Dandelion Summer by Tricia L. Sanders

Author:Tricia L. Sanders
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tricia L. Sanders
Published: 2023-09-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

We found brochures in town listing all the interesting sights in the area. After riding the ferry into Kentucky, we visited an Amish community where we purchased local produce. In Marion, Kentucky, we ate lunch, then we headed north across the ferry and spent the afternoon hiking Rim Rock Trail in the Shawnee National Forest. It turned out, Savannah had an athletic streak, and I had a hard time keeping up with her, but I managed. By dusk, we were exhausted and called it a day. Savannah had a pink glow in her cheeks, but I could tell she was wearing down. Heck, I was wearing down.

“What shall we have for dinner?” I asked, rummaging in cabinets. “We could heat a can of soup, and I’ve got peanut butter and crackers.”

Savannah scrunched her nose. “You’ve got to start eating healthier. How about I make salads with the produce you bought today. If you’ve got chicken breast, I could grill that for a protein.”

“You make my heart sing, girl. What did I do before you came along?” I searched the freezer for chicken breasts but found none. “I have breaded chicken tenders.”

“No way,” Savannah said. “We’ll both be wearing stretch pants if we eat that way. A dinner of vegetables won’t kill us. Wash those tomatoes while I tear the lettuce.”

We discussed everything from politics to who our favorite bands were while we ate.

“You want to see if we can find a place to get mani-pedis?” I asked. “It seems we should be pampering ourselves.”

Savannah blew a raspberry. “While I would love to have a mani-pedi, how about we do them ourselves? You can do my toes, and I’ll do yours.”

“You’re on. I have everything.”

After we’d cleaned up after dinner, I collected what we needed to do our nails.

Savannah wiggled her toes. “Let’s do toenails first. Since we don’t have a foot bath, we need to wash them good first, because I don’t want you touching my grody feet like they are.”

We took turns scrubbing our feet in the bathroom, and when we settled back on the couch, Savannah filed and shaped my nails.

“What’s next for you, Savannah?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You really don’t plan to go home?”

“No.”

“College?”

“That was a major argument with my parents. My grades were never high enough to get into the good schools, and since I was a hopeless case—my mom’s assessment, not mine—it didn’t make sense to waste their money. Again, my mom’s assessment.” Savannah closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

My heart melted. They had basically told their child that she wasn’t good enough. When Kyle had shrugged off college, I remembered the screaming match he and I had. Michael had not gotten involved, but I sure did. I jumped in with both feet.

I patted Savannah’s arm. “Don’t for a minute believe that you are unworthy. You have value, sweetheart. Your mom was . . .” Her mom was what? A waste of oxygen? An inexcusable excuse for a human being? “Your mom was upset.

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