Jay disappeared shortly after we got home and Alex decided she was going to take a nap. I sat alone in the living room for a while flipping through the channels on the big screen television. I thought about calling Craig but figured he was probably nursing one heck of a hang over and we'd probably just end up fighting.

I sighed before heading out the back door and down to the beach. I spotted Jay playing volleyball with a group of people about our age. I sat down a safe distance away and watched the group play. It was kind of like deja vu from a few years ago. Only Marco and the gang were nowhere in sight.

I silently cheered as Jay scored a point. He never seemed like a team player but he looked like he was having fun. I stood up and brushed the sand off my legs before walking closer.

"Got room for one more?" I asked to no one in particular but my eyes were on Jay.

Jay arched his eyebrows at me inquisitively as a short dark haired girl on Jay's side of the net answered, "Sure you can take my spot. I could use a break."

"Thanks," I replied taking her spot beside Jay who was still looking at me in confusion. I focused my attention on the net in front of me as the ball came soaring over it. We lost by one point but the game had been a lot of fun.

"Well aren't you just full of surprises?" Jay said, flopping down on the sand beside me.

I shrugged, "I guess I learned something in gym class after all and here I thought it was pointless."

"There's a tiny little restaurant about half a mile up the beach. You thirsty?" Jay asked.

I shook my head yes as Jay stood and held out his hand to help me up. I accepted, letting him pull me up off the sand. We walked the short distance to the restaurant. It looked like a worn down shack on the outside but the inside was warm and friendly. Pinball machines lined one wall. There were tables spread out across the floor and a bar ran along another wall. We sat down and scanned the menu as we waited.

"I'm glad you're not still mad about earlier." I started after we'd ordered. "I didn't realize you still cared about Alex that way."

"What are you talking about? Alex and I are just friends." Jay replied, concentrating a little too hard on the pin ball machine near our table.

"Jay, I'm not stupid. Besides, I saw the tattoo this morning." I replied, mentally kicking myself for bringing up the fact I'd seen him half naked.

"Right. When you walked in on me. Hoping to see a little more?" Jay replied with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. I should have known he would use my embarrassment to change the subject. "You wish." I replied, breaking the uneasy tension.

We both laughed, but then we were interrupted by a waitress coming to take our order. She was Jay's type: tall, skinny, and blonde. He flashed her his killer smile and suddenly I turned invisible. I watched them as they flirted back and forth making me want to hurl.

I cleared my throat interrupting their little bonding session. Then I found my inner Paige and said, "Honeybee, if you're done flirting could we please order? You know I don't like leaving the twins with your mother for too long."

The look on Jay's face was priceless and it took everything I had not to bust out laughing. His jaw literally dropped and his eyes were the size of saucers. The look on the waitress's face was funny too. Her checks were bright red and the flirtatious smile was long gone. It was perfect.

"The twins?" Jay asked once the blonde was gone with our order.

I could tell he found it somewhat amusing. Maybe not entirely but at least he wasn't angry. I shrugged innocently then with a smile added, "What? I was hungry!"

"You know, Nash? You're something else." Jay replied with a genuine smile. "I'm mildly glad you came."

"Even though I blew your chances with Blondie?" I asked, nodding towards the waitress who was avoiding eye contact with our table at all cost.

"That's why I said mildly." He joked. We both busted out laughing.

"I'm more than mildly glad I came. I'm having fun which is weird because the only other time I've had this much fun was last summer with Craig." I explained.

A different waitress brought our drinks out and sat them on the table. I couldn't help but chuckle a little. If only I had the power to drive Manny away like I had the waitress, I would be able to have Craig all to myself.

"You know, El...if you want Craig to come visit, its okay. Just keep him out of my face." Jay offered.

"Thanks." I replied, "That's actually what I was going to talk to you about this morning."

The c0cky smile found its way back to his face, "I figured. But hey...you got a free show so it wasn't a completely wasted trip."

"You're a pig." I said, tossing my straw wrapper at him.

He swatted the paper away before adding, "Yeah, well I've been called worse."

Back at the house I decided to give Craig a call. I sat on the back porch with my cell phone and dialed his number.

"Yeah?" He answered on the third ring.

I could tell from the sound of his voice he was still torn up from the night before. He didn't seem to be in a very good mood but I figured it was too late to hang up now. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Like crap." He answered before the line went silent.

I waited a few seconds for him to continue but when he didn't, "Craig, are you still there?"

"Yeah," He bit back a little edge to his voice.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance as the anger started to build up inside me, "Why don't you just call me back when you're not such a jerk. I don't know maybe two o'clock in the morning when you're hammered and spouting out bull about missing me."

I hung up before he could reply and turned my phone off. At that moment I was just plain tired of trying with him. I'd grown accustomed to life never being fair but I'd be damned if I was going to let Craig Manning treat me like crap because he was hung over. I could feel the tension building in my neck as I stewed in my anger. The hot tub caught my attention. I stood up and went inside to change.

Jay and Alex were in the game room when I came back down. I poked my head inside, "I'm getting in the hot tub. Anyone want to join me?"

Alex shook her head no and held up a bottle of something or another that she'd found in the fully stocked bar. "Great," I thought, "More drunks."

"You want something, Red?" Jay asked from his position behind the bar.

I shook my head no as I turned my back on them and headed outside. I honestly didn't get it. Why would someone want to make themselves sick by downing a bottle of bad tasting liquor?

I turned the hot tub on and climbed in. The hot water washed over my tense muscles as I began to relax. I scooted down farther letting the bubbles float around my head. I cleared my mind of all things that even remotely reminded me of Craig. I dubbed the hot tub a Craig free zone as the knot in my shoulders began to dissolve. It was a great mix of cool ocean air and hot bubbling water. I could have stayed in that exact spot for the rest of my life.

"Feeling good, Red?" Jay asked about an hour later as he came walking outside in his swim trunks.

"Unbelievably good." I replied. "Where's Alex?"

"Safely tucked in bed," He answered stepping into the hot tub and sitting down across from me. "As hard as it is to believe, occasionally I can be a good guy."

I smiled at his remark, "As strange as it is for me to say, it's not that hard to believe."

"Awe, are we having a bonding moment?" Jay teased in his normal sarcastic way.

I shook my head in disbelief, "And then you open your mouth and suddenly it's a little harder to believe."

He laughed and it was a nice sound. There was no tension between the two of us. We weren't trying to hide anything from each other. It was relaxing. I wondered if he felt even remotely the same way.

"I take it your conversation with Manning didn't go so well." Jay stated.

I shook my head no before replying, "And this hot tub is a Craig free zone so let's change the subject."

"Okay," He said. "Then it's an Alex free zone too so let's not go down that road again either."

"Deal," I agreed.

We sat quietly for a little while each of us trying to think of something to say. His tattoo caught my attention and I finally broke the silence by asking, "Did that hurt?"

He shook his head no but answered, "A little."

"I've been thinking about getting one. A little butterfly or fairy or something, I don't know." I added.

"Afraid of needles?" He asked.

"No. I'm just not sure I want something that permanent, you know? Llike I'm not sure if I'll want it when I'm old." I answered.

"You can always have it removed." Jay offered. "It's a little pricy but worth it if you change your mind after it's too late."

"Are you thinking about getting it removed?" I asked, locking my eyes on his.

He shrugged, "It's funny. I never planned for any of this to happen. Alex, the shooting, Sean leaving... it just kind of sucks."

I nodded in agreement, "Plans never turn out the way you want them to. I didn't exactly plan on falling for my best friend's ex boyfriend last summer. I didn't exactly plan on him getting back with his ex girlfriend, and I never planned on spending my summer at the beach with you and Alex. Sometimes change isn't so bad."

"Yeah, well I've never been too familiar with the good kind of change." Jay added. "I think I'm going to go hit the town. You want to come?"

I thought about it for a second but shook my head no, "I think I'm going to just hang out here. Have fun, though."

"Your loss," He replied as he climbed out of the hot tub and headed back inside.

I leaned my head back against the edge of the hot tub as I looked up towards the sky. The stars were shining bright. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen a blanket of stars like that. It was almost magical if you believed in that kind of thing. I still couldn't shake the dreamlike feel to the whole situation. Ellie Nash relaxing in a hot tub at the beach, sharing a house with Jay and Alex...it was surreal.