Being the Girl Next Door
Copyright© 2026 by Evie Olivia Niven
Chapter 4: A Day With Parker
The sun was already bright and hot, although it wasn’t yet noon. Kaia poked at her yogurt with her spoon and wrinkled her nose. She hated vanilla yogurt, but it was the only kind in the house, and she hadn’t the time to run into the village and get something else. The only other things in the beach house had to be cooked. Not in this weather, Kaia thought. Never mind that I can barely boil water. Jodie could cook, but she was sitting across the table, eating her own yogurt.
“What, no bacon?”
Kaia looked up in surprise and stared at Xadrian. She wrinkled her nose, but he simply smiled in that infuriating way he had. What is he doing here? she wondered, straightening in her seat as he dropped into one of the plastic deck chairs and propped his feet up on the table. Jodie scooted back from the table so fast that her chair almost fell over and glared at Xadrian.
“You’re disgusting!” she told him.
Xadrian smiled. “Why, how kind of you to notice, Jodie.”
“What are you doing here?” Kaia asked, rolling her eyes.
“Getting away from His Royal Annoyance,” Xadrian replied, shrugging. “And for once I mean Parker, not Carlos.”
Kaia found herself smiling a bit at the mention of Carlos. I wonder what he’s doing today? she thought, ignoring the look Xadrian gave her. If she had to spend the day with one of them, she’d prefer Carlos over Parker. For some reason she never felt all that attracted to Parker. Of the two of them, Kaia thought, he’s the one I think is really just interested because I’ve lived next door to him all my life. He’d been more like a big brother for so many years that his
sudden interest after high school had come as a shock.
“I guess we’ll have to go to the village tomorrow,” Jodie said, interrupting her thoughts.
Kaia sighed. “Looks that way,” she said. “Damn, and I was looking forward to it! I wanted to go into Mama’s, they have the best homemade saltwater taffy! I love the banana!”
Jodie giggled. It was a ritual of theirs to go into the village once a week when they were on the coast. Kaia loved the taffy, but Jodie was more partial to the fudge. Sometimes the two of them went into town and rented movies, too, but so far they hadn’t had time for that. I am not wasting our last summer together like this, she thought, biting her lip. Jodie had applied to a four-year college out of state when her parents hadn’t wanted to help her go to beauty school. Kaia had been there when Jodie’s parents had told her that her dream of doing hair and make-up for movies was stupid and childish.
She dropped her spoon, no longer hungry. That seems to be how life is, Kaia thought, sighing. Either you’re a sheltered, white suburban kid and everyone tells you your dreams are childish ... or you’re a worldly lower-class city kid and everyone tells you your dreams are stupid and unrealistic. Xadrian had said that. He’d stood up in ninth grade, in their English class, and given his assigned report on modern society with a rather cynical twist that had gotten him detention. And then he got himself out of it by crying discrimination, she remembered, smiling. Because his report wasn’t a sheltered, white suburban report.
“Earth to Kaia,” Xadrian called. He was fidgeting in his seat, messing with his hair. “What’s gotten into you?”
“I was just thinking,” Kaia explained, smiling sheepishly. “Do you remember our ninth-grade English class?”
Xadrian’s eyebrows rose. “Dare I ask why you were thinking of that?”
“You know, Xadrian,” Jodie interrupted suddenly. “I could cut your hair for you.”
The look he gave her was priceless. Laughing, Kaia rose from her chair and went to throw her half-empty yogurt container in the garbage. She was watching Jodie and Xadrian squabble when a hand came down on her shoulder. Parker’s soft laughter eased her surprise, but she still gave him a look. He smiled apologetically, then waved in the direction of Jodie and Xadrian. Kaia shook her head, and both of them turned away, leaving the two of them to argue.
“What got them started?” Parker asked, glancing back over his shoulder.
“She offered to cut his hair,” Kaia explained. “He should really let her, it could use a trim...”
“I wouldn’t let her near me with a scissor,” Parker said.
She smacked him on the arm, but he just laughed. Kaia found
She herself was laughing with him. It was an old joke, from years ago, when Jodie had been so clumsy and so hyper that she fell down—a lot. Even Jodie would laugh at it now. What’s gotten me so nostalgic all of a sudden? Kaia wondered, as she and Parker began walking down towards the public beach. Well ... maybe I should spend the summer doing more things to be nostalgic about.
Despite trying to teach her on several occasions, Kaia could not surf. She never seemed to be able to get her balance. So Parker took her onto the public beach, down the coast to where the surfers tended to be. They’d discovered quite a few years ago that both of them liked to sit around and watch, especially the wipeouts. They sat shoulder to shoulder, picking off the same giant puff of cotton candy and drinking from the same bottle of water.
This was the big problem for Parker. He was always comfortable around Kaia; too comfortable. She wore just a bikini top and a pair of short shorts, but his desire for her was lukewarm at best. I don’t get it, he thought, glancing at her. I like her a lot, I always have, so why am I having this problem? Parker convinced himself about once a week that she would be the perfect girlfriend for him, but it never
lasted.
“Look, there he is again!” Kaia said, pointing out at the waves. “He’s good!”
“He’s all right,” Parker said, shrugging.
Kaia laughed. “He’s the only one who hasn’t fallen.”
She was right, of course. From here they could see little about the dark-haired surfer except that he was good, really good. Parker itched to be out there himself, but he’d left his board back at the beach house, even though Kaia probably wouldn’t mind. She didn’t share his love of riding the waves, but she was always understanding about it. Who could be more perfect for him? Maybe if I met a girl who surfs too, Parker thought, frowning thoughtfully. Maybe that’s part of the problem.
“Gee, Parker, I think he might be even better than you,” Kaia teased, startling him from his thoughts.
Parker scowled. “No way ... and give me that!”
He snatched a piece of cotton candy off the stick, making her laugh. Parker was licking his fingers, which were all sticky from the candy, when the dark-haired surfer emerged from the water. It had to be him. He carried his surfboard beneath his arm and shook back wet hair that fell just below his chin as he walked. He’s pretty muscular, Parker mused. More so than I would have thought. He must have some great balance ... He didn’t realize he was staring until Kaia poked him
sharply.
“What’s so fascinating?” Kaia asked, her eyebrows raising.
“N-nothing,” Parker stammered, looking away. “I was just ... you know ... you know me, I’m always thinking about the waves.”
Kaia eyed him skeptically, but she just shrugged. “I’m going to go use the ladies’ room,” she said, rising to her feet. “Assuming I can find one, that is...”
“Want to get lunch afterwards?” Parker suggested, finally looking back at her.
“Sure,” Kaia said. She smiled, then turned and walked away across the beach.
I have got to be the most pathetic twenty-one-year-old male on the planet, Parker thought, dropping down back onto the sand. He could no longer convince himself that he was still a virgin because he was waiting for Kaia. For some reason he’d just never found any woman who quite moved him to that point. Maybe I’m deeper than I originally thought, Parker mused, smiling wryly to himself. Perhaps I need to find true love or something ... It was unlikely, but not impossible.
“Are they carpeting this place with people now?”
A shadow fell over him. The voice was male, low and drawling. Parker opened his eyes slowly and found himself staring up at the dark-haired surfer. Laughing brown eyes stared back at him, and one corner of his mouth was raised in a curious half-smile. Um ... yikes, Parker thought, sitting up quickly. What does he want? The surfer’s fingers toyed with a hemp necklace, and he noted the sailor’s knot bracelet on
the other man’s wrist. Like the one he wore on his own.
“You’re in my way,” the dark-haired man said.
“Can’t you go around?” Parker asked, scowling.
The other man grinned. “Yeah, I could. You alright, man? You look kinda like a dead fish, lying there.”
“I’m fine,” Parker said. He frowned. “Where exactly are you from,
anyway?”
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