Lily started to follow.
“I’ll buy your ice cream today,” Olivia enticed. Lily only had in her pocket what their dad gave her at the beginning of the summer, which wasn’t much. And her allowance was minuscule compared to what she and Lucas had earned at her age. Their dad justified it by saying Lily had fewer chores than they had when they were eight. Olivia didn’t think that was true. Lily’s chores kept her just as busy as them on Saturday mornings. But who was she to argue with their dad?
“Meet up in five,” Blaze said, as if they needed reminders to meet at the icebox like they’d been doing all summer.
Decker’s Market was as old as the lake and still owned by Mr. Decker, the grandson of the original Mr. Decker. It was a quarter of the size of the supermarket back home, but the store had everything, from fishing tackle to sun hats and beach towels. It even had a ride-on horse out front that took two quarters. Neil Diamond, Mrs. Decker’s favorite, always played on the ceiling speakers.
With coins in their pockets, they went their separate ways, Lucas and Tyler to the toy section in back to see if the new Hot Wheels Mr. Decker ordered had come in. Blaze went straight to the drink section. He’d chug a Red Bull and pay for the empty can so he could toss it before they left the store and his dad wouldn’t know he was drinking the stuff. Olivia took Lily to the magazine rack. Mr. Decker kept office supplies on the bottom shelf. She needed a new pad of paper for her sketches.
Lily flipped through a comic book left over from two summers ago. “There’s nothing new.”
Olivia showed her Seventeen. “Try this.” The latest issue came in a few days ago.
Lily opened the magazine to an advice column on pimples. Her eyes glazed over. “Boring. I’m going to check on Luc.” They could hear him and Tyler laughing a couple aisles over. Lily returned the magazine to the rack.
“Stay here. Lucas is being a—” A cold can pressed against the back of her neck. She shrieked and whirled on Blaze. “You!” She playfully nudged his shoulder. He got her every time.
Blaze laughed; then his arms roped around her and he kissed her, right there in front of Lily. He smelled like coconut and sweat, and he tasted like the most thrilling ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Her pulse pounded in her ears.
Kissing was new, all tongue and saliva, and they did it any chance they could get when they were alone. But they weren’t alone this time. They were in the middle of the store. People who knew the Whitmans could see them. If Harold and Rhonda knew their friendship was now fueled by lust and hormones Olivia and Blaze barely understood but couldn’t get enough of, they’d separate the girls and guys in a heartbeat.
“Ew. I’m outta here.” Olivia heard Lily’s flip-flops recede. They smacked the tile floor until they faded away. She tore her mouth from Blaze’s, gasping. He grinned, his chest heaving.
“That wasn’t nice.” She pointed at the Red Bull in his hand and noticed he was tenting his swim shorts.
“Shit.” He grabbed a magazine and held it in front of his shorts.
Olivia’s face felt like an inferno. She didn’t know whether to be embarrassed for herself or for him, so she left. “I’m going to find Lily.”
Lily was at the icebox with Lucas and Tyler. As Olivia approached, she saw Lily stick her hand into the freezer just as Lucas started to slam closed the lid. Tyler smacked his hand to stop the door. “Watch it. You okay?” he asked Lily.
She showed him the chocolate ice cream sandwich she’d selected. “Got it.”
“Heard you were sucking face.” Lucas pretended to make out with his forearm.
“Jerk.” Olivia smacked the back of his head as she passed him. He snorted a laugh. “Thanks a lot, Lily.” She stuck her tongue out at her sister, opening the icebox, and selected a Drumstick.
Blaze came around the corner and grabbed a missile pop. His lips would turn red, then bright blue, and they’d all be making fun of him before they reached the cabin. Olivia noticed he’d stuffed the Red Bull in his pocket to hide the residual effects of their kiss. He dropped a possessive arm around her shoulders. “Ready to head back?” he asked everyone.
“Yeah, let’s bounce.” Lucas led their pack to the market’s single checkout line. Mr. Decker worked the cash register. They showed him their ice cream, Blaze’s Red Bull, and piled their change on the counter. Lily murmured her thanks to Olivia for covering her.
“That all?” Mr. Decker asked.
“Yes, sir,” Blaze said and the rest nodded.
“Are you sure?” Mr. Decker looked straight at Lucas.
Lucas glanced at Tyler, then Olivia. He nodded at Mr. Decker.
“Care to empty your pockets, Lucas?”
Lucas’s throat rippled. “No.”
Mr. Decker’s gaze moved over them before landing back on Olivia’s brother. He picked up the phone by the cash register. “Empty your pockets or I call the police.”
Lucas gulped.
Olivia’s skin tingled all over, and she wasn’t even the one in trouble. “What did you do?” she loudly whispered at Lucas.
“Nothing. Shut up.”
“Show him, Luc.” Their ice cream was melting.
“There’s nothing in my pockets,” he said angrily.
“Honest, Mr. Decker. I saw him,” Lily said in a little voice. “He didn’t take anything.”
Mr. Decker hesitated. He returned the phone to its cradle. “Follow me. All of you.”
The trek to the small office at the back of the market seemed like the longest walk Olivia had ever taken, even longer than the walk to the market from the cabin.
Mrs. Decker was sitting behind a desk with a couple monitors.
“Dot, play that recording,” Mr. Decker said, closing the door behind them. The office was cramped and stuffy. He turned one of the monitors so they could see. “Gather round, kids.” They huddled closer.
On the screen was a black-and-white image of the market. Olivia could see people in the aisles, moving about.
“There’s Lucas.” Lily pointed. “And me! Look, I’m on TV.” She grinned.
“I’ve been watching you all summer, Lucas. You take things off the shelves and stick them in your pockets, but you always make sure you put them back before you leave the store. They’re little things you might not think I’d notice have gone missing until I do inventory at the end of the month.”
Olivia squinted at the screen. Mrs. Decker replayed their shopping trip and Olivia saw that Mr. Decker was right. Lucas snagged three items and returned them someplace else in the store. And then he snagged a fourth and followed Tyler to the icebox. Anger spiked. Her hands fisted. She hadn’t realized what Lucas had been doing; otherwise she would have said something to him. Now he’d dragged them all into hot water.
Blaze gently touched her lower back. Their eyes met. His burned bright. He was fuming.
“So far, Lucas, you’ve been good,” Mr. Decker was telling them. “But I knew one day you’d be tempted enough to walk out of the store without putting it back.” He dipped his hand into the large front pocket of the market apron he wore and pulled out a torn Hot Wheels box. “Found this on the floor.”
Lucas’s face drained of color. Olivia’s stomach bottomed out. Mr. Decker’s order had finally come in and Lucas couldn’t resist.