Crazy Summer by Cole Hart Read Free Book Online Page B

Summer.
    “We at Gran’ma’s house,” one of the twins said from the backseat.
    Summer, who was already gripping the door handle, replied, “Yeah, we at Grandmama’s house.” 
    She got out as if she was stepping onto a red carpet. She went to the back door on her side and removed one of the twins from the car seat. Danté did the same on the other side. She waited for them to come around, and the twins raced to the front door. Danté grabbed a mall shopping bag from the trunk that was loaded down with Christmas gifts for Mrs. Diane. When they got to the front door, one of her uncles had already opened it. His name was Willie James; he stood 6’1”, had wide shoulders, and a shiny baldhead with a salt-and-pepper beard and goatee. Willie James, who was in his mid-forties, was delighted to see his niece.
    “Hey, baby,” he said, wrapping his massive arms around her. “Merry Christmas.”
    “Merry Christmas,” she told him, smiling.
     When he released her, his eyes went to Danté. He extended his hand, and Danté shook it.
    “How ya’ doin’?” he said to Danté.
    “I’m alright.”
    “You my niece’s boyfriend, right?”
    “Yeah.”
    Willie James looked him over from head to toe. He cocked his head to one side and then to the other side. He curled his lips as if he approved of Danté being with his niece.
    “She in good hands,” Danté assured him, his eyes never leaving his stare.
    “I’ll accept dat,” Willie James said. “You drink?”
    Danté nodded.
    “Come on in, nephew.” He patted his shoulder and invited him inside the crowded house, where Summer was already mingling amongst family and friends.
    Everybody was happy to see her. Some women of the family rubbed her stomach, while the others adored the twins. When Danté entered the kitchen with Willie James, all eyes turned in their direction. He was introduced to everyone by her uncle as Summer’s boyfriend. He felt the stares from most of the men, who held beers in their hands, and the two ladies playing the back where food was being prepared gawked, also, but no one noticed. Seconds later, they went back toward the living room, leaving the men alone.
    Danté wanted to spend time getting to know the family, but first, he wanted to give Mrs. Diane the gifts he and Summer had bought. After excusing himself from Willie James, he found Summer and Mrs. Diane sitting alone in her bedroom. The door was open, but he knocked anyway. Summer and Mrs. Diane turned their head in unison.
    “Come on, baby,” Mrs. Diane said.
    Danté walked in and gave Mrs. Diane a hug and a polite kiss on the check. He’d known her since he was twelve, which was when he first moved into the neighborhood with his daddy. His mother died when he was nine, and even though he had a stepmother, he still looked at Mrs. Diane as a mother figure.
    “Merry Christmas, Mama.”
    “Same to you,” she said.
     Danté handed Mrs. Diane the shopping bag and then stood close to Summer with his hand resting on her shoulder. Just then, his pager vibrated on his hip. He removed it from his front pocket, brought it up to his face, and studied the number.
    “Lemme use da phone, Mama,” he said to Mrs. Diane, who had already started opening her gifts.
    After she told him to go ahead, he grabbed the cordless phone and dialed the number from his pager.
    “Sheraton Hotel, how may I help you?”
    Danté didn’t know it was a number to a hotel, but he did remember the three digits entered in his pager after the main number, so he figured it was the room number of the person who had paged him.
    “Room 406,” he told the lady.
    The call was transferred, and the phone rang twice before someone picked up.
    “Hey, lil’ playa,” the voice said from the other end.
    Danté had to take a moment to catch the voice, but then he recognized it. “Whazzup, Shay?”
    “I got a lil’ problem,” Shay told him. “Can you drop by in the next hour?”
    Danté looked at Summer, and just as he