All Summer on a Date: Three Romantic Comedy Short Stories (3 page)

“They're men's size 11,” he said, “but they'll work wonders on your feet when you slip into them. And here's a sweatshirt.” He tossed it to her. “That quilt's gotta be pretty damp by now.”

Summer let the quilt fall off her shoulders onto the bench as she held out the gray sweatshirt. She looked at the black and purple lettering.

The Baltimore Ravens.

“Superbowl XXXV?” she said. “Are you serious?” But she pulled it over her head anyway.

“Pure coincidence,” he answered, trying to hide a smirk. “I mean it, Summer. I wouldn't kick you when you're down. It's just always in my trunk.”

Summer cast a withering glance his way. “Uh-huh.”

But the sweatshirt was soft and warm, and he had saved her big time. So what if his Ravens had blown out her Giants in the 2001 Superbowl? She could be the bigger person here and let him savor his team's piddly little victory. They'd need to win a few more Super Bowls and get a lot more history to catch up to the New York Giants.

“What?” he asked, seeing her start to smile.

“Nothing,” she said. “Other than that I am supremely grateful for everything you've done.”

“Uh-huh,” Jeff said, perfectly echoing her earlier skepticism.

Summer laughed. “Really, thanks,” she said. “I'm going to wash up and change into the Uggs after I peel off my soaked stockings.” She scooped up the boots. “Come get me if they have any news about her.”

Once inside the bathroom, Summer looked in the mirror. She groaned. All that time in the rain, and she didn't look at all rock video sexy. No, she just looked scary, and not in a tempting Drusilla from
Buffy
kind of way. Mascara smeared down to her cheekbones, shapeless sweatshirt—and her hair? All that rained-on, hair-sprayed hair had turned downright clumpy. The two long, black, sparkly pins jutted out at menacing angles.

Summer sighed. At least she could wash her face.

When she clomped out into the waiting room wearing Jeff's Uggs a few minutes later, she looked at him expectantly. “Any word yet?”

He shook his head, making Summer's guts churn.

“What's taking so long?”

“It's only been ten minutes,” he said softly.

Summer sank down onto the bench and wrapped her arms around her stomach. “So,” she said, taking a deep breath, “why didn't you tell me you were a Ravens fan when we were talking football in my office?”

Jeff shrugged. “Kyle popped his head in and asked you out.”

“Oh, right.” Summer bit her lip. “Kyle. You must think I'm an idiot.”

“No more than I am.”

“How so?” Summer asked. “I'm the one who got all excited about dating a guy who didn't want to help a hurt dog in the rain.”

“Excited, huh?” Jeff picked up Summer's wet shoes and tossed them into a knapsack he'd brought in from the car. “Well, whether you're dating the wrong person or not dating the right one, it's just different sides of the same coin.”

“What?” Summer sat up. “Who are you dating?”

Jeff let out a bark of laughter. “I'm not dating anyone.”

“Oh. But you said—”

Jeff stood up.

Summer turned to see the vet striding through the swinging doors, and she jumped up, too.

“I'm Dr. Applegate.” The brisk woman with short dark hair shook both their hands.

“Well?” Summer blurted.

“She's a lucky girl,” the doctor chirped. “Malnourished yes, and dehydrated—we've got her on an IV. We'll give her some food after we set the leg. Her right tibia is broken.”

Summer gasped. “I thought you said she was lucky!”

Dr. Applegate nodded. “Your finding her was the luckiest thing that could have happened to her. You got her here. In her condition, she wouldn't have lasted much longer in this weather. It's supposed to keep raining all week and nighttime temperatures are dropping into the thirties.”

Summer concentrated on taking slow, easy breaths. “Will she be okay?” She felt Jeff's hand come to rest lightly on the small of her back.

“She can go home tonight once we patch her up. And good news about that. We found a microchip.”

Summer closed her eyes for a few seconds. “A microchip?” she echoed weakly.

“Yup. We called in the ID number and found the family. They're on their way from Valencia to come get her. ”

The vet must have seen Summer's face fall. “No, no,” she murmured, squeezing Summer's arm. “You've done a fantastic thing tonight. They said she got out three weeks before Christmas, and they've been looking ever since.” Dr. Applegate looked from Summer to Jeff, then back to Summer. “You two are heroes.”

Summer nodded, wiping away a tear. “It's great news,” she said. “Really. She'll be so happy to see her family.”

“There you go,” the vet said, patting her arm. And oh—” she turned around as she headed back through the swinging doors. “Her name is Starbuck.”

Summer and Jeff stared after the retreating vet.

“Starbuck,” Summer murmured, unable to look at Jeff. “Starbuck.”

“Starbuck,” he agreed, nodding slowly. “Great name for such a gorgeous pit bull.”

Summer smiled. Then sniffled. “You have a crush on her, too, don't you?”

Jeff tipped his head and raised his eyebrows in hopeless assent.

“This is so stupid,” Summer said, wiping away more tears. “How can this happen?” She looked at Jeff. “How can we love her after just an hour?”

Jeff looked down. “I guess it happens that way sometimes.”

“Guess so.” Summer hung her head and played with the frayed cuffs of the sweatshirt. “Um … Jeff? I want to wait to make sure the family shows up and Starbuck's all right. I can get a cab from here if you want to go.”

Jeff turned to look at her, his eyes wide, forehead crinkled.

“I mean,” she explained, “ it's New Year's Eve. I must've interrupted something when I called.”

“Summer, I was playing an online video game.” He bit his bottom lip and smiled. “I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to admit that to any female. Ever. But it doesn't matter what I was doing. I'm staying, too.”

They sat back down on the bench to wait.

“Thanks again, Jeff,” Summer said. “For coming to the rescue. You showed up with the quilts and the Uggs ...” She stretched out her legs and wiggled her toes. “Were you a Boy Scout or something?”

“Boy Scouts,” he acknowledged, “have a reputation for being prepared. But IT guys know how to troubleshoot. Fast.”

“True,” Summer agreed, nodding. “And you don't freak out. It's like you're superheroes for the modern age.”

But Jeff was shaking his head. “No,” he countered. “For any age.”

Summer laughed. “You'll get no argument from me.”

“The day of the fanboy is coming,” he assured her. “You just watch.”

“Lifelong fanboy, eh? Do you still read comics?”

“Sure.”

“And you like playing online video games?”

“Love it.”

Summer sighed, looking toward the ceiling and shaking her head. “You're so much smarter than I am. You decided to do something you like on New Year's Eve. I, on the other hand, spent $1500 to dress up for a party because I'm desperate to get Noly Parker's money.” She stole a sidelong glance at Jeff. “Kyle asked me to the Silversmith Party
after
all my Noly plans were in place.”

“Noly Parker,” Jeff mused. “Noly Parker. Wait.” He sat up. “Noly Parker? The bratty billionaire who got plastic surgery to make herself look like Halle Berry? You want to party with
that
Noly Parker?”

“Not exactly.” Summer looked at her hands. “I've been communicating with her on and off since early December. She likes the murals I did in Detroit, and we've been talking about a project I want to do in Watts.”

“And this isn't for
Consequence
?”

“No, it's my own project.” Summer smiled. “But if I pull this off, its association with the magazine will be explosive.”

Jeff smiled, too. “And when it comes to boosting sales,” he noted, “you'll blow the entire marketing department right out of the water.”

“An extra bonus,” Summer acknowledged.

“
If
you can pin down Noly Parker.”

“I know she can be a flake,” Summer admitted. “But she's done a lot of good with her money. Especially in places like East L.A. and South Central.” She looked at Jeff. “She's as much Oprah as Paris Hilton.”

“Okay,” he said, conceding the point.

“Tonight we were finally supposed to meet face to face.” Summer turned to fully face him. “She likes my work—and my ideas for Watts. But she doesn't give her money to people she doesn't know. My plan was to win her over before the hardcore partying got underway.” Summer slumped back onto the bench and sighed.

Jeff looked up at the clock. “You've still got time.”

“But I don't have another dress. Or shoes. I don't usually spend this kind of money on an outfit for one night.”

“Summer, you're an artist.” Jeff said it slowly, as if she were a first grader who couldn't get the days of the week right.

“And ...” she prompted.

“I don't know why you decided to change your look when you came to
Consequence,”
he said. “I mean, you look like a Bohemian Firestar on some of that stuff on YouTube. But actually,” he interrupted himself, “all the IT guys really like your Scully look, too. But my point is, you could go home and change into an old drop cloth, and you'll be the belle of the ball. And you can borrow the Uggs for the evening, too.”

“Stomping around in men's boots, wrapped in a paint-smeared sheet?” The New Summer had to crush such an outlandish idea. Before she started thinking it sounded cool.

“And do something crazy with your hair,” he suggested. “You'll win over Oprah-Paris in a heartbeat.”

“You are a nut from Brazil,” she said.

“Maybe,” Jeff agreed. Then he looked right at her. “But this party, it's not about the dress or the shoes. It's about you, Summer Hodiak. And how driven and talented you are.”

Summer felt tears welling up again. How could he say that? After all her hard work to change her scruffy, rebellious image, Jeff didn't even see her new look as
part
of her, but as something quite separate, like a costume. Had The New Summer been a transparent charade from the start?

“
Woof!
”

Summer's head whipped toward the sound. “Starbuck!”

Dr. Applegate led the dog out from the back. “I thought you might like to sit with her until her family arrives.”

“Oh, Starbuck!” Summer rushed to the dog and gently picked her up, careful not to jostle the leg with the hot pink bandage.

Jeff pressed his forehead to Starbuck's. “Thanks,” he said to Dr. Applegate.

Jeff and Summer settled back on the bench with Starbuck panting happily between them.

“This is gonna hurt like hell,” Summer said quietly. “Letting her go.”

“But you don't regret it, do you? Meeting her in the first place?”

“No!” Summer shook her head. “No. I'd do it all again. A lost dog on the loose? It only takes one car, on one street. And this weather … I saw her and I had to act.”

Starbuck yawned and rested her head on Summer's lap.

“Good girl,” she murmured. She ruffled the dog's silky ears. “It was one of those moments,” she said to Jeff. “Know what I mean? A moment when you can take action and change something, make a difference. And if you wait, the chance might be gone forever.”

She looked up from Starbuck and saw Jeff looking right at her. His hazel eyes were unreadable, but whatever he was thinking, it made Summer catch her breath.

“Summer,” he said quietly. “Do you—”

A screech of brakes outside had them both looking up. An SUV had just pulled in. An entire family poured out faster than clowns at a circus.

“This is it,” Summer said, kissing Starbuck and blinking rapidly.

“Yeah,” Jeff agreed, picking up his phone. “Starbuck's going home.” He hit the record button just as the family burst through the doors, a girl of about thirteen leading the charge.

“STARBUCK!”

The dog scrambled off Summer's lap, shredding the dress as she went. The family and dog converged into one big heap and everybody started talking to Starbuck at once.

“Are you okay, girl?”

“You're so skinny. And your leg!”

“We were so scared. We never stopped looking, not for a second.”

“We didn't mean to lose you. We love you!”

And then it was just mostly barking and crying and laughing and talking to the vet.

“Summer Hodiak?” The mom looked up from the dog and right at Summer. “Summer Hodiak? I'm Romy MacFarlane. They said you found her?”

The entire family looked toward Summer, their force field pulling her into their circle. And everyone started talking at once again, even Starbuck.

“
Woof, woof
!”

“Thank you!”

“We were putting up the lights and the gate was open—”

“You found her! You really found her!”

Then Romy's distressed voice rose above all the others. “Oh, my God. Your dress. It's New Year's Eve—you were going out. And you stopped to help Starbuck? Your beautiful dress. And the vet bill. Chuck—”

“No! You don't owe me anything,” Summer rushed to say. “Really. You got Starbuck back tonight. You have her to love forever. Let me do this for her. Please. And I don't care about the dress. Really.” Laughter bubbled up through what she was saying. “I really don't. It's a souvenir from my best New Year's Eve
ever.”

In the ensuing commotion of tears and gratitude, Summer didn't hear the tone that told her she'd just gotten a text. But Jeff did, and he glanced at Summer's phone where it sat next to him on the bench. He looked back to the reunion scene before it registered.

What he'd seen in that one quick glance.

As Summer's phone had scrolled the text across the top of the screen, Jeff had noticed a few words.

…
you have the nerve … Noly
.

Jeff looked at Summer's phone again.

Less than a minute later, he was putting down his own phone as Summer and the MacFarlane family came towards him.

“This is Jeff Tracy,” Summer introduced. “This is Romy and Chuck MacFarlane, and their kids, Mary and Alan.”

“You look like that guy who sings
Fireflies
,” Mary said, her eyes huge and shining. “And you came to Summer's rescue.”