The Last Summer Read online

  That made him groan again. He dropped his head back and raked a hand through his short chestnut hair. “I have to work with Lila?”

  “You know she works there. This isn’t news.”

  “Can’t we work different days or something?” he begged.

  “She works almost every day, usually all day.”

  “Of course, she does,” Gavin muttered. For years, he’d heard about how perfect and responsible Lila was and how he should be more like her. “Mom, you know she hates me.”

  She sighed. He knew she was just as tired of them fighting as he was, though he’d never admit it out loud. “This needs to stop. You’re practically adults now. You need to talk to her and figure out what happened all those years ago.”

  Gavin shrugged. They’d had that conversation countless times. The truth was he had no idea what started it. He remembered playing in the sprinklers as kids, laughing and building snowmen in the winter. They did everything together, until they didn’t. She wanted nothing to do with him.

  “Only a few weeks?” he asked. Knowing how important the shop was to his mom, he did want to help. Now that his dad spent so much time from home, she did everything on her own. And she rarely asked for help. Gavin just didn’t want to spend his summer being nagged by his uptight neighbor. Or, at least, that was the reason he told himself over and over.

  If only he’d believe it.

  “Two or three weeks tops.” When the phone rang, she stood and patted his leg. “Thank you. You’ll start tomorrow morning.”

  “Ugh!” he yelled, over-exaggerating as she walked by laughing. In the kitchen, she answered the phone, and by her tone, he knew it was his father, who was out of town for a company business trip. Something that happened more and more lately. Gavin wondered if he was assigned the trips or if he volunteered to get away.

  Rolling to his side, he snatched his phone up and texted Dylan. His friend sent several laughing emojis in response to the news.

  Gavin: Thanks for the support. You know this affects your plans too, right?

  Dylan responded with the poop emoji, and he laughed. His friend then sent a basketball emoji. Gavin shook his head and sent a thumbs up. Dylan used way too many emojis and GIFs, but it mirrored his over-the-top personality. Gavin stood from the couch and moved toward the stairs. As he began to climb, he yelled down to his mother, “I’m not wearing the uniform though!”

  3

  Monday

  He wore the uniform. Monday morning, he showed up at the Summer Scoop in the mandatory, bright pink polo shirt. The small, colorful building was just big enough for a handful of tables inside. Most of the customers sat at the outdoor picnic tables under the yellow umbrellas or on the benches around the playground. Within walking distance of the beach, it all sat on a small hill overlooking the lake, making it the perfect summer destination. Everyone loved the Scoop.

  Gavin pushed through the blue back door. Though it was only the first week of June and fairly early in the morning, the muggy air was already stifling. He took a deep, relieving breath as he stepped into the air-conditioned hallway. A familiar tune by a certain mermaid played in the front of the store, which opened in twenty minutes. He walked to the end of the hallway, crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall.

  Lila had her back to him, dancing back and forth as she set up the topping bar. He hadn’t heard her sing in years. It brought back a flood of memories.

  As she twirled and caught him watching, she screamed. Sprinkles went flying through the air. She cursed under her breath with a hand to her chest. “Seriously?”

  Gavin doubled over, holding up a hand as he tried to stop laughing. “You should have seen your face.”

  She quickly moved to turn the music off.

  “Still obsessed with Disney, I take it. Glad to see some things don’t change.”

  Turning around to glare at him, she demanded, “What are you doing here, Gavin?”

  “Looks like we’re going to be work buddies for a few weeks.” By her gaping mouth, he knew his mother hadn’t told her. “My mom needed someone since the other two quit.”

  “I thought they just called in sick?”

  “Nope,” he replied. “Apparently they have better things to do. Much like I did… yet, here we are. My mom’s going to hire a couple more people but doesn’t want you to have to do all the work and train them at the same time, I guess.”

  Lila rubbed her temple with one hand and closed her eyes. He knew she hated him, but surely they could last a few weeks without killing each other. Not waiting, he turned and opened the closet.

  “Here.” He pulled out a broom and held it out as he approached her.

  She opened her eyes and raised a brow at him. Crossing her arms, she shook her head. “Oh, no. You clean this up. I already did most of the work setting up for the day.”

  “Fine.” Before she could walk away, he reached out toward her hair, but she smacked his hand. “Easy, Weston.”

  “Don’t touch me,” she yelled.

  “I was just getting a sprinkle,” he yelled back. “You are infuriating, you know that?”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you.”

  She shook her head again and narrowed her eyes. “Whatever. I’m going to get the ice cream from the freezer.”

  As she stepped around him and disappeared into the walk-in freezer, he started to sweep. “This is going to be a fun summer.”

  Lila passed over two ice cream cones then turned to find Gavin blocking her way. He reached around her with the shake she needed and handed it to the mother outside the window. The woman thanked them and turned to follow her two kids down to the beach. Their laughter drifted up to the Scoop on a refreshing breeze.

  As she was the last customer in the afternoon rush, the shop finally stood empty. Lila closed the window, sealing in the cool air. She moved to her bag and pulled out a folded paper. She’d created the summer bucket list the night before. One last chance to live it up after high school. She read through it, trying to decide where to start. There wasn’t a lot of time.

  “What’s that?” Gavin asked, coming to look over her shoulder.

  She folded it up and shoved it back into the pocket. “Nothing, just a grocery list.”

  Kicking her bag under the counter more, she faced him. The air conditioner hummed in the background with music playing softly from the overhead speakers. Hazel eyes bore into her. She crossed her arms, refusing to look away first.

  His mouth quirked up on the side. “What are you hiding?”

  “Nothing.” She had years of practice keeping her voice calm.

  Gavin eyed her for a moment before shrugging and walking away. He moved to the topping bar, cleaning up the spilled candy between the canisters. Kids were so messy.

  Few others trickled in until the evening, when a little league baseball team and their families swarmed the small space, celebrating a win. Their shouts and laughter echoed off the walls, making Lila’s head pound. When she handed the coach his change and he followed the last little player out, she mumbled an excuse to Gavin and retreated to the freezer.

  Lila stood with her hands on her sides, leaning against the metal door. She’d taken Tylenol only a couple hours earlier for the headache that refused to leave, and it was too soon for more. Deeply inhaling the cold air, she counted to ten. She focused on her feet—the farthest point possible from her head.

  The pain gradually eased, taking the nausea away with it. Lila grabbed a container of M&Ms and walked back out to the dining area. She filled the candies back up then turned to see Gavin reading a crumbled piece of paper at the cash register.

  Horror filled her. Lila ran over, slammed the container down on the counter, and made to grab it from him.

  Gavin laughed as he held her list high above her head.

  “What are you doing?” Lila demanded. “That’s private!”

  Gavin looked at the list again, laughing as she jumped to reach it. He had several inches on her and easily ke
pt it away.

  “Use a fake ID to sing karaoke in a bar?” He raised a brow. “Weston, my little deviant, I didn’t know you had it in you.”

  He watched the panic in her eyes as she quickly scanned the room. Gavin liked to tease her, but he wasn’t cruel. He would not have read that one out loud if people were around. Moving down the list, he froze. “Go on a date?”

  Her face flushed, and she backed away. She ran a hand through her hair, whispering, “Please just give it back.”

  The please threw him. When Lila held out her hand, he gave her the list. “You’ve never been on a date?”

  She folded the paper and held it tight in one fist, refusing to meet his eyes. Guilt nagged at Gavin, warring with satisfaction. Growing up, Lila was so outgoing. Their parents always said she didn’t know a stranger. Something happened to make her hide away, and while he knew he played a part in her never having a date, he was determined to finally find out why she shut him out.

  “All right, I’m in,” he said.

  “W-what?”

  Gavin grinned at the stammer. “Relax, Weston. I mean I will help you cross off your summer bucket list.”

  “I don’t need help.”

  “Really?” He leaned a hip against the counter. “You’re going to get all this done in the next three months by yourself?”

  “Two weeks.”

  He barely heard her words. “What?”

  “I have two weeks to do it all.”

  Gavin stared at her. Lila was smart, she always did exceedingly well in school. It wasn’t a surprise that she was leaving for college early. He just thought they had more time.

  The bell over the door chimed, and Lila moved to help another family. After she scooped their ice cream, Gavin rang up the order. They stayed inside at one of the small tables, so he dropped his voice. “We start tomorrow.”

  Lila bit at her bottom lip. Someone at the window caught her attention. As she passed Gavin, she shook her head. “No, Gavin. I don’t need your help.”

  He watched her take the order of the teenage couple that looked a year or two younger than Lila and him. While Lila made up their cones, the two kissed. The girl pulled away, laughing as she leaned into her boyfriend.

  Gavin had two weeks to figure out what happened between him and Lila. Despite her refusal, he was determined to check off every item on that list with her. He thought back through it, trying to decide which to do the next day. But the same one kept flashing in his mind.

  Be kissed in the rain.

  4

  Tuesday

  “All right, Weston.” Gavin clapped his hands then rubbed them together with a grin. “Ready to get started?”

  Lila shoved her bag under the counter before flinging an apron over her neck and tying it behind her back. It smelled sweet, as if already covered in ice cream. The job shouldn’t be a messy one, but she always managed to spill bits of the sugary concoctions on herself. Gavin moved past her, getting the ice cream set up.

  “It’s too early for that much enthusiasm,” Lila said. The list was long, and she knew for a fact some of the items would be a lot easier with another person—some required another person. But she didn’t want him involved with any of them. She still couldn’t believe he read through the embarrassing list. “Besides, I said no, remember?”

  He turned to face her. “Oh, come on. We can cross off at least one thing right now.”

  “Even if I did say yes, which I’m not,” she held up a hand to stop whatever he was about to say and continued, “we need to open the store. We can’t check things off the list while at work.”

  “Au contraire.” Gavin turned to grab a bowl. “You can try something new.”

  Lila stilled, her hand hovering with a container over the topping bar. That vague item on the list could mean just about anything, and she was curious as to what he had in mind. Slowly, she dumped the rest of the cookie dough bites into their tub then turned to face him. “What could I try?”

  Gavin raised his eyebrows a couple times with a grin. He held up the bowl, now filled with ice cream, and she moved closer, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She hated her traitor heart. She didn’t want to enjoy working with him, but the charm and ease he’d had as a child poured from him in waves.

  “Try this.” As she reached for it, he pulled it back and yelled, “Wait!”

  He rushed over to the toppings and piled on several types of candy—candies she never would have paired together, like gummy bears and chocolate chips. He sprayed whipped cream over it all, drizzled chocolate on top, then tossed on some sprinkles.

  “Are you trying to kill me?” She finally smiled as he brought the monstrosity back to her.

  Lifting up a spoon, he handed both over. “Try it.”

  “You’re ridiculous,” she said, but she took a bite.

  The overwhelming sweetness caused a soft moan, and Gavin shifted beside her. He crossed his arms, waiting for a verdict. His casual stance and playful attitude made her pause. Moments like that made it hard to forget they weren’t friends. Lila swallowed past the gooey chocolate mess before placing the bowl on the counter.

  “Not as bad as I thought.” She moved around him to continue setting out the toppings.

  As she popped off the lid to the pretzel bites, Gavin sighed across the room. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him pick up the bowl and take a bite. He walked to flip over the open sign on the door before heading over to her.

  “I don’t understand.” He leaned against the topping bar and took another bite. “What just happened?”

  “I appreciate you helping me, but it doesn’t change anything. You’re not doing the list with me.”

  “Weston.”

  “No.” She grabbed the rest of the extra candy to put away and went to the storage closet. “We’re not friends. We haven’t been for a long time.”

  “Whose fault is that?”

  She didn’t respond. Behind her, she heard him throw the bowl in the trash. He stomped over, and she pulled away.

  “Give me that,” he said, grabbing a container.

  He put it on one of the tall shelves in the closet. They put up the rest, but he didn’t move when she turned around. The storage room was tight with both of them in there, and she became overly aware of just how close he stood. “Move.”

  He didn’t budge. He looked down at her, a strange emotion at war with the anger in his eyes. Once upon a time, she would have known exactly what he thought.

  “Please, Lila.” The desperation in his voice with the use of her first name pulled at her heart. “We’re going to be working together for a couple weeks at least. Can we put a pause on the feud—call a truce?”

  The front door opened, a bell ringing to alert them.

  “There’s a customer,” she said.

  He put a hand on her arm as she tried to step around him. “You used to be my best friend. I don’t know what happened, but do you think we can manage being friends for a few days?”

  She didn’t understand his words. It had been years since their falling out, but surely, he remembered. “You want to be my friend?”

  “Yes.”

  Someone called out from the front of the shop, and she glanced toward the short hall. She heard the tell-tale signs of impatient children. Looking back up to Gavin, she saw the sincerity in his eyes. Reluctantly, she whispered, “Maybe.”

  He smiled, making her stomach twist. Before she could get away, he ruffled her hair like a child. She groaned and shoved his hand away. Walking to the front, she swept her hair back from her face, washed her hands, and started the shift that never seemed to end.

  Gavin hated to admit it, but he was beyond relieved when his mom showed up. He wiped his forehead with the end of his apron. It said something that he was hot in an ice cream shop. The Scoop’s door opened and closed so many times the air conditioner couldn’t keep up with the unusually warm spring day. There were almost three weeks until summer officially began; that kind
of heat didn’t normally hit them until mid-July.

  The crowd had finally simmered around dinner time, but he knew it would soon return. The well-loved Scoop had stayed busy throughout the years. He had just never had to work it before. The deep exhaustion in his core was new to him.

  Lila chuckled beside him as she counted out the tips for the day and handed over his half. “Too much for you, old man?”

  “I am three days older than you.” He elbowed her in the side.

  His mom approached, and he didn’t miss the smile as she watched the two of them teasing each other. Lila hadn’t agreed completely with the truce, but he already felt a difference. The teasing was lighter—more playful than actual fighting. The entire atmosphere around them had changed, and he knew his mother could tell.

  “Gavin, Lila, this is Kaley,” his mom said as she approached.

  Gavin hadn’t even seen their classmate enter, but she appeared and stood beside his mom with a smile.

  His mom continued, “She’s going to be training for the next week or so.”

  Gavin laughed but noticed Lila fidget beside him. She looked uncomfortable, and he stepped closer to put a hand on her back. As her breath caught, he realized what he’d done. He dropped his hand.

  “Yeah,” he said, turning his attention back to the women in front of them. “We went to school together, Mom.”

  Kaley nodded. “I’m so excited to work here this summer before I head off to school.”

  “Great, maybe I won’t have to stick around as long as we thought then.” Guilt flooded him as soon as the words left his mouth. First at his mom’s frown, then at the thought of not spending time with Lila. He wanted to amend their friendship, not just have a temporary truce. Doing the bucket list was supposed to help with that, but he might not have the chance unless he convinced her to let him stick around. “Well, I mean, I will still be here as much as you need me. I can’t imagine just you three doing this every day.”