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SoundDock. He had just dimmed the lights as she slid through the doorway.
    Down boy!
    “God, no wonder you’re such a good swimmer. Those stairs are a workout,” Kelsey sighed dramatically, pretending to wipe sweat off her high forehead. Rhys nodded, but was too distracted to smile. Normally he loved her goofiness, but now he wished she could be a little more serious. She surveyed the dim room.
    “What’s going on?” Her blue eyes darted from the petal-covered bed to the sound dock to the candles on the windowsill. Rhys quickly pulled the curtains so the summer sunset didn’t peek in. It suddenly seemed a little too over the top to try to have a romantic night together when it was still so light outside. “What’s all this for?”
    “I missed you.” He ran his hands through his still-wet brown hair, then awkwardly let them fall back to his sides, as if he didn’t know what to do with them. It was weird just standing there in his bathing suit while Kelsey was fully clothed. It felt dirty, somehow. He wished that his brain didn’t still feel so foggy, and that he hadn’t gotten so drunk when he was hanging out with the new kid.
    “I want to show you how much I love you,” Rhys continued, pulling her to him and kissing her. As his lips brushed against hers, the line replayed in his head. I want to show you how much I love you? Was that totally cheesy? He suddenly noticed that the water from his bathing suit was puddling on the walnut floor. He hoped it didn’t look like he’d peed himself.
    Nothing’s sexier than a good set of Depends.
    “That’s sweet.” Kelsey pulled away and sat on the king-size sleigh bed. She pulled her knees tightly to her chest. “Remember when we used to have sleepovers in first grade and your mom would always pull the curtains and pretend it was midnight when it was really only like six o’clock?”
    “Let’s talk about that later,” Rhys whispered, kneeling next to her on the bed. He gently kissed her bare shoulder blade as he inched the strap of her dress down her shoulder. Maybe the setting was a little too over the top. It was sort of nice with the sunlight pouring in. Kelsey smiled mysteriously and Rhys felt his insides flip-flop. He moved to kiss her collarbone and then her neck, and finally her lips. It was happening. It was finally happening.
    There was a loud tapping noise on the door.
    Rhys pulled back a little, but he could still feel Kelsey’s hot breath on his cheek. “Hello?” he yelled cautiously.
    “Rhys, darling, is Kelsey here? I thought I heard her voice.” It was the strident voice of Lady Sterling, complete with a touch of an English accent, even though she’d been born and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, and not Greenwich, U.K. Rhys wondered if she knew what they were doing, or about to do.
    “Yeah, Mom,” he mumbled, pulling the towel back around his waist and shaking his head. His mom adored Kelsey. Luckily, the feeling seemed to be mutual. If it wasn’t, Kelsey never complained. It was one of the many things he loved about her.
    “How lovely!” Lady Sterling’s voice went up an octave in the actressy way it did when she was in front of the cameras. “Well, I would love to see you both in the solarium for tea. I’m anxious to hear your thoughts for the back-to-school component of the show tomorrow,” she trilled from behind the door.
    “Sounds great, Lady S!” Kelsey called back. She smoothed her sundress and hooked her wavy, butterscotch candy–colored hair behind her small ears.
    Lady Sterling’s heels clicked away, growing softer as she made her way down the staircase. “We should go down there.” Rhys shrugged helplessly. “I’m sorry. Are you mad?”
    “No,” Kelsey said, getting up from the bed. “It’s okay. Another time.” She swooped over to the recessed window and blew out a candle. “I’ll go entertain your mom. You can meet us when you get changed,” she added, kissing Rhys on the nose.
    Rhys blew out the