The Summer's Child Read online

  THE SUMMER’S CHILD

  Arabella James

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  CHAPTER ONE

  When Samantha asked Charlie “would you, totally hypothetically, go on vacation to the south of France with me,” Charlie was distracted. She had been busy Googling pictures of bears wearing tiny hats.

  So she just looked up, nodded absently, and said “sure.”

  “Awesome,” Samantha said with a smirk. “I’m entering us in a contest.”

  “Sure,” Charlie agreed. She walked over to the hotel phone and called up Alise to ask her about their plans for the evening, and Samantha entered them in the contest.

  So when, at the end of October, Charlie got a Facetime call from Samantha, she was confused.

  “Charlie! We won!” Charlie immediately broke into a grin. Then her smile dropped

  “What did we win?” Charlie asked, suspiciously.

  “We won the sweepstakes!” Samantha replied, clapping her hands.

  “For what?” Charlie asked again, flipping open her Macbook and frowning at her email. She didn’t remember entering any sweepstakes…

  “For that trip to the south of France! I told you about it a couple of months ago, remember?” Samantha said, grinning widely. Charlie frowned.

  “Honestly, no,” she admitted, her forehead furrowed.

  “Oh.” There was a beat, when Samantha clearly tried to recover. “Well, it’s in Biarritz -”

  “Forward me the email, Samantha,” Charlie ordered. Samantha immediately brightened again.

  “Okay!” The email appeared in Charlie’s inbox. While Samantha excitedly chatted about the opportunities, the amazing sights they could see, how Samantha could use her French again, how they could see some Division 1 games - perhaps even visit Lyon?, Charlie skimmed the Terms and Conditions. Ah! There it was. A way out of this without hurting Samantha’s feelings.

  “Sam, I have bad news,” she interrupted. Samantha’s face fell immediately.

  “You can’t make it?” She asked, disappointed.

  “No, not because of me,” Charlie explained quickly. “Did you read the fine print?” Samantha’s forehead furrowed.

  “No?” She admitted. Charlie sighed.

  “Well, you know how this is a pair holiday?” She asked. Samantha’s frown deepened.

  “What?” She asked.

  “For couples!”

  “I thought we could go as a dynamic duo,” Samantha started, with a small smile. Charlie rolled her eyes.

  “They specify romantic couples in the fine print,” she explained.

  “What?” Samantha sounded really dismayed this time.

  “Due to the popular nature of the South of France Romantic Getaway,” Charlie read aloud, “We ask only serious contestants in serious romantic relationships consider this event, since there will be several couples activities structured into the prepaid holiday deal.” Samantha frowned.

  “Well, we could pretend to be a couple?” She offered, though she didn’t look very convinced. Charlie snorted.

  “And what would that look like?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “I dumped Casey and ran off with you?” Samantha sighed.

  “Oh,” she murmured, visually deflating. “Good point.” Charlie frowned.

  “You know I would go if I could!” She promised. Samantha nodded.

  “I know,” she muttered.

  “I love travelling with you!” Charlie added, desperate for Samantha to regain some of her earlier cheer. “We could do Mexico together next year! Just you and me! In a trip we pay for!”

  “Yeah, I suppose,” Samantha murmured, fiddling with a pen on her kitchen table.

  “You’ll find someone else,” Charlie decided. Samantha perked up - clearly the idea of taking someone else hadn’t occurred to her yet.

  “Do you think Alise will go with me?” She asked, excited. Charlie pulled a face.

  “Again, people might think…” She pointed out.

  “Ugh, good point,” Samantha sighed. “I mean, she is on her honeymoon right now.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Also, Prentiss scares me a little bit. He’s so quiet.” Charlie snorted.

  “I can’t believe Prentiss scares you, but Casey doesn’t,” she muttered. Samantha grinned.

  “You’re scarier than Casey,” she pointed out. Charlie glared at her.

  “Samantha!” Samantha’s grin widened.

  “Don’t tell him I said that,” she said conspiratorially. Charlie rolled her eyes. Her phone vibrated on the table next to her and she picked it up, flicking away from the text before she looked at Charlie thoughtfully. “Hey, do you think Janine would go?” Charlie pursed her lips.

  “She might,” she mused.

  “I’m going to call her now,” Samantha decided. Charlie rolled her eyes.

  “Samantha, it’s nearly midnight on the East Coast,” she pointed out.

  “And?” Samantha raised an eyebrow. “You know Janine’s still up.” Charlie chuckled.

  “Good point,” she decided. “Go convince her!” Samantha grinned, said her goodbyes, and picked up her phone.

  Janine picked up right before it went to voicemail.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Hey Janine!” Samantha said cheerfully. Janine sighed.

  “Samantha, it’s midnight,” She pointed out,

  “What are you up to?” Samantha asked conversationally, ignoring Janine’s annoyed tone.

  “I’m getting ready for bed, Samantha!” Janine complained. Samantha snorted.

  “You have someone over, don’t you?” She asked. There was a moment of silence, which meant yes, Janine was in the middle of seducing someone.

  “Samantha. What do you want?” Samantha grinned and hopped off the stool in the kitchen and started rummaging through the fridge.

  “Wanna come on vacation with me?” She asked, frowning at the content of the fridge. She only had carrots and some green salsa. “Just you and me?”

  “One sec.” Janine covered the mouthpiece, apologized to someone, and then stepped into another room. Samantha heard a door slide open, and then shut as she dunked her first carrot into the salsa. “Okay, I’m back. Charlie just forwarded me an email for a couples retreat. Is that what you’re talking about?”

  “Yes, but -

  “No.”

  “You didn’t even let me finish! I’m sure it would be fine if we went as like...old bros….”

  “No, Samantha.”

  “No?” Samantha whined, annoyed. Janine sighed in exasperation.

  “I’m seeing someone,” she hissed into the phone. Samantha nearly choked on her carrot in surprise. She coughed, clapped herself on the chest, and then managed to whisper a quiet: “Yay! Go Janine!”

  “And it’s too new for me to spend two weeks in Europe with you without her asking some very normal and healthy questions.”

  “It’s only a week,” Samantha grumbled.

  “Ask Roelle,” Janine decided. Samantha coughed again, the last bit of carrot dislodging itself from her esophagus.

  “What?” She demanded, her voice high pitched.

  “Ask your number one crush, Roelle, to go with you,” Janine repeated. Samantha shushed her.

  “Janine!” She hissed. “Don’t say that!”

  “Everyone already thinks you two are having sex!” Janine pointed out with a snort. “And if you don’t bring anyone, you can’t go.”

  “Oh no,” Samantha mumbled, a blush creeping up her cheek.

  “Just tell her what you told me,” Janine advised her cheerful
ly.

  “Janine!” Samantha hissed. “I can’t do that! Anyway, what if she has plans? I don’t want to disturb her…”

  “Look, I have access to Roelle’s Google calendar, and I can tell you that she has a very well mapped out plan to spend two weeks avoiding everyone and spending time with her dogs. I’m sure she’d prefer to spend that time with you. I’m forwarding your email to her.”

  “Janine!” Samantha cried, cringing on the kitchen counter. There was a small click sound.

  “Already done!” Janine said cheerfully.

  “Fuck you. I’m going to - I’m going to hunt you down.” Janine chuckled.

  “Better call Roelle otherwise she’ll have a panic attack and think you’re asking her out to the prom,” Janine hummed cheerfully.

  “You’re the worst, Janine!”

  “I know! Bye bye!” Samantha hung up the phone, and then stared at her screen for several minutes before she got up the nerve to call Roelle. Roelle picked up after the first ring.

  “Hey Samantha,” she said, her voice sounding slightly rushed. “Janine said you’d call.” Samantha blushed again, grateful that they weren’t Facetiming.

  “Janine called you?” She asked, disbelief coloring her voice. Roelle laughed quietly.

  “No she emailed me so I wouldn’t freak out about the email she forwarded me.” Samantha licked her lips, nervous.

  “What did she say?” She asked.

  “She said you wanted me to be your fake girlfriend so you could go to Biarritz for a week.” Samantha bit her lip, and sighed.

  “Look, it’s free,” she started, “it has all these fun things, and like -”

  “The media already thinks we’re together?” Roelle asked, and Samantha could hear her small smirk through the phone. She grinned back.

  “Yes! Exactly!” Roelle chuckled, but then the laugh turned into a sigh.

  “Janine wouldn’t go with you, right?” She asked. Samantha bit her lip again, and decided to make a joke out of it.

  “She says I’m too tall for her,” she said, smiling a little. Roelle sighed.

  “You know, I have plans,” she began, but Samantha interrupted her.

  “Janine looked at your schedule. And I know you’d fucking love this trip. We do snorkeling!” Another uncertain silence.

  “Do you want me to come?” Roelle asked quietly.

  “Yes!” Samantha replied, grinning.

  “I can see the email chain, Samantha. I know I’m your third try.” Samantha rolled her eyes.

  “But my first serious try?” She offered. An uncertain laugh from Roelle.

  “You’re full of bullshit Samantha,” she said, though her voice was more indulgent than harsh. Samantha’s grin widened. She was winning her over.

  “I know,” she said. “But come on, you know it would be sick. And again, it’s free.”

  “You’re such a penny pincher,” Roelle murmured. Samantha laughed.

  “I know, and I am okay with it. Please?” There was a long moment of silence, where Samantha could practically hear Roelle wavering.

  “Fine.,” she said, and Samantha whooped in excitement. “But,” Roelle said, warningly, “I have some conditions.”

  “Anything,” Samantha promised, excited.

  “You have to come to the city and pick me up.”

  “Okay!”

  “And I get to choose the activities.”

  “Done.”

  “I don’t want to do anything weird.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “And I get to make up our story.”

  “We have a story?” Samantha asked, surprised.

  “This event is going to be full of couples, Samantha! Of course we have to have a story!”

  “Awesome.”

  “If we’re doing this, we’re doing it all the way.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Samantha agreed.

  “Also, if you broadcast this, I’m fake-dumping you.” Samantha nodded.

  “Fair,” she agreed. Roelle sighed.

  “You’re a terrible haggler,” she muttered, though Samantha could hear the affection in her voice. She jumped up in her kitchen, excited.

  “We’re going to France!” She called. Roelle sighed in affectionate exasperation.

  “When do we leave?” She asked.

  “In a week.”

  “I’ll see you in a week.”

  “Wonderful!”

  When Samantha hung up, she saw she had a text from Janine.

  Janine: SHOT GUN BEST MAN DUTIES 4 UR WEDDING

  Samantha: shut up

  She stared at her kitchen counter. She couldn’t believe this. She was going to go on vacation with Roelle. How on earth was she going to survive?

  ***

  “Roelle, your calendar isn’t syncing to the house calendar - are you okay?” Alise was standing in Roelle’s doorway, Samsung tablet in one hand, staring at the room in confusion. Roelle frowned at her floor.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said absently. Alise stepped inside carefully.

  “Is your calendar offline?” She asked.

  “No, it’s fine,” Roelle replied. There was a moment of silence.

  “Why are you packing?” Alise asked, frowning. “I thought you weren’t leaving for Cali for another two weeks?”

  “Oh. I’m -” Roelle straightened up and sighed loudly - “thanks to Janine, I’m going to the south of France.” Alise’s face lit up.

  “That’s so cool!” She exclaimed, grinning.

  “No,” Roelle corrected, frowning down at the four separate piles of clothes again, “Lise, it’s not.”

  “It’s not?” Alise asked. Roelle put her arms on her hips and glared daggers at the piles of clothing.

  “No! I’m going with Samantha!” Alise blinked in surprise.

  “With Samantha?” She asked, confused. Roelle crossed her arms and scowled at the floor.

  “Yeah, Janine hacked into my computer and told Samantha I would go to France with her.”

  “What?” Alise stepped forward, and Roelle sat down on the floor dramatically, covering her face.

  “She betrayed my trust, forcing me onto this vacation,” she complained. Alise crouched down next to Roelle and rubbed her back sympathetically.

  “Oh, that’s why you changed your password,” she murmured, more to herself than to Roelle.

  “The password isn’t the point, Lise!” Roelle said, huffing in annoyance. “It’s the principle.” Alise frowned, and then walked to the doorway.

  “Julie!” She called down the corridor. Julie yanked open her door.

  “Yeah?” She asked.

  “You’d better come in here.”

  “Why?” Julie asked, already walking down the corridor towards them.

  “Roe is being dramatic!” Alise called, sitting down on Roe’s bed.

  “I am not! I’m just - I’m going to spend seven days hating Janine.” Julie frowned down at Roelle and then glanced over at Alise, seeking an explanation.

  “Samantha and Roelle are going on holiday,” Alise supplied.

  “What?” Julie’s eyes widened in comical disbelief.

  “Even worse,” Roelle grumbled, “it’s a couple’s holiday.”

  “What?” Julie’s eyes grew bigger and she sent Alise a gleeful look. Alise giggled.

  “We’re going as a fake couple,” Roelle added quickly, shooting a glare at Alise. “Clearly. We’re not dating.”

  “Roelle!” Julie was grinning. “This is your chance!” Roelle scowled.

  “My chance for what? To embarrass myself?”

  “Don’t be so dramatic.” Alise got up off the bed and sat down at Roelle’s desk, calling up the website for the event while Julie rubbed Roelle’s back sympathetically.

  “I’m not being dramatic. I’m scared,” Roelle admitted quietly.

  “Oh man, look at all these things you can do!” Alise said cheerfully.

  “Like what?” Julie asked, jumping up to look at the screen.


  “Snorkeling!” Alise exclaimed.

  “Yeah, I’m kind of excited about that,” Roelle admitted, tracing the grains in the wood of her floor carefully.

  “Surfing!” Alise added.

  “Oh, that’s gonna be awesome,” Julie chimed in. Roelle rolled her eyes and got up off the floor.

  “What are you doing, Lise?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at Alise.

  “I’m making a schedule for you,” Alise hummed as she opened Roelle’s planner to next week. Roelle narrowed her eyes.

  “You’re trying to help me calm down,” she said suspiciously. Alise shot her a grin.

  “Well, if she schedule I am making incidentally helps you to stop freaking out, then I see it as a plus.” Roelle felt a small smile pull at her lips.

  “Ugh,” Julie said with a small frown, “so according to the Official Schedule, you have to mingle the first night.”

  “Ugh,” Alise agreed.

  “Yeah, I know,” Roelle muttered, getting up from the floor and looking back at her clothes.

  “Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights are the three nights there are official group activities you will have to attend,” Roelle explained. “Everything else is optional.”

  “What are the group activities?” Julia asked, looking between Alise and Roelle. Alise whistled.

  “This is for fancy rich people, Roe,” she explained. “Even at dumb mingling events, there will be a lot of champagne.” Julie laughed.

  “Good point,” Roelle agreed.

  “And also people are gonna network the shit out of you,” Julia pointed out. Roelle pulled a face.

  “Ugh, I hate that,” she admitted. Alise grinned.

  “Let Samantha take the heat then,” she pointed out. Roelle bit her lip.

  “That sounds fair,” she admitted.

  “There we go,” Alise grinned at Julie. “Our little Capricorn is going on vacation.”

  And that’s how Julie and Alise dropped Roelle off at the airport. She had a schedule, a list of small talk topics from Julie, and a lot of pep talks.

  Samantha was sitting by the check-in counters, jamming to her music with giant headphones over her snapback. Roelle watched her from across the giant arrival hall. She could still run. Julie and Lise would be disappointed with her, and Samantha would be bummed out, and Janine might be annoyed, but it was all okay. Nothing terrible would happen, no one would get hurt, everything would be okay.