I scratch my beard as I step out of my truck, glancing around for my uncle. The place is an old lake house, nothing special, but easy on the eyes. It’s got big wooden slats running horizontally, almost like a log cabin, and a wide porch with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water. A path leads down to our own little dock, and since we’re tucked back in a private part of the lake, there’s only one other house in view.
“Chase!” Uncle Ray calls out, emerging from the thick pine trees flanking the house. It’s getting dark out, so he’s turned on the light strapped to his hat, which he immediately shines in my eyes. “Good to see you!”
I throw my arm up and turn away. “That’s funny. Can’t seeyou.”
“Oh, right.” He laughs and turns it off, walking over to me, and I see he’s wearing nothing but his short red swim trunks and flip-flops. “Much better. I was just seeing if you had any good trees down.”
My uncle owns the art gallery in town and has a healthy business selling his own work online. He keeps busy, but he’s not the type to throw himself into sweaty projects like chopping up downed trees.
I arch an eyebrow. “There are two by the shore. I was planning to chainsaw them sometime soon. You want to help?”
He laughs delightedly, like that’s a hilarious idea. “Oh, no, no. You know I’m useless at something like that.” He pats my arm. “You’ve got these big muscles, Chase. You should use them!”
I chuckle. That’s what he says every time, and I honestly don’t mind. I like cutting up trees. It’s good thinking time.
“You’re not looking too shabby yourself,” I note. “But why are you here scouting trees?”
“Oh, yes!” He turns the light on his head back on and points it toward the truck. “I’m experimenting with wood sculpture. Isn’t it wonderful?”
To me, the piece looks like Godzilla ripped a tree out of the earth, bit it in half, and then spit a chewed-up hunk in the back of my uncle’s truck. But I don’t know shit about art, and he seems happy, so I do what I always do.
“Looking great, Uncle Ray! Can’t wait for the gallery opening.”
And he does what he always does—tosses his hands in the air and laughs. “I’m so glad you think so!” He rubs his bald head. “By the way, I saw someone at the Roses’.”
I turn toward the lake, but it’s too dark to really see anything. “There aren’t any lights on across the water. Must have been someone driving by.”
Uncle Ray groans. “Now, Chase, that’s what you always say.”
“When else did I say that?”
“When I saw the UFO,” he answers smugly, like he just won an argument.
I sigh. “You claimed it was on the road,” I explain as calmly as I can because why would a UFO drive down the street? “Anyway, I’m not staying the night. Just here to pull in the tools I left out, since it might rain.”
He shrugs. “Suit yourself. But no skinny-dipping in the morning if you change your mind!”
“I think that’s only you.”
Uncle Ray starts to walk over to his truck, then abruptly spins to face me again. “Oh! And I almost forgot. I’m going to help your Aunt Terri with her car insurance this month…”
“Right. I can split it again, if you want.”
He waves his hand in the air, dismissing the idea. “You can get it next month. Just don’t—”
“Tell my mother,” I complete the thought for him. “I know.”
It’s not that we’re trying to deceive Mom. She just worries herself to death when Aunt Terri falls behind on her bills, and she’ll try to cover the expenses herself even though she doesn’t have the money either, so it’s easier if Uncle Ray and I take care of it quietly.
It’s not like they don’t work their asses off. But Aunt Terri is buried in medical debt, and Mom lost two months of work when there was that fire at the restaurant. They’re in a hard spot, but we all get through those together.
I shake my head, pushing the thoughts away. “You taking off?” I ask my uncle.
He rubs his hands together. “Missy’s got dinner waiting. You have a good night!”
Once he’s gone, I turn my attention to the few chores that need tending, always preferring to do something productive with my hands instead of worrying about money. It’s not until I walk down to the water, though, that the thought hits me: maybe Cubby is staying at the Rose house. Wouldn’t that be something?
I step out onto the dock. The crickets are going wild, and the moon is out, so I can see the forest and the shimmering lake in the pale light. It’s dead silent at the house, no sign at all of vacationers, and as the seconds tick by, I’m surprised to realize how disappointed I am.
Like I want him there or something.
I take in a deep gulp of fresh mountain air, then let it out slowly.
And right then, for the first time in I don’t know how long, a light turns on at the house across the lake.
