Summer Breeze Read Online Free PDF Page B

she watched Luke and Lydia race ahead of her toward the water.
    A short distance from the swimming area stood Deepwater Cove’s dock—a double row of boat slips with decking in between and a roof overhead. Today, nearly all the boats were out on the water as full-timers and weekenders made the most of the beautiful weather. The place where the neighborhood’s families could picnic and swim featured a large parklike patch of green grass, several shady trees, a bench, and a few tables and chairs. A square wooden swim dock floated in the center of a roped-off area of water.
    It was a little late in the day for a swim, but Kim had finally given in to her twins’ desire to join the neighborhood’s other children on the beach. She packed a basket of thick towels, snorkels, masks, flippers, and healthy snacks. Then she added the zippered bag she had put together for Luke to keep with him at all times. Syringes, a monitor, needles, insulin, and glucose pills filled the bag they had come to call his “insulin kit.” As the kids raced to the water, Kim spread out a blanket and settled in the shade to watch them paddle around and splash each other.
    “Well, that was a major flop.” The cheerful voice behind Kim belonged to Brenda Hansen. Hair damp, the slightly older woman sat down cross-legged on the blanket. “I hope you don’t mind if I join you, Kim. I could definitely use some female companionship after what I just went through.”
    “Sure, I’d love your company. Derek’s working, and I’m keeping an eye on the twins.” Kim could see the outline of Brenda’s wet bathing suit beneath her T-shirt. “What happened?”
    “I tried to teach Cody how to swim.”
    “Uh-oh.” Kim was sympathetic, but aware of Cody’s quirks, she couldn’t hold back a smile. “Trouble?”
    “First he started yelling, ‘I am not a fish! I am not a fish!’ over and over.”
    “Oh, dear.”
    “When I finally got him off the boat and into the water, he thrashed around so much that he nearly drowned both of us.”
    “Did he have on a life jacket?”
    “Of course, but that made no difference to Cody. He was petrified. The next thing I knew, he had lost his swimsuit.”
    Kim threw back her head and laughed. “You’re kidding! How did that happen?”
    “He hadn’t tied the string around his waist, and the elastic was too loose. There we were—flailing around, Cody and I hollering at each other, Steve yelling at both of us as we all searched for Cody’s trunks. And then here came a Water Patrol boat.”
    “Was it Derek?”
    “I wish. The officer thought we were trying to drown a poor naked man. He jumped into the water and so did Steve. There we all were, churning up waves and struggling to hear each other over Cody’s hysterics. It was ridiculous! Cody kept grabbing the ladder on the boat and trying to haul himself out of the lake before we had found his swimsuit.”
    “Oh, I can’t wait to tell Derek!” Kim giggled. “This will rival some of his stories, for sure.”
    “I finally found the trunks snagged on the propeller, and Steve and the officer got them free while Cody sobbed his heart out. You would have thought we really had been trying to do him in. Poor guy. Then the officer happened to mention the drowning near Deepwater Cove, and that made Cody cry even harder. Finally Steve helped him get dressed, the officer went on his way, and we all got back in the boat and came home.”
    “Wow, you must be exhausted. Where’s Cody now?”
    “He and Steve went up to the house. Cody was eager to frost a cake we baked before we left.”
    “Let me guess—chocolate?” Kim asked, and the two women shared a smile. “I can’t picture Steve baking a cake. Does he cook often?”
    “He never used to lift a finger in the kitchen, but lately he’s been doing a lot of grilling for us. He discovered he likes to bake, too.”
    “That’s fantastic. Derek helps when he can, but his hours are so unreliable that most of the