Page 4 of A Girl Named Summer

  “Come on, Michael,” she snapped. She grabbed hold of his hand, sticky from the candy he had just finished, and propelled him across the street. Ann Logan had a knack for putting Summer in a rotten mood.

  “I don’t want to run,” Michael protested.

  “Sorry,” she replied when she realized Michael was stumbling to keep up. She abruptly changed the pace to match his short-legged stride. They entered the park, dodging a couple of joggers as they made their way to the pool.

  The water was going to be cold, she realized, but she had worn her swimsuit under her jeans and T-shirt anyway. A good swim would be invigorating, and since running into Ann Logan, it would be just the thing to rid Summer of the huge knot of tension settling at the base of her neck. It galled her that the only reason Ann had invited her to the party was that she was sure Summer couldn’t get a date. It galled her, and it hurt.

  “Hi.” The deep voice shocked Summer and sent shivers of delight racing down her legs. It was David.

  “Hi!” she said. “What are you doing here?” As she spoke, she took in his appearance, hoping she wasn’t gaping. He was wearing navy blue, very official looking swim trunks. “You’re the swimming instructor, aren’t you?”

  “How’d you guess?”

  “My brother must be taking his lesson from you,” she all but stammered.

  It was too good to be true. She would get to see David every single day for the next two weeks.

  While she spoke, Michael had edged behind her legs, peering out and up at David with obvious suspicion. She glanced down and immediately took in his expression. Michael was definitely having second thoughts.

  She was about to drag him out from behind her when David squatted down, his face just inches from her little brother’s. “Hi, there,” he said. “You ready to learn how to swim, buddy?”

  “No.” The one word was issued into the back of Summer’s kneecaps.

  “Well, then, come and sit beside me on the side of the pool. You don’t mind getting your feet wet, do you?”

  “Do I have to get my face wet?” Michael asked with a frown.

  “Not unless you want to,” he promised.

  Michael believed him. David looked up at Summer and winked. “Why don’t you come back in a half hour?” he suggested, and before either she or Michael could argue the point, David had taken Michael’s hand and was walking toward the pool.

  “He can’t swim at all,” she yelled, and then felt herself blush. She was sounding just like a mother hen!

  He nodded so that she knew he heard her. She waved and quickly turned to leave before Michael decided to make a scene.

  For the next half hour, she roamed the park. It seemed an eternity. She contemplated running home and changing into something more sophisticated. Or maybe she should let her hair out of the sloppy knot she had hurriedly twisted it into on top of her head, but she discarded the idea. David would know she was interested in making a good impression on him if she did that, and even she knew one simply didn’t act overly eager where boys were concerned. Regina said it scared them off.

  The pool area was crowded with mothers and children when she returned. David praised Michael a great deal in front of her, and her little brother positively glowed. His hair was plastered back from his face, indicating that he had gotten more than his feet wet.

  “It’s good that Mike is learning to swim early. It’s easier with his age group. The older ones get all uptight.”

  “Do you give group lessons, too?” she asked. “Or are they all individual lessons like Michael’s?”

  “He’s my only single,” David answered. “I have four groups.” He was so self-assured and confident, and there was a note of pride in his voice. “I fill in as a lifeguard some evenings.”

  “Is this your first year teaching?” she asked.

  “Can you tell?”

  She smiled and shook her head. “You’re very good with little kids.”

  Before he could reply, she prodded Michael into saying thank you, and they turned to leave. From behind her she heard David whisper, “I’ll call you later, okay?”

  “That would be nice,” she murmured in a soft voice. She strove to maintain her composure, holding her smile to a minimum when she glanced back at him. David didn’t need to know she was bursting at the seams.

  Summer paced back and forth in front of the phone, willing it to ring. The afternoon seemed to last forever, but then at exactly five minutes after four, David called.

  Over the phone he sounded very formal. “Hello, Summer? This is David Marshall, and I was wondering if you’d like to go to a movie with me tomorrow night? If you’re busy, maybe we could do it another time.” Odd, but he sounded as if he was out of breath.

  “That would be great,” she replied when he slowed down. She decided that playing hard-to-get would be stupid. She told him where she lived and agreed that seven o’clock would be a good time to be picked up.

  “Ask him if he has any tall friends,” Regina insisted when Summer told her the news. She sounded just as excited as Summer but couldn’t stay on the phone because her brother needed to use it.

  “Come over and help me decide what to wear,” Summer begged, and Regina, best friend that she was, didn’t let her down.

  “I’m leaving right this minute.”

  She could always count on Regina! By the time she arrived, Summer had three possible outfits displayed on the bed.

  “It’s definitely the blue dress,” Regina declared. “It just matches the color of your eyes. You’ll look super.”

  “I still can’t believe—”

  “—he asked you out, right?” Regina finished for her.

  “Wait until you meet him. He’s…so great.”

  “Are you going to ask him to Ann’s party?”

  “I thought I would,” Summer replied. “Why are you frowning? Don’t you think it’s a good idea?”

  “Well, part of me does. I want to see the look on Ann’s face when you show up with a Chalmers boy. She’ll be green with envy. The other part of me says to keep your David as far away from Ann Logan as possible. Don’t tempt fate.”

  “Well, I’m going to ask him,” Summer decided. “Not every boy falls for her act. David is much too mature.” Her voice sounded very sure, but a nagging worry was forming in the back of her head. She ignored her misgivings and squared her shoulders. “David must like me a little, or he wouldn’t have asked me out. Right?”

  “Right!” Regina’s enthusiastic reply was at odds with the frown wrinkling her brow.

  “It’s time to fight fire with fire,” Summer said with false confidence.

  “You’re one hundred percent right,” Regina declared. “I worry too much, but I’ve seen Ann in action more than you have.”

  “Think positive,” Summer chanted. “I sound just like my dad.” Both girls laughed. “He’s right, you know,” she continued. “It’s time to give Ann a little setdown.”

  “Right!”

  “We sound like a pep rally,” she said. “And I will ask David all about his friends, including their height.”

  “I asked Carl to Ann’s party, but he can’t go,” Regina said with a shrug. “He’s going out of town.”

  “But you have to go to the party.”

  “I will,” she answered. “I’m going to make Gregg take me. That way I can really circulate. And besides, I wouldn’t miss seeing—”

  “—Ann’s face when David and I make our appearance?”

  “Exactly!” Regina said.

  Chapter 4

  It seemed to Summer that an entire lifetime passed before it was truly Wednesday night. She was dressed and ready to go a good hour before David was due. One final look in the hall mirror convinced her that there wasn’t anything more she could do. She looked as good as she was ever going to look, which really wasn’t all that bad, she decided with almost clinical detachment. For once her hair was willing to conform, falling softly to her slender shoulders.

  She

had prepared her family as best she could. Luck was on her side. Grandpa had decided to return to the basement right after dinner, and though she felt a little guilty, she sighed with relief. There was no telling what her grandfather would do in front of David. And if he was in one of his teasing moods…She shuddered to think of that possibility.

  “Mother, I’ll wait up here. Remember, you let David in and then call me, okay? And don’t forget you’re going to ask Dad not to talk to the plants.”

  “Yes, dear, I’ll remind him. My, don’t you look lovely,” her mother said. “And don’t worry. We’ll all behave.” She turned to leave and then stopped. “Oh, by the way, dear, I was getting ready to bake a cake a few minutes ago and the phone rang. Now I can’t seem to find my measuring spoons. Let me know if you see them, will you?”

  “Sure, Mom,” Summer answered, shaking her head.

  A short time later the doorbell chimed. Summer stood on the landing at the top of the stairs, carefully concealed behind one of her father’s jungle plants, and waited. She didn’t want to appear overly eager. She would wait until her mother called her, then count to ten, and then she would slowly descend, her head held high, her eyes…

  “Michael, tell this young man what you would be if you weren’t Irish.”

  “A-a-a-shamed,” squealed her little brother.

  The alarm bell inside Summer’s head rang loud and clear. Her grandfather was entertaining David!

  She automatically responded. She almost tripped over her own feet in her haste to get downstairs, sounding very much like an elephant in tap shoes on the uncarpeted steps, and unfortunately, David saw and heard the whole thing.

  “Hello, David,” she rushed. “I see you’ve met the family. Well, we better leave now?”

  “Summer, where’re your manners?” her father said from behind. “Ask the young man to sit and talk for a few minutes.”

  It couldn’t be avoided. She led David to the sofa and sat down next to him. Grandpa perched on the arm of the chair her mother was sitting in, and her father gave her a smile of encouragement before taking his seat in his worn leather recliner. He didn’t seem to notice that he was holding a potted plant in his lap, but she was sure David must have thought that a bit strange.

  “Michael tells us you’re a fine swimming instructor,” her father began.

  “I did not,” Michael interrupted, but quickly fell silent when he caught Summer’s glare.

  “Of course you did, son,” her father continued in a smooth voice. “Do you enjoy teaching, David?”

  “Oh, yes, sir,” David replied. “And Mike is going to be a great swimmer, aren’t you?”

  “Yep,” Michael responded.

  “Well, I best be getting back to the basement, now that I’ve met your young man,” Grandpa bellowed. “I’m just putting the finishing touches on my latest invention,” he confided to David in a conspiratorial and very loud whisper.

  Don’t ask, oh, please, don’t ask, Summer prayed.

  “What is it you’re working on, sir?” David asked.

  “A remote-control car-wash system. When I get all the bugs worked out of the motor, I’m going to hook it up in the garage.”

  David, bless him, didn’t even blink. “Sounds like a useful gadget,” was all he said.

  “What time are you planning on bringing my little girl home?” her father asked. Summer hated it when he called her his little girl, and almost screamed in frustration. She moved slightly and became aware of a bulge under her right leg. It was most probably a toy or her mother’s keys…or maybe it was the missing measuring spoons. Summer didn’t want to know. Slowly sliding her hand along the side of her skirt, she pushed the item between the cushions and only then let out the breath she was holding.

  “The movie gets out at ten, and I thought Summer and I could get something to eat after that. Would eleven-thirty be all right?” David’s voice was so calm and reassuring.

  She stole a quick glance at him before turning back to her father. He was frowning in absolute concentration, as if David had just asked him to explain the national debt.

  “Normally our Summer has to be in by eleven,” he stated, “but I’ll make an exception this time. Eleven-thirty should give you enough time for a snack, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, sir, and thank you,” David said. He turned to Summer and grinned. “We better get going or we’ll be late.”

  “You got any gum?” Michael suddenly demanded. He wrapped his arms around David’s kneecaps, making it impossible for him to stand up.

  “Michael, it isn’t proper to ask for things,” Summer stammered. “And get your hands off David. You’re all grimy.” She shot her mother a pleading look.

  “Sure I do, Mike,” David replied. He peeled Michael from him and stood up. Reaching into his pant’s pocket, he extracted a pack of Juicy Fruit and offered a stick to her little brother.

  Michael was impressed. Juicy Fruit was one of his favorites.

  “Tell David thank you,” their mother suggested with a smile as David and Summer headed out the door.

  Neither said a word until they were on their way to the movie theater.

  “Your family is nice,” he said.

  You mean crazy, don’t you? Summer wanted to say but didn’t. “Thank you,” she substituted instead. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “No,” David answered. “I’m an only child. Sometimes I wish I had a brother or a sister. Be kind of neat to share things with someone at home.”

  “Michael isn’t into sharing yet.”

  “He looks like the kind of kid who’s into everything,” he said with a chuckle. “You know, it took me ten minutes just to talk him into taking his boots off at the pool today.”

  “Yes, well…he kind of identifies with Superman,” she explained. “Mom says it’s a stage he’s going through.”

  “Were your parents surprised when Mike came along?”

  Summer was thinking the question over, trying to figure out how she was going to answer it, when David said, “Look, I shouldn’t have asked such a personal question. It’s just that they seem a little…”

  “Old?” Summer suggested.

  “Yeah, a little bit older than most parents with little kids. I know it’s none of my business, but I really think it’s neat. Mike’s a real character.”

  “It’s okay; it’s not a personal question. It’s just kind of weird, that’s all. Mom and Dad were married for five years before I was born, and then Mom was told she couldn’t have any more children. I was an only child for twelve years, and then Michael came along. Everyone was really surprised. It was a big adjustment.”

  “It must have been strange to have a baby around all of a sudden,” he said.

  “Mom and Dad were thrilled, but I…” She was suddenly embarrassed, remembering how put out she’d been the entire time her mother was carrying Michael. Why was she telling David all this? she asked herself. He couldn’t possibly be interested in her family.

  “It had to be hard on you, what with all the changes,” he said. He burst into laughter, saw her puzzled expression, and hurried to add, “‘Changes,’ get it? Diapers?” He continued to chuckle, immensely pleased with his little pun.

  “Not funny, David,” she replied, shaking her head.

  “Sorry,” he answered, but the lopsided grin he displayed contradicted his apology.

  “You know, I can’t imagine not having Michael around now, or Grandpa, for that matter. He moved in last year, after Grandma died.”

  “He seems real nice,” David said.

  “Tell me about your family,” she suggested.

  “Not much to tell,” he replied. “Dad’s an accountant, and Mom does a lot of volunteer work.”

  “What about you? Do you know what you want to do when you finish school?”

  “Not really. Sometimes I think I want to be a doctor, but you have to be real good in science and I’m just average.”

  He found a place to park a block away

from the theater. When she got out of the car, he took hold of her hand and held it until they reached the entrance. Neither spoke, but it was a comfortable silence. Summer was trying to memorize everything he said so she could tell Regina, and at the same time she wanted to be witty and interesting. It was an exhausting task! She felt herself tense up again and took a deep breath. “Do you play any sports?” she heard herself ask.

  “Sure,” he answered. “Lots of soccer and a little baseball. What about you?”

  “I was on a softball team,” she said, and that much was true. She just didn’t mention that she’d been eight years old at the time and signed up to play only because of the powder blue uniforms the girls got to wear.

  “What about tennis?” he asked. “I just got a new racket, but I haven’t played much.”

  “I’ve only played a couple of times,” she answered. “I don’t even know all the rules.”

  “Want to set up a game for tomorrow afternoon around four? It shouldn’t be too hot then.”

  “I wish I could,” she said, crossing her fingers. “But I have to watch Michael. Mom doesn’t get home from the flower shop until five.” She was pleased that he wanted to see her again but felt that she would make a complete fool of herself if she tried to play tennis. She did own a tennis racket, but only because Regina had given her one two summers ago when Regina had a crush on the tennis coach. They never actually played, just circled the tennis courts a couple of times a day in their white shorts, hoping to catch the coach’s eye.

  “Bring him with you,” he said. “He can play on the swings. What do you say?”

  He sounded so eager and enthusiastic. Summer decided she would have to agree. If she didn’t, David might think she didn’t want to be with him.

  “Okay, but I better warn you. With Michael along, we won’t get much tennis played.”

  “No problem,” David said. “Come on, let’s get some popcorn.”

  It wasn’t until they were seated in the middle of the crowded theater and the lights were fading that Summer thought to ask what movie they were going to see.