Picture Perfect Read Free Page A

girl they tried to date but who wasn’t interested in any of them—”
    We all laughed, but I also couldn’t help but wonder if Heather was feeling a little uncomfortable listening to all the guys reminisce, when her dad wasn’t around to join in anymore. As much as hearing my dad’s stories over and over again annoyed me, at least I still had the chance to listen to them.
    I stood up to get a little more food and took a serving of Mrs. Olsen’s famous marshmallow Jell-O salad, which she’s been making for every get-together since forever, and that I’ve been eating for about as long.
    “When did your mom have time to make this?” I asked Heather, taking a bite.
    “This afternoon. We got here earlier today, then went out shopping for new swimsuits,” Heather explained. “There are some amazing shops around here. Where were you guys when we got here?” she asked Adam.
    “Tim and Tyler wanted to go to an amusement park. I think we went on about twelve kiddie pirate rides.”
    “I can’t believe they’re already four,” I said. “Seems like they were just born, you know?”
    “Ha! Maybe to you ,” Adam said.
    “I always kind of wanted siblings,” I said. “Someone to take the focus off of me .”
    “I hear you,” added Heather with a nod.
    There was a loud knock on the fence surrounding the pool area. “Anyone here?” a deep voice called through the fence.
    “No!” everyone called back at once.
    “Thought so. Let’s go, Spence,” I heard Mr. Flanagan say.
    I kind of held my breath. After Adam, I couldn’t wait to see what Spencer looked like. Would he have changed that much, too? I was nervous, maybe even dreading it a little bit. What if he’d changed? What if he was even more handsome than he had been at sixteen? Or, potentially worse, even more conceited?
    The gate opened—Mrs. Flanagan was towing a large suitcase, while Spencer and his dad carried a kayak over their heads, which they leaned against the fence.
    “You kayaked here?” asked Mr. Thompson. “No wonder it took you so long.”
    “Anything to save gas money,” Mrs.Flanagan answered with a smile.
    Spencer was wearing an orange UVM T-shirt and long khaki shorts. He was barefoot. I suddenly remembered how he liked to go barefoot all the time, and wondered how that worked out during the winters. I rarely saw him during the winter. Maybe he had a completely different look.
    “You’re here!” Heather said, throwing her arms around Spencer.
    Spencer stepped back with an awkward smile, escaping Heather’s grasp. “Hey.”
    “Hey?” Heather repeated. “Is that all you’re going to say?”
    He looked at her and lifted his eyebrows, like he was trying to think of something better to say, but he couldn’t. “Sorry about your dad,” he said.
    “Thanks.” Heather hugged him again. “I appreciate that.” She let him go and looked up at him. “But I didn’t mean that.” There was an awkward pause. “Well? Are you going to hug Emily or not?”
    Good question, I thought. What was theetiquette for this kind of situation? It was like Heather could see that things were awkward, but I’d never told her about my dumb confession of love—or was it like ?—to Spencer two years ago.
    He gazed at me for a second, rubbing his eyes, because clearly he’d just woken up after the extremely long car trip. “Emily. That you?” he asked, scratching the side of his face, which looked a little stubbly. He was turning into a grown-up. He had actual stubble.
    I laughed. “Of course it’s me. Who else would it be? Hi.” I punched his arm a little awkwardly, but hit it harder than I meant to, and we sort of hugged, but sort of almost toppled over at the same time.
    “Ouch. You’re tall,” he said.
    “Me? No, I’m the same height I used to be,” I said, pulling a sticky strand of my hair off of my face.
    “You have something in your hair,” Spencer said.
    “Still?” I pulled at a few more hairs, then found a clump of