Page 19 of If the Summer Lasted Forever
Mom’s been pretty pushy about me spending time with Landon, and I now I know why. Last night, she said I’ve become a curmudgeon since Thomas, and she wants me to “move on, leave my hobbit hole of an office, and get some sun.” (Those were her exact words.)
But Landon scares me. He’s too appealing, too quick to smile—too different from Thomas, and I’m drawn to it. But that doesn’t mean I can trust him, so it’s best to keep my guard up and avoid him altogether. And what if he really is a nicesingleguy? He’s still going to leave at the end of the season, just like everyone leaves.
There’s something else, too. The other day, when we got back from Gideon’s shanty and the ghost town, Landon’s mind was somewhere else. He didn’t make a move when Caleb leaped out of the Jeep, and he certainly could have if he wanted to. He doesn’t need my mother’s assistance—chances are he just doesn’t like me that way.
And the thought of her interfering makes me want to hide in a hole.
“Landon and I need a buffer, someone to change the subject anytime my mother becomes too pushy,” I tell Paige.
She laughs. “He has three younger siblings. How much more of a buffer could you require?”
The girl has a solid point.
“You’ll be fine,” she assures me. “It’s just a picnic and a hike. One little afternoon.”
She’s right. I can do this.
“Do you have a dog?”McKenna asks as we walk down the trail. She’s decided she’s my best friend, and that suits me justfine. The less contact I have with Landon, the better. Though Mom’s been thankfully casual about it, I know she’s watching us this afternoon, waiting for a sign that we might like each other.
She’s usually so calm and down-to-earth, but I swear she’s turning into one of those pushy mothers from a Jane Austen book. I won’t be surprised if she starts warning me about the trials and tribulations of spinsterhood before I even turn eighteen.
“No,” I answer Landon’s sister. “We had a retriever mix when I was younger, but she passed away several years ago.”
Her name was Sunny, and she was my dad’s. It was a hard loss.
“How come you didn’t get another one?”
I glance at the girl—or more specifically, at the white dog lounging in her arms. “Dogs are a lot of work, especially puppies.”
“You could get a Saint Bernard like George. He doesn’t do much.”
Ahead of us, just to prove McKenna’s point, George decides to lie down in the shade. He paws at the ground, fluffing up a section of dirt, and flops down with a grunt. Dirt collects in his jowls, making a muddy, slobbery mess.
I eye him, internally cringing, but say, “Maybe.”
Maybe not.
There’s a waterfall up ahead, and Caleb’s already taken off, running as fast as his eight-year-old legs will carry him.
“Careful!” Mrs. Tillman yells, but Mr. Tillman only laughs.
Obeying his mother, sort of, Caleb slows to a jog. Candy struggles in McKenna’s arms, desperate to run with him. McKenna sets the dog down but holds her back, happy to mosey her way down the trail.
Today, Landon’s sister has on hot pink hiking sneakers and a sparkly white vest that matches Candy’s rhinestone collar.Something tells me trail jogging is not Landon’s sister’s idea of a good time. She’s happy to go her own pace.
A few minutes after everyone else, we reach the waterfall. It’s warmer today, but the mist is a touch cold. Still, Caleb looks like he’s about to wade into the crystal-clear pool of water.
Mr. Tillman playfully tugs on the hood of Caleb’s sweatshirt and says, “Don’t even think about it.”
Irritation flashes over Caleb’s face, but it’s gone as quickly as it comes. He turns to Uncle Mark. “Do you think there’s gold nearby?”
Mark shrugs. “It’s hard to say what’s hidden in the rock.”
The boy eyes the ledge behind the waterfall, looking very much like he wishes he’d brought a pickax. Heaven help us all if he ever finds a way to get his hands on one.
McKenna takes Candy to the water’s edge. Prim and proper as can be, Candy sniffs the water and delicately bats it with her paw. Looking positively scandalized, she backs away.
“You’re sure that’s a dog?” I say quietly to Landon when he steps up next to me. “Maybe she’s actually a cat under all that fluff.”
