Summer Breeze Read Online Free Page A

has babysat for Petey once or twice?”
    “She has. Petey adores her.” Morgan added, “I do, too. She’s fifteen and still more Anne of Green Gables than Beyoncé.”
    “Well, then, Petey, let’s go find Felicity!” Louise carried the baby away.
    “Hi. I’m Josh.” Robust and red-haired, he sported a Rolex on his wrist.
    Morgan held out her hand to Natalie. “I’m Morgan. You must be the artist, right?” She wore her long brown hair loose to her shoulders. She was tall, thin, and lanky, athletic-looking.
    The O’Keefes introduced themselves to Ben, and for a while the four chatted amiably about the lake, the party, the long-awaited arrival of summer.
    Morgan turned to face the lake. “This is our favorite time of day. I love to sit on the deck with a drink and see the light show.”
    “It’s your favorite time of day,” Josh corrected mildly. “I’m usually driving home from work, if I’m lucky enough to leave that early.”
    “Where do you work?” Natalie asked.
    “At Bio-Green Industries.”
    “In that new facility on the outskirts of Amherst?”
    “Right. We’re working on plant technology, trying to find a way to propagate plants without the use of chemical enhancements.”
    “I’ll drink to that!” Ben lifted his glass. He informed the others, “I’m a chemical engineer at the university. Working on biofuels.”
    In a wry voice, Morgan said, “Oh, Ben. Just the kind of person who makes my life miserable.”
    Puzzled, Natalie glanced at the two of them.
    Ben asked Morgan mildly, “What do you do?”
    “I was a biological and chemical safety officer at Weathersfield College outside Boston. I specialize in hazardous waste management.” Noticing Natalie’s perplexed expression, Morgan explained, “Chemical engineers and biosafety officers are natural enemies. Chemical engineers are more cavalier with the rules than chemists; they assume that because they’re working with small amounts of chemicals, they don’t have to be as careful and they can skirt the rules—”
    “And biosafety officers take up all our precious time insisting we fill out piles of forms and nitpicking our every move when we’re trying to, oh, save the world!” Ben shot back. “We do not dump any chemicals down the drain. My lab is spotless.”
    “Gosh, I’d love to see it someday,” Morgan replied wistfully.
    Josh chuckled. “That’s my wife. Hand her safety goggles and gloves and she’s blissed-out.”
    “I’ll take you through anytime,” Ben told her. “Did you hear about the terrible accident at UNH?”
    “No. What happened?” Morgan leaned forward, fixated.
    All around them, families and couples gathered in clusters on the deck and in the yard, sipping beer and wine, yelling orders at their kids, telling jokes, laughing. A teenage girl played on the beach with Petey. A yellow Lab wagged through the crowd, looking hopefully for dropped crumbs. Delicious aromas drifted through the air.
    Bella approached. “Hamburgers and hot dogs, hot and juicy, get them on the grill now! Fix your plates, you guys, then join me and Aaron down at the table on the grass. We’re saving places for you.”
    Morgan scanned the backyard. “I’ll get Petey.…” She went off toward the small beach.
    Their group separated, some toward the drinks table, some toward the grill.
    Bella took Natalie’s arm. “Having fun meeting your neighbors?”
    Was it the wine, or the fresh air, or simply how easy it was to talk with Bella? In a whisper Natalie confessed, “I am having fun. Your brother’s intriguing.”
    “Oh, please, don’t you start,” Bella moaned. “Ben’s got the personality of a turtle.”
    “Bella.” Her father passed her, a glass of wine in each hand. “Be nice.”
    Bella sighed theatrically. “This is what I get for living at home.”
    “It’s a remarkable place to live,” Natalie told her, and she meant it. It was idyllic, not just the scenery but the sense of neighborhood. By the side of the