Free My Fake Summer Boyfriend by Ann Herrick Page B

probably making all sorts of mad, passionate passes at Alex that would make him forget that he'd ever wanted to kiss me in the first place.
    Well, if he didn 't come over right after supper to see me, I was going over to see him. I couldn't let one afternoon with Nicole ruin my chances permanently.
    By five o 'clock I was standing in the kitchen, wondering if I should start supper, since my folks weren't back from playing golf. Just then they walked in the door.
    " Katie," Mom said breathlessly. "Change into something nice. A dress. We just met the Kendalls on the golf course, and they've invited us all over to their place for a cookout."
    "All of us?"
    "Yes. The Stedmans, too. Now hurry. We're expected there in an hour."
    "Is this a command performance?" I whispered, once Mom was out of earshot. But I certainly didn 't want Nicole to have Alex to herself all evening, either. I went to my room and changed into my yellow sundress, remembering how I had worn it at the picnic to impress Alex with a sophisticated image. I decided to skip the blue eye shadow and fancy hairdo this time. I didn't have to try to outshine Nicole. Nicole was one type of girl, and I was another. And Alex preferred my type. At least I hoped he did.
    Finally we all piled into the car to go to the Kendalls', since Mom said she didn't want to walk on the road in her high heels.
    I gasped when we pulled into the Kendalls' driveway. It was the house with the turret—the one I'd seen when we first arrived in Chatfield. The one with stairs that led to the cove on the beach where I'd pushed Alex away after our steamy kiss.
    No wonder Mom had wanted us to dress up! This was no cottage. It was a mansion. I couldn 't help but be impressed with the grounds, which were large and well-groomed, with a neatly-trimmed lawn and formal rose garden in full view from the driveway. I wondered if I should have worn the blue eye shadow, after all.
    After we got out of the car, Dad started toward the front door, but Mom reminded him, "Robert and Penelope said to walk around back."
    We followed a flagstone path, bordered by bright clumps of petunias, to a huge brick patio with a built-in barbecue. A handsome silver-haired couple greeted us as we rounded the corner.
    "John! Louise!" cried the silver-haired man. "How good of you to come!"
    "And this must be Katie." The silver-haired woman held out her hand.
    I shook it and said, "How do you do, Mrs. Kendall?" There was no sign of Nicole or Alex, but a tall blond young man with penetrating blue eyes who had been leaning against the patio door sauntered over and planted himself I front of me.
    "I 'm Logan Kendall," he announced.
    I felt as though I was supposed to applaud. Instead, I again murmured politely, "How do you do?"
    "Logan will be a sophomore at Harvard this fall," explained Mrs. Kendall.
    Logan kept his eyes riveted on me. "What would you like to drink, Katie?"
    I suppressed an urge to take a step back. Logan was leaning close to me, violating my space. I didn't like it. I found his rather self-confidently male presence irritating. "Do you have any diet soda?"
    "Diet soda? No wonder you 've got such a great bod." Logan lazily scanned me. "Come in the kitchen. I'll see what we have." He put his hand on my back and guided me in through the patio door to a vast chamber crammed with a blinding array of stainless-steel appliances. Opening a refrigerator door, he revealed several cases of soda. "What looks good to you?" he asked.
    "I 'll have a diet root beer." It was the first thing I saw. I didn't want to hang around perusing the entire selection. Being alone with him made me uncomfortable.
    Logan poured the soda into a glass and pressed his hands around mine as he handed it to me. I pulled my hands out of his grasp and sipped the diet root beer. "We should join the others," I said.
    "I 'll just grab a beer first." Logan poured himself a beer, and raised the glass in a toast. "Here's to us."
    I hesitated, then lifted my glass