Sun-Kissed Christmas

by Katherine Applegate

  “I’ve heard it. Harris has some old, worn record he used to play. ‘I’ll be seeing you in all the old familiar places …’”

  “That’s the one.”

  “Yeah, it is sad, when you think about all the men and women who died. All the couples who were never reunited.”

  Another car, even more rust-eaten than Austin’s, rolled up. Diver jumped out and waved to Summer and Austin.

  “You know, I could stick around if you want,” Austin said. “That tent’s tough to put up. Especially with this wind. Weather sure has been freaky lately.”

  “I’ll manage.”

  “It might require some manly brute strength.”

  “The same could be said of Esme,” Summer replied coolly. “Besides, I can get Diver to help. And Seth’s coming over later to work on our roof. You’d better hit the road.”

  “Look, if you do go ahead with your plan, call me, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  Austin started to leave, then hesitated. “You know, you were wrong about what you said the other day. I do have a romantic bone in my body.” He grinned. “I’m thinking it may be my left tibia, but I’d need an X ray to verify it.”

  Summer crossed her arms over her chest. “Whatever you say.”

  “If you read some of my latest poetry, you’d believe me.”

  “Odes to Esme?”

  Austin’s smile faded. He looked as though he was about to say something, then reconsidered. “I’ve been working on another subject, actually.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, you know how poets are. We don’t like to discuss works in progress.”

  “When will you be done with it?”

  “I don’t know,” Austin said, and he suddenly looked terribly sad. “Maybe never.”

  Summer watched Austin head back to his car. He passed Diver on the way, acknowledging him with a terse nod.

  “What’s up with Austin?” Diver asked.

  “You tell me. You’re his roommate.”

  Diver sat on the steps. “I told you. We don’t discuss our feelings.”

  “I forgot.” Summer sighed. “Just your gaskets, right?”

  “Carburetors. What’s the tent for?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Diver leaned back, face raised to the sun. “Marquez back from her lunch shift?”

  “Yeah. She and Sarah are building sand castles down on the beach. At least, Marquez is. Sarah’s kind of just observing.”

  “Summer? Everything okay? You look a little confused.”

  Summer sat down beside her brother. “I am. Austin’s confusing me. My history project’s confusing me. I guess you could pretty much say life is confusing me. How come you never seem confused, Diver?”

  He smiled at her. “Because I accept my confusion instead of fighting it. It’s easier that way.”

  “Does Marquez ever confuse you?”

  Diver laughed. “Every day. But that’s okay. I love her. So I figure the confusion is the price I have to pay to be in love. It seems like a fair trade-off. It’s just one of the mysteries of life. I like it that way.”

  “I wish I did.”

  Diver kicked off his shoes and stretched out his legs. “Today at work we had this great mystery.”

  Summer smiled. Diver’s job guaranteed he always had some strange new alligator or pelican story to tell.

  “A lady came in this morning with this Kleenex box filled with six baby birds. She’d found the mother nearby. It looked like maybe a cat or a dog had killed her. I could tell right away they were roseate spoonbills, this really rare species. Cool, right?”

  “Right.”

  “So I put them under the warming lamp. But the whole time my boss is freaking out because there are six of these birds, when everybody knows a spoonbill will lay two or three eggs at the most.”

  “Any third-grader knows that,” Summer said, grinning.

  “So I finally told Hal just to go with it, that it’s a mystery, but that in the meantime I could use some help.” Diver frowned. “Did this story have a point? I’ve sort of forgotten.”

  “I love your Animal Planet stories,” Summer said. “It doesn’t really matter whether they have a point or …” Summer stopped. A brilliant idea had just popped into her brain, squeezing out every other thought. “Diver, these spoon birds are rare, right?”

  “Spoonbills. In the old days they used to kill them and use their feathers for women’s hats. They’re protected now, though.”

  “So these sextuplets would be a major draw, right?”

  “If you’re into birds, sure.”

  Summer leapt up. “Diver, I am suddenly less confused. About one thing, anyway. And I have you to thank for it.”

  “You’re welcome, I guess.” Diver looked up at her, squinting into the sunlight. “So how come I’m more confused?”

  “Just one of the mysteries of the universe,” Summer said happily.

  Diana jumped when Summer threw open her bedroom door. “Jeez! I was afraid you were Sarah,” she said, hand to her heart. “Quick, close the door. She’s still playing with Marquez, right?”

  Summer made her way through the minefield of unwrapped toys spread over Diana’s floor. “Well, playing might be pushing it. She’s been awfully subdued today, have you noticed?”

  “I know. I’m worried about her.”

  “Want me to help wrap?”

  “If you want,” Diana said tersely.

  “Are you mad at me about something, Diana?”

  “No. Why?”

  “You’ve just seemed kind of standoffish the past couple of days. Distant.”

  “I’ve got a lot on my mind,” Diana said. “Sarah and all that.”

  “And Seth?”

  Diana curled a long piece of ribbon with the edge of her scissors. “And Seth.”

  “There’s nothing between Seth and me anymore,” Summer said. “You’ve got to believe that, Diana, or you two aren’t going to have a chance.”

  “I’m supposed to believe you’re rooting for us?”

  “I am. I love you both. I’m not saying it isn’t weird seeing you together. But I do want things to work out for you two.”

  “I wish I could believe that,” Diana said softly. “I want to believe it, but … it’s so hard. After everything that’s happened between us. I thought I could handle it better. I was wrong.”

  Summer grabbed a roll of snowman wrapping paper. “I’m going to tell you something I haven’t told anyone, okay? I still have … feelings … for Austin.”

  “Wow, breaking news. Alert CNN,” Diana said in a deadpan voice. “Marquez and I have been telling you that for weeks. What are you, oxygen-deprived? Is your brain even functioning?”

  “Well, if you think that already, why are you worried about Seth and me?”

  Diana shrugged. “How can I know how things’ll end up with you and Austin? Even you don’t know. Besides, Seth was your first love, Summer. You never get over your first love.”

  “Sure you do.” Summer hesitated. “If your second love is the one you want to last forever.”

  Diana was surprised to see tears in Summer’s eyes. “Is that what Austin is?”

  “Maybe. But I don’t think he feels the same way about me anymore. If he ever did. I know that’s not what you want to hear. But it’s the truth.” She paused. “And it’s also the truth that Seth and I are over for good. Okay?”

  Diana gave a small smile. “Okay. Thanks, Summer.” She tossed a roll of ribbon. “Here. Make yourself useful.”

  Summer reached for the stuffed lamb Diana had bought for Sarah. “Cute.”

  “Marquez doesn’t think so. She says Lamb is irreplaceable. I say he’s a health hazard.”

  Summer found a pair of scissors on the floor and cut out a large square from the roll of snowman paper. “Listen, I may need your help tomorrow for a little while.”

  “You’re going ahead with the big World War Two reunion?”

  “You think I’m crazy
, don’t you?”

  Diana sighed. “There was a time when I might have said you were crazy, yes. But a few days ago I became an adoptive mother while wearing a reindeer suit. It’s the people-in-glass-houses syndrome. I no longer feel I am in a position to call anyone crazy.”

  “It’ll be okay, Diana. Sarah’s mom could still show up.”

  “We haven’t had any more hang-up calls. That was my one hope—that Jennie was just working up her nerve.”

  “Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve. Maybe that will bring her around. Holidays make people all sentimental.”

  “Maybe.”

  “It could happen.”

  “Yeah, and while we’re being optimists, maybe Santa will drop a three-bedroom house down our chimney.”

  “We don’t have a chimney,” Summer pointed out.

  “You see what I’m up against.”

  Summer taped the corners and tied a bow around the stuffed lamb’s box. “You never know, Diana. Christmas is a time for miracles.”

  “I cannot believe you are capable of saying things like that out loud.” Diana rolled her eyes. “Next year I’m suspending your Netflix subscription for the month of December. No more Christmas movies for you, girl.”

  14

  Under the Big Top

  “Who called a few minutes ago, Summer?” Diana asked early the next afternoon. “And why are you staring at the telephone like it’s armed with nuclear warheads?”

  “Am not.”

  “Are too. That isn’t fear I see on your face?”

  “No,” Summer said defensively. “It’s indecision.”

  “Call him, Summer,” Marquez advised from the living room, where she was busy shaking gifts to determine their contents.

  “That last call was a wrong number, Diana,” Summer said, pointedly ignoring Marquez. “They wanted a Joe something.”

  “Was it a girl?” Diana asked.

  “Yeah. But—”

  “It could have been Jennie,” Diana whispered, glancing over at her bedroom, where Sarah was napping.

  “I don’t think so, Diana,” Summer said gently.

  Diana flopped into a kitchen chair dejectedly. “Well, at least your crazy idea is picking up steam. When are Harris and Vera coming?”

  “Another hour, probably. Assuming they really come. Thanks, you guys, for all your help setting up the tent.” Summer checked her watch. “I hope they get here before it starts to rain.”

  “I hope Seth gets around to fixing the roof before it storms,” Diana said. “He only got about a quarter of the shingles replaced before he ran out yesterday.”

  “I called our beloved landlord again,” Marquez said. “He said, ‘Screw you and have a merry Christmas.’”

  “That would explain our reasonable rent,” Diana said.

  Summer gazed out the window and sighed. All day clouds had been rolling in, darkening the sky ominously. “You know, I’ve almost accepted the fact that this Christmas is going to be snowless. But come on, thunderstorms? That’s just adding insult to injury.”

  “She’s stalling,” Diana said to Marquez.

  “Call him, Summer,” Marquez instructed.

  “He’s probably out with Esme, anyway. Doing last minute shopping or something.”

  “Call him, Summer,” Diana said softly. “You know you want to.”

  “I’m thinking about it, okay?”

  Marquez held up a package that had been delivered that morning. “Diana, what do you figure this FedEx package from your mom is? Maybe some matching mother-daughter diamonds? Another gold card?”

  Diana shrugged. “Search me.”

  “Want me to open it for you?”

  “Marquez!” Summer scolded. “It’s only Christmas Eve.”

  “I was just trying to eliminate the suspense. Besides, we opened my mom’s cookies.” She shook the box again. “Let me put it this way—how guilty was your mom feeling about missing Christmas?”

  “Mallory is immune to guilt. She says it gives her frown lines.” Diana nudged Summer with her foot. “Call him, already.”

  “What if the reunion works out great, Summer?” Marquez said. “Austin would want to be here.”

  “And every minute he’s here,” Diana added, “is a minute he’s not with Esme.”

  Summer picked up the phone, then set it down. “Let me ask you both something. And I do not want you to laugh. I don’t even want you to slightly smirk. Has a guy ever told either of you that he found your kissing … laughable?”

  “Not in so many words,” Diana said, the corners of her mouth twitching.

  “Negative on that,” Marquez reported, covering her mouth.

  “If a guy did say something along those lines, would you take it as a bad sign?”

  Diana took a deep breath. Marquez snorted.

  “Call him, Summer,” Diana managed to say.

  Summer punched in Austin’s number before she could think of all the reasons not to. By the time Austin answered, she could barely hear her voice over the howls of her roommates.

  “Very impressive,” Austin said as he stepped inside the yellow tent a half-hour later. “I like the 1944 calendar. Nice touch.”

  “It’s not original, actually. I typeset it on my computer.”

  Summer clicked on the iPod speakers in the corner. Soft big band music began to play. “I have the speakers sort of camouflaged by the army blanket,” she said. “Didn’t want the high-tech stuff to spoil the mood.”

  “I particularly like the table setting. Candles, mess kits, cans of pork and beans.”

  “That’s just for effect, since I couldn’t find any C-rations. I figured Diana and Marquez and I would fix them dinner. If, you know, things go well.” The tent shuddered in the wind, “I hope we’ve got this thing nailed down okay,” Summer said. “It looks like it’s going to be a big storm.”

  Austin sat in one of the folding camp chairs Summer had borrowed from a neighbor. “I can’t believe you got Harris and Vera to come. On Christmas Eve, no less. It boggles the mind, Summer.”

  “I have Diver to thank for that.” Summer laughed. “It was pretty amazing, Austin. First I called Vera, then Harris. I told them each how I remembered they were into bird-watching and how my brother had discovered this nest of six roseate spoonbills in our yard, and they both completely freaked. I guess for a birder that’s like winning the lottery. I gave them directions, and Harris said he’d be here right away.”

  “And Vera?”

  “Her I’m not so sure about. The bed-and-breakfast she runs is full, and she had to wait for her manager to get there and take over. She didn’t sound all that sure she could get away.” Summer rubbed her eyes. “God, Austin, what if she doesn’t come?”

  “Have faith. You’ve gotten this far with this ridiculous quest,” he said. “I guess you failed to mention the birds are actually at the wildlife center.”

  “A little bit of lying is permissible in the name of true love.”

  Austin smiled wistfully. “Is it?”

  Summer studied him for a moment, unsure of the meaning of his smile. “Sure. Haven’t you ever lied to Esme?”

  “No. I’ve never needed to with her.”

  “How about with me? In the old days, I mean?”

  Austin didn’t answer.

  “So you have lied to me?” Summer asked. Her voice was light and teasing, but Austin’s troubled expression made her more than a little curious.

  Slowly Austin’s gaze made its way to her. “If I ever did lie—and I’m taking the Fifth on this—it would have been only because I cared about you.”

  “Knock knock!” Marquez poked her head in the tent. “Damn, I was hoping I might be interrupting something. I think Harris is driving up! What do we do?”

  Summer leapt out of her chair. “Whatever you do, don’t let him near the tent until we’re ready.”

  With Austin and Marquez on her heels, Summer ran out to greet Harris as he pulled up. “You found us!” she exclaimed as he parked the ca
r. “I didn’t expect you to get here so quickly.”

  Harris stepped out of the car. “Six spoonbills, my dear. For that, even a law-abiding man breaks the speed limit.”

  “Hey, Harris.” Austin shook his great-uncle’s hand.

  “Good to see you, my boy.”

  “And this is Marquez, one of my roommates,” Summer said. “And that’s Diana on the porch.”

  Harris gave a courtly bow. “Three lovely ladies. No wonder you’re visiting, Austin.”

  “Well, it wasn’t for the spoonbills.”

  “Where are they, anyway?” Harris said. He scanned the area, frowning. “This seems like quite an unlikely place for a nesting site.”

  “But then, they’re an unlikely family,” Summer said quickly. “What with being sextuplets and all.”

  “Still, spoonbills are found in colonies, usually near mangroves. No, this just doesn’t seem right at all. …”

  Summer smiled lamely. “Hey, Christmas is a time for miracles, Harris.”

  A car approached, and Summer’s heart skipped a couple of beats. Could it be Vera already?

  But it was just Seth, driving up in his grandfather’s station wagon. A ladder was strapped to the top.

  “That’s Seth,” Summer told Harris, barely hiding her disappointment. “He’s an old, uh, friend of mine. From Wisconsin.”

  Seth jumped out of the car. “Hey, I found some more shingles, can you believe it? Laskin’s Hardware was actually open on Christmas Eve!”

  Suddenly he froze, eyes on Austin. “Oh,” he said quietly. “Hey, Austin.”

  “Seth.” Austin nodded. “How’ve you been?”

  “Not bad.”

  Summer cleared her throat. “Seth, this is Harris, Austin’s great-uncle.”

  “Nice to meet you, sir.” Seth shook his hand.

  Diana walked over and gave Seth a kiss. “I’m not sure you should do any more work on the roof,” she said. “It’s going to storm soon. You’ll turn into a lightning rod.”

  “Relax. I’ll be careful.”

  “Speaking of storms,” Harris said, “I should really take a look at these marvelous specimens and be on my way. I don’t want to get stuck in a gully-washer.”