Nineteen-year-old Kennedy Greene has lived in Portland, Oregon her whole life; she's not well-aquainted with warm, sandy beaches. So naturally, when her freshly-divorced parents decide to ship her off with her self-employed, free-spirited Aunt Layla...
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Kennedy awoke to Layla sitting at the side of her bed, gently shaking her arm.
"Wake up, hun. We have a lot to do today. I finished my piece for the gallery so I have this whole day free to show you the best parts of Ventura. Later we can go down to the beach and surf, too. I have the whole day planned out!" Layla said excitedly.
"Sounds awesome, Aunt Layla," Kennedy responded with a smile, sitting up.
"Whose sweatshirt is that?" Layla asked, confused.
"Oh, uh," Kennedy started, looking down. She had completely forgotten about the hoodie. "It's Carter's. I got cold last night so he let me wear it."
Layla gave her a teasing look, raising one eyebrow.
"Not like that," Kennedy clarified quickly.
"Whatever you say." Layla had a certain glint in her eyes as she backed out of Kennedy's room. "Get ready and meet me in the kitchen."
Kennedy removed Carter's hoodie and tossed it to the other side of her bed, huffing. She went about getting ready, picking out a cute bralette to go underneath a red tank top and jean shorts. She slipped into sandals before closing her door and walking to the kitchen.
"First stop of the day: Cafe Nouveau for breakfast!" Layla announced, grabbing her keys and leading Kennedy out the door. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for her aunt's crazy driving, something she'd have to endure the entire day.
On the porch sat Kennedy's beach bag, which she had forgotten in Carter's car last night. She quickly snatched it up and ran back inside to put it in her room.
Inside sat a note reading, "Forget something, baby? By the way, you can keep the hoodie."
Kennedy tried to hold back an embarrassed blush, but she could feel her cheeks tinging pink as she headed back out to Layla's car.
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After lunch Layla had driven Kennedy around town, showing her niece all the ins and outs of Ventura. Kennedy learned where the best milkshake in town was, where she could go to get the best view of the city at night, and which boutique carried the trendiest clothes. The two chatted endlessly the entire time about anything that came to mind. Kennedy felt closer to Layla than she had in her entire life, and was already starting to feel the inevitable loss of her departure from the town at the end of the summer.
