Ladies, I bring to you...Jesse. Mmm...Mmm, he's a cutie. You'll be seeing a lot of him in this story.

I stared at my hair in the mirror, wondering if I would be able to tame the frizz today. After sweeping a brush through it one more time, I finally resorted to a baseball cap. My favorite of course. I brushed my teeth and slid on a pair of flip flops before checking myself one more time in the mirror. Okay, decent, but not overdone.

I don't know why I even care, it's just Jesse, but I'm terrified the one day I go somewhere looking like I actually rolled out of bed, I'll see Adam. That would be my luck.

And well, Jesse isn't that bad looking anymore, but his personality is one for the books. I scowled at the thought. He hasn't changed a bit since I last saw him. At least the last I saw him, he had a girlfriend so I never had to deal with his inappropriate sexual innuendos.

I headed downstairs, passing mom and Jared's room. I paused at Mom's, thinking I should check on her before remembering Gerald. I shook my head and kept going, not ready to face her. Everyone knows I'm the world's worst liar. I won't be able to hide the fact that I know something that I don't like. She'll catch on. Jared will make fun of me. We will fight...you get where I'm going. It's better for everyone that I keep walking.

I cringed as the stairs creaked and moaned at the weight of my footsteps. I jumped and skipped the last two before grabbing my purse and keys off of the kitchen counter and heading out the door.

When I stepped into the surf shack I froze. My hand flew up to my nose and I held it.

"Ugh, what is that awful smell?" I complained. I dropped my purse and keys behind the counter and looked around the shop.

Jesse burst through the back door that led to the warehouse and frowned.

"I just sprayed Febreze in the bathroom," he grumbled and plopped into a chair, kicking his sandy feet onto the counter. "Now it smells like shitrus."

"Jeez Jesse, go take a dump somewhere else next time," I said, my voice coming out weird from holding my nose. I made it over to the side windows and unlatched them before raising them. Boy do we need an actual breeze in here.

I turned around to see him mock laughing at me. "Hilarious, it wasn't me. The sewer lines are backed up again," he explained while eating a fruit rollup.

"Again," I reiterated. "Go take a dump somewhere else so you don't clog the place."

He rolled his eyes and tossed me a rolled up paper. I caught it just in time before it smacked me in the face.

"Mind checking the tide for me today? Thanks love," he grinned before spinning around on his chair. I sighed and walked to the back to use the computer in the back.

I walked back out and found Jesse flirting with a young girl who was looking to buy a bikini. Jesse giving advise on swimsuits is like asking Hugh Huffman for advise on marriage. I rolled my eyes and took a seat behind him, slapping the paper down on the counter and spinning around to log into the main computer.

While this may be my first time working here, I spent countless hours here in high school because of Jared. Jared and Jesse used to work together and I was basically blackmailed into doing work for both of them.

"So are you on break for the summer?" Jesse asked, leaning against the counter.

"Yeah, next week we take our senior class trip though," the girl twirled some hair around her finger and smiled.

"Oh is that so?" Jesse's tone immediately changed. I bit back a laugh.

"Yeah! Kind of weird that we are taking it before school starts and not--"

"Alice!" Jesse cut the girl off by grabbing my chair and spinning me to wear I was now in between him and the counter. "Why don't you help this young lady with a swimsuit?"

I looked up at him innocently. "Oh I thought you had it covered?"

He gave me a stern look and I laughed.

"Okay, let's go," I stood and walked out from behind the counter to help the poor thing.

After she debated between two swimsuits for what felt like forever, we made our way back to the register and I rang her up. When she left I hopped onto the counter and grinned at Jesse.

"Tell me," I said tapping the glass. "How many times have you risked being a pedophile to humor your sex life?"

He glanced back at me while he tied his wavy hair into a bun. "Tell me," he began and stepped closer to me. "How many times do people actually laugh at what you believe are jokes?"

My grin fell and I scowled. "You're such a jerk," I grumbled. He leaned down and quickly pecked me on the nose. I shot back and smacked him. "Ugh, Jesse!"

He laughed as he took a seat in his spinning chair again. He rest his feet up on the counter beside me.

"Oh relax Alice, you know you've been waiting for me to kiss you since you were in junior high," he teased.

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "As if."

He touched his hand to his chest and made a sad face. "I'm hurt."

I sighed. "Are you going to be like this all summer?"

"Baby, I'll be whatever you want me to be," he waggled his eyebrows and grinned. "I've never done it, but I would try some role-play for you," he said.

"Do you even know how to be serious?" I finally asked, frustrated with him. "It's a wonder you manage this business."

"Hey," his jokes stopped and his face went serious. "I'll have you know I have a business degree and graduated top of my class." He crossed his arms.

"Did you have that hair in college?"

"Do you have that hair in college?" he skimmed his hand up my leg. I yanked my legs away from him and my face went red.

"Shut up!" I face away from him. "I didn't have time to shave my legs this morning," I muttered, embarrassed.

"Clearly."

"I shaved them last night, you can't even tell," I defended.

"Sure Yeti," Jesse stuck some gum in his mouth and grinned. I shook my head in disbelief.

"You can't tease the King, baby Dess, don't even try," Jesse stood and hopped off the counter. Before I could step away he slapped my butt. I shrieked and jumped in the air.

"Jesse!" I whipped around ready to smack him, but he was laughing and already jogging to the back.

I took his seat and placed myself in a corner where I could see customers and him just in case. This was going to be a long summer.

The door jingled and a group of guys came piling in, boards in hand.

"Hi! Welcome to the Surf Shack, are you looking for anything in particular?" I asked, my customer service voice in high gear.

"Yeah, my board got busted and I need to find a new one," the guy in the front said. He had a buzzed head and was wearing a shirt that said I'm with stupid.

"Okay, let me just get Jesse," I replied and walked to the back. I poked my head in to find him sitting at the desk playing solitaire on the computer.

"So this is what you always do back here?" I nodded, finally understanding. I leaned against the door and smiled. He used to disappear for hours in high school while Jared and I were here.

He smirked, not taking his eyes off of the computer screen. "Not quite, you don't want to know what I used to do back here."

I felt a look of disgust settle onto my face as he finally tore his gaze away from his game. He winked at me.

"What's up Baby Dess?" He leaned back and placed his hands behind his head, grinning, waiting for the reason I came back here.

"Why do you still call me that?" I questioned. He coined the nickname in junior high and despite growing older, it remained.

"You will forever be my Baby Dess," he explained.

I shook my head and knocked his feet off of the desk sending him forward, his hands shooting out to catch himself from slamming into the corner.

"Hey!"

"We have a guy looking for a new board, I figured you would be better than me for that," I finally said.

Scowling, he stood up and knocked into me as he made his way to the group of guys at the front of the store. Proud of myself for catching him off guard, I followed after him. I took a seat behind the counter again and watched Jesse interact with the group of guys.

When he wasn't acting like an idiot or being extremely perverted, Jesse was actually a very good salesman. You wouldn't know that his...other side...even existed. Even his body language changed, it was kind of mesmerizing to watch. A Jesse, in his natural habitat, a rare and wondrous thing. I giggled at myself.

The door jingled again and I glanced up to see tall blonde girl strut in with a guy tailing behind.

"Hi! Welcome to the Surf Shack, how can I help you?" I was staring down at the counter, making sure I remembered what was on sale and what wasn't when she began listing off things she needed.

"Yeah. Hi, I need a pink swimsuit, but not too pink, I don't want neon. Then I need a snorkel and some goggles. Also, do you have sunscreen here? The good kind?" I stared up at her in shock.

Jeez, she's one of those.

"Well, I can't say for sure that we have the kind of pink swimsuit you are looking for, but if you go back there you will find everything we carry," I explained and pointed in the direction of the women's swimsuits. "As for the snorkel and goggles, we don't carry those. You will have to go further down and look in a scuba shop."

She looked annoyed and walked off toward the swimsuits. When she moved away the guy came into view. He was wearing a beanie and sunglasses and if it weren't for his signature smirk, I may not have recognized him.

My jaw dropped. "Adam?"

"No name," he smiled and leaned down, his arms resting on the counter after he placed his sunglasses in his shirt. He glanced away and then looked back at me. "Now, a little birdy told me you were in dire need of rescue."

I could feel warmth spread across my cheeks. "Uh--I'm at work," I stuttered as his bright blue eyes bore into mine.

He flicked his hand and snorted. "Who doesn't skip work every now and then?"

I laughed and shook my head. "Jesse would probably kill me and I think you are little busy." I pointed at the girl who was staring at the wall of swimsuits, her foot tapping.

Adam glanced back at her then back at me and grimaced. "I'm afraid I'm in dire need of being rescued too, c'mon..." his eyes locked onto mine and he begged.

My heart fluttered a little bit before I sighed and broke away from his gaze. I shook my head. "There's no way Jesse will let me leave," I said.

"Baby Dess, ring this guy up for #203!" Jesse said as he walked behind the counter and bent down to grab some things to give to the guy. When he stood he noticed Adam leaning against the counter.

"Sorry man, the girl is off limits, but if you're interested in a board I can help you out," Jesse said, punching a hole into a tag.

Adam pursed his lips and his eyes went back and forth between Jesse and I.

I, on the other hand was slightly distracted.

"Hold up," I said and pirched a hand on my hip, facing Jesse. "So you'll protect me from getting hit on by other guys, but when the store is empty you're actually the worst of them all?"

Jesse smirked and gave me a sideways glance. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I shook my head. "Unbelievable," I murmured and faced Adam again. "Not that you were hitting on me!" I backtracked, slightly embarrassed. Adam gave a crooked smile and stood up, his hands raised in innocence.

"No worries Alice," he said in his sexy deep voice. Ugh, he is so cute.

Jesse's head snapped up. "Oh, you two know each other?"

"Sorta," I replied and took a seat back in the spinning chair.

Jesse slapped my leg. "That's my chair Yeti," he said, his eyebrow raised, challenging me to back talk. My cheeks caught fire when I realized he called me Yeti. I quickly scoot closer to the counter and hid my legs.

Jesse held a hand out to Adam and smiled. "I'm Jesse, been annoying Baby Dess since she was 14."

Adam smirked at me when he heard my nickname. He shook Jesse's hand. "Adam," he said firmly.

Adam waited until Jesse stepped out from behind the counter before he turned to talk to me again.

"You are going with us tonight right?" He asked.

Confused, I stared at him.

"The movies?" Adam pushed.

"Oh!" I realized. "Umm, I'm still not sure actually. I really thought they were joking," I murmured, almost to myself.

Adam leaned down again, the smell of his cologne intoxicating me, making me nearly lose my train of thought.

"Well, I hope I'll see you there. I really don't want to sit next to Jake and Lissa and hear them make out all night," he said, his blue eyes glinting in the sun from the window. My heart raced again at his eye contact.

I laughed and bit my lip, knowing my cheeks were flushed from just the sight of him.

"I might go," I finally said. Adam smiled and stood up.

"I hope to see you soon No Name," he said in his deep voice before his face fell and he went to track down the annoying girl. I wonder who she was to him. I recognized her, she looks like she's a part of the Wright family. Probably suckered him into something. Poor guy.

"I might go," Jesse said in a girly voice. "Wow, that was awful, you need my flirting help."

My mood immediately plummeted and I scowled at Jesse who just walked up.

"Shut up Jesse," I grumbled.