The Summer of Jake by Rachel Bailey Read Free Book Online

to ten before replying. “I haven’t told you because I don’t understand it myself. It just happened.”
    “Nonsense. Things like that don’t just happen. I’ll never know why you can’t seem to keep a man. You’re attractive and well-spoken. Men don’t mind if your career isn’t flourishing. That’s for your parents to worry about. Maybe if you—”
    “Mum, can we not talk about my love life tonight, please?”
    She shrugged and continued eating.
    At least she hadn’t asked about my ex-job—she just had a standing expectation I wasn’t doing well in my career. One small mercy.
    But still, I didn’t need her pointing out on a regular basis that my love life was a disaster area littered with failed relationships. I was well aware of its status.
    Only Thomas had seemed to last any length of time, but there was just something that hadn’t felt right about being with him. On the surface, everything was fine—he said he loved me, we got along well, we liked the same things, and my mother liked him, despite his modern day hippie family. But something was missing. Maybe my mother was right and the wedding had put me off. I couldn’t see myself staying with Thomas long-term, and truthfully, I knew why.
    I was a hopeless dreamer. My parents had always wanted me to focus on my schoolwork, on my music and dance lessons, on anything substantial and proper .
    Instead, I loved silly and frivolous things, like running along the beach and feeling the wind in my hair. Like surrounding myself in vibrant, not-at-all-conservative colors, and designing clothes people might never buy.
    Like watching boys in surfing competitions.
    I looked at my parents and wondered if we’d clashed because of the large generation gap. Maybe as a child, I’d felt I couldn’t connect with them because they were older than any of my friends’ parents? Then again, I suspected we’d have had the same differences if I’d been born earlier in their marriage. Perhaps I’d been switched at birth.
    We ate in silence for a few minutes until my mother spoke again. “Why did your father loan you the Volvo? Has that ridiculous car of yours broken down again?”
    I took a breath and said in a cool, controlled tone, “She’s not a ridiculous car. Mindy’s a good car, and I love her.”
    “Love a car? That’s absurd—”
    I threw a pleading look at my father, who gave a slight nod then cleared his throat. “How are your designs going, dear?”
    Finally, a topic I could talk about without seeing that touch of disappointment in their expressions. “I’ve arranged to have two designs in Jake Maxwell’s surf shops. You remember him? Kelly’s brother.”
    “Of course we remember him,” my father said. “I read another article about him in the paper last week. About his business expanding. The press loves a local-boy-made-good story.”
    “He has done really well, hasn’t he?” I felt an inexplicable surge of pride, even if I was still angry with him.
    “Mmm,” my mother said. “ He’s a good catch. Why don’t you set your sights on him?”
    Set my sights on him? Annoyance flushed through my body. If it were that easy, I’d have just set my sights on him years ago. Besides, would my parents have approved of me dating teenaged Jake? He wasn’t a local-boy-made-good back then. Just a local-boy-surfing-all-the-time-looking-scruffy.
    I put extra effort into ensuring my voice was civil. “Don’t you want me to be happy? Whether I’m with a good catch or not?”
    “You would be happy with him, dear,” my mother said patiently. “He’s rich, attractive, and successful, despite that unfortunate business with his father. You already know his mother and sister, and you’ve always said he was respectful to them. What more do you want? Of course you’d be happy.”
    “What more do I want?” I felt my temper rising, an uncommon event with my parents, even considering my regular irritation in their presence. “Love. To love and be