Sun-Kissed Christmas (Summer) Read Online Free PDF

has a lot on his mind.”

5
    Ex-boyfriends of Christmas Past
and Christmas Present
    On the way home Diana ran into the Quickie Mart. She bought peanut butter, jelly, animal crackers, milk, and red licorice, all her favorite childhood foods. She also bought a bottle of Bain de Soleil, some Blistex, and a copy of
Sassy
.
    Summer was waiting on the porch when they reached the house. She looked way too nice for hanging out—short blue sundress, new hoop earrings, black T-strap sandals she’d borrowed from Diana. She was holding a notebook.
    Summer walked down the front steps to greet them. “Who’s this?” Summer asked, glancing at Sarah.
    “This is Sarah,” Diana announced. “She’s going to be hanging out with us for a little while.”
    “Hi, Sarah,” Summer said, squatting to give her a smile. “Today, you mean?” she asked, casting a questioning glace at Marquez.
    “That’s sort of open to interpretation,” Marquez said as she unloaded the reindeer costumes from the trunk.
    “You can explain that in a minute,” Summer said, frowning. “First, guess who called for you, Diana.”
    “Diana motioned for Sarah to join her on the chaise longue. “It wasn’t some girl named Jennie, was it?”
    “Some guy. By the name of Seth. Seems he’s flying in to visit his grandfather. This afternoon.”
    Marquez cocked her head at Diana. “Did you already know about this?”
    “Well, kind of. I mean, he sort of mentioned it in his last letter, but it was, like, a maybe deal.”
    “Now it’s, like, a real deal,” Summer said. “You could have given us some advance warning.”
    “It’s not exactly front-page news,” Diana said.
    Summer’s eyes locked on Diana’s, cold and intense. It was rare to get a look like that from sweet, easygoing Summer.
    Summer and Diana almost never discussed the big mess between them. Instead they chose to tiptoe around it as though it were a big, ugly piece of furniture in the middle of the living room. Unfortunately, it was almost impossible for Diana not to smack her shin against it once in a while.
    Seth was Summer’s old boyfriend. More than that, he was her ex-fiancé. But the previous Christmas, when Diana and Marquez had traveled to Bloomington, Minnesota, to visit Summer and Diver and Seth, something had happened. On New Year’s Eve, Diana and Seth had been driving home from a party together and gotten trapped in a deep snowbank. One thing had led to another and … well, Diana would never again think of Seth as just a friend.
    Summer had found out about it six months later. It had effectively put an end to her and Seth’s strugglingrelationship.
    It was exactly what Diana had wanted. And one of the few times in her entire life when Diana was ashamed to have gotten her way.
    Marquez stepped between them, casting a worried look at Summer. “Hey, I for one like to be updated, Diana. It takes a scorecard to keep track of you three.”
    Summer shrugged. “It’s okay, Marquez. I mean, I’ve known Seth and Diana were writing each other all fall. It’s no biggie. She’s been really up front about it.” She gave Diana a tolerant smile. “For a change, I’ve even talked to him a couple of times on the phone when he called for Diana. It’s just …” Her voice trailed off. “Well, it’s weird to think about seeing him.”
    “I have to pee,” Sarah announced.
    “Come on,” Marquez said. “I’ll show you where the bathroom is. We’ll let Aunt Diana and Aunt Summer have a discussion without us.”
    “What’s a dishcussion?”
    “Louder than talking but quieter than yelling.” Marquez held up the costumes. “What do I do with these?”
    “I thought we’d have them dry-cleaned,” Diana said. “They’re not in any hurry to get them back. And it’s the least we can do, since we sort of blew our big appearance.”
    She watched Marquez and Sarah head inside. “So,”she said lightly, “you look nice. How come you’re all dressed up?”
    “I’m going with