Uncertain Summer Read online

  Praise for Uncertain Summer

  “Readers with a hunger for outdoor adventure and the mysteries of cryptozoology will love joining Everdil’s unstoppable team.”—Kelly Milner Halls, author, In Search of Sasquatch

  “While Everdil pulls and pushes her way through evolving relationships …, the ongoing search moves toward a climax as harrowing and, nearly, tragic as it is revelatory.” —Kirkus Reviews

  “For every kid who has ever dreamed of doing something big, who has mourned friendships past, who has known with all their heart that they can make a difference … Uncertain Summer is an absolute must!” —P.J. Hoover, author, Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life

  “One thing is certain, Uncertain Summer is an action packed adventure you don’t want to miss!” —Margie Longoria, librarian, book blogger, Margie’s Must Reads

  Praise for Jessica Lee Anderson’s Trudy

  “This quiet story is well paced, flowing through very short chapters. It offers a matter-of-fact, yet unique look at one family’s changing dynamics.” —School Library Journal

  “By portraying Trudy’s relationship with her aging and ill father, author Jessica Lee Anderson offers a tender and interesting twist on the traditional awkward-middle-school experience …” —Children’s Literature

  Praise for Jessica Lee Anderson’s Border Crossing

  “A fast read, this book will provoke discussion and, perhaps, further research.” —Booklist

  “The poignant story of Manz, a 15-year-old boy trying to cope with a dysfunctional relationship with his alcoholic mother and the humming noises, whispering voices and scary visions that only he perceives.” —Kirkus Reviews

  “This taut coming of age novel explores mental illness and border issues in an honest and clear voice.” —Boys Read

  Praise for Jessica Lee Anderson’s Calli

  2013 Rainbow List Final Nomination

  YALSA’s Readers’ Choice Booklist Nomination

  “Calli’s household consists of two moms, a devious foster sister, and a whole boatload of deceptions, double crosses and heart-ache. Here is a tale about telling the truth, about forgiveness, and about making things right, especially for yourself.” —Kathi Appelt, author of The Underneath and Keeper

  “[The] first-person, present-tense narration wrings emotion at every opportunity.” —Kirkus Reviews

  “This coming-of-age story from Austin writer Jessica Lee Anderson is finely wrought, with emotional twists that will absorb your teen reader.” —Austin American Statesman

  Uncertain Summer

  Copyright © 2017 by Jessica Lee Anderson.

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design and illustrations by Jeff Crosby. jeffcrosbyillustration.com

  All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without express permission of the copyright holder.

  For more information, write:

  CBAY Books

  PO Box 670296

  Dallas, TX 75367

  Children’s Brains are Yummy Books

  Dallas, Texas

  www.cbaybooks.com

  ISBN: 978-1-944821-24-1

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-944821-25-8

  Kindle ISBN: 978-1-944821-26-5

  PDF ISBN: 978-1-944821-27-2

  To Ava—my love for you is a billion times bigger than Bigfoot

  1

  My twelfth birthday arrived with more surprises than I expected.

  To prepare for my big day, I’d helped Mama and Emmett plan a gourmet dinner party menu of fried gator bites, smoked salmon deviled eggs, bacon-wrapped scallops, and key lime pie.

  What a waste of time.

  I sent out the invitations to all of my friends, well except for Tim since things hadn’t been right between us since the hand incident, and the “no” responses came rolling in since most everyone I knew was out of town for summer break. Shawna, my former best friend, didn’t even bother with a reply.

  I scrapped the gourmet dinner idea because deep down I knew we couldn’t really afford it anyway and asked for a pizza party with the family instead. At least a pizza party meant more time at the lake for my favorite birthday tradition: the boat ride.

  As Papa called in the pizza order, he rifled through a nearby stack of papers. His face paled to the color of the cream cheese frosting Emmett was whipping up. “One extra-large pepperoni,” he said, right as Mama tried to take the bill from him. Papa’s grip was firm. “Thank you,” he added before hanging up. He definitely wasn’t thanking Mama.

  “I can explain,” she said.

  Papa raised an eyebrow as well as his voice. “Look at these charges. We owe more than I made all of last month.”

  “The kids needed a few things, and so did I,” Mama said, glancing at the heavy-duty blender she’d bought after watching a FoodieLand infomercial. I’m no cook like her or Emmett, but even I wanted to pulverize, dice, and whirl fruits and vegetables like magic.

  “How can I become a decent chef if I don’t have the proper tools?” Mom asked.

  Papa sighed. “I know, Macy. It’s just that I have a surprise and—”

  “Other than our gift?” Mama said in a low voice, but not so low I couldn’t hear her.

  They argued until Papa looked over at me sitting on the couch. I pretended like I was engrossed in the act of flipping through TV stations. As if guided by fate, I randomly changed the station to Cryptic Cryptid Productions and found out about this contest—a one million dollar reward for an unaltered, authenticated picture or video of Bigfoot. The small print on the screen revealed that the production company was not responsible for any related attacks or injuries, and the deadline was June 15. Only ten days away.

  Someone said something, but thoughts of Bigfoot and a million dollars overloaded my brain, and it didn’t register. With that much money, life would be easier for my entire family. If I won, maybe next year I could have that gourmet birthday dinner, and all my friends would come.

  A Bigfoot picture had to be next to impossible, not to mention dangerous, but people I actually knew had reported sightings and survived without an attack, so I wasn’t scared.

  Our small town of Uncertain is no stranger to Bigfoot. It even has a road named after the beast, and there’s a lodge for tourists called Bigfoot Retreat with a mascot staked out front, a black wooden Bigfoot cutout with a golden bow tie dangling around its thick neck. Along with Shawna and Tim, Emmett and I used to play Bigfoot hunting games, and maybe, just maybe—

  “Earth to Everdil!” Emmett yelled from the kitchen, and then he launched something small and shiny at my head.

  Only a low wall separated the short distance from the kitchen to the living room, and I failed to duck down fast enough. WHAP! The thing hit me behind my ear and got caught up in my web of brown frizzy curls. It was a metal decorating tip complete with clumps of sticky frosting. Gross.

  Emmett hid behind a brand new wooden kitchen cart in anticipation of me retaliating. I balled my hand around the decorating tip, but I resisted the temptation to launch it at him. The frosting warmed in my hand, oozing into the folds of my palm. I’d pay him back when he let his guard down.

  My grandfather chuckled as he finished taking his boots off in the entryway. I’d been so caught up in my daydream after my parents’ argument that I hadn’t realized he’d arrived. Now, thanks to Emmett’s rudeness, I was back in the real world. “Hey, Gramps.”

  “Happy birthday, Everdil Pickle,” Gramps said.

  “Everdil Pickle Breath,” Emmett added. I pretended not to hear him.

  Gramps walked over to give me one of his legendary squeeze hugs. I made sure not to get frosting on his favorite flannel shirt that he wore year round, even in the Texas summer heat.

&
nbsp; “I’d better go pick up the pizza,” Papa said, grabbing his truck keys from the table in the front entryway with so much force that they skidded across the floor when he dropped them. He cursed under his breath as he picked them up.

  “You okay, Raleigh?” Gramps asked and then lowered his voice. “Did the bank call again?”

  Papa shook his head no and whispered, “We’ll talk about it later.”

  I don’t think Mama and Emmett overheard them from the kitchen, but Gramps must’ve known I had because after Papa left, he sat next to me on the couch and nudged me with his elbow. “Nothing to worry about. Today should be all about celebrating you. And believe me, there are plenty of surprises in store.”

  Again with the surprise talk.

  Gramps started to say something else, but a loud announcer from Cryptic Cryptid Productions interviewed a team of hunters from California outfitted like soldiers. “We’re determined to solve the mystery of Bigfoot once and for all. The monetary prize is just frosting on the cake,” one of the hunters said.

  I laughed and tasted the sticky sweet frosting on my hand.

  “Those hunters might actually stand a chance if they came to Uncertain, not that I’d tip them off,” Gramps said and then laughed at his own joke.

  The thought of discovering Bigfoot in our town sped my pulse up.

  Gramps launched into a story I hadn’t heard him tell in over a year, not since Gram had a heart attack and “graduated to Heaven” as Gramps liked to say.

  “Gram and I had just gone on our first date at the dance hall,” Gramps said and then stopped to clear his throat before continuing. “I was driving her home on Marshall Loop when we heard a loud scream, sort of noise like a bear might make. I slammed on the brakes when I spotted an enormous creature off to the side of the road. It stood upright and was larger than any bear I’d ever seen. Even if I’d carried a gun on me, there’s no way I could’ve shot it ’cause its eyes were so humanlike. I parked the car in the middle of the road, and we watched that thing hop a fence.”

  Gramps acted out the last part of the story with wild hand gestures. Emmett moved in closer to the living room to eavesdrop. I hurled the decorating tip back at him now, but his reflexes were Superman-quick. He dodged the tip, and it clanked against the cabinet before sliding across the kitchen floor.

  Mama joined us in the living room after pouring herself a cup of iced tea. She sighed one of those sighs that could mean anything. “Oh, Dad, you’re a natural storyteller, just like Raleigh. You should take him up on the offer to give tours.”

  Gramps swallowed hard. “I’m telling the truth about Bigfoot, not fiction.”

  Mama sighed again.

  “Tim’s dad recently heard a similar report,” Emmett said after a moment of silence. Tim’s dad, Mr. Nash, happened to be a well-respected park ranger at Caddo Lake State Park with a wild Bigfoot story of his own.

  “And look at Swamp Sam,” I added, referring to Papa’s boss at the marina.

  “Swamp Sam isn’t the best example,” Emmett said.

  My brother made a good point. Swamp Sam (no one seemed to know his real name) believed Bigfoot had visited him at the cabin a few times and sent him subliminal messages about an upcoming apocalypse. He once spent a month wearing a cowboy hat lined with tinfoil so the government couldn’t track him … before he got admitted to the hospital.

  “I wish I could go back in time to see Bigfoot with Gram again,” Gramps said, and his voice broke as he reached into his pocket. When he pulled out a folded tissue, I thought he was about to dab his eyes. Then I saw a familiar looking shiny pearl strung on a thin gold chain nestled in his hand. “Your grandmother would’ve wanted you to have this, Everdil.”

  I was too stunned to say anything. I knew the whole story of the necklace—how my grandfather had gone looking for sunken treasure on Caddo Lake when he was young though the only thing he found was a mussel with this pearl inside. Gramps used the necklace to propose to Gram instead of an engagement ring.

  I looked over at Mama to see her reaction. Really, the necklace should belong to her not me, considering she’s his daughter. It’s like Mama read my mind. “Gram really did want you to have this. She said so the day you were born. Your grandfather talked to me beforehand, and we both agree you’re mature enough to take proper care of it now that you’re twelve.”

  Gramps smiled and then helped me put the necklace on. “Gram said the pearl reminded her that we were rich even if we were always broke,” he said. “We were rich in love, health, friends, and family—the important stuff, though you’re probably too young to realize this.”

  Mama sniffled, and I wasn’t sure what to say other than a heartfelt, “Thank you.”

  The necklace felt so light on my neck that I reached for the pearl to make sure it was still there. The gem wasn’t much bigger than my fingertip.

  The special gift felt like a good omen.

  2

  While the pizza was piping hot, Papa had cooled off some by the time he got home.

  “Sorry about earlier,” he said to no one in particular. “Tonight should be about celebrating Everdil, and I’ve got something major in store.”

  Mama arched her eyebrows up like she didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but right as she opened her mouth to say something, Papa cut her off by announcing, “Let’s eat!”

  As we took our seats, I tilted my chin toward the ceiling for Papa to notice the jewelry, but he got the wrong idea instead. “Good thinking, Everdil. We can’t forget to say grace.” Papa rushed through a prayer before my hands fully clasped together. He followed that up by flinging paper plates at us like they were Frisbees.

  I snickered when Emmett’s plate hit his Adam’s apple. So much for his Superman reflexes. Mama gave Papa the evil eye when a plate glided onto her lap. Only Gramps was quick enough to catch his—one handed no less. Mine slid onto the floor, and when I went to pick it up, I found the decorating tip. I thought about sliding it into Emmett’s shoe but brought it to the sink instead. If it got ruined, we’d likely need to buy a whole new set of decorating tips and that might lead to another argument.

  The financial stuff and the tension had shrunk my appetite some, but it returned full force when Gramps lifted the cardboard box open. The smell of freshly baked pizza dough, spicy sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella rushed out. Yum!

  “You’re not going to let Everdil drive the boat tonight, are you?” Emmett asked with his mouth full. He must’ve been dwelling on the surprises in store for tonight, too. My brother sounded kind of jealous if you ask me.

  “Perhaps,” Papa said. From the way he scratched the stubble on his chin, I could tell the thought had just now occurred to him.

  “She should have to wait another year,” Emmett said. Papa had let him drive the boat when he’d turned thirteen, and he obviously didn’t think I should have the same privileges.

  “Let’s wait and see,” Mama said.

  I wasn’t ready to let it go yet. “C’mon, Papa, give me a hint? Please?”

  He started talking with bits of tomato sauce wedged in his front tooth. “A big opportunity—a huge opportunity—came my way.” He turned to Mama as he made a correction. “Our way.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean, Raleigh?”

  “You’ll see soon,” Papa said, avoiding her intense stare. He turned toward Emmett instead. “That cake sure looks delicious.”

  Changing the subject was a smart idea, and I followed his lead. “Look, Papa,” I said, pointing to the necklace.

  He actually noticed it this time. “It’s beautiful, Everdil, just like you.”

  My cheeks grew warm and even warmer when Gramps said, “I couldn’t agree more.” He’d been especially quiet throughout dinner, and I thought it might’ve been because he was missing Gram so much.

  Gram had a way of putting everyone at ease, no matter what, and she loved making people laugh. Just like Mama watched a whole lot of FoodieLand, Gram had been addicted to a statio
n called Laugh Box. Don’t ask me how, but she and Gramps had gotten into telling Chuck Norris “facts”—stuff like how Chuck Norris never reads a book, he just stares at the pages and demands information instead.

  I missed her like crazy.

  “Thanks again, Gramps, I love it,” I said, “and Papa’s right, Emmett. The cake looks delicious.”

  My brother beamed … or was that a suspicious glint in his eyes?

  “Emmett, you’ve really outdone yourself this time,” Mama said. She went on and on about his “culinary aptitude” like she has a tendency to do. She even has a pet cooking nickname for him—her precious “sous chef.”

  In this case, he wasn’t a mere assistant, though. Emmett was the sole creator of a double-decker red velvet cake with extra thick cream cheese frosting. He’d piped the sides of the cake with the most delicate of roses. You would never guess that this same kid was a renowned running back on the school football team. At least legendary for a super small town football team.

  Emmett excused himself from the table to grab the cake, and Mama helped him light the candles, only ten because that’s all we had in stock. My brother insisted he should be the one to carry the glowing cake over to the table but took his ever-loving time about it. Two of the candles blew out before my family finished singing the birthday song. I almost expected some kind of trick as I huffed out the candles, but they didn’t sparkle or re-light or anything else. Even though I knew better given the reality, I made a wish that I’d somehow, someway, win the million dollar Bigfoot contest.

  I laughed to myself because of how childish and crazy that sounded. Emmett gave me a funny look as he carved the cake. He didn’t press me about it, though, and served me an extra-large slice.

  “I hope you like it,” he said right as I took a big mouthful.

  The frosting was so sugary it tickled my tongue, but as I bit into the red, fluffy cake, a bitter taste assaulted my taste buds. The tickly tongue feeling morphed into more of a frothy sensation. I looked down at my piece of cake and saw a big white clump of powder. I spat it out. Emmett had sabotaged my delicious looking present!