Font Size:

“And you came back with half the tree’s twigs caught in your hair!” Lynda added.

Isabel laughed. They might be in their sixties, but her friends’ eyes still held the mischievous glint she remembered fromwhen they were teenagers. “I wasn’t the only one who got into trouble.”

Kathleen sighed. “No, you weren’t. We had so many good times here.”

Susan broke the pensive mood that settled over them. With a flick of her paddle, she sprayed Kathleen with water. “We’re still having good times. Who wants to race me to the buoy?”

Lynda lifted her paddle off her lap. “I’ll get there first.”

“Not if I can help it,” Kathleen said with a grin.

With her friends furiously paddling toward the bright orange buoy, Isabel joined in. By the time they reached their destination, they were all out of breath.

“I’ll call that a close tie for first,” Susan said with a grin.

Lynda took a deep breath. “Sounds good to me.”

In silence, Isabel and her friends maneuvered their kayaks into a loose formation, drifting together in a peaceful pocket of the lake. The mountains rose majestically around them, their wooded slopes reflected in the water’s surface. It felt surreal to Isabel to be here again with the women who’d become such an important part of her life.

“I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of our vacation,” Isabel said, resting her paddle across her lap. “We should have done this more than we have.”

“And I can’t believe you’re going to be a bookstore owner,” Kathleen said, grinning at her. “Remember how you always organized our camp books by genre and then by author?”

Isabel ran her fingertips through the water. “I’ve always liked things in order. My mom used to joke that I should have been in the military.”

“You’re too creative for that,” Susan told Isabel. “Has becoming a bookstore owner sunk in yet?”

Isabel shook her head, still slightly dazed by the decisions she’d made. After James died, she never imagined she’d bestarting a new career. “Sometimes I wake up and think I’ve dreamed the whole thing,” she admitted.

Lynda stretched her arms over her head, her paddle balanced carefully in the air. “Well, it’s very real. And I, for one, am thrilled you’re doing it. Henderson’s Books needs someone like you to make it special again.”

“Speaking of things that are special,” Kathleen said, “I heard Frank helped you with the purchase agreement for the cottage you saw.”

The knowing tone in her voice made Isabel roll her eyes. “Frank offered to review the contract. He deals with property sales all the time, so it made sense. He’s a nice person.” Before her friends could tell her how nice he was, Isabel cleared her throat. “Just so you know, the idea of dating anyone terrifies me. Even though James has been gone for two years, sometimes it feels like it was only last month. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel the same about anyone again.”

Kathleen groaned. “Now I feel like an idiot. I’m sorry, Izzy. Why didn’t you tell us?”

Isabel pushed her sunglasses farther up her nose. “It’s easier to brush off the comments. I know you all mean well, but I’m not ready for anything other than friendship from anyone.”

Lynda pulled her kayak against Isabel’s. With more good luck than skill, she reached across and hugged her friend. “I’m sorry if I said anything to upset you. But just so you know, you don’t have to have the same type of relationship with someone else.”

Susan nodded. “And that can be a good thing, can’t it?”

“It depends on the person you’re speaking about,” Lynda said quickly. “I’d never want to date anyone like my ex. He was a two-timing, slime ball of a husband.”

“I’ll second that,” Kathleen said in solidarity. “My husband wasn’t much better. Can anyone tell me why we got married in the first place?”

“You were young and in love.” Susan flicked water at Lynda. “Do you remember the sailing instructor from our last camp together?”

“Martin Grayson,” they all said in unison, then burst out laughing.

Lynda sighed. “I was seventeen and totally in love. He ended up dating the archery coach.”

“Only because you were too shy to talk to him,” Susan said with a smile. “You spent the entire summer hiding behind books whenever he walked by.”

Lynda sighed. “Well, I’m not that shy teenager anymore. But I do have a deep distrust of anyone who seems too good to be true.”

Kathleen nodded. “I used to be the same before I moved here. But there are some wonderful people in the world—you just have to pick wisely.”