Swans Landing #1 - Surfacing Read Online Free Page B

littering my door with your ‘Save the Sand Dunes’ brochures.”
    Josh tilted his head back and regarded me with an amused expression, as if this entire conversation entertained him.
    “What?” I snapped.
    “You’re going to be a fun addition to the island. There aren’t many girls around here with an attitude as big as the lighthouse.”
    “Look who’s talking,” I said. “No one warned me there was a one-person beach patrol taking on newcomers around here.”
    “Only when they happen to stumble onto my part of the beach.”
    I made a big show of turning around, looking at the trees and sand around us. “Your beach? Funny, I don’t see a sign with your name on it.”
    “Everyone knows Pirate’s Cove is my beach. No one else ever comes here.” He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at me. “Until today, anyway.”
    The sneer on his face sent fury bubbling through my veins. I planted my feet firmly in the sand and crossed my own arms. “Well, then, it’s time someone changed that. I’m thinking I’ll take this section of the beach right here.”
    “Are you going to put up a sign?” Josh asked.
    “A really big one.” I waved my fingers at him. “Do you mind? You’re intruding on my beach. This is private property.”
    Josh didn’t move. “I should have guessed Lake Westray’s daughter would know how to make an entrance here.”
    My eyes narrowed as I said, “How do you know Lake is my father?”
    “Everyone knows about you.” Josh studied me a moment, as if he was looking for something. “So you’re…?” He let his voice trail off, leaving the question unfinished.
    “What?” I asked. “His daughter? Yeah, that’s kind what makes him my dad. Unfortunately.”
    Josh’s hard gaze bored into me for a long time, but then he shook his head, sending a misty spray of water from his hair across my cheek. “Nevermind,” he said. “Maybe I’ll be willing to share my beach with you, if you ask nicely.”
    I snorted. “Keep dreaming.”
    Josh gave me a cool smile. “Then we’ll have to fight it out and see who wins.” He shoved his hands deep into the front pocket of his hoodie and brushed past me, back toward a trail leading into the forest bordering the beach. “See you around, Woodser.”

Chapter Four
     
    Lake’s Jeep in the driveway let me know he was home when I finally rode the old bike back toward his house late that afternoon. The sun had just begun to sink behind the thick clouds and the wind grew colder. I buried my chin into the neck of my jacket for warmth.
    Lake wasn’t alone. When I walked through the squeaking front door, I found him at the long table in front of the windows, sitting on an old wooden stool. Next to him, a teenaged boy perched on a second stool. They looked at me over their shoulders at the sound of the door opening.
    “There you are,” Lake said, giving me a nervous smile. “Did you have fun exploring the island?”
    I shrugged. “Not much to see.”
    “More shops are open during the summer,” the boy told me.
    Lake gestured toward him. “This is Dylan Waverly. He lives two houses down and helps me out with my work sometimes. Dylan, this is Mara.”
    He didn’t say “my daughter Mara,” only “Mara,” as if that was all I was to him. A stranger living in his house for a couple of years.
    Dylan stood to shake my hand, giving me a wide, warm smile. He was several inches taller than me, with a long, narrow body. His silky blonde hair fell to his shoulders and his bronzed skin didn’t show any evidence of tan lines from sunglasses or shirt collars. His accent sounded like Lake’s, a little Scottish or Irish or something I couldn’t quite place.
    But his eyes captivated me. Almost hidden by the long bangs that fell over his forehead were two wide blue eyes, the color so light that they appeared almost silvery white, as if he didn’t have an eye color at all.
    “So,” I said, to find something to distract me from staring at Dylan’s eyes