"A
boy. A secret. A summer."
It
was ten years ago when the Garrett’s and their five children moved in next door
to Samantha Reed. Immediately, her mother was unhappy. She recognized the
Garrett's as "that family"; the ones who rarely mow their lawn, lets
the flowers die and bring down the neighborhood's property values. She forbids
her daughters from having anything to do with the Garrett’s after the
"mandatory" welcome to the neighbor lasagna. Samantha's father left
her mother when her sister Tracy was a toddler and her mother was pregnant with
her. They survived on their mother's trust fund but her mother was
disillusioned. The Reed girls found that they rarely saw the Garrett’s. Tracey
and Samantha attended the only private school in their small Connecticut town
while they Garrett's went to the public schools. Over the years, three more
children were added to the Garrett household. Samantha's mother never knew that
she constantly spied on the Garrett's from the rooftop ledge outside her
bedroom over the years, watching a family so unlike her own, like a bedtime
story. Samantha never saw herself as a participant in the story until that
fateful day.
Mrs.
Reed is now a state senator. A six foot tall privacy fence blocks the Reed
house from the Garrett’s. One day while at home, Samantha hears a constant
buzzing and goes to investigate. She realizes that it is the front doorbell and
opens the door to find her mother frantically kissing a man. Samantha thinks
that it is her father; she has only seen a couple of photos of him. Flustered,
her mother introduces him as Clay Tucker, the newest and most enthusiastic
member of her mother's reelection campaign. She tells Samantha that Clay was
surprised that she was old enough to have a teenage daughter. Her mother goes
to make coffee and Clay uses the opportunity to put Samantha in her place about
serving her mother. She is left speechless and takes over for her mother.
Samantha is taken aback by her mother's flirtatious and girlish new attitude.
Without her sister or best friend, Nan, around to turn to, Samantha climbs out
her window to watch the Garrett’s. Then the unexpected happens next.
While
watching some of the Garrett children and their friends playing basketball in
the driveway, she is surprised to hear a voice next to her on her window ledge.
She turns to look and realizes that it is one of the Garrett boys, but she
doesn't know which one. He asks if she needs rescuing. She reminds him of
Rapunzel, the Princess locked in her tower. She asks who he is and he
introduces himself as Jase Garrett. Samantha Reed lets him know that she is no
princess. Soon, she finds herself telling Jase, a virtual stranger, all about
meeting Clay Tucker and how she would like to inflict bodily harm against him.
He tells her that he knows what she is feeling. He feels the same way about
people who make unkind comments about the size of his family. A loud whop comes
from the driveway. Samantha asks him why he isn't down there and he responds with,
"you tell me, Samantha."
After
work the next day, Samantha comes home and notices that it is quiet next door.
She looks over at the Garrett's house and sees Jase working on a motorcycle in
the driveway. Before she can think better I'd it, she walks over to talk to
him. He comments on her risqué work uniform and lets her know that he is
babysitting his youngest siblings while his mother is at the grocery store. She
asks if he is thirsty and offers to go get him some lemonade. Jase asks her to
please come back over. After a shower and change of clothes, Samantha carries
over two glasses of lemonade. He gulps one down before Tracy's boyfriend comes
looking for her. After Samantha tells him where to find her, he leaves.
Suddenly, Samantha hears crying and Jase explains that it is the baby monitor
and asks her to come inside. She follows. His brother George is up and has wet
the bed during nap time. The baby, Patsy, is also up. Jase starts to get them
settles when he sees that George only has on a shirt. Not one to like
strangers, George immediately takes to Samantha. Then, Jase's mother comes in
carrying a load of grocery bags. Jase goes out to carry in the rest and Mrs.
Garret begins talking to Samantha. When he is finished, Jase invites Samantha
to sit in his room while he takes a shower. George comes in and asks if they
are going to get married and have a large family. Samantha tells him that she
is only seventeen but deep down, she begins to find that her stomach flips when
she is around Jase.
Samantha
goes the next day to see her best friend Nan. They are both disheartened to see
that Nan's twin, Tim, is either drunk or stoned or both. Their parents seem to
turn a blind eye to their troubled son. The girls walk downtown to get some ice
cream and candy and discuss Tim, their summers and plans for college next fall.
Samantha looks up and sees Clay Tucker with a woman younger than her mother. He
is also kissing her. She tells Nan that he is her mother's new boyfriend and
campaign manager. He looks up, sees Samantha and waves. As the week goes on,
several things happen. Tim comes by her restaurant job and harnesses Samantha
for some money. When she refuses, he steals her tips off of the table. Clay
tells her mother that she needs to change her image if she wants to defeat her
competitor. She doesn't want to come across as the aloof, wealthy woman that
she really is. Mrs. Garrett hires her as a babysitter since she is so good with
George and agrees. Samantha begins to find reasons to continue to see Jase.
Soon, Samantha finds herself leading two separate and very different lives; one
as a Reed and another with the Garrett family. She doesn't tell anyone,
especially her snooty mother that she hanging around the Garret household and
seeing Jase.
Does
Samantha's mother win reelection? Who exactly is Clay Tucker and will he
destroy her mother's heart? Will anyone get Nan's brother Tim help for his
problems before it is too late? What happens when everyone, especially her
mother, finds out that Samantha is not only in love with Jase Garrett but his
entire family?
Book
two in the series, The Boy Most Likely To,
will feature Tim and be out in 2015.
