Free Evvie at Sixteen by Susan Beth Pfeffer

mine,” Evvie replied. “I may get married someday, but if I do, it won’t be because of love at first sight. Romance is all well and good, but not for me, thank you.”
    â€œYou’re welcome,” Sam said. “Now you have ice cream on your chin.”
    Evvie wiped it off.
    â€œGood,” Sam said. He bent over and kissed her.
    â€œDoes this mean we’re engaged?” Evvie asked.
    â€œLet’s not rush into anything,” Sam said.” Besides, we should be getting back before Miss Winslow sends the bloodhounds after us.”
    â€œYou’re right,” Evvie said with a sigh. She got up, brushed herself off and, standing on tiptoe, kissed Sam.
    â€œEvvie,” he said. “This is probably a major mistake.”
    â€œI’m just trying to see how my mother did it,” Evvie declared. “Love at first sight, I mean.”
    â€œI don’t love easily,” Sam said. “In my entire life, I’ve only loved my grandparents and my dog, Lucky. And Mrs. Weinstein. She was my first-grade teacher.”
    â€œDid they all love you back?” Evvie asked, as she began walking toward Sam’s car.
    â€œLucky sure did,” Sam said. “Evvie, I want to keep seeing you, but your aunt isn’t going to like it.”
    â€œThat’s none of your concern,” Evvie said. “If I want to see you, then I’ll see you. Just promise me you’ll hold off on the proposals for a while. At least in front of Aunt Grace.”
    â€œI don’t want to get you in trouble,” Sam said.
    â€œOh, Sam,” Evvie said, and then she smiled at him. “This whole summer is trouble. So we might as well relax, and enjoy it.”

C HAPTER S IX
    I’m going to Clark’s now, Aunt Grace,” Evvie said. “Is there anything you want before I leave?”
    â€œYes, hand me my reading glasses,” Aunt Grace replied.
    Evvie stifled a sigh. The glasses were ten inches away from Grace. There was no need for Evvie to have to enter the room, walk over to the nightstand, and hand the glasses over. But she did. “Here,” she said. “Don’t read any more in our mystery before I get back. It’s not fair if you have a head start.”
    â€œI’ll read whatever I want to read,” Aunt Grace said.
    â€œAll right,” Evvie replied. “That’s your privilege.”
    â€œHow long will you be at Clark’s?” Aunt Grace asked.
    â€œJust for lunch,” Evvie said. “He invited me so I can meet his cousins. The ones who are spending the summer at his place.”
    â€œBradford’s boys,” Aunt Grace said. “Bradford Hughes was a wild one. There was a drunk-driving incident. He married out.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Evvie asked.
    â€œHis wife comes from Syracuse or Wilmington or some such place,” Aunt Grace replied. “She isn’t a Bostonian.”
    â€œFresh blood,” Evvie said. “Too much inbreeding can be dangerous.”
    â€œSo can too much back-talking,” Grace said as she wiggled into a sitting position. “I suppose you approve of people from Syracuse.”
    Evvie laughed. “It’s an accident of birth, Aunt Grace,” she said. “I’m sure Mrs. Hughes would prefer to have been born a Bostonian.”
    â€œAll proper-thinking people would,” Aunt Grace declared. “Not enough room, though. City couldn’t hold all of them.”
    â€œSo it’s a good thing Syracuse and Wilmington exist,” Evvie said. “To hold the surplus proper-thinking people.”
    â€œMake your foolish jokes,” Aunt Grace said with a wave of her hand. “What do you know? You never lived in Boston a day in your life.”
    It was hard to argue with that. Nicky claimed often that his vision of hell was Beacon Hill with every house occupied by an Aunt Grace clone. “I’m off,” Evvie said.