Days of Summer

Chapter 1

Kate Beckett sat in the guest room of her best friend's summer home in the Hamptons reading the latest Richard Castle novel. She loved the way this man wrote. Kate could close her eyes and imagine the entire book as if it were a movie in her mind. She never used to be a big reader of crime fiction but her mother had been a fan of this series and had all the books. Wanting to feel close to her mother, she read almost all of them; all of them except for this newest one. Her mother had been reading it before she died. She had not been able to finish it. Kate kept reading the book over from the beginning until she got to the bookmark her mother had left in it, about three quarters of the way through.

"Girl, we gotta get you out of here." Kate looked up from her book and saw Lanie standing in the doorway.

Kate looked out the window. It was the most beautiful view. She had a view of the beach, which the back porch led to and the sun was shining brightly. It was enough to make her nauseous. "I'm ok Lanie. Thanks."

"Nuh uh. Not this time. There's a party a couple of houses away at some rich guys house and we are all going. Including you."

"Lanie, I came here to relax. All I packed was my running gear and sweatpants."

"Sweetie, I know you came here to relax, but you can't just hide out in here all summer. And, being your best friend and knowing that you wouldn't pack any party clothes, I threw some things of yours into a bag." Lanie threw a jean mini skirt, halter top and wedge sandals towards Kate. "Take your hair out of that librarian bun you got going on and get changed, we're leaving in twenty minutes." Lanie walked out of the room. "And tomorrow we are going shopping!"

Kate shook her head but couldn't help but smile. Her best friend was just trying to help. She had been there when Kate had spiraled out of control. She had been there, holding her friend close at her mother's funeral.

She also knew there was no saying no to Lanie. She looked at the clothes in her lap. At least they were cute. She got up and took her clothes into the bath room to change for her first Hampton's party of the summer.

CASTLECASTLECASTLE

This was not the typical party Kate was used to in New York City; especially the ones she had frequented over the last few months. She had gone to parties for the wrong reasons. She wanted free booze, free weed and to forget with guys, lots and lots of guys. Sure this party had all of that, but it was sophisticated, classy even, not rowdy; not yet anyways. Men wore khaki's and dress shirts while girls wore skirts, summer dresses and their mother's expensive pearls. She felt like she was in Oz. The Hamptons was so different from the city.

She watched the party from a far, standing on the far end of the expansive back deck. She could see Lanie's house from here, it would be easy to make a quick getaway if she needed to.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

Kate turned. Standing next to her had to be the most handsome man at the party; tall with brown hair and dressed in khaki's and a blue button up shirt. He was older than her but just by looking at him she could tell he was a little childish. He looked a little familiar but she couldn't quite grasp where she had seen him before.

"Oh, no thank you." She answered.

"I can get you a soda, juice, some water?" He was persistent.

"Do you work here or something?" Kate asked, a little skeptical of the guys. What was his angle?

He smiled, "I live here actually. And, what kind of host would I be if I let a beautiful woman, attending my party go thirsty?"

"This is your house?" The man nodded, "it's beautiful."

"Thank you. I'm Rick, by the way."

"Kate."

Rick leaned against the railing of the deck. "How is it that I don't know you Kate? Are you crashing my party?"

"One, I honestly don't think you know everyone at this party." Kate gestured to at least eighty people on the deck alone. There had to be at least 150 people here. "And two, I came with Lanie Parish and her boyfriend."

"Ah yes. I have never met Lanie but I know her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Parish."

"Then you aren't going to get one of your bouncer's to kick me out?"

"Hardly. So, are you from the city?"

"Umm, yeah. I'm spending the summer here with Lanie."

"Are you in medical school with her at NYU?"

Kate froze. She was supposed to be attending NYU law school until two weeks ago when everything had fallen apart. "No, I'm not." She said quickly. She was glad when he didn't ask any other questions. It was embarrassing enough that her friends knew about her failing school, the last thing she wanted was to talk to the handsome stranger about her failures.

"Ricky!" Someone from inside the house called his name.

"I better go. Are you going to be around later?"

"I'll be around all summer." She smiled, knowing that she was treading on dangerous ground. She had told herself before she came here that she had to get her life back on track; no alcohol, drugs, and especially no guys.

"See you around then Kate." He said before heading through the crowd.

"Hey girl, who was the hottie?" Kate could tell that unlike herself, Lanie had found the bar a few times over.

"Hey Lanie. That was the owner of the house. Rick something."

"Castle."

"What?"

"Rick something. It's Rick Castle."

If Kate did have a drink she would have spit it all over her friend. "Umm, I have to head back to the house; I'm not feeling too good all of a sudden."

Before Lanie could answer Kate bolted down the back stairs, taking off her wedge sandals and running along the beach back to the house. She ran up the back stairs and straight to the guest room, picking up the latest book she was reading and turning it over to look at the back. There, staring at her was the face of Richard Castle. Rick. The man she had been talking to, flirting with, had been Richard Castle.

End Chapter 1