Read Online Flirting with Boys by Hailey Abbott - Free Book Online

she wondered as her deck shoes pounded the red sandstone. Now Travis would be fired and go back to the beach and she’d see him twice all summer! Or Travis would be fired and her dad would sue him for the golf cart money and he wouldn’t be able to pay it, so he’d have to go to jail instead of Arizona, and she’d still never see him. Or…
    Celeste skidded around the corner of the kitchen off the main building. Travis lay peacefully under the bigtree, his arms stretched over his head and the cool green light from the leaves flickering over his face.
    â€œTravis!” Celeste hissed as loud as she could. “Wake up!”
    He opened his eyes slowly and smiled dreamily. “Celeste,” he mumbled. “You’re here. I was having a dream…. You were there. You were wearing this red silky thing…and cowboy boots.” He propped himself on his elbows. From behind her, Celeste heard the kitchen door bang.
    â€œGet up, get up, get up!” she whispered frantically, tugging at Travis’s hand. “My dad!”
    His eyes snapped open like window shades and he scrambled to his feet. “Your dad?” he said, whipping his head around. “Where?”
    â€œHere, now!” Celeste thrust the discarded weed-whacker into his hand and pressed the start button just as she heard her father’s voice from behind her.
    â€œTravis, I was just looking for you.”
    Celeste turned around. Travis was industriously whacking the grass around her feet. He straightened up, wiping his forehead as if he’d spent the last half hour trimming every blade of grass at Pinyon.
    â€œHi, Dad,” Celeste said, wondering how her voice could sound so calm when her heart was still throwing itself wildly against the inside of her rib cage, like some sort of crazed hamster.
    â€œHey, Mr. Tippen,” Travis said, breathing heavily.
    â€œHello, Travis,” Celeste’s father answered, eyeing Travis’s grass-stained work boots and tucked-in polo shirt. He gave a tiny nod of approval that only Celeste caught. She smiled to herself.
    â€œI wanted to give you this.” Mr. Tippen extended a piece of paper. “I had Jeannette draw up a record of how many hours you’ve logged so far toward your debt.”
    â€œCool. Thanks, Mr. Tippen.” Travis folded up the paper into a tiny square and stuck it in his pocket. Dad frowned faintly.
    â€œAre you going back to the office, Dad?” Celeste asked. He glanced down at the stack of papers in his hand.
    â€œYes, I just came out to see how you were doing. I have a meeting with Solomon about the menu for the month—we’re switching over some of the entrees. Fresh fish has gone up exorbitantly at the market.”
    â€œI’ll walk with you,” she offered. She waved to Travis and started heading down the path with her father.
    As they strolled, Celeste cast a sideways glance at her father from under her eyelashes. “So, Travis hasn’t worked off the golf cart yet?” she asked after a minute.
    Her father snorted. “He’s got a ways to go on that one. If I were making him pay us in money instead of labor, it would take a lot longer than three months forhim to earn enough.” Then his tone softened as he put his arm around his daughter. “I have to admit, though, he’s been a good worker. Dave says he’s really taken to mowing, even in this heat.” Her father glanced at her. “Maybe I’ve been a little hard about him in the past.”
    Celeste laughed. “A little ? Maybe if you’re Genghis Khan. He really is a good guy, Daddy. I’ve been trying to tell you that all year.”
    Her father smiled and kissed her on the top of her head. “Well, we’ll see. The summer’s not over yet.” He swung the glass door to the main building open and disappeared inside. Celeste watched him go, and when the door had swung safely shut, she doubled