For starters, Marissa had quit—with no notice. At first Willow had assumed it was related to the breakup with Collin, but she later heard it was because Marissa had decided to go on a backpacking trip with her new boyfriend. Meanwhile, Joel had just left on vacation, so now it was up to her and Leslie to run the gallery. And since summer traffic had picked up, they’d barely had time to breathe. But because today was a holiday—and it was just her and Collin at the gallery because Leslie had the day off and Collin had kindly offered to help out—Willow decided to close shop early.
“I have an idea,” she told him as they locked up. “What if we have a little Fourth of July party up on the terrace tonight? Leslie told me that we can probably see some fireworks up there.”
“Sounds okay,” he said in his usual unenthused way.
“I thought perhaps we could invite George to join us.”
He brightened slightly. “He might like that. He acts kind of lonely to me.”
“How about you call him while I figure out what we need from the store.” Then on her way to her apartment, Willow met Josie in the stairwell and explained their plan.
“Cool.” Josie nodded. “I’ve been wanting to talk to him about that attic of his. He sounded so eager to get it cleared out, but every time I call him, he’s too busy.”
“Mr. Emerson can’t come,” Collin announced as he came up the stairs.
“Can’t come?” Willow asked. “Or won’t come?” Was he still mad at her? Was this her punishment?
“He said he has other plans.” Collin unlocked his door.
“What kind of plans?” Josie demanded.
“He’s going to the lake to see the fireworks with some friends,” Collin glumly informed them.
“I didn’t think he had any friends,” Josie said sharply.
“Apparently, he does,” Collin shot back at her. “He said they’re having some sort of big picnic with ribs and potato salad and chocolate cake.”
“Interestingly cliché.” Willow wondered if George had made the whole thing up. His clever way to keep them all at bay.
“I wanna see the fireworks too, Mom,” Josie pleaded in a childlike tone. “Let’s go to the lake.”
“I suppose we could go.” Willow would’ve preferred a quieter evening up on the terrace. She imagined herself up there with some quiet jazz music, the fireworks glowing in the distance. She looked at Collin. “What do you think? Would you go?”
“I guess.” His enthusiasm was underwhelming.
“We’ll get takeout food on our way,” Josie suggested.
“I vote for KFC,” Collin declared with more enthusiasm.
So it was settled. The West family would spend the evening at the lake. But Willow seriously doubted that George would be up there. Unless she was mistaken, George was home with his cat ... by himself ... and completely content. To her surprise, she felt envious.
It didn’t take long to gather a few things and swing byKFC. It was just past seven by the time they transported their takeout picnic and quilts toward the lake. Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, Willow felt glad they’d come. The lake looked beautiful in the shadowy light, and the park was slowly filling with people of all ages. Children and dogs were romping about. Some groups, like them, were enjoying picnics on the grass or at the park tables. Others were out in rowboats and kayaks. The scene was so picturesque that Willow was tempted to take some photos on her phone, but she didn’t want to spoil the magic of the moment. Instead, she just soaked it in.
“How about there?” Collin pointed to a vacant patch of grass near the edge of the lake and soon they were settled in. So far, he and Josie hadn’t exchanged any serious hostilities. To be fair, they hadn’t exchanged any words at all. But it still felt like an improvement. Just in case, Willow sat between them on the ground. She knew that if she paid more attention to Josie, it would go better for everyone. Willow justified this by reminding herself that Collin had received her sole attention for fourteen years, but Josie had only had Willow’s attention for a few turbulent teen years. It was no wonder that she felt somewhat cheated.
“What a beautiful evening.” Willow bundled up her trash. “I’m so happy we came.” She leaned back on her elbows with a contented sigh.
“I’ll go dump our trash,” Collin offered. “And walk around some.” He took the bags and drink cups and left.
“He’s probably on the lookout for Marissa,” Josie said after he was gone.
“That could be.” Willow sat up and glanced around. “He doesn’t say much, but I can tell he’s still hurting.”
“The first heartbreak is rough.”
Willow studied Josie’s profile. “When was your first heartbreak?”
“I was a lot younger than Collin,” Josie admitted. “You probably don’t even remember.”
