Page 20 of Villainous Summer

Was he? At the office, his reaction was a little strange when I told him her name, but I had filed it under the oddness of the entire exchange.

Summer beamed at him with a wide pink smile. “I’m always happy to come over. You know that. I can’t pass up Baba’s brownies. Please say she made a batch for the party?”

“Of course. When I told Tonya that you were coming with Donovan, she made double.” His arm still around Summer’s shoulders, he grinned. “Now, have you introduced Donovan to Peter yet? I know your father will have a thing or two to say about him.”

Summer laughed and swatted at his chest. “Jiji, of course not.”

Jiji. She even had a nickname for him.

“What about my granddaughter? Has Devin met him yet? She’ll be here in a bit.”

“Not yet.”

Summer was still smiling, as if this was the most natural thing in the world to be chatting about.

Doom settled deep into me. Despite the early Summer sun, the air was chilly. What had I gotten myself into?

Mr. Haruki glanced at me with a smirk, his eyes bright. “You know, I tried to introduce Donovan to Devin, but it looks like you go there first. Swooped in. If it can’t be with my granddaughter, I’m glad it’s with you. Or Autumn or Wren.”

“Oh, Wren had a fella. Adrian something. They just moved in together. He’s a teacher, I think. I’m supposed to meet them tomorrow for a drink.”

“No one tells me anything!” Mr. Haruki said in jest.

Still standing on the outside of this conversation, I felt dread creep in. The whole point of this was to avoid pissing off my boss, and I had landed myself in deep with one of her dearest friends.

Summer caught me watching them and shot me a quick wink.

I hoped that meant Don’t worry, I won’t get you fired. But who knew?

“You’re such a gossip,” Summer teased.

“Guilty, guilty. It keeps me young. Now, you two go enjoy yourself. Drinks are in the cooler on the patio, and, Summer, you can show Donovan where the bathroom is.”

“Absolutely. Remember when we accidentally dyed your sink pink with hair dye?”

“Took you girls weeks of scrubbing after school before it came out.”

They laughed.

“You two have fun, and, um”—he leaned in conspiratorially—“I’d stay clear of my neighbor Tom’s pasta salad. He keeps putting raisins in it.”

As he passed, Mr. Haruki set a hand on my shoulder, leaned in, and whispered, “You be careful with this one.”

I gulped down the imminent threat between the words. “Of course, Mr. Haruk—Dennis.”

After slapping my shoulder twice, he sauntered away.

Summer had been standing at the drink cooler and fishing through the ice.

My head down, I stomped after her, trying to keep the rise of panic and annoyance out of my expression. “What was that?”

She straightened, two cans in her hand. “Do you want Rainer Cherry or Fuji Apple? Or they have beer, too. You had a lager last time, right? They have that or—”

Pulling her to the side, I leaned down, my voice low. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew Mr. Haruki?”

She took a languid sip of her hard seltzer, her light-blue eyes steady on me. “You never told me his name. Loads of people have parade parties. How was I to know?”

I slid a hand down my face, the bristles of my beard scratching my palm. “I can’t believe this. My career will go up in flames.”

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