Beach Blondes: June Dreams, July's Promise, August Magic (Summer) by Katherine Applegate Read Free Book Online Page B

about.
    “Stay off the conch fritters, Marquez,” she ordered herself sternly. She wasn’t going to get fat like her mother. That was fine for her mother, but Marquez had plans for the future. Finish high school, then college, then law school, then get a job as an associate at some big Washington or New York law firm and make partner. She needed to be in shape. She needed to look good in one of those boring skirt suits that lawyers wore. She needed to be able to go to the health club and play squash or racquetball with the partners.
    And in the meantime, it didn’t hurt to look good for guys.
    The door of the restaurant opened, and the new girl, Summer, came out. She looked a little dazed, blinking like an owl in the sunlight. But she was carrying a menu, an employee manual, and a plastic-wrapped uniform. Big surprise. The C ’n’ C was always looking for fresh meat. Mostly because people kept quitting. She would quit herself except that certain people still worked there. Certain people she should just forget about.
    Forget it, Marquez, set it aside. He was forgotten. He was history. He was something she had scraped off the bottom of her shoes.
    “Hey, you got the job, huh?” she asked.
    Summer squinted and located Marquez. “Yeah, I did get it. Only…” She looked back over her shoulder at the restaurant door and lowered her voice. “Only, I don’t know how to do anything.”
    Marquez laughed. “Nothing to it. I’ll have the head waitress put you with me for the first couple days. I’ll show you what to do.”
    “Thanks,” Summer said. “That would be really, really nice of you. Thanks for recommending me for this job.”
    “Wait till you see what you look like in that uniform, then you can thank me, if you still want to,” Marquez said. “Not to mention the fact that it’s very hard work.”
    “The manager said it was like a big family.”
    “Yeah. The Manson family. Or the Menendez family. Or maybe the Addams family. So, now what?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean, hey, it’s not even noon, what have you got planned for the day?”
    Summer shrugged. “I guess I thought I’d just look around.”
    “Yeah? You got anything on for tonight?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “How about you go to this party with me?”
    “What party?”
    “Adam Merrick’s having a party. He has them all the time, over on his daddy’s estate.”
    Summer felt a rush of excitement, chased immediately by a wave of nervousness and uncertainty. Right. Like she should be going to parties at some billionaire’s house. “I better not,” she said. “I mean, he doesn’t even know me or anything. I couldn’t just show up.”
    “Where are you from, Summer?”
    “Um, Bloomington, Minnesota. It’s the home of the Mall of America, the biggest mall in the world.” Stop saying things like that! Summer ordered herself. No one cares about the mall!
    “Oh, I see. And people up in Bloomyburg are probably real polite and all, right? But see, this is Crab Claw Key. The rules are all different here. Mostly the rule is that there aren’t any rules. You wear what you want. You go where you want. You say what you want. You be what you want. Nobody here is going to care if you’re white or black or gay or straight or whatever religion you are or where you come from, all that stuff. As long as you’re cool and don’t hassle people and don’t be all judgmental, everyone’s equal.”
    Summer nodded. “Okay. I understand, but still—”
    Marquez waved her hand dismissively. “And the only other rule is—when there’s a party, everybody is invited.”
    “Okay. I get it. Okay.” Summer sucked in a deep breath of hot, wet air. She was going to go for it. What good was summer vacation if you didn’t take some chances? “But what should I wear?”

    “Here’s our old friend, Jerry. Would you like to touch him today? He’s very nice, you know.” Diana held the child safely in her arms, just letting the little girl’s