"Bennett, Cherie - Sunset Island 012 - Sunset Surf" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bennett Cherie)

"Are we winning yet?" Samantha Bridges asked her boyfriend, Presley Travis, squinting at the scoreboards some volunteers were posting near the judges' table.
"No, we're not winning," Pres replied in his sexy Tennessee drawl, "and we ain't likely to if you keep on eating while we're supposed to be competing!"
"Oh, lighten up," Sam told him with a laugh. She shoved her hot dog in his face and he good-naturedly took a huge bite.
"The second-to-last event in the first annual COPE Sunset Island Couples Olympics," a tinny voice boomed out over the makeshift sound system set up on the main beach at Sunset Island, "is the Soda Bottle Fill. All couples entered in this event please proceed to the staging area in
ten minutes. Howie, quit tickling me!" Molly Mason, who was seated at the judges' table, jokingly poked back at Howie Lawrence as she finished her announcement. The crowd of about a hundred teens and on-lookers laughed heartily.
Pres walked over to Billy Sampson to tell him something, and Sam sidled over next to her best friends, Carrie Alden and Emma Cresswell. She watched Pres walk away and nodded appreciatively. "That boy is filled with talent, isn't he?"
Carrie laughed. "I have a feeling you're not referring to how well he plays the bass."
"You got that right," Sam agreed with a smirk, swallowing the last of her hot dog.
Emma nudged Sam in the ribs. "Do you ever think about anything besides sex and food?" she asked teasingly.
"Of course," Sam said with dignity. "Fashion."
"She's hopeless!" Carrie exclaimed, but it was obvious she didn't really mean it.
"You love me and you know it," Sam said, beaming at Emma and Carrie. Like Sam, Emma and Carrie were dressed in long T-shirts that read, "COPE: The Fu-
ture of Sunset Island." I am so lucky to have them as my best friends, Sam thought to herself. She thought back td the day they'd met at the International Au Pair Convention in New York City the previous year. They'd become fast friends and were thrilled when they'd all landed jobs as au pairs on fabulous Sunset Island, a ritzy summer resort off the coast of Maine. They'd been an odd trio right from the startЧtall, redheaded, outrageous Sam from smalltown Kansas with dreams of becoming rich and famous; Boston heiress Emma with her perfect blond bob and European education; and intelligent, cause-joining, girl-next-door Carrie. But somehow the combination worked, and now Sam couldn't imagine her life without Emma and Carrie in it.
We are living proof that you don't have to be the same as your friends in order to be friends, Sam thought happily.
"This Couple Olympics thing was a great idea," Carrie said, watching Molly and Howie adding up some scores before they started the next event. "I hope we raise tons of money for COPE. It's such a good idea, I wish I'd thought of it."
"Well, you didn't," Sam said with a smile,
looking over at Pres again. "Emma did. Right, Emmar
Emma shrugged, and sipped a cup of water. "I didn't exactly think of it all by myself. It sort of was a group decision, at the last COPE meeting."
Emma had been introduced to an activist group called COPEЧCitizens of Positive EthicsЧby her boyfriend, Kurt Aekerman, who lived on the island year-round. Originally formed to stop unscrupulous developers from turning an ecologically-sensitive area of the island into time-share condominiums, lately COPE had been focusing its efforts on disaster reliefЧafter Hurricane Julius had slammed into the island earlier in the summer and had left many island residents homeless.
"Listen. It's extremely cool that Pres and I might win the fancy dinner for two at the Sunset Inn, but know what I think the coolest part of this is?" Sam asked her friends. She looked over at the judges' table where Howie and Molly had their heads close together, deep in discussion. "It's the budding COPE romance underway at the judges' table."
"They really do seem to like each other,"
Emma agreed. "I think it's great. I remember when Darcy couldn't get Molly out of the house on the hill."
"Me too," Carrie said, smiling at Molly, who was laughing at something Howie said.
"Me three," said Sam. She spotted a tall, muscular girl with gorgeous long, thick black hair over the heads of a bunch of people. "Hey Darcy!" Sam called and waved her over.
"She's probably winning," Emma said. "She's a great athlete." Emma watched Darcy as she walked across the sand.
Wow, Darcy looks great, Emma thought. She's probably the fittest girl I know. Look at her muscles! She had met Darcy one day when she was going door to door in a post-hurricane solicitation for COPE. Darcy, it turned out, had been hired by Molly Mason's parents to take care of Molly following the auto accident that had left spunky Molly confined to a wheelchair. Darcy had gotten to be really good friends with Emma, Sam and Carrie. It was largely because of Darcy that Molly was able to begin to emerge from her depression and
even show up at an event like the Couple Olympics.
"What do you think of the budding romance?" Sam asked Darcy with a grin, jerking her head meaningfully toward Molly and Howie.
"Pretty cool," Darcy said to her lightly. "But I think Molly can do better than Howie Lawrence."
Emma and Carrie groaned. "Howie Lawrence is a really nice guy and a really good friend," Carrie said in Howie's defense.
"Yeah, he's a nice guy," Sam agreed. "But until recently he also had the world's biggest crush on a certain Ivory-girl type from New Jersey, so basically you're just glad he's glommed on to someone else!"
"Not fair!" Carrie cried out.
"Well, you know what I always say," Sam began. "If you're not going to be a tall, dark, handsome rich guy, you may as well just be rich like Howie." With that, Sam rubbed her thumb against her other fingers, indicating money.
"That is so crass," Carrie said, wincing.
Howie Lawrence is a really nice guy-,
Emma thought to herself. He can't help it if he was born a little nerdy-looking, and . . .
"Very rich!" Darcy smiled, looking right at Emma as if she knew exactly what Emma was thinking, but replying to what Sam had said. Darcy amazes me, Emma thought. It's like sometimes she can read exactly what's in my mind.
Emma looked at Darcy. "How did you know what I wasЧ"
Darcy cut her off with a wink and a wave. "I see the guys over by the staging area," she said. "We'd all better get over to the next event."
"Try not to detour to the food tables," Emma told Sam, pointing her in the right direction.
Now, these are some seriously cute guys, Sam thought to herself appreciatively as they walked over to the staging area. In addition to Pres there was Billy Sampson, lead singer for the up-and-coming rock band Flirting With Danger. Billy and Carrie were a major league item. There was also Emma's swim-instructor boyfriend, Kurt Ackerman. And there was a tall, muscular musician friend of Pres's from Tennessee, Wyatt James, who had the bluest eyes the
girls had ever seen and who was competing as Darcy Laken's partner.
The volunteers finally got the scores up, and Sam pointed to the sign. "Darcy and Wyatt are winning. Not for long!"
"We'll see about that," Darcy said with a grin.
"Okay, listen up," Molly Mason's voice boomed out over the loudspeakers. The crowd hushed.
"This event is the Soda Bottle Fill," Molly continued loudly. "Each couple starts with a beach bucket full of water, a teaspoon and a twelve-ounce soda bottle. The guys take water out of the bucket with the teaspoon and hand it to the girls, who then pour it into the soda bottles. First couple that holds a full bottle up in the air is the winner. Any questions?" Molly paused expectantly.
"Even Lorell Courtland could figure this one," Sam whispered loudly. She was referring to one of the girls' two arch-enemies on the island. Lorell and her buddy, Diana De Witt, seemed to make their lifes' purpose making these girls miserable. To make things worse, Diana had managed to land one of the three backup singer slots with
Flirting With Danger. So now Emma, Sam and Diana were actually in the same band!
"Shhh!" Emma whispered back.
Molly's voice boomed out again. "Five points for first place, three for second, one for third. All couples ready? Okay, start when the gun fires!" At this point, Howie Lawrence took out a starter pistol and pointed it skyward.