I don't know what you were going to do the summer after graduating high school, but I had my plans laid out to perfection. For the three months before heading to an in-state school and a decent scholarship I would be at the beach, at the river, at the lake. Wherever the sun was warm and the water cool I planned to be. I had friends with houses, I had friends with boats, I had friends with older siblings who would buy us alcohol. The night after graduation we had one last big party at Nick's house. His sister and I had always had some chemistry, so she gave me a special goodbye after Nick passed out. I woke up the next morning with a slight hangover on the floor of her room, her on top of me, her breasts pressed against my chest. I coaxed one last quick goodbye from her as we showered off and I snuck out before Nick woke up.
This was going to be a summer to remember.
In the next four days, everything fell apart. Nick and his family took off for a surprise summer long trip to France (did I mention they were loaded?), Roger's mom found his stash of pot in the room and shipped him off to his dad's, Chris and Mark got jobs at summer camps on the other side of the state, and I got t-boned by a guy running a red light late on a Friday. I was fine and so was he (the drunk bastard), but my car was totaled. The next morning my dad shrugged and apologized, but with two kids in college a new car was not happening. He was smiling by the time he finished his apology though, because he said he knew how I could save up for at least a decent used car by the time I left for school. I stared at him over my bowl of cereal in silence. We both knew the answer.
I was by his side as he left the house the following Monday, and that is how I wound up working in my dad's warehouse for my last summer before college.
--
The job wasn't bad, really. Everyone knew the only reason I could wrangle a job was because my dad owned the place, but they still treated me alright. It was a crew of about fifteen, and I had more or less won their respect over previous breaks by working alongside them and not acting like the boss's kid. The heat and humidity wore you down, but it was a lot easier than two-a-days throughout July. I was pretty bummed out through the first week, but it was a good group of guys who worked for my dad and they had been together a long time. They gave me some heat for the wreck, but I could toss it right back at them. I worked as many hours as possible, and my when my first paycheck came through it looked pretty good. With my closest friends getting scattered to the wind my nights and weekends were pretty boring, but I soon settled in for a productive, if not boring, summer.
-
"Think you could show someone around the warehouse, help them get started?" My dad asks me at dinner one night. I shrug.
"Sure, no problem. Hiring somebody new?" He grins at my mom. She rolls her eyes.
"Well, your sister will be home tomorrow." I giggle.
"Sarah is going to be in the warehouse?"
"Hey, that is your sister, and you know she will work hard." My dad holds my eye for a minute before we each break down.
"Enough you two!" Says my mom. "Sarah will be just fine in there."
We stop long enough to look at her, and she joins in. We all love my sister to no end. She is a phenomenal person, loving, funny, caring. Everyone who knows her genuinely likes her, and she is generous to a fault. She also weighs 100 pounds max and has been known to complain about lifting a coffee can up to the top shelf in the kitchen.
"Seriously though, she needs the money, and everywhere else that she was looking into is apparently full for the summer. I know how she is, but I'm still giving her a job. We have some room in the books for her and her friend."
"Friend?" My ears perk up. "Is she hot?"
"That is enough!" My mom kicks me under the table. "She will be our guest for the summer, and you will treat her as a human being. If I catch you ogling her I will punish you terribly."
"What will you do?"
"I don't know," she confesses, taking a sip of wine. "But I will work it out."
"If she feels uncomfortable for one second, I'll run you over with a forklift," my dad offers, and he and my mom salute each other with their wine glasses.
"Kind of harsh, isn't it?" I ask. My dad shrugs.
"Parenting."
I grin at my plate. My parents are great. I sneak in one last question before letting the matter drop.
"What's her name?" My dad grunts, my mom squints as she tries to remember.
"Anne, I think."
--
The next morning at the warehouse is hot and busy, with a couple dozen orders to fill before lunch. By the time we finish them no one is in much of a good mood, and most guys go their separate ways for the half hour break. I sit in the lobby of my dad's office with my bag lunch and slouch into a chair, soaking in the A/C. I wolf down what food I have and lean back, ready for a quick nap.
My eyes are barely closed when the door opens and a human hurricane bounds into the room.
"Wait 'til I tell dad you're asleep!" Sarah yells, and I crack one eye open.
"Who let you in here?" I ask, and she kicks my foot. I open both eyes and see her standing over me with her hand on her hips.
"I haven't seen you since spring break and that's the best welcome I get?" I grin and stand up, dwarfing her almost rail-thin frame. My real joy at seeing her dissipating some of my weariness. We hug.
"How was your trip?" She leaps back.
"Amazing! Wait until you see the pictures. We had a phenomenal time."
Sarah had been with a group from her school travelling across Brazil, a trip that was half-tourist and half-humanitarian. You could chalk it up to basic college-age idealism, but she really seemed passionate about the stuff they were doing.
"I can't wait to hear about it," I say, and then I look past her and words stop forming in my head.
She has dark hair that matches her eyes, a figure that is firm but soft in the right areas, and skin that holds a phenomenal tan. Her jeans hug her hips and her white shirt stops just short of them. She has a small smile watching me and Sarah, drawing my eyes to a beautiful pair of lips. We lock eyes and she gives me a little wave.
"Derek, this is Annie," Sarah says, stepping back. "Annie, Derek. My little brother."
"Hi," she says, extending a hand. I do the same.
"Hey." It's more of a grunt. I realize I'm staring.
"Great to meet you." I turn back to Sarah. "Let me grab dad, alright?"
"No need, you have already done a wonderful job as my acting secretary." Sarah laughs and pushes past me as my dad leaves his office and wraps her up in a hug.
"Glad to have you home," he says, and she kisses her cheek. "This must be Anne."
"Annie," Sarah corrects him. Annie waves her off.
"It's really okay, I'll answer to either."
"Well what do people call you?" My dad asks. She shrugs.
"Mostly Annie."
