Read Online Bittersweet Summer by Anne Warren Smith - Free Book Online
Authors: Anne Warren Smith
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Mom’s voice filled me up with happiness and pride. Watching her face as she sang each line was a hundred times better than listening to her CDs. She was singing to everyone, but especially to Dad and Tyler and me.
I looked up at Dad, but he was smiling at Mom. I looked closer at his eyes. They were shiny like he might be crying. Just then, Tyler stood up on his chair and started to jump.
“Dad,” I said, but he couldn’t hear me, so I grabbed his hand and pointed at Tyler.
Dad blinked his eyes and reached for Tyler. “Sit here,” he said, and gathered him into his lap.
The first half of the concert flew by like a dream. After every song, the people yelled and clapped until my ears hurt.
“We’ll be back after a short intermission,” Mom said. She waved and blew kisses at the audience. At us. At me! Then she walked off the stage.
Chapter 19
Claire’s Terrible News
M Y EARS STILL THUMPED with the sounds of the bass and the guitars as people got up and stretched. We moved along with them to a place where there were tables set up for selling T-shirts and CDs. Claire and Ms. Morgan stood near one of the tables. I showed Dad where I was going and pushed through the crowd.
Claire grabbed me. “Your mother is so pretty,” she said. “She acts really famous.”
I nodded and coughed. My voice wasn’t working very well.
Claire came closer so I could hear her over all the noise. “Do you like my new clothes?” She smoothed her jeans jacket and held up one foot so I could see her blue leather boots. “My favorite thing is this hat,” she said, adjusting it over her blond curls. “It’s so perfect.” She turned in a slow circle in front of me.
“You look like a cowgirl,” I said.
“Ms. Morgan said that, too.” She bent close to whisper in my ear. “But something terrible has happened. Ms. Morgan is having a barbecue for all of us tomorrow.”
“That’s not terrible.”
“Yes, it is. Tell you later.” Claire pressed her lips together as Ms. Morgan finished paying for her CDs and moved with us away from the table.
“It’s a wonderful concert,” Ms. Morgan said to me.
Mr. Plummer came up with plastic bottles of water. “That’s quite a mother you have,” he said. “I’m enjoying this.” He handed Claire and Ms. Morgan their bottles.
“Where are your dad and Tyler?” Ms. Morgan asked. “Oh, there they are.” Ms. Morgan waved at Dad, who was working his way toward us through the crowd while I wondered what the terrible thing could be. I looked at Claire, but she just shook her head.
“I’m so glad you found us among all these people,” Ms. Morgan said to Dad. “I want to invite you all to my barbecue. Tomorrow afternoon. Very short notice, but I have a special person coming to visit. I’d like you all to meet him.”
“See?” Claire pulled me to one side and breathed into my ear. “She . . . has . . . a . . . boyfriend!” She pushed her hands into her jacket pockets and turned away.
I looked at Ms. Morgan. She would never be Claire’s mother. Or mine. She was taken.
“We’d love to come,” Dad said to Ms. Morgan. “We’ll need your address.”
As Dad wrote down her address, she bent close to him. “She is beautiful, Bill,” she said. “Is this hard for you?”
I watched Dad nod at her. His eyes blinked behind his glasses, and then he looked out over the crowd as he tucked the paper into his pocket.
Ms. Morgan touched Dad’s hand. “The three of you are a good family, you know. Your children are lucky they have you for a dad.”
I leaned against Dad, proud of him.
“Tyler and Katie still miss her a lot,” Dad said. “Seeing her tonight is bitter and sweet for all of us.”
“Bittersweet,” Ms. Morgan said. “I understand.”
I moved closer to ask how something could be bitter and sweet all at the same time, but Dad cleared his throat and looked over at Mr. Plummer’s cowboy hat. “Did you and Claire just fly in from Texas?”
Claire and Mr.
I looked up at Dad, but he was smiling at Mom. I looked closer at his eyes. They were shiny like he might be crying. Just then, Tyler stood up on his chair and started to jump.
“Dad,” I said, but he couldn’t hear me, so I grabbed his hand and pointed at Tyler.
Dad blinked his eyes and reached for Tyler. “Sit here,” he said, and gathered him into his lap.
The first half of the concert flew by like a dream. After every song, the people yelled and clapped until my ears hurt.
“We’ll be back after a short intermission,” Mom said. She waved and blew kisses at the audience. At us. At me! Then she walked off the stage.
Chapter 19
Claire’s Terrible News
M Y EARS STILL THUMPED with the sounds of the bass and the guitars as people got up and stretched. We moved along with them to a place where there were tables set up for selling T-shirts and CDs. Claire and Ms. Morgan stood near one of the tables. I showed Dad where I was going and pushed through the crowd.
Claire grabbed me. “Your mother is so pretty,” she said. “She acts really famous.”
I nodded and coughed. My voice wasn’t working very well.
Claire came closer so I could hear her over all the noise. “Do you like my new clothes?” She smoothed her jeans jacket and held up one foot so I could see her blue leather boots. “My favorite thing is this hat,” she said, adjusting it over her blond curls. “It’s so perfect.” She turned in a slow circle in front of me.
“You look like a cowgirl,” I said.
“Ms. Morgan said that, too.” She bent close to whisper in my ear. “But something terrible has happened. Ms. Morgan is having a barbecue for all of us tomorrow.”
“That’s not terrible.”
“Yes, it is. Tell you later.” Claire pressed her lips together as Ms. Morgan finished paying for her CDs and moved with us away from the table.
“It’s a wonderful concert,” Ms. Morgan said to me.
Mr. Plummer came up with plastic bottles of water. “That’s quite a mother you have,” he said. “I’m enjoying this.” He handed Claire and Ms. Morgan their bottles.
“Where are your dad and Tyler?” Ms. Morgan asked. “Oh, there they are.” Ms. Morgan waved at Dad, who was working his way toward us through the crowd while I wondered what the terrible thing could be. I looked at Claire, but she just shook her head.
“I’m so glad you found us among all these people,” Ms. Morgan said to Dad. “I want to invite you all to my barbecue. Tomorrow afternoon. Very short notice, but I have a special person coming to visit. I’d like you all to meet him.”
“See?” Claire pulled me to one side and breathed into my ear. “She . . . has . . . a . . . boyfriend!” She pushed her hands into her jacket pockets and turned away.
I looked at Ms. Morgan. She would never be Claire’s mother. Or mine. She was taken.
“We’d love to come,” Dad said to Ms. Morgan. “We’ll need your address.”
As Dad wrote down her address, she bent close to him. “She is beautiful, Bill,” she said. “Is this hard for you?”
I watched Dad nod at her. His eyes blinked behind his glasses, and then he looked out over the crowd as he tucked the paper into his pocket.
Ms. Morgan touched Dad’s hand. “The three of you are a good family, you know. Your children are lucky they have you for a dad.”
I leaned against Dad, proud of him.
“Tyler and Katie still miss her a lot,” Dad said. “Seeing her tonight is bitter and sweet for all of us.”
“Bittersweet,” Ms. Morgan said. “I understand.”
I moved closer to ask how something could be bitter and sweet all at the same time, but Dad cleared his throat and looked over at Mr. Plummer’s cowboy hat. “Did you and Claire just fly in from Texas?”
Claire and Mr.
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