Page 39 of Summer of You

Joe sighed. “I know, dude. You’re trying. We’re all trying. Not that it’s any better living in my sister’s basement. So much for living the dream after graduation, right?”

Considering that I’d just been stood up for another interview? Yeah, this sucked. Being an adult wasn’t a walk in the park, and I wanted to go back to the simplicity of being a student. Responsibility was for the birds.

I itched to get Joe off the phone and call Chase. “Hey, Joe? I’m going to let you go.”

You could practically hear his smile through the phone. “No biggie, man. Go get your dude. I’m probably going to go hang out with your bro.”

Before I could object, the line disconnected. It sucked being stuck so far away that I couldn’t do a damn thingabout it.

I got up and changed out of my clothes for the interview, slipping on a pair of basketball shorts and a tank top. Uncle Drew was banging around with something in the back of the house, so I took Max with me and figured I would see what he was up to. As much as I wanted to see Chase, it was important to spend time with my family as well and not forget their existence.

“Hey, Uncle Drew.”

He jumped, cursing as he dropped a hammer and peeked his head around a piece of scrap metal. “You need something, kid?”

I shrugged. “Not really. Just thought I’d see if you wanted to do something today instead of running off like I normally do.”

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and when I pulled it out, it was a message from Chase. I was instantly conflicted, but I’d already decided that if my uncle wanted to do something, I’d spend the time with him.

“Why don’t you do something with Chase? It’s what you want to do.” Uncle Drew studied me as I shoved the phone back in my pocket.

“I do want to spend time with him, but I haven’t seen you much lately. So what do you say we take a drive or something?” When I was little, Uncle Drew would load me into his truck and we’d drive off into all the little ridiculously named towns that were close by. My favorite had been Humptulips and the river there was perfect for swimming. He must have had the same thought as a smile spread across his face and he set the hammer down.

“I could do with a drive. So could Max.”

I nodded. “Perfect. Let me go grab some towels. Maybe we can find a swimming spot.”

Once inside, I pulled my phone out and texted Chase about my plans with my uncle for the day. He seemed okay with the idea, but I still promised to come see him when I came back in the evening. I probably could have asked him to come with us, but it had been a long time since I had done something with just my uncle.

Uncle Drew and I loaded into the truck and headed out onto the road.

Chapter 28

Nathan

Emerging from beneath the surface of the cool river, I pushed my wet hair from my face. It’d gotten longer since I’d been out here and was due for a cut. It wasn’t anywhere as long as Chase’s, but just thinking about his hair had me thankful that I was under the water and nowhere near my uncle.

Max paddled around in the water, panting happily. His brown fur was soaked as he swam after a stick that Uncle Drew had been tossing back and forth for him. Today couldn’t have been more perfect.

When I swam back to shore, I flopped onto the rock that Uncle Drew sat on and let the afternoon sun dry my skin.

“Is there a reason for this outing today?”

I laughed and looked up at my uncle, shielding my eyes from the brightness of the sun. “Nah, just thought it would be good. For old times’ sake.”

Uncle Drew nodded before pulling a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket. He smacked the pack against the palm of his hand before peeling back the plastic wrapper, pulling one of the long cigarettes out, and placing it between his lips. I tried to my bestnot to let it show how much it bothered me when he flicked his lighter, catching the end and taking a lengthy draw.

Instead of addressing the issue of his smoking, I stood from the rock and waded back into the water. Max took it as an invitation to follow me. He splashed in the shallow water excitedly, letting out a loud bark. For a dog that was as old as he was, he sure acted like a puppy again. Something told me he needed today just as much as the both of us.

“That boy ever talk to you?” Uncle Drew called out, his smoke dangling from his fingertips.

I nodded, kicking absently at the water. “He did. We went out to the tree, and he told me about what happened. Did you really buy their house?”

Uncle Drew’s laugh was interspersed with a few coughs before he put out his half-smoked cigarette against the rock. “I did. But I never intended to use it as a rental. Chase knows that.”

And I knew that as well. Chase had explained it. “So why are you keeping a hold of it?”

When my uncle stood and dusted off his jeans, he whistled for Max, who came bounding over to him. The dog shook out his fur, sending droplets of water flying everywhere. “That boy could ask for that house back today and I’d give it to him. Bottom line, he wasn’t in any sort of condition to handle it when his parents died. He barely managed to keep it together to sell their shop.”

---