Summer Love by Jill Santopolo Read Free Book Online

pointing to different pages in the catalog and seem to be arguing. You look back at Adam.
    â€œSure,” you say. “A soda sounds great. A walk, too.”
    The two of you head toward the snack bar, and you can’t help but notice how tall Adam is. It seems as if he could tuck your head right underneath his chin. Actually, you might need a pair of heels to reach his chin.
    â€œAre you six five?” you blurt out. “Six four?”
    â€œSix three,” he tells you, with a smile. “And yes, I do play basketball.”
    That might explain the abs. He’s clearly an athlete.
    â€œSo where are the triplets’ parents?” you ask him.
    You’re at the snack bar now. He orders himself a Sprite and asks what you want. “Orange soda,” you tell him.
    â€œHuh,” he says before ordering your drink. “I had you pegged for a Diet Coke. That’s what most of the girls here drink.” He signs the chit for both drinks and hands you yours.
    â€œI guess I’m not like most of the girls,” you say. You’re definitely flirting now.
    He looks intrigued. “I guess not. Anyway, their dad is golfing, and their mom is playing tennis. Then she’s getting a manicure and having her hair done for some party they’re going to tonight.”
    You nod and take a sip of your soda. The orangey tang explodes in your mouth. You can’t understand why everyone doesn’t drink orange soda. It’s clearly the best soda ever invented.
    â€œAnd how did you end up working for them?”
    Adam takes a gulp of his Sprite. “My sister did it last year, but she’s spending the summer in France as an au pair for a family over there. So she handed the gig over to me. We have two little half sisters—five and six now—so I’ve got little-kid experience, but these three are a lot.”
    â€œYeah, you totally have your hands full,” you say.
    While you were talking, Adam steered you toward the dock, where the country club members tie up their boats. Tasha’s parents don’t have one, but you see Jade and Dex’s dad’s sailboat bobbing in the water. It’s called
The Lady Eileen
, named after Jade and Dex’s mom.
    â€œBut like I said before, the pay’s great.” Adam sits down on the dock and slips off his flip-flops. He dangles his feet in the water. “I’m saving up for a car, and I think I’ll make enough this summer to get the one I want.”
    You wonder how great the pay really is. And think about the fact that Adam’s saving up to buy a car himself. When Tasha turned seventeen, her parents bought her a car, and your parents said they’d do the same for you next year.
    â€œWhat are you looking to get?” you ask, sitting down next to him.
    â€œWant to guess?” He leans back on his elbows, and now his head is about level with yours.
    You think about the facts you’ve learned. Athletic, hard worker, big family . . .
    â€œA Jeep?” you ask.
    He laughs, a rumbly one, deep in his stomach. “The exact opposite. I want a two-seater convertible.A 1986 Corvette. It’s the car my dad had in college, and he always used to talk about how awesome it was. Plus, if it’s small, I won’t get roped into doing too much little-sister chauffeuring.”
    You could see him in an old-school Corvette. It works. Maybe better than a Jeep.
    â€œSo now you just have to make it through a summer with the triplets.” You lean back on your elbows, too, so your shoulder is next to his arm. Adam is so different from the guys you know. He seems more real, somehow. More grown-up, even though he must be about the same age as Dex.
    â€œOh, I’ll make it through,” he says. “Especially if you’re around to give me a hand.”
    You give him a sad smile. “I won’t be,” you say. “I’m only visiting for the weekend. My cousin’s here