Indian Summer Read Free Page A

jangle of charms on her bracelet. “What about you?”
    “Marcie and the boys are going to stay at my parents’ cottage for a few weeks. I have a dig out west, and Paul will be working with his graduate students.” Marcie’s mom is an archaeologist and works part time at the university. Today she looks the part in khaki shorts, a light blue t-shirt, sandals, and a straw hat to shield the sun. Marcie thinks her mom looks casual and comfortable compared to Mrs. Swyndall in her flowered Capri pants and matching top. On the dig this summer Marcie’s mom is taking a group of students to work on a new discovery of Native American sites in Utah. “We’re going up there tomorrow to drop the kids off.” Marcie’s mom glances over at her. “This one isn’t too excited because none of her friends can go this year.”
    “I have the perfect solution!” Mrs. Swyndall exclaims. “Kaitlyn is spending a few weeks at the lake with me andher older brother Kyle.” She turns to Marcie. “This will work out so nicely—the two of you can get together.” She taps her fingernails on the table. “We did a lot of sailing back east. We’ve joined the yacht club, but haven’t met the other families yet. Do you sail?”
    “Yes, we have a sunfish and a sloop,” Marcie says. While thinking how unlikely it is that she and Kaitlyn will ‘get together,’ she sees Kaitlyn coming up behind Mrs. Swyndall. She is wearing super-short shorts and a top with spaghetti straps that would never have passed the school dress code. The school is always having to send home notes reminding everyone of the dress code, but it is really just the “popular” girls who push it to the limit.
    “Mom,” says Kaitlyn, acknowledging Marcie with a small wave of her hand, “I need more tickets.”
    “Sure, hon, there’s money in my purse. We were just talking about you. You know Marcie Horton?” She barely pauses for Kaitlyn to reply as she rummages in the purse. “Marcie and her brothers will be spending a few weeks at the lake this summer while we’re there. We thought you two could do some sailing together.”
    “Well … sure,” says Kaitlyn cheerfully but a bit slowly. She looks at Marcie. “Have you ever sailed in the Regatta?”
    The Regatta is a series of sailboat races over the Fourth of July weekend—a really big deal at the lake. The summerhouse crowd, or “Lakers,” usually spend July Fourth at the lake and enter the races. They mostly belong to the Yacht Club, and over the years a rivalry between the Yacht Club crowd and the local residents has grown.
    Marcie wonders if Kaitlyn thinks it was her idea to suggest getting together. “I’ve raced in the sunfish category, but our sloop isn’t the right size for the big race. Eric started to crew for the Boat Company team last year.” Marcie would love to be on the Boat Company Team, but it is just “the boys,” as Eric likes to say. Eric and Marcie aren’t technically Townies, because they don’t live at the lake year round, but since their grandparents do and they aren’t part of the yacht club crowd, they qualify. She wonders if the Swyndalls are aware of the rivalry.
    “Really? We’re going to enter our new E scow in the big race. Maybe you and Eric can crew with us.” She pauses and seems to notice for the first time where she is. “Did you run in the races? You look all sweaty.” She wrinkles her nose distastefully.
    That’s what happens when you exercise
, thinks Marcie, but she says, “Yes, we just finished.”
    Mrs. Horton says, “She won first place!”
    “Oh, right—aren’t you on the track team? Uh, congratulations. The only time I get sweaty is when I lay out!” Kaitlyn says with a laugh. “Well, gotta go. The girls are waiting!”
    “Always in a social whirl,” Mrs. Swyndall says fondly to her daughter’s retreating back. “Why don’t you bring your family over for a cookout on Sunday afternoon, Jill? It’ll be our first party at the