by Ann Herrick
"Hi. I just came to say goodbye." It was Mikel.
Gwen almost dropped the box of books on my foot. "Hi, Mikel! I‑I wasn't expecting you."
"Well, I set my alarm clock early. I wanted to surprise you."
A shadow lifted from Gwen's face as she broke out in smiles.
"Um …" Mikel scuffed the ground with his toe. "Is there somewhere we could, uh, talk, you know, privately?"
"Well …" Gwen looked around uncertainly.
"You know," Mom said, "I think we should check the house one more time. In case we forgot anything."
"Good idea," said Dad.
"I'll help," I said.
We all went inside and busied ourselves for a few minutes rechecking closets and cabinets. When we went back outside, Mikel was gone.
But I noticed Gwen rubbing her fingers along a silvery bracelet. She held out her arm so up so I could see the engraving, "M.T. + G.C."
"Mikel told me it's a friendship bracelet," Gwen said with a look of pure bliss. "I'm never going to take it off!"
"Looks nice on you." It was good to see Gwen looking happy again. Maybe she and Mikel would be one of those couples who would be telling their grandchildren how their relationship started off as a summer romance. Or not. Who knew?
We finished loading the car, and then we were ready to leave. We settled into our seats, and Dad said, "We're off!"
As we pulled up the road past Troy's cottage I thought I saw a curtain move in one of the front windows. But I wasn't sure.
Not long after we hit the road, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I noticed Gwen had dozed off. The radio was tuned to an oldies station. Mom and Dad were talking. I couldn't help eavesdropping.
"So, Margo, did you have a good time on our vacation?"
"Oh, yes, Robert. I had a wonderful time."
"It was really something that you ran into Parker Daly," Dad said. I didn't detect any suspicion in his voice.
"Seeing Parker really took me back." Mom sighed. "It was almost as if I was seventeen again."
"That was a special summer for you, wasn't it?"
"It was wonderful," Mom said. "I remember the weather was perfect the whole time, my whole family was there and I had my first summer romance. I've always thought of it as the last carefree summer while growing up."
"I guess things were pretty rough for you after your father died."
"Yes," Mom said. "It was a shock to lose him at such a young age. And having so little money, struggling to get through college."
"I guess it was hard for a while."
"Until I met you."
Though I was pretending to still be asleep, I peeked just enough to see Mom reach over and run her hand across Dad's hair.
"I'm just so wonderful," Dad said jokingly.
"You are." Mom sighed. "I just wish Parker was as happy as I am. He's very lonely right now and he spends too much time looking backward. I tried to convince him he should look ahead, so he could find happiness with someone new. But I didn't have much luck."
Well, obviously Mom hadn't run off with Mr. Daly, so maybe all along she had just been trying to get him to "find happiness with someone new." But I still half wondered if she hadn't planned the whole vacation somehow knowing he'd be there.
Maybe she'd heard about his divorce and told herself she could help him through it. Maybe once she saw him, some old emotions got churned up. Maybe she got involved with him, emotionally or otherwise …
Or maybe her fond memories of her seventeenth summer really had centered on the fact that it'd been so carefree. Maybe Mr. Daly being at the lake the same time was a complete coincidence. Maybe spending time with him was just a trip down memory lane that turned into an attempt to help him get on with his life.
I guess I'd never know for sure. But Mom loved Dad. I had no doubt about that. And that's what mattered.
Suddenly I heard a familiar song on the radio. Almost Paradise. I saw Mom's hand reach for the radio, and at first I expected her to turn up the volume. She switched stations instead.
I decided it was a good time to "wake up." I yawned and stretched.
At that point, Gwen did wake up. She blinked and looked out the window. "Where are we?"
"About an hour from home," Dad said.
An hour from home. An hour until I saw Brian again. I wondered how I'd react.
I watched the scenery whiz by until finally we were heading down the road to our house. As we approached our driveway, I saw Brian's car pull up to the curb. When he got out of his car, all the old, good memories flowed back and I wondered how on earth I'd ever let myself get involved with Troy.
But I had gotten involved with Troy.
As soon as Dad stopped the car, I got out and Brian rushed over. He held up his ring for me to see. I wondered, how, and if, I should tell him about Troy. But it turned out I didn't have to say a word. Even though I gave Brian a half‑smile, I realized he could see it all over my face.
"Hi, Kaysie." Brian slid his ring back on his finger. "I guess I don't have to ask how your vacation was."
"It was … I mean … that is … sometime I'll have to tell you all about it."
Mom and Dad and Gwen started unloading the car and carrying stuff into the house. I noticed no one came back out for another load right away.
Brian slipped his hand under my chin. "I missed you, Kaysie. Please don't tell me you never want to see me again."
"Brian, I totally still want to see you! It's just that I think maybe I … we … should see other people too. Some time."
"Whew!" Brian pretended to wipe his brow. "I can live with that."
"Me, too," I said. I stepped into the circle of his arms and met his lips in a kiss. Me, too …
EPILOGUE
Brian and I were practically inseparable for the rest of the summer. I didn't write to Troy and he didn't write to me. I did do some volunteer work at the library and had a long talk with Mom about "life."
When Brian went off to college, we agreed to keep in touch, but to start dating other people. We called and emailed and I.M.-ed and skyped and wrote letters. Sometimes he came home for the weekend. But not too often.
At school, Ty Simmons started hanging around my locker. Eventually, he asked me out. I said Yes.
Gwen and Mikel, emailed and I.M.-ed and wrote faithfully. But I noticed the names "John" and "Ryan" started to creep into her conversations.
Mom was promoted to Head Aerobics Instructor at the Recreation Center. She started working a lot more hours and didn't have much time to listen to her stack of oldies.
Dad's latest book made it to the bestseller list, and he started writing his next one. But he made time for a long weekend in New York with Mom to celebrate the success of Kent Quinn and The Case of the Old Flame.
After a while, my summer vacation kind of faded into the background. But I realized that I had discovered something important that summer.
I discovered that I had a lot to learn about love.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ann Herrick grew up in Connecticut, where she graduated from The Morgan School and Quinnipiac University. She now lives in Oregon with her husband, who was her high-school sweetheart. Their wonderful daughter is grown, married and gainfully employed, and has given Ann her only grand-dog, Puff, a bloodhound-rottweiller-beagle mix. While she misses the East Coast, especially houses built before 1900, she enjoys the green valleys, fresh air and low humidity in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Ann loves cats, walking, the Oregon Ducks and working in her back yard. In addition to stories and books for children and young adults, Ann also writes copy for humorous and conventional greeting cards. She loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted through her web site: http://annherrickauthor.com
NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER:
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