Summer Burns (15 page)

"
Summer, wait,
"
he called, but it was too late. She almost leaped from the car and ran into the house.

Well, that didn
'
t go well.

Chapter Eleven

Saturday

"
Summer
'
s got a boyfriend,
"
Autumn sang--just loud enough for me to hear--as she laid the printout of my updated schedule on my station. She
'
d been singing it off and on all day long.

Not that anyone would have overheard her--the salon was going full-throttle this busy Saturday afternoon.

I growled at her. Partially over the singing. Partially over the updated client schedule--bringing me an update meant I got another appointment for today.

Will I ever get out of here?
I turned my client
'
s chair so I could glance at the paper while I finished her style.

And wanted to scream.

I set down my flat iron and snagged the piece of paper. Proper and politely, I told my client I would be just a moment, and marched to the reception desk.

Autumn was playing with her cell phone when I walked up.

"
What the hell, Autumn?
"
I flung the piece of paper in her face.

"
What?
"

"
Another weave? I
'
ve done three already today. Seriously. Someone else can do it.
"

Autumn rolled her eyes.
"
Were you, or were you not, just two days ago, bitching that you needed more money so you could move out?
"

"
That doesn
'
t mean I want to work until my shoulders fall off!
"

"
She asked for you,
"
Autumn shrugged, like that should end the conversation and turned to the computer.

I glanced at the clock. It was after two. Another weave would have me here until five. Not only would Paula have a fit because I was late, I
'
d never get home in time to clean up before the barbecue, and if Matthew decided to come over
...

"
That didn
'
t mean you had to book it today!
"

"
Sure I did. She was desperate.
"

I growled and glanced at the name again--perfect, one of my super picky clients who always takes an extra hour longer that she should.

"
What
'
s going on,
"
Winter asked, appearing beside me. From her glare, she looked like she was ready to lay down the law with a business smile that looked like a shark about to bite.
"
You two had better not be fighting.
"

"
She booked me a weave,
"
I said, shoving the paper in Winter
'
s face.
"
After I booked myself out at three!
"

Winter raised her eyebrow.
"
And?
"

"
Look,
"
I said, pointing at the schedule.

"
So? I told her to.
"
Winter said, handing it back.
"
It
'
s not like you have a life.
"

I blinked.
"
Seriously? You just said that.
"

Winter raised her eyebrow again.
"
I have more of a life than you do. Shut up and go finish your client.
"

"
You so do not,
"
I muttered and I walked back to my station.

I was pretty sure that Autumn was far too smug about Winter siding with her.

Ugh. I needed a new family.

~*~

"
Summer, calm down,
"
Mom said as I fought with my hair. Naturally, the quickie shower I took wound up taking longer than I meant, and it felt like the blow dryer at home was going out, because it couldn
'
t dry my hair in a timely fashion--it
'
s not like I had a lot of hair anyway, so there
'
s no reason why it shouldn
'
t dry it in a few minutes.

But evidently, I
'
m wrong.

"
He
'
ll be here any minute,
"
I said as I tried to fluff my hair. I sighed, because it looked to be a lost cause. Instead, I grabbed my tinted moisturizer and applied that. I didn
'
t have time for full makeup.

"
What
'
s the matter, you think we can
'
t entertain your soldier for you?
"

I rolled my eyes.
"
Look, we may all be living here, but he
'
s still here on my invitation. Didn
'
t you once tell me if I invited someone over, I
'
d better be ready to entertain my guest?
"

"
I did. But under the circumstances, exceptions can be made.
"

"
Uh huh,
"
I muttered as I flipped my hair this way and that, trying to see if the slightly damp
'
do would look nice some way.

"
Here,
"
my mom said, handing me a little hairpin that looked like a DNA strand.

"
Thanks.
"
I twisted my hair in the back and screwed the pin into my hair, where it magically would hold my impromptu French twist for most of the night.

In theory.

But hey, whatever works at this point.

I snagged a bright pink bandana and wrapped it around my head as well to detract from the crappy
'
do just as the doorbell rang.

"
Arrrg, I
'
m not ready,
"
I said as I darted to my closet to check my appearance.

At least I was clean. Inhaling a breath, my chest felt tingly, like it did before an attack.

I grabbed my inhaler and took a hit.

Preventative and all that.

"
I got it Mommy!
"
Emma went darting through the house--in full costume, too. I pretty much just saw a streak of blue as she ran by the hallway to the front door.

Mom followed after Emma. I had just gotten myself together when I heard Matthew
'
s voice.

"
Well, you look like a lovely princess, Emma.
"

"
I
'
m a queen!
"

"
Oh, sorry,
"
he said, and glanced at me.

And instantly, the kiss we
'
d shared--what I
'
d thought would be quick simple and over--replayed in my memory in slow detail, and I felt my cheeks get warm. Especially when he looked at me like that.

Because I was pretty sure he was remembering the kiss too.

Yeah, I kissed him. So what? It wasn
'
t supposed to mean anything, at least not in the moment. That
'
s what I
'
ve been telling myself all day.

Yet I couldn
'
t stop thinking about him, and I wanted to talk to him since I went inside.

I tossed a text to him during a quick break at work, letting him know he was still invited to the cook out. I felt like a bumbling idiot when I darted out of his car last night. I should have called him or texted him about stuff anyway.

Not just a
"
come over and eat
"
text.

I was such a dork.

When my rational thoughts caught up to the kissing last night, I realized I probably shouldn
'
t be enjoying it as much as I was.

Or maybe that was the problem--I felt guilt over enjoying it.

Didn
'
t matter exactly why, but I ran away, because I wasn
'
t sure what I was supposed to feel. So I voted for avoidance.

Seemed safest.

But from the way he looked at me now, I was pretty sure he wanted to talk about it. Or resume. Or maybe that was just my wishful thinking.

"
Oh Matthew, what have you here?
"
Mom said, jarring me out of my thoughts.

Matthew
'
s gaze hit mine.
"
Just some steaks.
"

"
My goodness,
"
Mom said as she took the bag.
"
There
'
s a half a dozen steaks in here.
"
She glanced at me.
"
I hope we have enough charcoal.
"

He gestured over his shoulder.
"
I brought an extra bag.
"

"
Hungry, Matthew?
"
I asked.

He shrugged.
"
I don
'
t get to grill very often. Thought I
'
d bring extra and take the leftovers home, if that
'
s okay.
"
He looked at my mother when he spoke.

She seemed to find his attention wonderful.
"
Of course. And if you like doing it, then by all means, you can be the cook today.
"
Mom put her hand on his elbow.

"
I don
'
t want to disrupt your plans.
"

"
Nonsense,
"
Mom said.
"
You boys usually love to play with fire.
"

He grinned, then he glanced at me.
"
We do.
"

And son of a bitch, did my heart start hammering. I practically felt the look all the way to my toes. Which is totally improbable, right? Right.

Yet there was something there, seriously. I felt that spark instantly.

And I wanted to kiss him again.

And some more.

And then--

"
Mommy!
"

I glanced at Emma, glad for a reprieve of the look from Matthew. My darling daughter wanted help with her Elsa wig, and I was happy to comply. After all, I needed to not be thinking about the spark that zinged between me and Matthew.

What the hell was that, anyway?

How did he look at me, and all of a sudden, my insides were all quivery. I mean, I
'
d read about it in books, heard people talk about it and stuff, but seriously, in real life, this stuff doesn
'
t happen.

Does it?

"
Ouch! Mom!
"

I glanced at Emma. I had evidently tightened the wig too tight on her head.
"
Sorry.
"

"
It
'
s okay.
"
Out she went, ready to show off her full ensemble.

I shook my head. Where was my brain tonight? I was just exhausted. That
'
s my story, anyway.

I joined Mom in the kitchen, where she was seasoning the steaks.

"
Here let me help you,
"
I said, reaching for the bottle of olive oil.

"
Nonsense. You get yourself a glass of wine and go join your guest,
"
Mom said, and glanced through the tiny window that showed the back yard.
"
I doubt we have any beer, but there
'
s some bourbon in the cabinet if he wanted a bourbon and coke.
"

"
I
'
ll ask.
"
I poured myself a glass of wine and went outside.