My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer Read Online Free PDF

Luke unwrapped a ham and cheese, and I thought about him not eating dinner with Joe. I guess if a sculpture idea grabs you, you don’t remember dinner. If I had a dad, I’d make him come and eat with me.
    â€œSometimes,” I said, taking a bite of a cookie, “I wonder if I eat like my father.”
    Luke looked at me chewing. “You mean like a pig?”
    I punched Luke in the leg. “No, like if he chews fast or takes a drink between every bite, that kind of thing.”
    â€œYou’re crazy.”
    I looked at him. Luke’s mother probably ate French cuisine every night at the Quebec hotel she managed. “Do you think my father likes pie?” I persisted.
    â€œEverybody likes pie,” he said. “Especially yours.”
    â€œYeah, well, I wouldn’t know if he’s ever eaten one,” I said, feeling sorry for myself. All I knew—all Mom knew—was my father was a New Yorker and a sperm donor. I kicked the water.
    Luke’s hand covered mine then, on the dock. I felt a flush of heat, like last time by the cliff.
I’m on your side,
his hand told me.
    Maybe I was imagining things. Next thing I knew, he was pulling me into the lake.
    â€œHey!” I said, whipping my wet hair out of my eyes. I splashed him, and he splashed back until we both had to duck under.
    The lake was black, like a cool coat around me. I wasn’t afraid of the dark bottom, and I relaxed in the water’s quiet embrace.
    When I came up for air, Luke was by the dock. A low gong had sounded across the lake. Joe must have finished for the night.
    â€œGotta go.” Luke put the rest of the sandwiches in the dinghy, and I untied the boat for him.
    I watched him row. Luke and I, we were in the same boat with these missing parents. I headed back up to the house.
    â€œI just don’t think getting married right after the law passes is such a good idea.” Mom’s voice pierced the night. Instantly, I sank below the open kitchen window, against the side of the house.
    â€œWhy not? We should celebrate our relationship.” Eva’s voice rose. “It’s the right thing to do. And there’s June to consider.”
    â€œThat’s who I’m thinking of,” Mom said. “Someone has already threatened to take her away.”
    My breathing sharpened. Every muscle stilled.
    â€œYou’re exaggerating.” Eva sounded exasperated. “The note said ‘shouldn’t have children,’ not—”
    â€œThat’s where it starts . . .”
    â€œAll the more reason to make it legal, then, to make her
our
child,” Eva said.
    â€œJune does not need us to draw attention to our relationship right now,” Mom said.
    â€œYou sound ashamed of us—”
    â€œAshamed!?” Mom’s voice was tight with anger. “Eva, I’m being practical, realistic! By getting married in a civil ceremony, June could be teased or worse by her classmates. Just like last spring at the game.”
    â€œShe went to Tina’s today. They’ll be friends again in no time.”
    â€œThat’s just one friend,” Mom said. “And what about the business? We’ve already lost customers. Let’s let this blow over.”
    â€œWhy? Getting married now won’t change anything—it’ll still be a ‘lesbian shop.’”
    â€œMaybe it’s OK in your Burlington job, but not here!” Every word Mom spoke came out hard. “These are my neighbors. I will not hide, but I don’t need to parade my politics in front of them.”
    It was silent then in the kitchen, and I pressed my eyes closed. Could someone really take me away from my mom? Could it be true that not as many people wanted our sandwiches and cookies and pies because Eva had moved in? And as much as that scared me, the silence in the kitchen scared me more. I’d never heard Mom and Eva fight before. I began shivering.
    And then