Summer Burns Read Online Free PDF Page A

started digging in his wallet, looking for a bit of change. Because that bear was just hanging there, waiting to be snagged.
    " Wait, I have some in my car. Stay here. " Summer darted toward the door.
    Matthew glanced at Emma. " Uh, okay, " he said, but Summer was gone.
    " She ' ll be back, " Emma said, not seeming the slightest bit worried about her mother leaving her alone in the restaurant.
    Matthew, however, wasn ' t nearly as relaxed. His gaze darted around the pizzeria again, suddenly looking for threats against little Emma, like someone would try to take her away while on his watch.
    Not going to happen .
    Emma plastered herself in front of the machine, blocking anyone from seeing the almost freed teddy bear. A couple of kids walked up, obviously wanting to try the machine, but Emma held them at bay.
    Summer came back, quarter in hand. " Got one! " She shoved the coin in, and glanced at Matthew, grinning.
    Emma squealed.
    " Emma, do you want to do the honors? " Summer asked.
    The little girl grinned and with a couple of quick moves, the teddy bear fell into the prize hole and she pulled it out, shrieking with delight.
    " She ' s happy now, " Matthew said.
    " She ' s been after that bear forever. " Summer grinned, and he wondered if she was just as excited as the little girl was.
    Emma babbled over what she was going to name the blue stuffed bear--Elsa, he thought she ' d said--as they walked out of the pizzeria. Summer got her in the backseat, and Emma started fastening the bear into a seat belt then got herself situated in her car seat.
    Summer climbed into the driver ' s seat, and he handed her the leftover pizza.
    " You can keep it if you want, " she said.
    " It ' s all right, " he said. " Take it to work tomorrow. Lunch at the salon. "
    She grinned. " Well, thank you again. "
    " Mister Maffew! Mister Maffew! " Emma called from the backseat.
    He leaned in the window a bit to see her. " Yes? "
    " You have to come watch Frozen with us! Elsa wants you to come! "
    " Oh, honey, that ' s nice of you to invite him, but I ' m sure Mister Matthew has things he has to do this evening. "
    The sad thing was, he really didn ' t. Just watching something mind numbing on Netflix .
    He glanced at Summer. " Is it any good? "
    She smirked. " It was the first time I saw it. Now, I can quote it to you. And I ' m not proud of that. "
    He smirked.
    " Please Mister Maffew? Please? " Emma ' s words hit him right in the gut.
    " Emma, don ' t beg. " Summer fastened her seat belt.
    " Maybe for a little bit, " Matthew heard himself say.
    Summer arched her eyebrow. " You don ' t have to. It ' s fine. "
    He shrugged. " Probably better than watching Neflix all night anyway. " But if he did, well, at least he would be able to check in how she was living. He ' d promised Jake, after all, that he ' d make sure they were okay.
    It was only doing what he promised, right?

Chapter Five
     
    I stood behind the couch where Emma had planted Hennessey--Matthew, I have to remember that--and her new teddy bear to watch the Disney movie. He ' d finally relaxed. At first he ' d been very nervous watching with her. He kept glancing at me, then he ' d get sucked into the story for a second, then he ' d start looking around again.
    I wondered if he ' d ever been around kids much.
    Regardless, he was doing better now. Emma either didn ' t notice or didn ' t care that he was uncomfortable, because she kept a running monolog going about every little thing in the movie, explaining the plot as only a six-year-old could do.
    And surprisingly, Matthew would jump in with questions that kept her talking. Maybe he did that on purpose so he didn ' t have to talk?
    Regardless, Emma was having a blast.
    I smirked as they discussed the finer points of the talking snow man ' s song. Feeling like she was in good hands, I decided to refill my drink.
    Glancing at them as I tossed some ice in my glass, I couldn ' t help thinking about how Jake would have loved sitting there, watching