“I don’t have a girlfriend.” This was true but he made the tactical error of hesitating.
“You’re lying.” Kimmy sounded bored in her victory. “Who?”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“You want her to be. You can’t hide from me, Nico.”
He gave in, partly to get Kimmy off his back, but mostly to have the pleasure of talking about Valerie. “Her name is Valerie and she’s staying with the Badgertons this summer.”
“A summer romance.” Kimmy sighed. “This is exactly what you need to get out of your rut. I approve.”
“I wasn’t looking for your approval,” he pointed out.
“You’re happy to have it though, aren’t you?”
“Don’t tell Stefanie.” He thought. “Or Mom.” His dad wouldn’t care, or at least wouldn’t care in the loudly emphatic way the others would.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Kimmy laughed. “Remember the time I brought Sean home from university and at dinner Mom told him she felt they weren’t connecting? He dumped me the next week. What’s your Valerie like?”
What was she like? “Sweet,” he said finally. “She likes to help people. She’s funny. Up for anything.”
“Pretty?”
“I don’t judge people on their looks,” he reminded her. “You told me it was shallow.”
“I lied. What does she look like?”
“She’s half Chinese. Her hair is dyed burgundy, and it comes down to her shoulders,” he said, gesturing although Kimmy couldn’t see him. “Her eyes are brown and really nice and she doesn’t have any freckles. Her earrings match her outfits and she looks good in hats. She’s about your height and—” He stopped because Kimmy’s snickers were getting louder. “What?”
“You got it bad, son.”
He didn’t deny it. “You’d like her.”
“I bet we would.”
We. He paused. “I talked to Stefanie. We had a fight.”
The ice came right through the phone. “I know and I cannot deal with either of you. You both want to ruin this anniversary because you’re petty, so go ahead. I’m sick of trying.”
She hung up. She was right. This wasn’t fair to her or their parents. He was going to have to do something about it.
After today, though, because Valerie was skipping down from the bunkie and waving at him. “I got your note!” She flung her arms around him.
“Happy birthday.” He spoke into her hair.
“You remembered!”
“I did.” He felt it unnecessary to mention that she told him two days ago and his memory wasn’t that bad. He untangled himself and grabbed the box he’d wrapped yesterday after she’d gone to sleep. “Here.”
“A present!” She ripped it open to reveal the floppy straw hat with a wide pink ribbon that he’d seen her eyeing in one of the Mariposa Village boutiques. “I love it. How did you know I wanted this?”
Because you went back twice to look at it and I love watching you.Hedidn’t say it, but pointed at the canoe. “I have a day planned,” he said. “If you want to go on an adventure.”
“You know I do.”
“Our first stop is to visit a beaver dam on the other side of the lake,” he said. “Are you in?”
She kissed him, then grabbed him with that steely grip to keep him in place while she kissed him deeper. “Yes.”
