That Certain Summer by Irene Hannon Page A

their lattes at a small café table tucked into the corner of the shop, Val’s expression grew wistful. “It’s not ice cream, but it does remind me of our outings with Dad.”
    â€œEven after all these years, I still miss him a lot.” Karen played with the edge of her lid.
    â€œMe too. He was such a great guy. Kind and encouraging and supportive. He always made me feel special. Like I had a lot to offer.”
    â€œHe made me feel the same way.” Karen took a sip of her drink. “You know, I’ve often wondered why he was attracted to Mom.”
    â€œBeats me.”
    â€œMaybe she was different in her younger days.”
    â€œPeople don’t change that much. But she might have softened during the courtship. People do a lot of things that may be out of character when they’re in love, if they think it will make the other person love them back.”
    Sadness nipped at the edges of her voice, and a question sprang to Karen’s lips. But she bit it back. They’d never been confidantes. Better to stick to a subject that was comfortable for both of them.
    â€œDad never complained, though.” Karen swirled her drink. “I can’t remember him ever saying one negative word about Mom.”
    â€œThat wasn’t his style. Whenever I criticized her, he’d say that was just how she was, but it didn’t mean she loved us any less.”
    â€œHe told me the same thing. And he did a good job tempering her. He even knew how to make me feel pretty.” Karen dipped her head as she made the admission.
    â€œWhy was that so hard?”
    She shot her a get-real look. “Come on, Val. Mom was right. You got all the looks in this family.”
    Val gave an unladylike snort. “That’s a bunch of rubbish.”
    â€œIt’s true.”
    â€œNot.”
    â€œLook . . . I appreciate what you’re trying to do. But if you put the two of us next to each other and gave a man a choice, who do you think he’d pick?”
    Her sister’s eyes narrowed. “Men can be very superficial.”
    â€œIt isn’t just men who notice beautiful women first.”
    â€œOkay, I might be the first one people notice. Blonde hair does have a tendency to attract attention. But you have great eyes—which a little makeup could enhance, by the way. And wonderful hair. I wish mine had a natural wave like yours. Plus you have cheekbones to die for.”
    â€œNice try.”
    Val put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm. “I never knew you felt so . . . so . . .”
    â€œDowdy? Try living in the shadow of a glamorous sister.”
    Val traced a thin trail of coffee across the café table with one perfect, polished nail. “I know I got the flashy looks, but it never occurred to me that you felt unattractive. Believe it or not, I was always jealous of you.”
    â€œYou’ve got to be kidding. Why in the world would you be jealous of me?”
    â€œBecause you were Mom’s favorite. The smart sister. The one who always did the right thing.”
    Karen’s mouth dropped open. “Mom told you that?”
    â€œYes. With annoying regularity.”
    â€œBut . . . but I thought you were her favorite! She always bragged about how pretty and talented you were. How you would go places someday. Maybe as far as Broadway. And she always talked about how the boys were knocking down the door to take you out. I never even had a date till college. I felt like a loser.”
    Val exhaled and shook her head. “I knew she was manipulative, but I never realized how much she played us off each other—and how much it affected our relationship.”
    â€œMe neither.”
    After checking her watch, Val reached for her purse. “Speak of the . . . well, devil may be too strong a word. I don’t want to imply there was any diabolical intent. I think Mom just likes to control