CHAPTER ONE #3
“He’s been dying to give this to you,” Pete said, a twinkle in his eyes.
All of the girls in our class had a crush on Tim’s dad.
Judging by the looks on their mothers’ faces, I was pretty sure they did, too.
He was a fireman, tall, muscular, and looked how Tim would likely look in twenty years.
He was very handsome. But when I looked at him, I just saw Pete Summers, the man who was more like a father to me than my own was likely to ever be again.
“What is it?” I asked again, laughing.
Tim dragged me over to the counter. “I got you Russian tortoises.”
My mouth fell open. I stared at the large tortoise enclosure.
It had everything a tortoise could want, including a heat source, a water feature, places to hide or sleep, and a small obstacle course.
And inside the enclosure? There were two small Russian tortoises.
I couldn’t believe it. I knew how much this had to cost Tim.
“Oh my God.” I just stared at them for a long moment before hurrying over and introducing myself to them slowly. Tim stood beside me.
“I’ve been playing with them for the past week,” he admitted. “Dad and I made the enclosure ourselves, and I wanted to make sure it was what they needed before I gave everything to you.”
I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. He laughed and hugged me back, rocking me back and forth. “Do you like them?”
“I love them!” I had to wipe my eyes as a few tears leaked out. I stared at my hand for a second as if to verify there was really moisture there. I hadn’t cried since the day we’d buried Mom.
But these were happy tears. I guessed they didn’t count. “How did you…”
“I’ve been saving up,” he cut me off. He smiled proudly. “I’ve been mowing lawns for two years.”
“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me,” I whispered as I stared at the tortoises in awe.
“I knew you needed a pet,” he whispered, and we exchanged a look.
He knew how lonely I was at home. Dad had said no to cats, dogs, birds, and hamsters, but he’d been fine with turtles.
I think he thought they were so expensive I’d never be able to afford them.
I’d been saving up, but it was taking forever.
He didn’t give me an allowance, and so far the only ‘job’ I’d been able to get was watering Mrs. Funkendweller’s plants.
She was my next-door neighbor and always going on European cruises and tours since her husband died.
Still, she wasn’t gone so often I could afford to buy tortoises and an enclosure.
“What are their names?” I asked.
Tim gave me a look. “Do you really think I’d name them? I mean, sure, I’ve been playing with them, but I’d never name them without you.”
I looked down at them. “Are they boys or girls or…”
“Too soon to tell. You know that.”
Right. I’d forgotten that babies were sold as unsexed. The sex of a tortoise was determined by the temperatures at which they were kept.
“If it helps,” Pete said, “the guy at the pet shop thought they were boys, but he was quick to say he didn’t know for sure.”
“Thank you both so much.” I gave Pete a hug, too, and he patted the top of my head.
“Sure, sweetheart. You needed these. We all agreed.”
I looked around and realized all the members of the Summers family were watching, big smiles on their faces.
For just a moment, I wondered if Mom was looking down on me.
One of the best things she’d ever done for me was staying close to her best friend.
If it weren’t for the Summers family, my life would be very, very lonely.
The doorbell rang, and Lynne leapt into action. “The party is starting,” she called out in a sing-song voice. “Everyone start helping out.”
And we did. We all grabbed plates of food from the kitchen and moved them to long tables set up out back. Tim remained behind to answer the door and direct everyone to the backyard.
The party lasted all afternoon, with many of our classmates running around and participating in the activities Lynne and Pete had set up in the backyard. The yard was packed, since all of Tim’s sisters had invited several of their friends over, too.
I didn’t really do well in crowds of people. I preferred to observe everyone from the outskirts of the party. I stood under a big old water oak near the creek Tim and I explored nearly every day. I leaned against the trunk and smiled as I watched everyone running around and having a great time.
My smile faded a bit as I saw Tim walking towards the back of the yard to the bench Pete had built for Lynne so she could take a book or her Kindle out and read near the creek.
He was holding Annika’s hand. She looked beautiful in the late afternoon sunshine and had tucked a sunflower from the bouquet Tim had given her behind her ear.
I felt another unfamiliar pang as he sat on the bench with her and the two of them talked. I had to look away when he bent down and kissed her.
I stared down at my scuffed-up shoes, not really seeing them. I didn’t know what these new feelings I was having towards Tim meant. I hoped they didn’t mean that I had more than platonic feelings for him.
I knew tortoises were better than flowers. I very much appreciated the hard work that had gone into Tim giving them to me. Still, the two gifts were strikingly different. I knew no one would ever give Annika a reptile. And I was afraid I was the type of girl who would never get flowers.
Especially from someone like Tim.