Page 251 of Summer Heat
“I’m not drawing. I’m doing homework.”
“Oh...Mommy says they’re going to give me homework when I start school this year.”
“Your mommy is right. She’s really smart, too. She used to help us do our homework when we were little.”
I smile. Mommy is smart. I continue running to the barn, and I see Nathan standing under the shade.
“Slow poke!” he screams.
“Am not!” I shout back. “I was talking to Uncle Michael.”
“Uh-huh, sure,” he teases.
I stand next to Nathan, but as I tag him I hear Daddy’s voice. “Blakey, let’s go,” he calls out loudly.
“I have to go,” I say sadly to Nathan.
“It’s okay. I have to go soon, too. Are you coming back next weekend?”
“Nope,” I say, smiling. “Daddy and Mommy are taking me to Disney World for my birthday.”
“Cool. Bye then.”
I walk back to the big house and see Daddy talking to Grandpa and Uncle Michael. On our way home, I remember that I left my Rainbow Brite doll outside the house. I fall asleep before I remember to tell Daddy.
I wake up in a pool of sweat, breathing heavily. My heart is pumping so rapidly that I’m scared my blood flow will start streaming out of my ears. I lean over to my dresser and clumsily search for my phone, panting as I hit the dial button.
“Hello?” he says, his voice raspy.
“Sorry to wake you up.”
“No, baby, I asked you to. Bad dream?”
“Yes...no. I don’t know,” I spurt out.
He exhales. “3:32,” he mutters, and I look at the time.
“I know, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called.”
“Stop apologizing. I’m glad you did. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really. I just wanted to hear your voice,” I say weakly.
“Okay, baby. Just go to sleep with me on the phone. I love you.”
“Thank you.” I love you. I love you more than you’ll ever know, Cole Murphy.
The next morning, I call Veronica and tell her that I urgently need to speak to her. She squeezes me in between two clients at 2:00. Classes start again next week, and this is my last week interning at Ross and Chevy Law. I’m going to take my lunch at 2:00 so that I won’t have to ask for half the day off—again.
My day at the office flies by, and when I look at the time it’s 1:30. I call Cole on my way to Lewis’. Cole’s on a show called Around the Horn today, but it airs at 5:00, so he should still be home.
“Hey, baby,” he greets.
“Hey,” I say, shuffling between a pack of angry lawyers in the lobby.
“What are you up to?” he asks with a smile in his voice.
“Just took lunch. I’m on my way to meet Veroni
