Page 42 of Paging Dr. Summers

“Just for the summer,” she sang before coming to my side.

That seemed to give Shawn some pause, and his eyes stayed where they belonged. “Okay.” He clapped his hands together, nervously eyeing me. He probably thought I was Brooke’s date, and I wasn’t going to tell him any differently. “Let’s do this. Get your gloves on, and then we’re going to clip your carabiners to the zip line cable. Always make sure it’s locked and secure.”

Brooke and I got into place. We were going to do a tandem ride on the parallel cables.

“When you’re ready to zip, step off the platform with confidence. Keep your hands on the handlebar or your harness, and keep your legs slightly bent. Enjoy the ride and take in the scenery! As you approach the next platform, gently press down on the cable with your gloved hand to slow yourself down. One of us will be there to help you land safely,” Shawn said before we took off.

“Do you want to race?” I playfully asked Brooke. Erica would have initiated the race. We were both very competitive.

“I was hoping we could just take it slow and enjoy the ride together.”

That sounded like an invitation for much more than a ride through the trees. And damn if I didn’t want to RSVP.

“I like the sound of that,” fell out of my mouth before I could overthink it.

Her eyes and her entire countenance seemed to light up. “All right, partner. Let’s do this.”

Partner? Was she giving me a promotion? Or was that just wishful thinking?

“HI, MR. HARRINGTON. IS LOLA home?” It surprised me that Lola’s dad had answered the door. I was supposed to meet her there for our double date. We were going to hang out at the Harringtons’ pool and have a cookout.

It was especially unnerving because Mr. Harrington appeared to be on edge again. He gripped the door so hard, I could see the whites of his knuckles. Seriously, was he just like this, or was it me? Maybe my family background bothered him?

“You can call me Maxwell,” he said uneasily.

“Okay, Maxwell,” I said, with a hint of amusement, waiting for him to let me in.

It garnered me a half smile.

“Is Lola home?” I asked again when he didn’t invite me in.

“Oh, yes. She and the guys are out by the pool. Come on in.”

I shifted my beach bag on my shoulder and walked in. It still felt like entering a different world. An expensive one.

“Well, thanks, it was nice to see you again,” I half lied. While there was something familiar about him, he made me nervous. It was almost as if he looked at me like I was going to give him a disease or something. I didn’t think being middle class or having a father who wanted nothing to do with you were contagious.

“Would you mind if I had a word with you first?” Maxwell asked before I could escape.

Uh ... yes. Yes, I minded. I had a bad feeling, like it might be one of those moments where he told me he didn’t want me hanging around his daughter, fearing I wasn’t part of the “right” crowd. Did that kind of thing still happen? I’d only seen it in the movies.

“Um, sure,” I said, anything but sure.

He let out a huge breath, and I gripped my bag, waiting for him to let me have it and then kick me out.

Maxwell’s countenance softened. “I wanted to let you know I listened to several of your podcast episodes. You’re talented. Quite talented.”

Say what? I wasn’t expecting that.

“We seem to be fans of the same music,” he added.

“Oh. Wow. Well, thank you.” I figured that was all, so I took a step toward the back door, but apparently, he had more to say.

“I was just wondering what your plans were for the future of your show. You mentioned you were currently applying for jobs, but I’m curious to know if you have plans to monetize your podcast.”

His curiosity puzzled me. Maybe he didn’t want his daughter hanging out with someone who was unemployed and blowing through her lump sum of child support payments. I would be the first to admit, it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but this summer wasn’t about making logical decisions. If it were, I would never see Logan again. Seriously, I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

But despite the angst he was causing me, I had zero plans to stop our adventures. I was willing to endure an entire summer of unrequited feelings just so we could hang out. Again, not the brightest idea, but I knew he was supposed to be my lifelong friend. Eventually, I would get over my crush on him. Right?

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