Summer is Forever

Dirty Shoes

Brooklynn's POV:

"Rise and shine Brooklynn!" Yelled Aunt Justine as she opened the curtains in my bedroom and pulled the covers off my cold feet. "We don't have anytime to waste! The show at the Café is in two weeks! We have to get the food, the music, the center pieces, the..." and that's when I cut her off. "Aunt Justine, everything will be fine. You have nothing to worry about! Everything will get done in plenty of time." She looked at me with a kind smile and patted my shoulder "Thanks kid. I needed to hear that from someone with some actual sense. Now go get cleaned up, we're heading to the café in 20 minutes. You can eat breakfast there." I quickly hopped out of bed and watched Aunt Justine shut my bedroom door behind her. I ran over to the door after she left and quickly turned the lock to make sure it was shut. I stripped down and jumped into the shower to find that the water was freezing. Guess that's what I got for being the last one awake in a house that holds 35 workers. After dancing around in the shower for a few minutes, I lunged out in a hurry to put some warm clothes on. I put some mouse in my already naturally curly hair and put on my sneakers. I ran down the hallway and back down the stairs. "It's about time you got down here, we have things to do." Yelled Harold as ran to the truck. "Oh can it Harold!" I yelled back. Aunt Justine hopped into the car and put it into drive."You know, we could have very well walked to the cafe from here. It's only afew blocks." I just smiled. She likes to go on about pointless things sometimes." Bur I told Harold that I needed the truck.." and that's when I tuned her out and enjoyed the 2 minute car ride to the café. Honestly I didn't understand why we didn't walk... or should I say why I didn't walk. We pulled up to the back of the café in downtown Savannah. I looked at the people walking along the streets, and the horse buggies parked along the street, too. " with Liam." I looked at her funny. "Huh?" she exchanged a confused look. "You mean Excuse me, and you heard what I said Brooklynn. I do not want you around Liam. He is trouble." I laughed at this. "You've got to be kidding me Aunt Justine. I am not here to find love, I'm totally not interested." She sighed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Lord, I thought since he took you to the library yesterday, you may be falling for the boy. Now, I don't have any problems with you falling in love honey. I mean, Jase is a very nice boy. He's one of my best workers!" I simply smiled. "Thanks Aunt Justine, I'll keep that in mind... but you should really know I'm not interested in love this summer. I just want to read a good book, work in the café and enjoy my summer in Savannah." she shook her head and laughed "Oh honey, sometimes a little love is all you need to enjoy the summer. Now come on we have work to do."

We hopped out of the truck and stepped onto the dry pavement carrying boxes of plates, cups, and napkins. "Carry these into the workroom, please." said Aunt Justine opening the back door. We walked into the cold café to see waitresses seating people and workers cooking eggs and bacon for breakfast. I carried the large boxes and plopped them onto a table in the workroom. I then walked out of the room to ask Aunt Justine if she needed anymore help when I saw her. She was singing "Like A Virgin" by Madonna, and her voice was absolutely beautiful. "Why don't you get to work?" yelled a little scrawny boy about my height with curly blonde hair. I turned to look at him and I watched his facial expression completely change, "Oh I'm sorry miss, I thought you were someone completely different." I just gave him a quick little smile. "It's okay. It's not the first and surely not the last time I've been yelled at since I've been here." His eyes widened with surprise. "Oh! You're Ms.Justine;s niece! Brooklynn, isn't it?" I simply nodded and he smiled. "Well, I'm Luke. It's nice to meet you Brooklynn. I hope you're having a great stay." I smiled "Thank you Luke. Oh, before you go, can you tell me who that is singing?" His eyes brightened. "That's Harley Jennings. She sounds beautiful, doesn't she?" He kept staring at her. His look getting deeper and deeper. He was lost in her eyes. You could tell he was in love with her. "She sounds great. I don't think I have ever heard any better. Does she stay at Aunt Justine's, too?" He smiled and nodded. "Yes, only two doors down from my room actually." I laughed. "I'm sure you enjoy that... So does everyone that works for the café stay in the house or is it just certain people?" I asked intently. I didn't ask because of Liam. I know that's what you are thinking. He's so arrogant... "Um, no. Everyone gets an opportunity to stay, but the majority of people decide to stay in the group of small town houses on the edge of your Aunt's property. That's where all the workers hang out and party." Then a man came out of the kitchen and gave Luke a harsh look. "Get back to the kitchen, boy!" he turned to me and said "Uh, I gotta go. We can talk again later. I like you Brooklynn, you're pretty cool. You wanna hang out later tonight?" I smiled. "Uh, yeah I'll think about it," he laughed. "Well, you know where to find me. I'm just a couple doors down the hall!" he waved and then disappeared back into the kitchen.

After watching Harley for a couple more minutes I went to the back room to find Aunt Justine. I walked into the room to find her scurrying around looking for her checkbook. "It was just here a second ago!" she scoffed as she was starting to get down on her knees to peep underneath the table. "Brooklynn, dear, be a doll and help your Aunt Justine look for her checkbook please." I smiled and walked over to the table she was sitting at to find her checkbook laying underneath a stack of papers. "If it were a snake, it would have bitten you." I laughed as I handed over the checkbook and pulled up a chair. "Sometimes I feel like I'm loosing my mind running this place. I don't really know what I'm doing anymore." She quickly jumped up from the table. "Well, that's enough of that. Why don't you head back to the house darling. You can catch a ride with Jase, he's one of my best workers. I'm sure you all will get along great." As soon as she said that Mr. Pretty Boy himself walked by the door. "Oh Jase! Yelled Aunt Justine into the hallway." He poked his head in the doorway of the backroom. "Yes Ma'am, what can I do for you?" He asked intently. "You're about to head back to the house, right?" He smiled, yes Ms.Justine." She quickly grabbed me and pushed me into Jase. "Great! You don't mind taking Brooklynn with you, do you?" He smirked, "Of course not. Come right this way Brooklynn." 

He grabbed my waist and walked me to his car. "So, are you liking Savannah?" he asked while opening my door. "I've been here a day." I said coldly. "Geez, I was just asking." he said with his eyes widened. "Do you mind taking off your shoes and holding them before you put your legs in? I don't want to get my floor mats dirty. I just got them cleaned." I stared at him for a second in disbelief. "Are you being serious right now?" he looked at me with a cold sober face. "Does it look like I am joking. Take them off." I slowly got out of the car and started to resentfully storm off. "Where are you going?" He called. I turned around and yelled "Home, douche bag!" He had a look of utter disbelief melted onto his face. I'm not really sure why I hate this guy so much. He just has that "I'm better than everyone" cocky attitude to him, and I can't stand to be around him. Although the house is only a few blocks from the café, I'm a little lost. I walked for a couple minutes, which turned into about 30 minutes, and then it turned into an hour and so on. That's when I realized I had defiantly been walking in the wrong direction. But I didn't turn around. I just kept following the sidewalk. I followed the sidewalk all the way down to the boat arena. That's when I saw Liam. He pulled up to the sidewalk and yelled "Are we going to have to do this everyday? Hop in." He laughed as I crossed the front of the truck and climbed into the front seat.

"So tell me," he said turning down the radio "How did you wind up 45 minutes from the house?" I laughed. "I don't want to tell you, you'll laugh at me" His lips slowly curved upward in a slight smile. "Yeah, you're probably right." he scoffed. "What happened?" I turned so I could face him. "Well, do you know Jase?" Suddenly hostility took over his green eyes. "Of course I do. Why do you ask?" he inquired. "Well, I hopped out of his car because he wanted me to take off my shoes so I wouldn't get his car dirty. I then got lost on my way home and now I'm here." He burst into laughter. "You hopped out if Jase's car?" I laughed. "Yes. I did." He turned to me with a shimmer in his eyes. "So how did you manage to get lost on your way back to the house? It's only a couple blocks away from the café!" he then burst out into laughter again shaking his head. "I didn't know which direction to go in!" He continued shaking his head. "You know Brooklynn, I figured since you liked to read that maybe you would have a little sense." There was silence for a few seconds as I was coming up with a good comeback. They have always been my weakness.  "I'm sorry Brooklynn, did I hurt your feelings?" I laughed. "No, but I do have sense. Just not sense of direction." He smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right....Brookie." I turned my head to face his with a fierce look on my face. "I told you not to call me that." He mocked me and then apologized. "I'm sorry Brooke, don't hop out of my car!" I shook my head in disbelief. "Brooke?" I challenged. "Yeah, I figured Brooke is better than Brookie." I sneered. "Yeah, I guess it is."