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⁺｡°sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ sᴛᴏᴘs⁺｡°

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James pulls off the rode to the same gas station the Conklin's were at merely hours before the Lennon's.

"Dad?" James points to the drinks as she heads for the bathroom.

"Go ahead." Joshua nods.

"And..." She slowly eyes the candy.

Joshua chuckles. "Sure."

Joshua Lennon took every opportunity to spoil his daughter to his fullest capability, it's why he works so much, and so hard. He swore to himself that his daughter would have everything she could ever want, and he would never have to bat an eye about it. Of course there are limitations to what a teenager wants and desires, but James's limitations stretched further than most. And if that made her spoiled, then so be it.

Joshua waited for his daughter to come out before he went. She grabs a water, though almost to their unfortunate destination she is still dying of thirst. She plucks her favorite candy from the shelf, sour chewy sweethearts, before noticing the icee machine, and makes a mental note to come back and take full advantage of it at some point during their trip.

James is fully aware that she's being ungrateful of her summer vacation— a whole summer right on the beach, in a huge (according to her father) beach house with pretty much no rules? Who wouldn't love that for their summer break.

But, it wasn't her decision. It isn't her vacation of choice. And she's not going to be alone for the entire summer. James already knows anytime she wants to go somewhere she'll have to take one of others. Any time she wants a moment of peace, someone else in the house will too. She just wanted to spend the summer doing whatever she wished to do when she wanted to do it. Not in a house full of people she didn't know and having to rely on everyone else's schedule and fun.

But she was going to make the best of it, she reminds herself. She could still do all of the things she wants to do this summer. Besides, everyone in Cousins was loaded from her understanding. Rather they were tourists, boat workers, summer vacationers, or lived their all year around, Cousins seems to bring in the rich people. And who was she to not enjoy and take full advantage of that?

"I think we're going to miss dinner." Joshua says to his daughter as he exits the bathroom, the sun already setting gorgeously on the horizon.

James couldn't be more thrilled, not having to sit awkwardly through a meal with six people staring at her when all she wants is to relax after a long day.

"Oh, darn." She sighs, her tone flat.

Joshua gives his daughter a look. "What did we talk about?"

She sighs. "Being nice." She raises her eyebrows, an eyeroll slipping.

He smiles. "That's right. We are going to be nice, and help out any way we can."

"Yes sir." James salutes, a playful smirk sporting her lips.

"Oh, that's how you wanna play it, huh?" Joshua nods, grinning at his daughter.

Her eyes widen. "No, no da-" She tries to hurry off to the cash register before Joshua wraps his arm around her neck bringing her in for a head lock and rubs his knuckles against her scalp, giving her a noogie. "Dad, my hair!" She cries out, not be able to breathe in between laughs.

He releases her. "I think it looks better now." He shrugs innocently. "Let's go pay." He lets out a chuckle, happy to have his daughter in good spirits, at least for now "Hopefully they save us some grub."

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ᴊᴀᴍᴇs's ᴘᴏᴠ

'Like a Prayer' blasts from the radio as I turn down the driveway. I look in awe pulling up to house. It was huge, though all the houses we passed on the way were just as big, this one seems... nicer, cleaner, more put together.

"You'll like Susannah and Laurel." Dad says, pulling me out of my trance. He's already told me several things about the Fishers and Conklin's, from what he's been caught up on all the way to back in the day, but I think he keeps repeating everything because he's nervous. "Especially Laurel." He chuckles knowingly. "I think you two will get along great." He told me Laurel is the more sassy-mouthed, opinionated one. Love her already. "I'm sure they'll love having another girl in the house."

I nod along.

Laurel has a daughter, Isabel, that's about a year or so younger than me, same age as Susannah's youngest. Her brother Steven is my age, and Susannah's oldest, Conrad, is a year older. It was a lot of information to take in, but apparently they're all "cool" as dad said and that I'll fit right in. But I still feel like an outsider. Like we're intruding on their yearly tradition as if we're the type of family members that crash a holiday they were intentionally not invited to... even though it was dad's tradition first.

My body is screaming at me to turn back around and go home.

"You sure we have to stay here the whole summer?" I ask, turning to dad with hesitant look that hopefully he reads.

But his smile only widens as he pats my shoulder. "Don't worry. It'll go by so fast you won't even notice. In fact, by August, you'll be begging to stay." He assures confidently.

I doubt that. "We shall see." I shrug.

"Twenty bucks says you will." Dad holds out his hand, his tricker grin replacing his warm smile.

I quirk a brow at him. "Really?"

He shrugs. "Why not. We haven't made a deal in a while."

We used to shake on everything for a dollar, five, ten. When I was younger I would give him back my chore money if I lost, but I usually won. Or he would 'forget' and I wouldn't actually have to pay him at all.

"Okay old man, you're on." I smirk, meeting his hand with mine.

"Old man?" He places his hand over his heart. "You're carrying in all the bags for that one." He points at me.

"Wha- oh, come on!" I whine, throwing my head back against the seat.

"I still look great, thank you." He continues, getting out. "Old man?" He repeats to himself.

I shake my head as I pop the trunk and finally force myself out, my legs thanking me for the good stretch. I look over at dad and a smile sneaks its way onto my lips as I watch his face light up as he takes in everything. It's nice to see him like this.

It's always been just the two us, me and my dad. School dances? Daddy daughter dances. Sports? Always the coach of the team when he could. Movie nights, blanket forts, morning surfs and runs. Everyone says that a little girl needs to grow up with a mom, but to hell with all of those people. My dad is the dad of the century. He braided my hair, he had tea parties, played dress up, he did it all. Military and all. He told them the only way he would not retire is if he got to be be at home with his daughter too. He made me his priority since the second he knew of my existence...

And that's why I'm such a shitty daughter.

These last few months I've snapped at him, haven't really talked to him much, and I know it hurts him. But I don't want him to look at me as anything other than his pride and joy of a little girl. And I'm afraid if he saw me, grown up, he'd be disappointed. I've seen it enough.

When I missed our first movie night for a date or when he caught me kissing my boyfriend, he wasn't mad. He just looked... hurt. Like he was losing me. And I hated it. It made me sick, like physically ill, for him to look at me that way. Like he didn't know who I was... like I was leaving him behind.

"You made it!" A woman's voice shouts, breaking me out of my torturous thoughts. I clear my throat, quickly blinking a few times before looking up to find a woman with a short blonde bob and a pretty summer dress flying out of the door in our direction.

I wish I could rock dresses like that, but I've always been tall, curvy, and muscular, so they never look right. Not like how it does on her, that's for sure. She's thin. As she approaches her blue eyes become more prominent as they shine, winkles beginning to form under them.

"Hey!" Dad hurries over and engulfs her in a hug. After holding each other in the embrace for a long moment they part and she comes over to me.

"James Lennon?" She lets out a gasp causing me to rear my head back a bit. "Oh my, I haven't seen you since you were about four!" Before I can even blink or move she wraps me in a hug. I stiffen for sec but her strong, expensive perfume wraps around me like a blanket and I give in, patting her back. Though she pulls back, she keeps her hands on my shoulders. "I've seen the pictures your father has sent, but gosh, they just don't do you justice, sweetheart, you're stunning." She brings her hand up to my cheek as I give her a small smile, trying to hide my discomfort. She's beaming away as if she's known me forever, and that's kinda how it feels as my eyes meet hers.

She's sent me a birthday and Christmas gift every year, and every year it comes in the mail I'm just as shocked as the year before and dad always complains that she didn't have to do that because her gifts are always super expensive. I've gathered over the years that the Fishers are loaded. Clearly.

"Thank you." I finally answer and she pulls back, turning to dad.

"Oh, Josh, I bet you have to beat all the boys away with a stick!" She pokes at him, laughing. Her laugh sounds like bells ringing, it's like something about her automatically draws your attention to this elegance about her, and if she's this pretty I can't imagine what the rest of family must look like. It's been quite a few years since we've received a Fisher Family Christmas Card them.

Dad huffs. "Oh yes, you know it. Already got herself a boyfriend here." There's no hiding the bitterness in his tone. He hasn't like Trevor one bit since we started dating a few months ago when we moved here a few hours away from Cousins, and yes we still managed to be late.

Could be because the first night Trevor and dad met we were making out in his car or because I've spent so much time off with him than with dad... he's who I missed movie night for the first time for.

"Oh, a boyfriend?" Susannah glances over at me with an amused smile. Don't get him started.

Dad's happy demeanor hardens. "Yes." He clears his throat. "When we got to Oak Bluffs." His tone his sharp. I let out a sigh, chewing at the inside of my cheek, now wanting to head inside more than anything.

"Ah." Susannah nods, raising her brows at me. "Conrad just got his heart broken over a girl a few months ago. We wish we could protect our kids forever, huh?"

Dad looks over Susannah's head at me and I snap my eyes to the ground, feeling guilty. The air is so thick I feel like I'm gonna choke.

"Yeah. Yeah I wish we could." He sighs.

"Well, I'm so glad you two could make it this year." Susannah perks up, realizing the desperate need for a convo change. "Let me help with some of your ba-"

"No, absolutely not, Annah, don't lift a finger." Dad shakes his head, cracking a smile. Whew. Thank you, Susannah. "James has got it." He tells her and I groan. He's not gonna let the old man comment go, is he?

"Okay." She sings. "Well, I can't wait to show you everything, James. I can't imagine you remember much from that long ago, hmm?"

"No, not much." I mutter, taking one last look at the house before spinning on my heel to unload the trunk.

Guess there's no turning back now...

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𝟶ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀʙɪsᴄᴜɪᴛ𝟽 sᴘᴇᴀᴋs!

Hey, heyyy <3

Welcome back to Sanded Waves!! Thank you guys so much for 60+ reads on it so far!! Joshua & James have officially made it to Cousins!!

Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter & the lore & insight into Joshua & James's relationship!! Joshua is the ULTIMATE girl dad !!! And editing through this made me tear up bc their father daughter relationship is everything <3

And Susannah def is the mom to talk about her kids break ups with other people, although it's not to strangers, Conrad would not like it but she's def that type of mom lets be real lmao.

Anywayssss, don't forget to comment your thoughts, questions, & reactions!! Until next time, mwauh!!