The Brightest Stars of Summer (18 page)

“I
t was no ordinary day here at the Pruet Yacht Club,” Cecilia Lopez, the Channel Five news reporter, said into the microphone as Zinnie stood next to her on the dock. They were shooting at the scene of the rescue for the five-o'clock news. Aunt Sunny, Marigold, Lily, Tony, Max, his parents Paul and Cindy, Peter, and Mack and Jean were all watching from the other side of the camera, along with a bunch of other yacht club people and some of the sailing team. Of course, Edith was there with Mocha Chip, and Ashley was telling everyone around her that she and Zinnie were close personal friends. “She's a very brave person,” Ashley was saying. “She's not scared of anything!”

A producer had positioned Zinnie at a slight angle and encouraged her to “stand up nice and tall,” and Cecilia Lopez had asked the little crowd to please be
quiet during the filming. Everyone was following the rules, though Zinnie could feel them silently cheering her on as she smiled into the camera, confident that she looked as good as she felt.

In the short time they'd had to prepare, Marigold had sprung into big-sister action, picking out a bright-green sundress for Zinnie, pinning the straps in the back so that it fit her perfectly, styling her hair into a chic side pony. Zinnie didn't feel totally like herself—the mascara made her eyes feel sticky and the safety pins were tickling her shoulder blades—but she knew that she couldn't wear one of her old T-shirts or her Pruet sweatshirt for her first TV appearance. Her only regret was that her parents weren't here to see it, but they'd be able to watch it online a little later.

“Tragedy nearly descended upon this small coastal community today when a young boy was discovered struggling in the water near this dock,” Ms. Lopez said to the camera. “Though the weather is clear now, today's earlier rain and fog reduced visibility, making it dangerous for boating and other water activities. It was under these conditions that a six-year-old boy wandered away from his uncle's boat here at the idyllic Pruet Yacht Club and off the edge of the dock. It was this very special girl, Zinnia Silver, who saved the day.” Ms. Lopez turned to Zinnie. “You were here looking for a friend when you saw the small boy struggling. Isn't that right?”

“That's right,” Zinnie said as Ms. Lopez pointed the microphone at her. “I walked to the edge of the dock and saw the boy in the water.”

“Was he calling for help?” Ms. Lopez asked.

“No, he was quiet. And in a dangerous situation, that's a sign that someone is in trouble.”

“You sound like you know what you're talking about,” Ms. Lopez said.

“That's because I do,” Zinnie said with a smile. She heard a few people chuckle, but she knew they weren't laughing at her. She was pretty sure that she was being what her dad would call “her most charming self.” Zinnie explained, “I took all three levels of water safety at the YMCA this year.”

“That's impressive,” Ms. Lopez said. “Can you tell us what you did after you discovered the victim?”

“Sure,” Zinnie said. A breeze blew her side ponytail across her face, but it didn't throw Zinnie off. She simply held her ponytail back and continued. “First I called for help. Then I told myself not to panic. I took a deep breath”—Zinnie demonstrated—“and checked my environment. That's when I saw a life ring and tossed it to the boy. He caught it on the third try. A few seconds later his uncle jumped in and carried him up the ladder.”

“It sounds like your training served you well,” Ms. Lopez said, and turned back to the camera. “The boy's uncle, who wishes to remain anonymous so that
his nephew can recuperate in private, told Channel Five that their family is eternally grateful. And the paramedics stated that had this young lady not taken action, the boy's life would indeed have been in terrible danger. So, Zinnia, how does it feel to be a hero?”

“It feels incredible! I'm just so happy that everyone is safe.”

Ms. Lopez smiled at her as the crowd on the dock gave a collective “A
www.”

“And I don't think that there's a resident of this town who wouldn't call you extraordinary,” Ms. Lopez said. “Now, I understand that when the boy's uncle asked if there was anything he could offer you as a reward, you had just one request. Do you mind telling us what that was?”

“Ice cream,” Zinnie said. The crowd laughed.

“She saved a life and all she wanted was ice cream, folks. This is Cecilia Lopez, reporting live from the Pruet Yacht Club. Back to you, Chip.”

“And we're out,” the producer said. “Great job!”

Aunt Sunny and Lily rushed over and congratulated Zinnie. Marigold trailed a little behind them.

“You were so poised,” Aunt Sunny said, kissing her cheek.

“And you look so pretty, too,” Lily said. “Almost like a grown-up.”

“How was I, Marigold? Did I sound okay?” Zinnie asked.

“You sounded really smart,” Marigold said. She was smiling, but something seemed off to Zinnie. “You did a good job.”

“I did?” Zinnie asked. There was no one whose opinion mattered more to her than Marigold, and she was saying all the right things, but somehow the words weren't landing on Zinnie. They seemed to stop an inch short. Zinnie was just about to ask Marigold if she looked okay when Ms. Lopez tapped her on the shoulder.

“You're such a star!” Ms. Lopez said. “So articulate and charming, just like a pro. Maybe after your career as a lifeguard you can go into journalism.”

“Thanks,” Zinnie said, and she felt herself blush.

“She's my niece, you know,” Aunt Sunny said, beaming with pride.

“And my big sister,” Lily said, swinging on Zinnie's arm.

Zinnie looked for Marigold, but she seemed to have slipped away. Before she could see where Marigold had run off to, Zinnie was bombarded with hugs and congratulations from the small crowd on the dock.

“What a champ!” Tony said.

“You really are a hero,” Max said, and they did their secret handshake.

“I told you you'd be in the papers, didn't I,” Edith said as Mocha Chip licked Zinnie's ankles. “I'll drop by with a pint of your favorite flavor tonight.”

“Thanks!” Zinnie said.

“You're wicked awesome,” Ashley said, fist-bumping her. “Next ice pop is on the house.”

“Cool,” Zinnie said.

“I'm impressed!” Peter said, giving her an awkward side hug.

“It's really amazing that you knew how to do that,” a girl with a Pruet Sailing Team T-shirt said. Zinnie thought she had to be Peter's girlfriend by the way she was standing so close to him.

“Honey, we just couldn't be prouder of you,” Jean said. “Mack and I would love it if you, your sisters, and Aunt Sunny, Tony, and his family wanted to join us back at our house for dinner. We can toss some burgers and veggies on the grill. How does that sound?”

“Great!” Zinnie said. Even after that peanut butter and jelly sandwich, she was still so hungry. “Can we, Aunt Sunny?”

“Ordinarily I'd say of course. But don't you have a story to finish?” Aunt Sunny said, tapping her watch. “It's five thirty.”

“OMG!” Zinnie said. She had nearly forgotten about her story. “I need to finish my story tonight!”

“I have to get this hero home,” Aunt Sunny said to Jean. “But I know the rest of the crew would love to join you.” Aunt Sunny nodded toward the flagpole, where Marigold was talking with Peter, Max, and the girl Zinnie thought was Lindsey.

“Can I go to Peter's house for dinner?” Lily asked.

“As long as Marigold watches you, I don't see why not,” Aunt Sunny said.

“Okay,” Lily said. “Marigold, watch me!”

As Lily cartwheeled over to the other kids, Zinnie wished she could join her. But she didn't have time. She had to finish her story and send it to Mrs. Lee.

“You don't have to stay with me, Aunt Sunny,” Zinnie said.

“Nonsense,” Aunt Sunny said, taking her hand. “The hero can't eat alone. Besides, I need to work on my wedding dress.”

Aunt Sunny went into the kitchen and fixed them two plates of leftovers. After they ate, Zinnie went into her writing room and Aunt Sunny went into the living room. Because of her extraordinary afternoon, Zinnie hadn't been able to execute her plan of bringing Peter and Marigold together in order to discover the conclusion to her story. She would have to rely on her imagination. Using her observations, her ingenuity, and some bits from the other endings she had come up with, Zinnie pounded out the rest of the story on her keyboard. In this version, Lawrence played Marianna a song that inspired her to dance her heart out. Pedro was then inspired to join her, revealing that he was also a great dancer. The two of them choreographed a piece under the stars, as Lawrence, lonely but talented,
played his music. Marianna had discovered that in trying to extinguish what made her extraordinary, she had forgotten who she was. She just had to keep dancing, even if it was only in this small, podunk town. “For she realized that it wasn't the stage that mattered,” Zinnie wrote. “It was the dancer.”

Oh, that's good!
Zinnie thought as she read over the whole thing one more time to check for homophones and poor word choices. Then Zinnie carried her laptop to the edge of the lawn, where there was one little bar of a Wi-Fi connection from the neighbor's house. She had exactly one ounce of energy left, and with it, she did what felt like the bravest thing all day. She typed in Mrs. Lee's email address and hit “send.”

“W
ould you mind if I walked you two home?” Max asked Marigold, his brown eyes sparkling with hope under his floppy bangs.

“Um . . . ,” Marigold stalled. Hoping some sort of excuse would pop into her head, she looked at Lily, but Lily was busy studying a ladybug that had landed on her arm. “Sure.”

Dinner at Peter's was over. The adults were finishing their coffee as they chatted on the porch. The kids had ended their game of croquet in the yard. Lindsey had been in the lead for most of the game, but Marigold's competitive streak had kicked in, and at the last minute she had pulled ahead to victory. It wasn't as though anyone else was really taking the game that seriously. Max was more interested in strumming his guitar than in hitting the ball. He even volunteered to
skip a turn. Peter was playing on a team with Lily, who had insisted that they share the blue croquet ball because they both had blue eyes. They were alternating who hit the ball, and Lily's aim was fine for a six-year-old, but Peter had to spend his turns just getting the ball back on course.

So it was really only Marigold and Lindsey who were playing, and Lindsey was pretty good. She was on a field hockey team, she said, so she was used to hitting a ball with a stick. But Marigold was not about to let Peter's new girlfriend win without giving her a good fight. With laserlike focus, she had knocked her yellow ball through those wickets as if she were auditioning for the part of croquet champion of the world. She wasn't sure why it felt so important to win; she only knew that in the last several hours, being ordinary was really starting to lose its appeal.

Marigold didn't begrudge Zinnie the attention. Of course Zinnie deserved every bit of praise she was getting. She had saved someone's life! But something about the whole situation made Marigold feel uncomfortable and awkward and even kind of mad, like she was wearing an ill-fitting pair of jeans. Which, now that she thought of it, she was, because she was still borrowing Zinnie's clothes!

Now Lindsey's mom had called and said it was time for her to come home. Jean was cleaning up the coffee cups. Mack was asking Peter to come help with
the dishes. Tony was starting up his old pickup truck. And Lily was yawning as she counted the spots on the ladybug.

“One . . . two . . . ,” Lily said through a yawn. “Three, four.”

“Grandpa, I'm going to walk the girls back to Sunny's house,” Max called to Tony.

“Okay, kiddo. See you back at the ranch!” Tony called as he drove away.

Dusk was settling in. The moon glowed faintly in the darkening sky. Marigold had done her best to stay in the thick of the group all evening, but now she had no choice but to confront Max one on one and tell him how she felt. The moment had arrived.

“I need to tell you something,” Marigold said as they started down the driveway. She took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and hoped he wouldn't cry. “I just want to be friends.”

“Oh,” Max said, his smile disappearing as he studied his feet. “Okay.”

“I'm sorry,” she said, feeling suddenly like she needed to compliment him and make him feel better. She was going to start by telling how impressive his back handsprings were and then say that she was sure a million other girls would like him. Her own sister, for example!

But before she could say another word, he jumped in front of her and said:

“Big giant slow race you to that tree?” He pointed to a tree at the end of the driveway. That smile of his was like a rubber band. It had bounced right back!

“What's big giant slow racing?” Lily asked.

“Yeah, we don't know what that is,” Marigold said.

“You see who can get there the slowest, but you have to take giant steps and you can't stop moving in slow motion. Ready?”

“Okay,” Marigold said. They started the big giant slow race and Marigold giggled. It was hard to take giant steps in slow motion and Max was making huge facial expressions also in slow motion. Lily and Marigold were in fits of laughter after only two giant steps. It was the first time Marigold had really laughed, like to the point of a stomachache, since she'd arrived here.

“Oh, you stopped moving in slow motion,” Max said. “I win!”

“That was so silly,” Lily said, snorting with laughter.

“So, Marigold,” Max said as they turned onto Fremont Street. “Grandpa tells me that you've made a lot of the decorations for the wedding.”

“I have,” Marigold said.

“Marigold made shell designs for tables and picked out the tablecloths and napkins. Oh, and she made these awesome cards with people's names on them out of seed packets from the general store,” Lily said.

“Zinnie did, too,” Marigold said.

“But Zinnie is more like your helper,” Lily said.

“I guess that's true,” Marigold said. “And today I designed these baskets with ribbons for the aisle.”

“Oh,” Max said.

Max didn't seem too interested in baskets, but that didn't stop Marigold from describing her vision of flowers lining the aisle. Lily piped up with her own design ideas along the way, which included a basket with a puppy in it under the archway. Before Marigold could describe the shell designs for the table or the mix-and-match tablecloths and napkins, they had arrived at Aunt Sunny's.

“Sometimes friends dance at weddings,” Max said as they lingered by the door.

“I don't know,” Marigold said. Zinnie would be so mad at her if she danced with Max, especially if it was a slow dance.

“No, Max is right. That's true,” Lily said. “Remember last year at the casino? We danced with friends.”

“You can save one dance for me,” Max said, leaning against the house.

“But you'll be in the band,” Marigold said.

“Grandpa and I are going to trade off playing the guitar for some of the songs,” Max said. “A dance with you will give me something nice to think about on those cold New England days. The beautiful, shy girl
full of California sunshine.”

“Okay,” Marigold said. “One dance.” She couldn't help but smile. It felt so good to have someone look at her as if she were the movie star she'd thought she was going to be at the beginning of the summer.

“Yes!” Max said, raising a fist in the air in victory. “I've got a dance with a pretty girl! Awesome!”

Then he completely surprised her by bowing like a knight and kissing her hand.

“Wow!” Lily said. Marigold just giggled as she watched him leap over a fallen branch and skip-run across the quiet street.

After she helped Lily with her bath and tucked her into bed, Marigold went to the living room to see how Aunt Sunny was doing with her dress. The lamplight cast a warm glow on her aunt's face as she worked. She was putting the final touches on the lace on the bottom of the skirt and listening to classical music.

“Looks beautiful,” Marigold said, admiring her aunt's handiwork.

“Almost done. How was dinner?” Auny Sunny asked.

“It was fun,” Marigold said. “Will you help me get started on my bag for Pilar when you're finished with your dress? I cut the fabric using the pattern.”

“I can get you started right now if you like,” Aunt Sunny said.

“Okay,” Marigold said. There was something very peaceful about sewing with Aunt Sunny in the evening. The glowing lamplight, the quiet classical music, the summer breeze from the open window, and the presence of her aunt wove together to create a feeling so relaxing and happy that Marigold felt warm and calm inside.

Aunt Sunny placed her work on a nearby table as Marigold brought her the fabric. She sat at the sewing machine, and Aunt Sunny demonstrated how to thread the needle, apply pressure to the pedal, and slowly push the fabric through. The machine made a satisfying clicking sound as they sewed one edge of the bag.

“I need to finish my dress tonight, but now that you know how to use the machine, you can complete your project anytime.”

“Thank you,” Marigold said, feeling so at ease that she thought she might fall asleep right where she was. “I'm just going to get a glass of water and then I'm going to bed.”

“Pilar is lucky to have a friend like you,” Aunt Sunny said as she settled back into her place at the sewing machine.

“Thanks. We're in a fight right now,” Marigold said. She glanced at the fabic in her hands. “But I have a feeling we're going to make up.”

“I think you will too,” Aunt Sunny said.

“Before I came to Pruet, I was having a really hard
time,” Marigold said. “Maybe the worst time of my life. But lately, I've been feeling much better.”

“I'm happy to hear that, but I'm not surprised. You've been very helpful to me. I've always found that there's nothing like being useful to cheer yourself up. I'll see you in the morning, my dear.”

When Marigold went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, she saw Zinnie's laptop on the kitchen table. As she tapped it awake to see what her sister had been working on so hard, a quick glance revealed her own name. Almost.

Her heart went cold as she read the words. It was about her. She realized that Zinnie had read her diary. Now feeling very much awake, she sat down at the table with her glass of water and read the whole story.