorothea groans. "Definitely not that. I can't believe it's so close. I swear to god that we just got engaged like — yesterday." Taking a drink, she looks over at me. "I'm just glad that I managed to wrangle you into being a part of it."

A smile covers my face as I look down at the row of friends I accumulated this summer, three powerful, smart women who treat others with so much kindness.

Something about our personalities just seemed to click and it made it feel like I've known each of them for years, as if we grew up living in the same street making friendship bracelets and dancing in the summer sun.

Not once since I showed up have they hesitated when it came to inviting me into their close knit group. Leaving them at the end of the summer would probably be the second hardest goodbye.

Something I didn't want to think about.

It had been a little over a week since the storms moved through the coastal town, finally clearing out and bringing warm temperatures and blazing sunshine out of hiding — perfect for a girls day.

The plan was to spend a few hours on the beach before reconvening to go out and make our way through a few of the local spots and stopping to have dinner.

If we made it that far.

So far, we have only made it through one cooler of drinks and one Taylor Swift album.

The day is still young... Very, very young.

"So, Archer..." Rebekah calls. "How are things with you and Niall?"

All of the girls turn to look at me as I take a drink of the hard seltzer in my hand. "Good. I would say they are good."

"Oh come on!" Rolling her eyes, Inez glares at me over the rim of her sunglasses. "Everyone can see that the two of you are totally head over heels obsessed with each other."

Rebekah nods. "I won't lie, I heard Miss Johnson asking Niall about you at the grocery store the other day... She was giving him a hard time about not giving her a shot at his hand in marriage."

Throwing my head back, I laugh. "I didn't mean to steal her man!"

"Honey, you stole everyone's man." Dorothea says. "I'm telling you... Up until you came along, Niall Horan was the most eligible bachelor of Cape Charlotte. I would say Ellis was in the running, but he's been obsessed over Inez so I'm going to leave him out of it."

Shaking my head, I lean forward in my chair before pushing my sunglasses up to rest in my messy waves. "Really... I don't know what or even how Niall and I got to where we are... Whatever we are... It was not on the agenda for me to hook up with someone this summer."