“It’s a comedy,” he explained. “My friend Charlie said it was real funny.”
“Is he tall?” She asked the question before she could stop herself.
“Pardon me?” He looked puzzled and leaned down until his forehead was just inches from her upturned face. His aftershave smelled so clean and fresh and spicy, and Summer hoped he could smell her perfume.
“Oh, nothing,” she mumbled. She would work on finding a date for Regina later.
She enjoyed the movie, but David really liked it! His laughter, full and completely uninhibited, laced with an appreciative snort every now and then, drew stares from the people around them, but she didn’t mind at all. The fact that he was so relaxed and obviously enjoying himself pleased her. When he finished his extra-large tub of popcorn, he draped his arm around her shoulders as though it were the most natural thing to do. She felt like purring with contentment.
The movie ended all too soon as far as she was concerned. David suggested they go get hamburgers, and she quickly agreed. She was glad he didn’t suggest the Pizza Paddle because she didn’t want to share him with any of her friends just yet. That would come soon enough, at Ann Logan’s party…if she could get up her nerve to ask him.
“I’ve never known anyone named Summer,” David said on the way home. “Is it a family name?”
“No, Mom just liked it. Dad wanted to name me after a flower, but Mom won out.” Summer didn’t add that her father still occasionally called her Rosebud when he was in a teasing mood. That information came under the heading of “boring family trivia.”
“I like your name. It suits you.”
She wasn’t sure what David meant but knew that he was giving her a compliment. She was glad her name was Summer.
It wasn’t until they were saying good night on the front porch that she found enough courage to ask him to go to Ann Logan’s party with her. “I had a great time, David. Thank you for inviting me,” she whispered. The noise from the television was blaring through the screen door, and she didn’t want to alert her parents to the fact that they were home.
“I’ll pick you up at four tomorrow, okay?” he asked just as softly.
“Fine,” she answered. It was now or never. “A friend of mine—well, she really isn’t a friend, she’s a classmate—and she’s having this swim party next Wednesday night. We’re supposed to bring dates, and I was wondering if you would like to go with me.” The last was blurted out, but she didn’t care. David was smiling and nodding. He really seemed pleased she had asked him.
“Sure,” he answered. “We can talk about the time and all that tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay.”
He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned toward her. “Summer, is that you?” Her father’s voice surprised her and she jumped. David let go of her shoulders and took a step backward. Both of them began to laugh, and then everything was just fine.
“Yes, Dad,” she called. “I’ll be right in.”
She watched David walk down the steps before turning to go into the house.
“See you tomorrow,” David called over his shoulder.
“Did you have a good time, sweetheart?” her father asked.
“Just fine, Daddy,” Summer answered. “Just fine.”
Chapter 5
Regina was sitting on the porch steps when Summer returned from the park with a waterlogged Michael in tow. “How’d your swimming lesson go, Mike?” Regina asked.
“I got my face wet,” Michael answered as he threw himself on Regina’s lap. He was happy to see Regina and grinned up at her.
Summer settled next to the pair on the top step and gave Regina a blow-by-blow description of her date with David.
“He sounds too good to be true,” Regina sighed. “What about his friends? Any tall ones?”
“He mentioned a boy named Charlie. I’ll ask all the necessary questions when we play tennis today.”
“Just don’t be too eager when you tell him about me. And don’t say I’ve got a great personality,” Regina warned. “He’ll think I’m a dog. And be casual about it. If the opportunity doesn’t come up, wait until Ann’s party and then ask him.”
“Okay, okay,” Summer said. “Regina, I do know how to be tactful.”
Summer was so excited about David, she felt like jumping up and doing a little jig, just the way Michael did when he was told he was going to get some special treat. “Oh, Regina, David is almost perfect. He does have one little, tiny flaw, though,” Summer began.
“What?” Regina asked.
“You’ll think I’m being stupid…”
“So?”
“Well, he tells these really terrible jokes. I mean, they aren’t funny at all, but he thinks they are. After he tells the punch line, he laughs so hard his shoulders shake, and I don’t think he even notices that I’m not laughing. Honestly, Regina, he told one bad joke after another all the way home. I think he has a hidden ambition to be a stand-up comic,” Summer concluded.
“That’s not such a bad flaw,” Regina said. “I thought you were going to tell me something gross. Now, drooling, twitching, belching all the time…those are definite flaws.”
“Be serious,” Summer demanded.
“Okay,” Regina replied. “If telling bad jokes is David’s only flaw, then I still say he’s perfect. At least he has a sense of humor.”
“You’re right. He is perfect,” Summer agreed. “Now, let’s get down to business, Regina. How am I going to learn to play tennis before four o’clock?”
David was prompt. At exactly four o’clock he knocked on the screen door. He was also thoughtful. He produced an entire pack of Juicy Fruit gum and handed it to Michael, who immediately tore into the package with squeals of delight.
“Want to walk to the park?” David asked.
“Sure,” Summer agreed.
“Hey, Mike, is that a new towel you’re wearing?” David looked as though he was about to laugh, but Michael didn’t seem to care or notice that David was teasing him. He was too busy stuffing sticks of gum into his mouth.
“It’s my cape,” Michael explained between bites.
“Come on, Michael, it’s time to leave,” Summer called after him.
“I need my glasses Grandpa gave me,” Michael yelled back. He appeared a minute later with a pair of white children’s sunglasses perched on his nose.
“Want to ride on my shoulders to the park, Superman?” David asked.
When Michael nodded, David lifted him up over his head and placed him on his shoulders. Michael locked his boots under David’s chin.
“David, you’re really good with kids,” Summer said. She was secretly pleased that David wasn’t embarrassed by Michael’s attire. “You take things in stride.”
“Thanks. I like kids; they’re so natural and honest. You always know where you stand with them.”
“That’s certainly true of Michael,” Summer said.
David laughed. “There’s a swing set right next to the tennis courts. We’ll be able to keep an eye on Superman while we play.”
Summer found herself getting all nervous again. “Remember, I don’t know much about the game,” she said. “Oh…maybe when we get there you could find someone else to play with, and Michael and I could watch you. I mean, well…I wouldn’t want to slow you down.”
“I thought you said you’d played before,” David said while he readjusted Michael on his shoulders.
I would have said anything to go out with you, Summer secretly admitted. But after his remarks about liking Michael because he was so open and honest, she instinctively felt that telling him the truth wasn’t such a hot idea. “I have played,” she blatantly lied, “but it was years and years ago. I’m not too coordinated when it comes to playing tennis. Maybe you could give me a few pointers.”
David was watching her closely, and so she tried to flutter her eyelashes the way Regina suggested, hoping she looked innocent and cute at the same time.
“Do you usually wear g
lasses? We could go back and get them,” David asked, leaning down to have a closer look.
Summer immediately quit blinking and shook her head. So much for cute! “No, I don’t wear glasses.”
“Don’t worry about tennis,” David advised, changing the subject back. “I’ll be glad to teach you. I’m not very good either. We’ll just take it slow and easy.”
Famous last words, Summer concluded an hour later. It had started out easy enough. Michael cooperated by playing on the swings with a couple of older boys. Summer was convinced that she was putting on quite a show, running like a graceful ballerina all over her side of the court. She even managed a few dainty back kicks and one rather spectacular spin. She missed hitting the ball, of course, but she was close to it. Acting as if she knew what she was doing was hard, exhausting work. Exhausting, but well worth it. David had to be impressed! Summer certainly was.
“Okay, Summer,” David yelled. “That’s enough warm-up. Let’s play a game now.”
She knew her mouth fell open, and she felt her knees try to buckle on her. What have we been doing for the past hour? she wanted to ask, but she was panting too hard.
“You serve first,” David instructed. He was tossing a tennis ball in the air with his racket, like a pancake on a frying pan, and looked completely relaxed.
Summer gritted her teeth, smiled, and nodded.
She glanced over at Michael, hoping she could use him as an excuse, but her little brother was calmly sitting on a swing, waiting for one of his new friends to give him a push.
The Fates were against her! Summer was good and stuck, and she knew it. Taking a deep breath, she picked up a bright yellow tennis ball, give it a good glare, and then imitated what she thought was a pretty good serve. It jammed into the tennis net, and David promptly yelled, “Fault!”
“You don’t have to be so critical,” Summer muttered under her breath. She smiled at David and picked up another ball, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and served again. “Double fault!” David yelled.
Summer felt like a three-day-old fish, spoiling fast. Her perky ponytail had definitely lost its perk; her blue shirt was stuck on her shoulder blades, and her tennis socks were losing their elasticity. In short, she was a mess.
And it was all downhill after that. David was patient as he yelled encouragement and suggestions. He tried to keep a straight face when Summer tripped over her tennis racket and landed on her backside, and he even jumped over the net to help her get back to her feet. However, a few minutes later, when she crashed into the net, he had to turn around so she couldn’t see him, but she could hear his laughter. She glared at his back until he recovered, but she could still hear a few choked sounds coming from his direction.
Then she stood up and squared her shoulders, aching from head to toe. When David turned around and looked at her, she yelled, “And just what is so funny?” He didn’t answer, and she, knowing in her heart that he would never, ever ask her out again, got good and angry. “Look, David, I told you I wasn’t good at tennis!” She folded her arms in front of her and whacked her elbow with the tennis racket.
David jumped over the net again and jogged toward her, and she noticed that there wasn’t an ounce of sweat on him. Every hair was still in place on top of his beautiful head. He was grinning like crazy, and she felt her frustration slip away. “I played the best game I could,” she explained. “What more can I tell you?” she added, extending her hands.
David jumped out of the way of her racket in the nick of time and then grabbed it from her. “I never realized that a tennis racket could be a lethal weapon,” he said, chuckling, “until today.”
“Very funny,” Summer replied. She looked down at her socks, now firmly anchored around her ankles.
David continued to chuckle and threw his arm around her shoulders. “I don’t think I’ve ever had such a great time playing tennis. You’re something else.”
“I try,” she answered. “At least I didn’t broadcast to the whole world every time you messed up,” she added.
“What?” David sounded confused.
“You didn’t hear me scream ‘fault’ at you, did you?” she muttered. “It really isn’t very polite to point out another person’s faults, you know.”
“I wasn’t criticizing you,” he stammered. He started laughing again, and she shook her head in exasperation.
He waited until he’d regained some control and then said, “In tennis, saying ‘fault’ isn’t criticism. It’s just a way of keeping score. You’ll learn all that stuff when we play more.”
“You mean you want to play again?” she asked.
“Are you kidding? We’ve got to play again. I’ve had a great time,” he said. “And you’ve got potential. Really,” he added when she shook her head.
She could not contain her amazement. He really sounded as if he meant what he was saying. “You really want to try it again sometime?”
“Of course,” he replied enthusiastically. “Before you know it, we’ll be partners and playing in tournaments.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. What you see is what you’ve got.”
“I like what I see,” he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
Before she had a chance to answer, Michael came running toward them. “Summer, I’m tired,” he whined. “I want to go home right now!”
“I guess I should get going, too,” David said.
“I had a great time,” she said. She helped David pick up the duffel bag and the rackets and didn’t mind at all when he took hold of her hand.
“So did I,” he said softly. “I won’t be able to take you out again until the swim party.”
Summer must have looked disappointed, she decided, because he hurried to add, “I’ll see you at Mike’s swim lessons, though, won’t I?”
“Sure,” Summer answered, smiling.
“I’ll call you, okay?”
“Okay.”
He squeezed her hand, and Summer felt her heart pick up a beat. She was so happy she thought she was in heaven!
Chapter 6
Time dragged, time sped. One minute it seemed an eternity before Ann Logan’s party, and the next, Summer was ready to go. David was picking her up at six, but she was ready by five. She had to be. She would need an extra hour to rehearse the family. A queasy feeling lodged itself in her stomach as she sought out her mother. She wasn’t sure if she was nervous about the party or about her family. Probably a little of both, she decided.
“My, don’t you look lovely, dear. Since you’re ready to go, why don’t you give me a hand and set the table?”
“Mother, plan on eating right at six, okay?” Summer hoped that they’d have their mouths full of casserole and not be able to do more than wave when David arrived.
“Maybe I’ll wait for David on the porch,” Summer suggested once she had finished with the table.
“Don’t be silly,” her father admonished from behind the evening paper.
“You’ll look a bit eager, don’t you think?” her mother called from the dining room.
There was truth in that, Summer decided.
“Well, don’t make us stay and visit again, Daddy, okay?” Please, Dad, she silently prayed, try to understand how nervous I am.
“All right, Rosebud. Don’t worry so. It will be fine. You’ll see. We’ll all behave.” Her father’s face was still hidden behind the paper, but Summer knew he was smiling. She could hear the teasing tone in his voice.
“And, Daddy? Please don’t call me Rosebud in front of David,” Summer said. “That’s just for family,” she added in case she’d hurt his feelings.
When Summer opened the screen door for David, everyone but Grandpa was seated at the dining room table. They all appeared calm and decidedly normal as they greeted him. It was too good to be true. Even Grandpa cooperated—although he wasn’t aware of it—by staying in the basement.
Summer had just turned to walk toward the front door when it happened. The su
dden, grinding explosion of noise literally shook the rafters. A less wise person might have thought a jet had just landed in the living room, but not Summer. She knew better.
David jumped and then grabbed Summer by the shoulders, pulling her to his side as if to protect her. She sighed in defeat. She was vaguely aware of the iced tea glasses rattling on the table, Michael’s delighted yelps, and David’s horrified expression. She noticed that her father was calmly folding his napkin with that resigned expression on his face, but before she could propel David out the front door, a runaway vacuum cleaner whizzed right past them, crashed into the china cabinet, turned, and zoomed past them again. It was like watching a tennis tournament; all of them were frozen in place with only their heads moving back and forth as they followed the progress of the vacuum. Its speed defied all the laws of nature, including the law of gravity, for it suddenly launched itself halfway up the living room wall, and if Summer had so much as blinked, she would have missed the entire show. A resounding crash, and it was over. The vacuum lay in a heap, and everyone stared at it a long while. Silence reigned supreme.
“Just needs a few minor adjustments.” The bellow came from the doorway to the basement, and everyone automatically turned to stare at Grandpa. He wore a sheepish grin and held a remote control in his hand.
Could someone die of embarrassment? Summer was sure that if no one had yet, she was about to be the first. She couldn’t look at David, who still held her in a possessive grip as if he were too stunned to move. The low rumble in his chest alerted her that he still lived. He was trying hard not to laugh.
“You two better get going. Enjoy yourselves,” Summer’s father called. He was back at the dinner table, calmly scooping tuna casserole onto his plate as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
She had to lead David to the car. “It’s okay; you can laugh.” Summer placed her towel and swimsuit between them on the front seat, folded her hands in her lap, and looked straight ahead.