Alexis turned the color of a plum. She worshipped her older sister and hated letting her down in any way.
“I have something for you,” Tim said, as we rode back to his house.
“What is it?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said giving me a gentle shove. “But you’ll like it, I swear.”
I grinned. I couldn’t help but wonder if it would be flowers like the bouquet he gave Annika. The thought did something weird to my heart. What was going on?’
I’d never had a crush on a guy. Was I starting to feel that way about Tim?
We all piled out of the van, and Tim practically dragged me inside.
“He’s been dying to give this to you,” Pete said, a twinkle in his eyes. All of the girls in our class had a crush on Tim’s dad. Judging by the looks on their mothers’ faces, I was pretty surethey did, too. He was a fireman, tall, muscular, and looked how Tim would likely look in twenty years. He was very handsome. But when I looked at him, I just saw Pete Summers, the man who was more like a father to me than my own was likely to ever be again.
“What is it?” I asked again, laughing.
Tim dragged me over to the counter. “I got you Russian tortoises.”
My mouth fell open. I stared at the large tortoise enclosure. It had everything a tortoise could want, including a heat source, a water feature, places to hide or sleep, and a small obstacle course. And inside the enclosure? There were two small Russian tortoises. I couldn’t believe it. I knew how much this had to cost Tim.
“Oh my God.” I just stared at them for a long moment before hurrying over and introducing myself to them slowly. Tim stood beside me.
“I’ve been playing with them for the past week,” he admitted. “Dad and I made the enclosure ourselves, and I wanted to make sure it was what they needed before I gave everything to you.”
I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. He laughed and hugged me back, rocking me back and forth. “Do you like them?”
“I love them!” I had to wipe my eyes as a few tears leaked out. I stared at my hand for a second as if to verify there was really moisture there. I hadn’t cried since the day we’d buried Mom.
But these were happy tears. I guessed they didn’t count. “How did you…”
“I’ve been saving up,” he cut me off. He smiled proudly. “I’ve been mowing lawns for two years.”
“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me,” I whispered as I stared at the tortoises in awe.
“I knew you needed a pet,” he whispered, and we exchanged a look. He knew how lonely I was at home. Dad had said no to cats, dogs, birds, and hamsters, but he’d been fine with turtles. I think he thought they were so expensive I’d never be able to afford them. I’d been saving up, but it was taking forever. He didn’t give me an allowance, and so far the only ‘job’ I’d been able to get was watering Mrs. Funkendweller’s plants. She was my next-door neighbor and always going on European cruises and tours since her husband died. Still, she wasn’t gone so often I could afford to buy tortoises and an enclosure.
“What are their names?” I asked.
Tim gave me a look. “Do you really think I’d name them? I mean, sure, I’ve been playing with them, but I’d never name them without you.”
I looked down at them. “Are they boys or girls or…”
“Too soon to tell. You know that.”
Right. I’d forgotten that babies were sold as unsexed. The sex of a tortoise was determined by the temperatures at which they were kept.
“If it helps,” Pete said, “the guy at the pet shop thought they were boys, but he was quick to say he didn’t know for sure.”
“Thank you both so much.” I gave Pete a hug, too, and he patted the top of my head.
“Sure, sweetheart. You needed these. We all agreed.”
I looked around and realized all the members of the Summers family were watching, big smiles on their faces. For just a moment, I wondered if Mom was looking down on me. One of the best things she’d ever done for me was staying close to her best friend. If it weren’t for the Summers family, my life would be very, very lonely.
The doorbell rang, and Lynne leapt into action. “The party is starting,” she called out in a sing-song voice. “Everyone start helping out.”
And we did. We all grabbed plates of food from the kitchen and moved them to long tables set up out back. Tim remained behind to answer the door and direct everyone to the backyard.
