Chapter Fifteen

"So," Gina said from the chair on which she was lounging. "Have you two done it yet?"

We were down at the hotel pool with our charges- Lori and Jeff Sanders for me, and Lily Brown for Gina. So far this summer, none of my charges have turned out to be mini-mediators with hot older brothers, thank God.

But I still had to wear that crappy uniform…

"Gina," I said. "We can't talk about it right now. We're at work."

"I take that as a no," Gina said. "Really, I can understand it. I think it's kind of romantic, actually, waiting that long." She threw me a sidelong glance. "I bet he's still a virgin."

"Gina," I said in a warning tone.

"I get the point, Simon. But think about it: he's waited for a hundred and seventy-two years, and he's not pressuring you about sex. Face it, girl, he's the only guy in the world who can say he truly doesn't want that from his girlfriend…or at least not as much as other guys do," she said. "You're really very lucky. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah. Oh, wait a minute," I said. Lori and Jeff were calling me, asking me when I was going to get into the pool with them. "In a minute," I told them.

"Those kids really like you, you know. You're good with kids."

Gina was lucky she didn't have to get into the pool because Lily had no interest in swimming, she just wanted to get a tan. Jeez. She was nine, and she was all ready tan-obsessed. It's appalling. When I was nine, I was not worried about getting a tan. I was worried about getting Skittles and running away from angry ghosts.

"Whatever. I don't like it though. I mean, they either talk back to you or spit up in your hair," I said pulling off those awful shorts so I could jump into the pool. I was grateful for pulling off the shorts, even if I had to wear a one-piece swim suit underneath. Really. Pleated khaki shorts should be banned by law.

"Sure, sure. Just wait until you have a little girl carrying around your Prada handbag and strutting around in your Jimmy Choos, saying, 'Look at me, Mommy! I'm famous!' while she's autographing walls with a Sharpie Marker."

"Ha-ha," I said, climbing into the pool.

"Suze! We have to play Marco Polo!" Jeff said. Marco Polo was his favorite pool game. I'd been pretty much assigned to baby-sit Jeff and his sister all during their one-month stay at Pebble Beach. At least I'd be making good tips- his parents had to be loaded if they could afford a one-month stay here at Pebble Beach Hotel and Golf Resort.

"Okay, but on one condition: I don't have to be the one looking for you guys- you have to look for me this time," I said.

"Aw, but Suze, we can never find you!" Lori said.

"Then that makes it more fun for you, since two people will be looking for one," I said.

I heard Gina laugh. "Don't let her lie to you, kids. She's going to get out as soon as you close your eyes!"

"I will not!" I said.

"Yeah she will," Gina said to Lori and Jeff.

I splashed Gina. She was, understandably, not very happy about this. Gina actually got up off of her lawn chair and jumped into the pool.

"You're on!" she said. She was not at all happy with me, but she was being nice about it. So instead of playing Marco Polo, we had a splashing contest, much to the discontentment of the rich lawyers' wives who were lounging around on the lawn chairs around the pool.

Needless to say, Lori and Jeff enjoyed this much much more than a game of Marco Polo, so when we were getting ready to go back up to their suite, they begged me to let them stay and have one more splash war. I had to decline, saying that their parents would arrive soon and want them to be ready for dinner.

"Can't you just wait until you squeeze out a couple of your own?" Gina asked as we were driving back to my house for her to get ready to go out with Jake, and for me to get ready to go to the Coffee Clutch with Adam, CeeCee, and Jesse.

"Please," I said sarcastically, "I'd never be able to wear a two-piece suit again."

"Give it up, Suze. You know you want to have kids." Gina smirked. "I watched you. You deny it, but you like them."

"Maybe," I said. "Which baby doll dress should I wear with these jeans, Gina? The black one or the pink one? Or maybe the cream-colored one with the flowers embroidered on it?"

"What, are you Courtney Love now?"

"Gina, decision please."

"With jeans? The cream one," she said thoughtfully. "And take that little Kate Spade bag with you," she said, pointing to a small tan purse in my closet.

"No, not that one. I think this one," I said, holding up a Fossil bag that had been made of something that resembled hay or grass.

"Yeah, I didn't see that one," she said. Gina was all ready dressed for her date with Jake. She was wearing silvery-colored pants and a black see-through shirt with a tank top underneath.

"I have to know something, though. Like how far have you two gone, you know, physically?" Gina said.

"Gee, that's kind of personal business, don't you think?" I said.

"I just wanted to know. I mean, what if he's feeling you up, and he says, 'My dear, they are finer than the ripest of melons' like one of those men in thosecheap trashyromance novels set during his time period? What would you do? You know if a guy said that to me, I'd relieve him of his manliness so fast…"

I laughed. Oh, please. Jesse wouldn't do that so I didn't even have to think of the answer to that one. "He knows better, honestly!"

"I knew it!" Gina said. "I knew you two had at least gotten to there."

I'm sorry to say I threw my bag at her.

"What the hell was that for?" Gina asked.

"You know why," I said. "Come on, let's go. You've kept Jake waiting for fifteen minutes, and I said I'd be at the Coffee Clutch in ten minutes, and it's been fifteen."

"Oh, here, don't forget to take these," she said handing me her CD case. "Don't forget to show him the CDs to see what he'll think."

"You sure?"

"What am I going to do with them while I'm with Jake?" she said.

"I don't know. Mood music?" I said, even though the thought of Jake and Gina needing mood music made me feel kind of queasy.

"Simon," she said, "You have a lot to learn. Mood music is not cool. Most of it is way cheesy," she said wrinkling her pierced nose. "See you later," she said, turning to leave.

Gina and Jake went in Jake's car to go and see a movie, but my mom stopped me at the door.

"Suze," she said, "I know you're all ready late, but I have something important to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked. Is it that she got me an appointment to get contraceptive pills? If so, it was not necessary, much to my chagrin.

"Well, Arianna, the intern at the station told me that she thought it was absolutely ridiculous that you drive all the way from Carmel to San Francisco, so she told me about an apartment she used to have there, and she said you could have it if you wanted. And Andy and I will pay for it, since your grades are so good. All you have to do is say yes and move your stuff down there. How would you like that?"

"Um…" was all I could think of to say.

"If you're worried about Jesse, don't be. You know he loves you. It's written all over your faces. Go have fun, Susie! Let me know about the apartment when you get home, okay?" she said.

"Okay," I said. "Bye, Mom."

On the way to the Coffee Clutch, I thought about moving to San Francisco and how I'd tell Jesse if I made up my mind to go. How would he react? I mean, it would make much more sense for me to move, but I'd miss him so much if I left. If I moved to San Francisco, I wouldn't be a ten minute drive away from him- I'd be a three hour drive away from him.

Who, I ask you, needs that? I do not want to be that far away from Jesse.

But then again, the prospect of not driving for six hours a day was mightily tempting.

I made up my mind. I was going. I mean, why drive for six hours a day to school? Didn't I have better things to do? I could always drive to Carmel on the weekends to see my family and Jesse, right?

Now I just needed a way to tell him without getting too upset about it in front of him. I mean, I didn't want to be so far away from him, not after I'd nearly lost him twice.

Oh, come on, I knew he wasn't going to screw around on me while I was gone, and I most certainly wasn't going to date some other guy behind Jesse's back, but I wanted to be able to see him a lot, which I wouldn't be able to do if I lived three hours away, now would I?

When I finally got to the Coffee Clutch, I found CeeCee, Adam, and Jesse waiting patiently for me.

"Hello, Susannah," Jesse said softly as I sat down next to him. I slipped my fingers into his.

"We were beginning to wonder what was taking you so long. Jesse here was going to get up and start talking to that girl behind the counter…you know you can't trust us men when you're not around…" Adam said. He took a sip of his drink. "We might do things we'll regret later."

"Maybe you would, Adam," I said trying not to show how stressed out I was about telling Jesse I was going to move away, "But I don't think I have to worry about Jesse."

"We were beginning to wonder," CeeCee said.

"Yeah, I just got sidetracked," I said coolly.

"By what? Flying pigs?" Adam said. "Or were you thinking dirty thoughts about me at the traffic light?"

"Flying pigs," I said.

Adam pretended to look hurt. "But Suze…I thought you were going to marry me when you divorced your first husband. You don't think about me, all alone and cold in my bed?"

"We're still fighting a brutal battle for the pool table and the bar stools," I said sarcastically. I dropped my voice, "That's also why you have a girlfriend."

"Why were you so late?" CeeCee said as Jesse and Adam became engrossed in a conversation about a book they'd both read about the end of the world and who would be allowed into the new society and who would be left to die, andblah-blah-blah.

"My mom had to stop and talk to me about something," I said. I noticed a slight catch in my voice. I hoped that CeeCee wouldn't notice, but she did.

"Oh, what?" She seemed really concerned.

"I'll tell you later," I said. The truth was, I just wanted to tell Jesse first. I mean, he deserved to know first. Besides, I didn't want to spoil the evening any more than I all ready had.

I guess the whole moving away thing was really bothering me badly because CeeCee kept trying to pry it out of me, and when Jesse noticed, he asked me what was wrong. I kept telling them that I would tell them later, but it didn't work. Jesse whispered in my ear for me to come over to his place later that evening to discuss whatever it was that was bothering me, since I didn't want to talk about it in front of CeeCee and Adam.

Oh great. I couldn't wait. I mean, how fun could it be to tell Jesse that I was moving away and would only be able to see him on weekends, and that all telephone calls would be long-distance and rare, since they were expensive and we were both in college?