Read Online The Forget-Me-Not Summer by Leila Howland - Free Book Online

on.”
    Dad looked different this early in the morning, Zinnie thought. He seemed softer around the edges. Or maybe it was the medicine. She’d taken her allergy pills last night, and they always made her a little fuzzy the next morning. “Mom, Lily, and Marigold are downstairs eating breakfast. We thought we’d let you sleep in a little, but it’s time to roll.” Dad put his coffee on the table and offered her his hands, but instead of leaping out of bed, Zinnie threw her arms around him.
    â€œI’ll miss you,” she said.
    â€œI’ll be thinking of you every day,” Dad said, and hugged her back.
    â€œWhile you’re up in the trees?”
    â€œAnd camping under the stars. I’ll look up and know that no matter how far away you are, we’ll be looking up at the same moon.” Zinnie smiled at the idea. “Now, how about you wash your face and brush your teeth while I put your suitcases in the car. Okay?”
    â€œOkay,” she said, and kicked off the covers.
    â€œIs that all you have?” he asked, pointing to her roller bag and backpack. She’d packed shorts, jeans, undies, socks, T-shirts, her two favorite bathing suits, a couple of sweatshirts, sneakers, flip-flops, three Night Sprite books, a notebook and pen, and her hair goop, in case she had the courage to try it again.
    â€œShould I have packed more?” she asked. “Mom said just the basics.”
    â€œNo,” Dad said. “It’s just that Marigold is bringing three times this much.”
    â€œYeah, well,” Zinnie said, thinking about how Marigold hadn’t said one word to her in the car ride home from the Farmers Market, “Marigold has issues.”
    â€œWe can talk about it downstairs,” Dad said, picking up her suitcase.
    â€œI just need to pack up my laptop and charge my phone,” Zinnie said, plugging her phone into the charger. “I forgot to do it last night.”
    â€œYou won’t need your computer, honey,” Dad said. “Why don’t you leave it here? Go wash your face and come grab some breakfast when you’re done. Berta came to say good-bye. She made pan dulce and your favorite, champurrado.”
    â€œMmm,” Zinnie said. Champurrado was a treat, and usually a wintertime one. Zinnie guessed that Lily had made a special request, and she was so glad. The idea of the warm, spicy cinnamon-and-chocolate drink made her momentarily forget about Marigold and her dirty looks.
    But she couldn’t forget for long. As soon as Zinnie entered the kitchen and took her usual seat at the table, Marigold stood up, brought her plate to the sink, and declared that she would be waiting in the car.
    â€œBy yourself?” Lily asked.
    â€œWe’re leaving in five minutes,” Dad said. “Can you wait five minutes so that we can finish breakfast as a family?”
    â€œNo,” Marigold said, giving Berta a hug and kiss good-bye before she charged out the door.
    Zinnie stood up to follow her, but Berta said, “Let her cool off, mija . She’s almost a teenager, and teenagers need their space.” She ladled champurrado into Zinnie’s favorite mug, the one with the Hollywood sign on it, and handed it to Zinnie. “Have some besos,” Berta said, nodding toward the basket of sugar-dusted pastries with raspberry jam filling.
    â€œThanks, Berta,” Zinnie said, already feeling a little better. Besos were Zinnie’s favorite type of pan dulce.
    â€œWhat happened between you two?” Mom asked, combing Zinnie’s hair with her fingers and pulling it into a ponytail.
    â€œShe’s mad that I ate a strawberry,” Zinnie said.
    â€œAre you sure it’s not something else?” Dad asked. Like a detective in one of the old movies they watched during Classics on Tuesdays, he could always sense missing information. “It takes two to tango, you know.”
    â€œOr rumba!” Berta