The Summer of Broken Rules by K. L. Walther EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Authors: K. L. Walther
- Language: English
- Genre: Teen & Young Adult Family Fiction
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2.4 MB
- Price: Free
Nobody ordered the fries. Three cups of creamy clam chowder, but no
basket of the most addictive fries on Cape Cod. “Anything else?” our server
asked, as if he knew something was missing. Maybe he did. Maybe he
somehow recognized us—it was tradition for our family to grab lunch at
Quicks Hole before boarding the ferry to celebrate the last leg of our
journey. Only one more hour, and then we’d finally be on Martha’s
Vineyard.
I caught my parents exchanging a glance. Anything else? After so many
summers, everything was second nature—we didn’t need menus. Our
orders were ingrained in the deep depths of our minds, and none of them
included fries for the table.
Because it was Claire who always took care of them for us. In the biggest
basket you have, she’d say. We’re starving!
Now I realized it was my responsibility to take over the duty. “Actually,
yeah,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Some fries, please.
Truffle fries.”
“Great choice.” Our server nodded and turned toward the kitchen. My
parents and I sat at our high-top in silence, all trying not to stare at the
table’s fourth chair. Consciously or unconsciously, my mom had slung her
purse over the back so it would look less empty. Like the person sitting
there had gotten up to go to the bathroom and would be right back.
Quicks Hole Tavern was aptly named. It only took fifteen minutes for us
to get our food: three steaming cups of New England’s magical concoction
and a seemingly bottomless bowl of French fries dusted with parmesan
cheese and parsley. Dad raised his beer as I shook the requisite five dashes
of Tabasco into my soup. “To Sarah and Michael,” he said. “May this week
be one to remember.”
“To Sarah and Michael,” Mom and I echoed, raising our own glasses.
We clinked.
“And to our grand return,” he added, kissing Mom on the cheek. “It’s
been too long.”
Two years to be exact. My family had been vacationing on the Vineyard
since before I was born—over eighteen years—but we’d spent last summer
hidden away at home in upstate New York. I stole a glance at the empty
chair again.
Yes, I thought. It’s been too long.
And then I stirred my spoon around in my soup, watching the red hot
sauce swirl until it disappeared, and wondered if anything had changed
while we’d been gone.
* * *
One thing that definitely hadn’t changed was Falmouth’s Steamship
Authority. As the sun shone high in the blue July sky, it was like people
were waiting in line for the biggest concert of the century. Cars, cars, and
even more cars had their tickets confirmed and parked in numbered lanes to
wait for their respective boats.
I pulled my honey-colored hair into a loose
braid as my parents and I weaved our way through them. There were a
colorful assortment of Jeep Wranglers, mostly roofless and a few also
doorless, with music pulsing through their speakers. Then we had the
Volvos with kayaks strapped on top and the sleek silver Range Rovers. Bike
racks made the giant SUVs look even more massive. I overheard one
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