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“Did he? Or was that God?”
“They’re the same, smart-ass.”
“Jesus would not like that language, mother.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “He would also hate for you not to spend time with your family.”
He hung his head. There was no winning with Larissa Vincent. Archer knew long ago that his mother would fight him until she got her way. Austin had that same exact gene. He loved them, but it also made them infuriating to deal with.
It wasn’t that Archer didn’t want a slice of his mother’s lasagna—he found himself daydreaming about it a little too regularly. It was sitting at a table with his father and talking shop about the resort he dreaded. So far, Archer had successfully convinced him that he had everything under control. He didn’t want to admit the truth; that he found it all overwhelming, that he was constantly drowning in to-do’s. He couldn’t hire their usual help to clean or maintain the facilities, given everything going on in the world. Which meant that emptying the dumpsters and cleaning the fishing shack and weed-whacking the lawn fell on his shoulders, along with filling out tax forms and understanding insurance policies and a myriad of other tasks he fell behind on daily.
“Not tonight,” he answered softly. “Soon, though. I promise.”
Her shoulders sagged. Then she squared them and pointed at his nose. “Don’t you dare sneak in for a beer later, or I’ll wrangle you into staying for dessert. You’ve been warned.”
“Noted.”
She squinted her eyes, then turned to leave.
He exhaled a long breath, then slowly turned back to that Adirondack chair in the distance.
It was empty.
Chapter 5
Tea
To:
From: The Silver Falls Lake Association
Silver Falls residents!
We hope this email finds you all in good health during these trying times, and that you’re enjoying the fresh air, blue skies, and north winds. We see all of those sailboats out there!
We have very exciting news to share. As you know, our lakes have been the residence of many loons over the years, both on Silver Lake and Silverstone Lagoon. But this year our mates have decided to nest and make a little family of their own.
Say hello to Pebble! (Picture attached.) He’s our new resident baby loon. We spotted him riding on his mother’s back in the creek between the lake and lagoon. We assume it’s close to where the family’s nest is, but we haven’t spotted it yet, so we can’t be sure.
Please keep in mind that baby loons are unable to fly for the first couple of weeks, and they stay close to their parents until about three months after birth. We ask that you please be mindful of Pebble and keep a watchful eye as you take your boats or jet skis out this summer.
The Silver Falls Lake Association is a proud member of the Ten Thousand Lake Loon Committee, dedicated to protecting and preserving our natural wildlife. We would love if a member of each resort would join our efforts this summer. If you are interested, feel free to email us at [email protected].
Just like our resorts, we want Silver Lake and Silverstone Lagoon to be a safe haven for many loon families in the future.
Stay safe out there, and keep an eye out for Pebble!
SFLA
She was sitting by the lake in her dream, a steaming cup of her favorite tea by her side in the Adirondack chair, looking out at the lake, the water still. Her father popped into her vision and began pulling on her feet, telling her to get changed so they could get out for one last water ski before dinner. “We don’t get nights like these often, Tea bear.”
She ran to the cabin and got changed into her suit, but when she returned her father was gone. The lake was still smooth as glass, but Dad was nowhere to be found. Her mug of tea was replaced with a glass of white wine.
Revved-up boat engines and slapping screen doors startled her awake. Nan was downstairs using her “whispering” voice, but it was still loud enough to rouse Tea from her dream. She pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes, wishing for a way to see her father again, while simultaneously regretting dreaming him up in the first place. In the months following his death, Tea saw him every night: Dad telling her to get in the boat for a water ski or a sail, but always disappearing before she could join him. She knew these dreams technically should be labeled nightmares, because they haunted her every morning when she opened her eyes, but calling it so didn’t feel right, especially when it gave her the opportunity to see her father again. He always looked his healthiest in her mind, no sagging gray skin or thinned-out hair. His cheeks were pink and full, red curls sticking up in every direction, and his laugh rambunctious as ever when he snuck up on her in that chair. It was how she wanted to remember her father, even if the dreams had left her feeling confused and angry and alone when she woke up.
She hadn’t had felt that way in years. Yet being back in this place brought on a tsunami of memories, and a resurgence of that very same dream.
