Read Online The Pleasures of Summer by Evie Hunter - Free Book Online

she’d had the chance theprevious night. Mike bloody Chester. He hadn’t wasted much time. She wasn’t sure if she was jealous or relieved.
    Back in her room she showered quickly and riffled through her wardrobe. This was turning into the weekend from hell. The humiliation of it. Her first house party and everyone had paired off except her. She could just imagine the knowing smirk on Flynn’s face when he realized.
    Summer heard a truck coming up the drive and she pulled back the curtains. The entertainment had arrived. ‘Mircat Archery’ had brought everything they needed for an afternoon of archery including an expert to tutor them. It was expensive but luckily her dad didn’t bother looking at her credit card bill. He wouldn’t spend time with her, but he paid her Visa bill each month without a quibble.
    Gavin and Mike had boasted about how good they were at sports and the girls loved a chance to dress up. She pulled out a silk dress she had bought when she was in the Far East. It was pretty and feminine and floated about her ankles. The perfect thing to cheer herself up on a less than perfect day. When she had organized the party, she had visions of herself wandering around like a princess. Now, she would be more like the ugly sister.
    She hung around her room for as long as was decently possible, pretending that she was catching up on emails. Outside, she could hear the sound of hammering from the lawn. They were obviously setting up the targets. She was just being silly. She couldn’t mope about here any longer. It was time to face her friends.
    Preparations for the party had already started. A bare-chested Gavin had unearthed the barbecue from one of the storerooms and was busy cleaning it. ‘Hey,Summer,’ Gavin shouted. ‘We’re going to cook you some real food for a change. Mike and Natasha have gone to the village for steaks and more beer.’
    ‘Great.’ She tried to sound enthusiastic.
    Maya arrived with an ice-cold can of beer. Sneaking up behind him, she pressed it against Gavin’s back. The Australian roared with surprise before he turned to revenge himself on his attacker. Maya fled, squealing. She was no match for Gavin’s speed or his flying tackle. The pair ended up in the pool, sending water flying everywhere. Maya made her way to the surface, spluttering and laughing at the same time.
    Gavin caught her in his arms and gave her a hungry kiss. ‘You are going to pay for that.’
    Summer wasn’t jealous of Maya; she had no interest in Gavin, but she envied that they were together and that they appeared to be happy. Like she had been? She shook away the memory. Adam Bayliss had no place in her life now.
    ‘Penny for them?’
    She hadn’t heard Flynn arrive. The man defined the word stealth. ‘My thoughts? I doubt if they’re worth that much.’
    ‘What’s the matter? Are you annoyed that you’ve lost your admirers?’ He watched with amusement as Maya wriggled from Gavin’s hold and tried unsuccessfully to swim away. Gavin was after her in an instant and the pair disappeared beneath the water.
    Poor little rich girl left on her own again. How Flynn would enjoy that one. Summer shrugged, feigning boredom. ‘You have no idea, Flynn. You don’t know me at all.’
    To her surprise, the expert teaching them about archery was a woman. Summer felt a moment of guilt for assuming it would be a man, then forgot it as she found herself being included in the class. So much for her vision of herself as a fairytale princess, ready to bestow a kiss on the victor of the competition. Eleanor Grimes, middle-aged, petite and brisk, assumed that everyone was going to shoot.
    Before she handed out bows, however, Eleanor took them through the basic movements and muscle groups used in drawing the bow. Summer caught Molly’s eye and the pair of them tried not to giggle. It felt like they were doing bust exercises at the gym.
    It felt good just to have fun, Summer realized. It was too long since she had