A Girl Named Summer by Julie Garwood Read Free Book Online Page A

really. Sometimes I think I want to be a doctor, but you have to be real good in science and I’m just average.”
    He found a place to park a block away from the theater. When she got out of the car, he took hold of her hand and held it until they reached the entrance. Neither spoke, but it was a comfortable silence. Summer was trying to memorize everything he said so she could tell Regina, and at the same time she wanted to be witty and interesting. It was an exhausting task! She felt herself tense up again and took a deep breath. “Do you play any sports?” she heard herself ask.
    “Sure,” he answered. “Lots of soccer and a little baseball. What about you?”
    “I was on a softball team,” she said, and that much was true. She just didn’t mention that she’d been eight years old at the time and signed up to play only becauseof the powder blue uniforms the girls got to wear.
    “What about tennis?” he asked. “I just got a new racket, but I haven’t played much.”
    “I’ve only played a couple of times,” she answered. “I don’t even know all the rules.”
    “Want to set up a game for tomorrow afternoon around four? It shouldn’t be too hot then.”
    “I wish I could,” she said, crossing her fingers. “But I have to watch Michael. Mom doesn’t get home from the flower shop until five.” She was pleased that he wanted to see her again but felt that she would make a complete fool of herself if she tried to play tennis. She did own a tennis racket, but only because Regina had given her one two summers ago when Regina had a crush on the tennis coach. They never actually played, just circled the tennis courts a couple of times a day in their white shorts, hoping to catch the coach’s eye.
    “Bring him with you,” he said. “He can play on the swings. What do you say?”
    He sounded so eager and enthusiastic. Summer decided she would have to agree. If she didn’t, David might think she didn’t want to be with him.
    “Okay, but I better warn you. With Michael along, we won’t get much tennis played.”
    “No problem,” David said. “Come on, let’s get some popcorn.”
    It wasn’t until they were seated in the middle of thecrowded theater and the lights were fading that Summer thought to ask what movie they were going to see.
    “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