The Last Days of Summer by Vanessa Ronan Read Free Book Online Page A

floors are freshly mopped that the black and white tiles seem to shine. She likes the quiet stretch of the prairie that surrounds them. It comforts her. The vast emptiness reassures. And, anyway, Mom needs her to help make ends meet.
    It was on those quiet nights that Katie first started reading the papers. Was on a headline that she first heard Uncle Jasper was getting out. The caption next to his photograph had read ‘A MONSTER RELEASED: Jasper Curtis, Convict, Shows No Remorse’. In the photo, he was not smiling. She had stared into his eyes for a long time, bottle of Heinz half empty in one hand, screwed-off lid in the other. She had stared at him, and he’d stared back, but she couldn’t tell nothing by looking at him – he just looked pixellated, mass-produced, papery thin. The ink under his name had smudged.
    Tonight Katie’s grateful for the familiar quiet of the diner, though she wishes Key Lime Pie’s eyes wandered less. Patsy Cline sings a sad love song on the radio. Feels good to be out of the house, away from all that’s different. Feels good to be somewhere where it’s possible to imagine things remain unchanged. She brings the man his pie and sets it on the counter. Takes his dirty plate.
Catches a glimpse of his eighteen-wheeler parked outside. ‘Thanks, baby,’ he says, his voice low and gravelly, and she doesn’t like him calling her that, but she smiles all the same, nodding towards his pie.
    ‘Everything all right now?’
    He grunts in response and she can feel his eyes on her as she walks away. She leans against the glass of the pie display just to feel the cool. Greasy heat from the kitchen still slides down her back even though right now Tom isn’t cooking. Chances are he’s outside having a cigarette.
    The door opens. A gush of heat sweeps in with it. A tiny bell chimes. She turns to see who’s there.
Another table, good, maybe tips will be decent.
Then stops short and smiles. ‘Josh!’ Two steps and he’s from the door over to her already, arms around her waist. They kiss. And the taste of him makes her dizzy, clouds her head and sends her floating. The trucker looks up from his pie and grunts. Then looks down again.
    ‘Slow night, huh?’ Joshua’s eyes quickly take in the empty diner, linger on the lone trucker. His half-eaten pie. ‘What time you off?’
    ‘One.’ She makes a pouty face, a face she knows he likes.
    He lets out his breath. ‘You serious? I was hoping maybe you could get off early. Go on a drive for a while.’
    She makes that sad face again. Hopes she looks cute. ‘It’s just me ’n’ Tom. You know I’m stuck.’
    He sits down on one of the stools. Shakes his head slightly. Light brown hair that curls when it starts to grow long. He could use a haircut soon. ‘I don’t much like you working here.’
    Head still spinning from that kiss, she stiffens. An old argument. ‘You know as good as I there ain’t many jobs in this town ’n’ Penny only needs me nights.’ She pops the top off a bottle of Coke and hands it to him. He reaches across the counter and takes a straw. His daddy’s an oil man so he doesn’t have to work summers. And come this time next year he’ll be packing off to go to college somewhere, no doubt on some football scholarship, Mr All-American. And she? Well, Katie reckons she’ll still be here. Left well and true behind. She shudders, shakes her head to clear such thoughts.
Don’t be stupid. Josh loves me.
He says something, but she doesn’t hear it. Watches his lips move, just doesn’t hear it. She tries to bring herself back to now.
Josh came to see me, that’s all that matters.
Head still light and spinning.
    ‘Did you miss me?’
    ‘Course I missed you.’ His smile falters. ‘But I came round to see you for another reason too.’
    Here, now, focus. Big blue eyes meet his. ‘Yeah?’
Keep your breath steady.
    ‘I don’t like him in your house.’
    Her breath’s calm, the nearness of him less intoxicating as he