Heather follows my line of sight. “Is thathim?”
“Is thatwho?” Bennett asks.
“Auntie Ali’s new boyfriend.”
My head snaps in her direction, cheeks flushing. “He isnotmy boyfriend.”
My sister and niece share a wide-eyed look, and they both begin to giggle.
Heather cups her hands to her mouth and yells, “Come meet the family, Charlie,” then waves her arms over her head.
“Are you as much trouble as Alice?” he calls out.
Heather casts me a look that lets me know she’s going to be asking what that means later.
“So much worse,” she yells back.
I imagine Charlie laughing to himself as he steps into the boat.
“Do not embarrass me, Heather.”
She puts her hand to her chest. “Me? I wouldnever. And especially not in front of your…” She glances at Bennett, and they both sing out, “Boooooyfriend.”
“He’s just a friend.”
“Sure, sure.”
I look at Bennett. “He’s just a friend.”
“Then why are you so red, Auntie Ali?”
Heather begins to snicker, and the yellow boat’s motor rumbles to life.
“Yeah, Ali,” Heather mimics. “Why are you so red? Is it because yourboooooyfriendis coming?”
Bennett laughs.
“Stop,” I say, though I’ve started laughing, too. I can’t remember the last time my sister and I were goofy together.
When Charlie’s boat approaches and Heather begins to sing, “Alice and Charlie sitting in a tree,” I lean over the side of the moose, putting my hand in the water to splash her, but I lose my balance and tumble into the lake.
The first thing I see when I poke my head out of the water is Charlie, standing in the boat a few meters from us. He’s in a teal bathing suit and a white shirt, and something in me eases, knowing that he hasn’t returned from the city any different.
“Good to see you, Trouble.”
I stare up at him, my lips curving into a grin that matches his own.
“Hi,” I say.
“Hi,” he says back, his eyes softening with his voice.
Behind me, Heather clears her throat.
“Charlie,” I say. “This is my sister Heather and her daughter, Bennett.”
“Good to meet you in person,” he says to Heather. “And nice to meet you, Bennett.”
Bennett looks at him from beneath her eyelashes while Heather mouths,Oh my god, to me.
