A Girl Named Summer (13 page)

Summer really wasn’t interested. “Are you entered in the Regis Run, Luke?”

“Yes, what about you?”

“I’m supposed to run, but I don’t know if I will.”

“You’re out of your mind if you don’t, Summer. I’ve never seen a girl run that fast,” he praised. “You ought to go for it. You could win. Honest.”

“Such optimism.” She chuckled. “You sound just like my grandfather. I’ve never run in a race before, and I don’t know how fast everyone else will be. They might all leave me at the starting gate. I just don’t…”

She could feel herself blushing and closed her eyes. The conflicting emotions were confusing.

“You don’t what?” he asked.

“I don’t want to make a fool of myself and come in last.”

“Last? Not a chance. I don’t think you have any idea how good you are, but take my word for it. Boy, are you going to surprise some people.”

Summer realized he was serious. Now her interest was really piqued. “What do you mean?”

“There’s always a group that enters all the cash races, and they take the top prizes. I call them the pros. But you’re just like a dark horse. No one has ever heard of you. You’re going to stun them.”

“You really think so, Luke? You’re not just saying that to be nice?” She didn’t even listen to his response,
for her mind was filled with pictures of David and Ann, and the looks of astonishment on their faces if she did finish in the top ten. Excitement surged through her. Was it just wishful thinking, or was there really a chance?

“It’s a sure thing, Summer. Look, tomorrow I’ll bring a stopwatch and time you. Then you’ll believe me.”

“Sounds good to me,” she replied with a grin.

“Hey, I’m starved. Let’s go get some doughnuts and work on your strategy.”

Luke’s words were like a healing balm to her injured pride. There wasn’t any physical attraction between the two of them, but he was so easy to talk to. Of course, she couldn’t tell him about David. Still, it felt good to have someone take such an interest in her. The ache of losing David was still terribly fresh, just like a raw wound. She analyzed her situation on her way home. She would never be the same, she realized with a little self-pity, but she would survive. But, then, what if she didn’t survive? What if something tragic happened to her before David could make amends. That grim thought spiraled into pictures of David kneeling before her casket, weeping and begging for forgiveness after she was dead and gone and it was too late. He’d be sorry then, wouldn’t he?

“And I thought you were my best friend!” The accusation was issued in a high-pitched voice. Regina,
hands on her hips, stood on Summer’s front porch, glaring her anger.

Summer was in no mood for guessing games. She didn’t have the faintest idea what Regina was blustering about. Her head was throbbing from Michael’s constant chatter and from the trauma of thinking about David and Ann being together.

“Come on into the kitchen,” she suggested. “I’ve got to do the dishes.”

“I’ll help, you traitor,” Regina muttered, following behind her.

“What are you talking about?”

“Luke,” Regina announced. “That’s who I’m talking about.”

“What about him?” Summer asked. “Why am I a traitor?”

“Have a nice breakfast date?” she asked sarcastically.

“Give me a break. Today has been the pits. Just tell me what you’re talking about.”

“Did you or did you not go out with Luke this morning?” Now Regina sounded hurt, and Summer finally gave her full attention.

“Who told you I had a date with Luke?” She would have laughed then, or at the very least snorted, but the expression on her friend’s face suggested she better not.

“Gregg saw you,” Regina said. “And when he described the guy you were with, I knew it was Luke. David doesn’t have blond hair.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Luke and I just walked over to the doughnut shop after we ran today. And,” Summer continued, “we talked about you some of the time. Where were you, by the way? You were supposed to run today, remember?”

“I know, but I forgot to set my alarm clock,” she said. “You really talked about me?”

She wore a sheepish expression, and Summer smiled.

“What did he say? Tell me everything. Don’t leave out a single word.”

“He thinks you’re cute,” Summer told her, “and I think he’s getting ready to ask you out. He wanted to know if you were seeing anyone special.”

Regina had a hard time containing her enthusiasm. “Then you really didn’t have an actual, for-real date at all. I knew you really didn’t,” she continued. “I didn’t actually believe Gregg at all.”

“I hate all boys,” Summer stated. “They cause nothing but pain and aggravation.”

“I don’t think it’s the boys’ fault,” Regina said. “They’re helpless around girls like Ann Logan. If Luke does ask me out, I’m going to keep him clear of Ann’s clutches. But what about you? Have you figured out a way to get David back?”

“I don’t want him back,” she lied. “And I don’t want to talk about him anymore. It’s too depressing. Let’s run away and become hermits.”

“Don’t be silly,” Regina chided. “You’d look terrible in drab colors. If Luke doesn’t ask me out soon,
I’m hanging up my running shoes. Tomorrow will be his last chance.”

“Want to spend the night so I can get you up in the morning? And by the way, I think you should be the first to know, since you are my best friend: I’ve decided that I’m going to win the race!”

Getting Regina up and at ’em proved to be a real battle. Summer had to be quite ruthless and at one point felt like an army sergeant. “Come on, time to get up,” she said for the tenth time. “Luke’s waiting for you,” she added in a singsong voice.

That did the trick. Regina staggered out of bed and planted herself in the center of the bedroom, blinking in confusion. She looked quite pathetic, but Summer continued to be heartless. After all, it was all for Regina’s love life. She grabbed her friend by the shoulders, propelled her into the bathroom, and left her hanging over the sink, muttering.

“Meet me in the basement in five minutes, no later.”

By the time Summer had dragged Regina at a snail’s pace to the park, she was decidedly disgusted. She wished she hadn’t invited Regina to run with her, and she was a little ashamed that she felt that way. Regina was her best friend, she reminded herself, and feeling irritated with her was somewhat of a betrayal, wasn’t it?

Besides, Regina had stayed up half the night listening to Summer rehash her hurts over David.

Summer took her frustration and guilt out on her run, leaving Regina by the pool as she raced into the beckoning wind. The simple truth was that Regina just didn’t understand what had happened to Summer. How could she? Summer barely understood herself. She just knew that running wasn’t a whim any longer. No, it had become compulsive. Running each day had become as necessary as her father’s second cup of coffee—and just as addictive. Summer was hard-pressed to explain it; she just knew that she felt better and more alive when she was running. And with all the misery in her life right now, she decided she needed all the help she could get.

She passed Regina and was pleased to see Luke standing beside her. He yelled hello and held the stop-watch up, indicating that he had begun to time her. When she finished her run, he excitedly read off her time. She didn’t know what the numbers meant but assumed she had done a good job. Luke asked both Summer and Regina to go for doughnuts, but Summer declined, knowing that Regina would want to be alone with him.

Chapter
13

A
n entire two weeks passed without a word from David. She kept herself busy, running sometimes twice a day to fill the time, and feeling absolutely miserable inside. She vacillated between outright misery and anger. Every time she thought about David dating Ann, she was miserable; every time she thought about how stubborn and unforgiving he was turning out to be, she was angry.

Early one afternoon, when Summer returned from swimming at Regina’s house, her mother met her on the front steps. One look at the bleak expression in her eyes told Summer some trauma was about to unfold. “What did Michael do now?”

“I’ve lost your grandfather.”

Now, another person would have at least blinked with that bit of news, but not Summer. It had happened
before, and in all probability, it would happen again.

“When did you last see him?” Summer asked. She was already walking toward the garage to get her bike.

“It’s that new medicine he started taking last week,” her mother said. “It makes him a little confused.”

“Mom, Grandpa hasn’t been confused in a long, long time. I think he just went on an errand or something. Don’t worry.”

Summer searched the neighborhood, stopping to ask children and adults if they had seen her grandfather pass by. Everyone knew him, but no one had seen him today. After an hour, she had talked to almost everyone she could think of and was about to turn her bike toward home when one of the gas station attendants said he had seen her grandfather just a few minutes ago. Summer hurried off in the direction he pointed. Gliding to a stop in front of the ice cream store, she spotted her grandfather through the tinted glass. She almost fell off her bike when she noticed who was sitting next to him. David! David—and Ann Logan.

“What a mess,” she muttered. She became angry with herself when she felt her hands begin to tremble.

Plastering a smile on her face, she entered the shop and went directly over to her grandfather. “Mom’s looking for you,” she stated a bit briskly.

She looked only at her grandfather, concentrating on his face in her bid to completely ignore David and Ann. It was rude, but she didn’t care.

A part of her brain registered the fact that her grandfather seemed completely aware of where he was and what he was doing. His expression didn’t look the least bit confused.

“Why would your mother be looking for me?” He didn’t appear to want an answer as he dug into his pocket for some change. “David, nice to see you again. Come by the house sometime and I’ll show you my latest invention. I miss your visits.”

So do I
, Summer wanted to say. But of course she didn’t and couldn’t, not with Ann hanging all over him. Ann wore the smile of the contented, the smile of the victorious.
She knows how miserable I am, and she’s relishing it
, Summer thought.

“Nice to see you again, David, Ann,” Summer finally said, pleased that her voice sounded just right, not too surly. She still couldn’t look into David’s eyes, but she got close, staring at his shirt collar while she spoke.

Grandpa was ready to leave, and without a backward glance, Summer followed him out the door.

“Mom didn’t know where you were. She got worried,” she said. She walked beside her grandfather, pushing the bicycle between them.

“Just doing a few errands. I left her a note,” Grandpa replied. “No need for her to get upset.”

“You know Mom,” she answered. “She likes to get uptight. Keeps her slim and trim.”

Grandpa laughed at Summer’s astute description.

“Did you sit down with David and Ann? Or did
they come in and sit down with you?” For some reason, her grandfather’s reply was terribly important.

“Why, they sat down with me,” he answered. “What difference does it make?”

“I just wondered. I didn’t want David to feel funny…since we aren’t dating anymore.”

“That Ann girl have an eye ailment?”

Summer turned to her grandfather with a frown. When he saw he had her complete attention, he started batting his eyelashes furiously, and Summer broke into gales of laughter. His imitation of Ann was priceless.

“The boys all seem to like the way Ann flirts,” she said. “I think she looks like she has a problem.”

“Your claws are showing, kitten,” her grandfather admonished. “You’re very pretty, as pretty as Ann, and you’re Irish besides. David will come around. You mark my words.”

Wishful thinking
, Summer concluded.

“Just hope you find a little confidence in yourself soon, girl. After you win the race, we’ll have to concentrate on that area.”

“So I’m going to win the race, am I?” she teased.

“Of course,” her grandfather answered immediately. “Bet a fiver on you with Clancy. Easy money. Course I had to talk him into betting against you. He finally gave in, though.”

“I think I have a good chance,” she said, “but I haven’t seen the competition. They might all be pros.”

“Nope. The pros, as you call them, don’t stand a
chance against you. Now, I’ve got a few suggestions for increasing your speed just a wee bit more.…”

“Summer! Wait up a minute!” The summons came from David.

They turned and watched David jog toward them. Out of the corner of her eye, Summer noticed the smug expression on her grandfather’s face.

“Hi, David,” she said in a breathless little voice.

David seemed to be having a little trouble looking directly at her. In fact, he seemed downright fascinated with the part in her hair. She reacted by nonchalantly tossing her hair back over her shoulder.

“Listen, you did say you were going to help with the project, and I’ve got over thirty posters that need to be delivered. Ann’s going to take ten, and I’ll do ten, and—”