“I think you should leave that up to Summer,” Diver said.
Diana held up her hands. “I’m just engaging in some idle speculation. Summer says she wants nothing to do with Austin, then she spends the day with him, loses her engagement ring, and spends more time with him. I think it’s a little weird, is all.”
Marquez stopped peddling. Sweat trickled down her forehead. Her feet felt glued to the pedals. She climbed off stiffly, like an old woman. The room spun for a moment. She grabbed the handlebars for support.
“You okay over there?” Diver asked.
Marquez nodded. “I’m feeling the burn.”
“You’re not supposed to exercise to the point of collapse, Marquez,” Diana chided.
“Like you would know?”
“I read Glamour. I know these things.”
“Yeah, well, I read the numbers on my bathroom scale.”
Diana shook her head. “Hey, they’re your muscles. I just happen to prefer less-strenuous exercise.”
“Like aerobic check-writing.”
Diver pointed to the couch. “Why don’t you sit down and recover?”
“Can’t. I’m all sweaty. I need to take a shower.”
“The first shower in our new apartment,” Diana exclaimed.
“You are not photographing it for posterity, either,” Marquez said.
“I wouldn’t mind a copy of that picture,” Diver said.
Diana trained her camera out the window. “You think Summer’s going to tell Seth the truth about the ring?” She paused. “Or about Austin?”
Marquez hobbled toward the bathroom. She felt disoriented, the conversation buzzing past her like a tennis match she couldn’t follow. “What?” she asked.
“Summer. You think she’ll tell Seth?”
Marquez blinked. “Anybody seen my backpack?”
“Over by the door,” Diver said. “Marquez? You sure you’re okay? You look kind of pale.”
“I just need a shower.” Marquez grabbed her backpack. “See you in a minute. And no unauthorized photos, Diana.”
“Yeah.” Diana laughed. “The tabloids would pay big money to see you in the buff, Marquez.”
Marquez closed the bathroom door behind her. Diana’s comment stung. It was just a joke, just Diana mouthing off as usual, the kind of teasing Marquez had done herself a million times. So why were tears burning her eyes?
She wasn’t tracking, wasn’t making sense. She was so, so tired.
She needed to clear her head. A hot shower would be good. Maybe the pills, and then a hot shower.
She locked the door and dug through her backpack for the little bottle.
She poured some into her palm. Little white pills. Her hands were shaking.
How many should she take? She should have asked.
She wanted to make them last. But when she ran out, she could always go back to the Cramp ’n’ Croak. Willi, the day cook there, could always get her more, or if not Willi, plenty of other people she knew.
She put one on her tongue. Leaning her head into the old-fashioned porcelain sink, she turned on the tap and swallowed the pill.
That would be good for starters.
Marquez took off her clothes and stepped into the claw-footed tub. She pulled the curtain around her and turned the water on as hot as she could stand. The fine spray was like needles on her skin. The heat made her dizzy.
After a while she dried off and put on her terry robe. Already she felt a little buzzy. She wasn’t sure what to expect. But she knew what she wanted.
She wanted the hunger to go away. She wanted to stop being so very, very tired.
She wanted to be thinner. Just a little thinner. And she didn’t know why, but she just couldn’t wait any longer. She had to make the need go away.
Her hair still dripping, she went into the living room and cuddled up next to Diver. Diana was out on the back balcony, camera in hand.
“You look better already,” Diver said. He kissed her tenderly.
“Amazing what a shower can do for your outlook,” Marquez said.
“Feeling any better?” Austin asked Summer.
“A little.” Summer managed a halfhearted smile.
They were sitting in white chaises by the side of the little kidney-shaped pool behind the apartment. Thick palms filtered the rosy twilight rays. A tiny stone fountain featuring a decrepit-looking cherub trickled softly. The scent of jasmine was heavy in the air.
“I’m glad I wasn’t working tonight and could be with you in your hour of need,” Austin said.
Summer punched him in the arm. “I’ve had about enough of your sarcastic ring remarks.”
“Hey, I’m the one who risked life and limb climbing out onto the roof to check the gutter. You know how old that roof is?”
“How old?”
“Real damn old, that’s how old.”
“Well, thanks. I’m glad you could stick around, too. For some reason, Diana seemed kind of mad at me about the whole thing. And Marquez has been really distracted lately. So I guess it was nice to have some moral support.” She dipped her toe into the warm pool water. “Even if it was you.”
“So you’re sorry you told me to get lost when I showed up today?”
“I didn’t exactly tell you to get lost.”
“I recall some mention of Toledo.”
Summer turned to face Austin. She thought for a moment. “Look, I won’t deny I don’t…mind having you around, Austin. And since it looks like there’s no way to avoid it, with you working downstairs, all I ask is that we keep it just friends. Platonic. No complications. I have enough complications in my life at the moment.”
“Platonic.” He made a sour face. “Does that mean no touching whatsoever?”
“Under no circumstances.”
He got up and stood behind her chair, grasping her shoulders in his hands. “What if I were to, say, give you a shoulder massage? Strictly therapeutic?”
Summer squirmed out of reach. “That would not qualify as platonic.”
“Sure it would. Waiters give each other shoulder massages all the time after a long shift.”
“No wonder you’re so popular at the café.”
“No, that would be because of my simmering sexuality and irresistible charm.”
Austin reached for her shoulders again and began to knead them with slow, deliberate strokes. It felt heavenly.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“No,” she lied. She glanced over her shoulder nervously. From there the third-floor balcony was barely visible.
“What?” Austin asked. “Afraid someone will see you?”
“No,” she lied.
“Relax. Nobody upstairs can see us through all these palms. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with getting a shoulder rub, Summer. We are consenting adults.” Austin bent a little closer, still kneading. “Besides, if I wanted this to go any further, I’d do something like lean close….”
Summer felt his hand gently gathering her hair to one side, baring her neck. She shivered. He leaned even closer. She could feel his warm breath. She wanted to move, but she couldn’t.
“Then,” Austin continued in his low, soothing whisper, like wind through leaves, “then I’d brush my lips against the side of your neck, like so….”
She felt the soft warmth of his mouth touching her neck. For one horrible, tantalizing moment, she almost turned to face him. A few more inches and his mouth would be on hers—
What was she doing? She cleared her throat. “You know,” Summer said suddenly, her voice shaky, “Seth proposed to me by a pool.”
Austin laughed. “Whoa, you sure know how to dampen the mood.”
“There was no mood, Austin. There’s not going to be any mood.”
“I believe this is called ‘denial.’ It’s not just a river in Egypt.”
“Very funny.” Summer tried not to smile.
Austin ran his fingers across her shoulder blades. “If there is no mood, how come I’m still
giving you a shoulder massage?”
Summer yanked free of his grasp. “You’re not,” she said crisply.
Austin shrugged. “Your loss. It’s a great stress reducer, you know. And you’re stressed out.”
Summer rubbed her eyes. “You’re right about that, at least. What am I going to tell Seth?”
“You realize I’m not exactly an impartial observer.” Austin stroked his chin. “But if I were you, I’d probably hold off telling him. Maybe the thing’ll turn up.”
“I probably shouldn’t take your advice, but in this case I happen to agree with you. I mean, there’s no point in worrying Seth unnecessarily. In the meantime, I’ve got to get a job, and quick. Maybe I could earn enough to buy another one before I see him again. You think I could match it?”
“Oh, you can probably find one at any Kmart,” Austin said with a laugh. “So, we still on for tomorrow? I really don’t mind driving you to some interviews. Although there’s always Jitters.”
“I think I’ll pass on Jitters.” Summer hesitated. “In fact, I think I’ll pass on the ride, too. I’ll take the bus. Or I can wait till later and borrow Marquez’s car or Diana’s.”
“Marquez is driving Diver back tomorrow. And you said Diana had errands to run. Let me drive you. I promise it will be entirely platonic chauffeuring. You need to start your savings account so that you can replace that ring. Although I do know a bubble gum machine where you could find a good match.”
Summer stifled a smile.
“Go ahead,” Austin challenged. “Laugh. I know you want to.”
“I do not. I do not find you amusing.”
Austin shook his head. “Yes, you do.”
“You have such an ego for someone who keeps getting rejected.”
For a moment Austin fell serious. His dark eyes surveyed her with longing so intense she could feel the pull of it. “I know how you really feel, Summer,” he said softly. “I felt the way you kissed me over spring break. And I can wait a long time for something that good to happen again.”
Summer touched his shoulder gently. “Then you’re going to wait a very long time, Austin.”
“You know what they say,” he replied, the intensity replaced by a casual tone. “Good things come to those who wait.”
14
To Be or Not to Be a File Clerk; That Is the Question.
Summer awoke the next morning to a mattress that smelled like an old tennis shoe. Diana was up, her bed already made. The shower was running.
Summer padded out to the living room. Diver was on the front balcony, reading the morning paper.
“Hi,” Summer said uncomfortably. “Mind if I borrow the want ads?”
She took a seat on one of the old wicker rockers the previous tenant had left behind. The morning sun was brilliant, the air filled with a rich, loamy smell from the carefully tended garden below.
Diver handed Summer the classified section. “Diana’s taking a shower, I think. And Marquez is still asleep. She was kind of wired last night.” He cleared his throat. On the street below, a group of tourists in gaudy T-shirts and wide-brimmed straw hats trooped by. “How did you sleep?”
“Okay. It’s weird having just a mattress on the floor. It’s also weird having one that smells like Grandma Smith’s attic.”
Diver smiled shyly. Summer studied the want ads. She felt stupid, bringing up a relative. In a strange way, it didn’t feel as if she and Diver were related anymore.
“Remember that time—” Diver ran his fingers through his shimmering blond hair. “Remember that time you and I watched the sunrise on the stilt house roof?”
Summer nodded. “I remember.”
“It was the best sunrise I ever saw.”
“Me, too.”
They fell silent. Summer scanned the ads. There wasn’t much to choose from—pretty much the same stuff she’d seen advertised all week.
Just then Diana appeared on the porch. She was wearing a red velour robe and had one of her mother’s towels wrapped around her head. Already she had on makeup.
“If I’d known you talked in your sleep, Summer, I would have roomed with Marquez.” Diana leaned over the edge of the railing and inhaled the sweet-smelling air. “All night long. ‘Oh, please, Austin’ and ‘Yes, yes, Austin.’”
“I did not!” Summer cried, horrified.
Diana nodded. “Jeez, Summer. You think you know someone….”
Summer felt her cheeks heating. She had had a dream about Austin, and a pretty juicy one at that. Could she really have—
“Oh, relax, don’t look so frantic. You slept like a log. Although you do snort sometimes.”
“I do not snore.”
“Not snore, snort.” Diana made a little hoglike noise. “Don’t worry. It’s kind of endearing.”
“You’re certainly in a good mood,” Diver said.
“I’m going shopping. Need I say more? But I’ll be back this afternoon if you need the car for job hunting, Summer.”
“That’s okay. I’m covered.” Summer chose not to mention her chauffeur for the day. There was no point in getting Diana started. “Here’s what I’ve narrowed it down to. A restaurant called Kaboodles needs a lunch waitron. A pancake house on the edge of town needs one for breakfast, but I think they make you wear a frilly pink apron.”
“Skip that one,” Diana advised. “Pink is not your color.”
“Those of us who work for a living don’t pick our jobs that way,” came a hoarse voice from the living room.
“Marquez!” Diana exclaimed. “You look…not quite human.”
Marquez joined them on the porch, slouching against the ivy-covered wall. There were dark, shiny circles under her eyes. “I had a rough night.”
Diana grinned at Diver.
“No, not like that,” Marquez said irritably. “I just couldn’t get to sleep. I was tossing and turning like crazy. Diver slept on the couch.” She nudged Summer. “So, what were your other choices?”
“Oh.” Summer glanced at the paper. “The newspaper needs a part-time proofreader, which could be dangerous, since it involves spelling. Oh, yeah—there’s a place down the highway that needs a file clerk. Something to do with dolphins, which might be cool.”
“Filing for Flipper. Take that one,” Marquez advised.
“No, don’t,” Diana said forcefully.
Everyone looked at her in surprise.
“I mean, I know that place. The Dolphin Interactive Therapy Institute, right?”
Summer nodded. “So?”
“So it’s like a really long drive from here. How would you get there? The buses aren’t exactly reliable. And I think it’s in this rickety building, really scuzzy-looking and…” Diana trailed off.
Summer and Marquez were gazing at her in bafflement.
“What gives, Diana?” Marquez asked.
Diana sighed. She wasn’t going to find a way out of this. “I…um…I volunteer there.”
For a moment no one spoke. “You?” Marquez demanded. “You volunteer?”
“It’s no big deal, okay? It’s just something I do.”
“What do you do there, Diana?” Summer asked, as surprised as Marquez was by this revelation.
Diana shrugged off the question. “Just…stuff. Work with the kids. Mostly they’re abused and kind of messed up. They spend time with the dolphins, and sometimes they start to open up.”
Marquez’s mouth was hanging open. “I don’t understand. This is…like…nice, Diana.”
Diana sighed again. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you.”
“I think it’s fantastic, Diana,” Summer said, touched by the faint blush on Diana’s cheeks. Diana never blushed. “So I guess you wouldn’t want me hanging around, huh?”
Diana adjusted the tie on her robe. “It’s not like that. It’s just…you know, it was kind of my private place. I did it all last year, too, and you guys never caught on. But I knew with us living together…” She sighed. “Go ahead and apply, Summer. It’s not like I
own the place. Anyway, I gotta get ready. I’ve got a full day at the mall planned.”
“What’s the occasion?” Marquez asked.
“You don’t need an occasion to shop, Marquez. But I’m on the lookout for some traveling clothes.” She started to leave, pausing in the doorway. “I’m going out to the West Coast with Mallory for a few days. She’s got a big book tour, and I thought she might want some company. We’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Whoa, hold on.” Marquez grabbed her by the sleeve. “You’re spending time with your mother deliberately? This is too much to deal with. Somebody get me a chair.”
“I’ve got a lap here,” Diver offered.
“I’d crush you,” Marquez said. She stared at Diana in disbelief. “I’m having information overload here. You volunteer with needy kids and you’re going to hang out with your mom for no reason? Where is evil Diana? Who are you and what have you done with her?”
Diana favored her with a smile. “I can see why this would be difficult to grasp. I’m a complex woman, Marquez. Whereas you are, well, your basic one-celled organism.”
“Where will you be on the West Coast, Diana?” Diver asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. La-la land. Beverly Hills. Places with Armani and Donna Karan boutiques.”
“Newport Beach?” Summer asked. “That’s a little south of L.A.”
“Is that where Seth is working?” Diana asked.
Summer nodded. “Maybe you could say hi to him. He’d probably love to see a friendly face.”
“I don’t know,” Diana said. “There probably won’t be much time. But for you, I’ll give it a try.”
Marquez eyed Diana doubtfully. “Suddenly she’s Mother Teresa. Man, I need a cup of coffee. You are definitely full of surprises, Diana.”
On the street below, someone honked. Austin pulled up in an old red Karmann Ghia convertible. “Your chariot awaits,” he called.
Diana smiled coolly at Summer. “It seems,” she said, “I’m not the only one who’s full of surprises.”
Summer slumped into the passenger seat of Austin’s car. It was noon, and the sun was merciless. “Well, so far I’m oh-for-four. At this rate I really will have to pick up shifts at Jitters. Although they’d probably tell me I’m underqualified. Or overqualified. Or they’ll keep my application on file. Or tell me to come back next week when the manager’s in…”