A Girl Named Summer (14 page)

“I’ll be happy to take ten,” Summer interjected. “Anything else?”

“Well, the T-shirts are just sitting in boxes at Ann’s house. She was supposed to sell them yesterday at the grocery store, but she couldn’t. Ann’s very busy, you know,” he added.

Sure, she is
, Summer thought.
She’s always busy when real work is involved
.

“Look, David, maybe Regina and I could sell them this Saturday.” A sudden inspiration penetrated Summer’s brain. “Uh, you know, that is, Regina is going to have this party, and if I bring the shirts, maybe I could talk some of the kids into buying them. Regina could even make it a T-shirt party or something.”

David perked up over that suggestion. “When is it?”

“Next Friday—no, I mean it’s next Saturday, I think. I’ll have to check with Regina and let you know.”

“I should probably go to Regina’s party,” David said. “Since I’m in charge of the T-shirts, that would probably be the smart thing to do.” He was addressing her feet now, having apparently lost interest in her hair.

“Oh, I agree,” she said a little more enthusiastically than she intended.

“I’ll come by tomorrow with your posters, and you can tell me when the party is.”

“Fine.”

“You might as well ride with me to deliver them.”

Summer nodded, and David left. Grandpa started chuckling. He never said a word about the conversation, only gave her a broad wink that told her he was mighty pleased.

The rest of the trip home was spent discussing her strategy for increasing her running speed. She barely listened, planning her own strategy with one David Marshall.

When the pair entered the house, Summer’s mother was so relieved that Grandpa was behaving rationally that she hugged him and planted a big kiss on his ruddy cheek.

“Read my notes before you get yourself all worked up,” her grandfather chided. His expression was firm,
but the gentleness in his voice suggested he liked the fact that she was concerned about him.

Summer felt very close to her family all of a sudden. They were caring people, and even if they were a little weird most of the time, they belonged to her; and no one, not even Ann Logan, could take them away.

“Summer, please help me set the table,” her mother asked.

“She needs to call Regina first,” Grandpa interjected with a wide grin.

“Why?” Summer and her mother asked in unison.

“Don’t you need to tell her she’s having a party?”

Chapter
14

L
oaded down with posters, David rang the doorbell of Summer’s house with his elbow.

“Do you have time to go with me now and deliver some of the posters?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said, but she tried to keep her expression neutral.

They made two stops, the first at the bank and the second at a dry cleaners, before he said a single word. “What’s that book you’ve got with you?”

“It’s a joke book,” she explained. “There are some really great jokes in here,” she lied. Well, it wasn’t an actual lie. She hadn’t had time to open the book, but she was sure it had wonderful jokes inside. “Want me to read some of them to you?” she suggested eagerly.

David agreed, and she immediately began reading. She could tell, after the third joke, that David was
beginning to relax and enjoy himself. She considered switching the subject to their fight and was trying to figure out how she could apologize for yelling at him—and lying to him—without groveling, when David launched into a rather long joke of his own.

Summer decided that no matter what, she was going to love it. As soon as David paused, Summer laughed. She even dabbed at her eyes the way Ann did when she laughed.

“You’re supposed to wait for the punch line before you laugh,” he told her. He was looking at her as if she had one too many heads, and Summer wanted to slip under the seat.

They didn’t say another word until all the posters had been delivered and they were back in front of Summer’s house.

“The party is Saturday night,” she mumbled as she opened the car door. “Don’t forget to bring the T-shirts.”

“Okay,” David said.

He smiled, and she decided to go for broke. “David, if you want, you could go to the party with me. I’ll help you carry in the boxes of T-shirts and…stuff.”

He looked embarrassed, and Summer wanted to kick herself. “Ann already suggested that we go together. I told her about the party,” he explained in a halting voice.

“Right.” She couldn’t get out another word. She nodded good-bye and started running toward the house.

“Summer? We could come by and pick you up,” David yelled.

“That’s okay,” Summer said. “Uh…Gregg asked me to be his date, but I thought I would help you out with the T-shirts and all. I’ll just call him back and tell him okay. No big deal, David. See you.”

She wasn’t even able to wait until she got to the bedroom. She was crying before she reached the front door.

“Summer, you’ve got to come over here and see me. I look great.” The boast was bellowed through the phone the next afternoon.

“Yeah, Yeah…you always look great.”

“No, I mean it.” Regina replied. “I got my hair cut, and it looks incredible.”

“Terrific,” she said. “Look, Regina, I’m in a terrible mood. The whole family is hiding from me. If I come over, I’ll ruin our friendship.”

“Don’t argue. Come over and tell me what’s happening.”

She did exactly that and, after pouring out her heart, had to admit she did feel a little better.

“Do you or do you not want David back?” Regina demanded.

“I do,” she admitted. “But I don’t know why. He’s stubborn and…”

“Enough of that. We’ll plan our strategy. He’s coming to the party, right?”

“With Ann,” she reminded her friend.

“Okay,” Regina replied. “I seem to remember your telling me that you were going to become a flirt and dethrone Ann. The party’s a good time. I’m going to ask Luke to be my date,” she added.

“You’ll look beautiful with your new haircut,” Summer said. Regina did look good. Gone were the long, limp strands, replaced by short, cropped layers that ended just below her delicate ears.

Regina’s enthusiasm was contagious. “Confidence is the name of the game,” Summer decided. “That’s what Ann has and I’m going to get.”

“How?”

“That’s the tricky part, Regina. I’m not sure.…”

“I always feel more confident if I’m wearing something new. Let’s buy new clothes for the party.”

“Okay,” Summer agreed. “We’ll go shopping tomorrow.”

“Remember, Saturday we attack,” Regina announced. She sounded just like a general.

Chapter
15

“M
om, could I get a loan?” Summer waited while her mother dried her hands on the dish towel before rushing into her prepared explanation. It wouldn’t be half as convincing unless she had her mother’s full attention.

“Regina is having a party, and I don’t have a thing to wear,” she began. “I’ll pay you back real soon.”

“You don’t have to pay me back, Summer. You’ve been such a help. This will be my treat.”

“Honest?” Summer could hardly believe her ears. “I thought things were tight right now,” she said.

“We aren’t poor, honey,” her mother answered. “We budget our expenses like everyone else. I’ll give you some money tomorrow.”

Regina’s mother insisted on driving Regina and Summer to the mall.

“I’ll pick you both up in exactly two hours. If you can’t find something suitable to wear in that amount of time, it’s just too bad,” she told the girls.

“Mom, quit treating me like a baby. I’m fifteen,” Regina said.

“Now, behave yourselves.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Summer answered. She used the same tone of voice she used when talking to her own mother, for she had realized a long time ago that all mothers were basically alike. They all loved to worry and give orders, and they all said the same things.

“Your mother is a carbon copy of mine,” she said when she and Regina walked into the mall. “Do you suppose they all read a special manual or something before they have children, so they all say the same things?”

Regina laughed and nodded. “All mothers have the same traits, and they’re all hung up on hygiene. Ever notice that?”

“You mean, ‘brush your teeth,’ ‘comb your hair’?”

“Exactly,” Regina replied. “And they all go crazy if they find any holes in anything—especially underwear.”

“Regina, that’s disgusting. True, but disgusting.”

“Heaven forbid if I was in an accident and had on anything with holes in it. Whatever would the doctors say?”

“Tears, rips, holes,” Summer said, “are a direct reflection of incompetent motherhood.”

Borgen’s, an elegant department store, was the first
place they planned to hit, and both girls grew silent as they hurried toward their target. Regina found just the outfit, shorts that flattered her long shapely legs and a fitted T-shirt.

“You look good,” Summer said, and meant every word. Regina did look spectacular.

It took another hour of hunting and digging before Summer found her dream. It was a white sundress that flattered her tan. She felt quite sophisticated as she stood in front of the dressing-room mirror, one hand holding the thick mass of hair atop her head.

“What do you think?” she asked her friend. “Will I do?”

“We’re going to knock ’em dead.”

As soon as Summer returned home, she changed into her new dress and modeled “the new Summer” in front of an admiring grandfather and her parents. “I’ve completed my transformation,” she informed her family at the dinner table. “The old Summer is gone.”

“What’s all this about change?” her grandfather asked.

“I’ve decided you were right, Grandpa. I did lack confidence, so I decided to change myself.”

“You still haven’t gotten the point,” her grandfather said with a shake of his head.

“We’ll talk about it on the way to bingo. Better get moving.”

Grandpa showed his disappointment during the walk to the church. “You’ve completely sidestepped the issue. Or perhaps you just don’t understand what
I’ve been trying to say to you, child. I want you to be happy with you, not flit around trying to change this and that. You’re special just as you are, and until you believe that, no matter what changes you make, you’ll always feel unhappy. Celebrate who you are. Realize there is only one Summer Matthews. Only then can you share your specialness with anyone else.”

Summer mulled over her grandfather’s words. “It’s hard,” she whispered.

“You mean it’s much easier to envy someone else?”

“I guess so.”

“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.”

“Meaning?”

“Well, this Ann person. Are you sure you want to be like her?”

“Sort of,” Summer hedged.

“Have you ever considered that maybe she isn’t all that happy? Never hope to change places with someone else. They have just as many problems—maybe different problems, but problems all the same. How many times have I said that you should count your blessings?”

“Lots,” Summer answered.

While she continued to listen to her grandfather’s quiet encouragement, a part of her was preoccupied with the thought that David might be helping Mr. Clancy again. Her fingers crossed in hopefulness when she and grandfather walked into the church hall. He wasn’t there, and her disappointment was almost overwhelming.
By the time intermission began, she had accepted the fact that David wasn’t going to show up.

She almost jumped when she turned to refill the coffeemaker and saw David leaning against the doorframe watching her. She couldn’t stop the smile of greeting, but it quickly faded when she saw the hesitancy in his eyes.

“Hello, Summer. Sorry I’m late.”

“Don’t worry. Lots of people don’t come until the second half. That’s when the big bingo games are played. Your grandfather…?”

“He didn’t come tonight.” He seemed embarrassed by that admission. “But I thought I’d drop by and see if you needed any help.”

“You really want to help?” She was singing inside. She knew she sounded incredulous, but couldn’t seem to help it.

“Sure,” he answered. “I’ll do that for you,” he added, taking the coffeemaker from her. “Where’s Mr. Clancy?”