True, but then she would have been even later. I should have just plunked Luanne in her stroller earlier and gone to the store myself. Maybe she would have fallen asleep. But then I would have had to use my own money for the milk, and who knows when Aunt Cathie would have paid me back. If ever.

“We could bring you some on the way home from the beach,” Morgan suggests.

“Morgan, I didn’t say —”

“Oh, that would be so helpful,” Aunt Cathie answers before I can finish. She opens her purse and takes out her wallet.

Morgan grins at her. Then winks my way. She’s forced me to come with her to the lake — putting one over on me again.

I give her an eye roll. Looks like my aunt’s emptying her wallet, which means she doesn’t have enough to pay me today. She owes me a couple weeks of babysitting money.

“Naomi, we’re family,” my mother will say if I complain. “You should be doing it for free anyway.”

Still, I had plans for my summer before Aunt Cathie found this job at the Manor and Mom found hers at the donut shop. I signed up for swimming lessons but had to give them up to babysit Luanne. Shouldn’t I get something for giving up my plans? Trouble is, everyone in our whole family is dirt poor.

“If there’s enough change left, buy yourself a treat,” Aunt Cathie tells me.

“Thanks,” I say. ’Course there won’t be. “See you in a bit.” I head off toward my house.

“Where you going? The beach is this way,” Morgan says.

“You go ahead. I have to get my bathing suit.”

“Nah, you don’t.”

When I raise my eyebrows at her, she laughs.

“This is me showing you how to be cool. We go in the water in our undies and the restaurant people’s eyes pop.”

“I can’t do that!”

“’Course you can’t.” She nudges my shoulder with a fist.

Oh right, she thinks she’s funny.

“You kick off your flip-flops and go in your clothes, silly.” Morgan strides ahead, long legs putting distance between us. “If you hurry, Simon will still be there.”

“What do I care about Simon?” Dark hair and even darker eyes. Tall enough to see clean over me, like I don’t exist — just the way all the girls in middle school don’t see me. But they sure as all get-out see Simon. They wept when he graduated to high school a year ago. “How many people do you figure are ahead of us in line for ice cream?”

2

Thursday, July 1:

The Accident

Morgan turns and grins. Then she takes off walking again. She doesn’t wait for me. “Let’s just say you don’t have time to go change,” she calls over her shoulder.

I’m pretty sure she has no idea if there are crowds ahead of us or even for certain that Simon’s at the beach. She’s just playing me.

I should go straight to the store for the milk and then head home. Only, what else do I have to do right now? For a moment I see myself walking Diesel to the lake, where the cooler air blows against my skin.