Read Online The Beach House by Georgia Bockoven - Free Book Online Page B

run, or found something to do to kill time until he could come in looking composed and surprised to find them there.

Chapter 2
    Isn’t that Margaret?” Tracy said as they drove by the gray shingled house next door to their rental.
    â€œYes,” Beverly said, turning to take a second look. “But I don’t think that’s Andrew. At least it doesn’t look like him.”
    Margaret spotted their car and waved. She said something to the man she’d been talking to, then came over to greet them. “You look wonderful,” she said to Beverly, giving her a hug when she got out of the car. “You, too, Tracy.”
    Still standing with her arm around Beverly, Margaret smiled at the third person who emerged from the car. “And who’s this?”
    â€œThis is Tracy’s friend, Janice Carlson,” Beverly said. “Clyde couldn’t make it this year, so she’ll be spending the month with us instead.”
    â€œOh.” Margaret obviously tried but couldn’t hide her surprise at the news. “It’s nice to meet you, Janice,” she said graciously.
    â€œIt’s nice to meet you, too,” Janice said.
    Margaret turned back to Beverly. “Is Clyde all right?”
    â€œHe’s fine—at least he was when he dropped us off at the airport.” She responded to Margaret’s concerned expression by adding, “It’s nothing like that. He’s been working around the clock on some new project. You know how wrapped up Clyde can get in his work.” Beverly went to the back of the Buick. “Where’s Chris?”
    â€œHe went for a run on the beach.”
    â€œI was hoping he’d be here to help. You won’t believe the luggage these girls brought.” She opened the trunk and stood aside for Margaret to see for herself.
    Out of earshot, Tracy exchanged looks with Janice. “I told you,” she whispered.
    â€œWhat’s wrong with running on the beach?”
    â€œHe’s always doing things like that. Most guys would be down at the boardwalk checking out the action, but not good old Chris.”
    â€œHow do you know he’s not checking out the action around here?”
    â€œJust wait,” Tracy said. “You’ll see what I mean when you meet him.” She’d had her doubts about bringing Janice on the trip. They’d never been really close the way she and the rest of the cheerleaders were, but no one else she asked could get away for the entire month. In April when her mom had started making plans for the trip, Tracy had gone to her father and told him there was no way she was going to spend one more June stuck all the way out in California without a friend for company. He’d made all kinds of promises of things they could do together, even telling her he would teach her how to play golf, but she’d held out for taking someone with her instead.
    She might not have been so stubborn if she’d known her father couldn’t afford another airline ticket for himself. But she hadn’t found out about that until she’d already asked Janice and she’d accepted the invitation.
    Besides, her dad was always saying how he wished he had more time to work on the yard. Now he had a whole month to do whatever he wanted.
    Beverly handed Tracy and Janice their suitcases. “This is so exciting,” Janice said. “I can’t wait to get on the beach.”
    â€œIs this your first time in California?” Margaret asked.
    â€œIt’s practically my first time anywhere. We went to Disney World when I was ten, but we never left the grounds, so I only got to see the ocean from the plane.”
    â€œI told you not to tell anyone about that. The people out here will think you’re some kind of weirdo.” Tracy let out a long-suffering sigh. Janice was all right in a midwest kind of way, but she was a hick by California standards.
    â€œThat’s not