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“Christ,” she mumbled to herself, tapping it open. Thankfully the one from Silver Falls was the third email from the top, followed by senior exercise tips from the American Heart Association and a 70 percent off sale on drill bit sets from Tractor Supply.

She cleared her throat, then read the entire thing out loud to them, everything from the new loon baby to the boat warnings. Nan’s face glowed brighter and brighter with every word. By the end of it, she was slathering her arms with sunscreen. Rhonda was already gone, jogging over to her boat where Steph and the twins waited for her, suited up and ready to go.

“Wayne, grab the cooler and pack some water,” Nan started. “Tea, go get changed.”

Tea frowned. “Don’t you think going out there with the boats will scare them away? Isn’t this exactly what the association warned you not to do?”

Pop returned from the back with a cooler and began stuffing it with cans of seltzer and Coca-Cola, followed by sticks of string cheese and beef jerky.

“The email said to be mindful,” Nan said. “One of us is bound to find the family nest out there.”

“Has anyone found a loon nest on the lake before?” Tea countered.

Pop swung the door open, holding it as Nan adjusted the strings on her sun hat. She turned to Tea. “You coming?”

Tea pointed at the mug in her hand, then at her robe. She then watched her grandparents take off in a giddy canter, headed for Pop’s fishing boat.

She stepped out of the cabin and onto the damp grass barefoot, sipped her coffee, and smiled as they disappeared down the lake. She padded across the lawn and eyed the countless boats zipping around, frantic residents hoping they would be the first to find Pebble and the family of loons.

She slowed when she glimpsed Sandy Vanderberg sitting in a beach chair by the water’s edge, a scowl fixed on her face.

Tea stepped up to her, the sand sticking to her wet feet. There was a second chair beside her, but at enough of a distance that Tea felt comfortable enough to ask if she could join her.

Sandy perked up. “Of course, my dear. Sit, sit.”

She dipped her chin and took a seat. The sun was already beaming down on them, making her sweat in her bathrobe, which she forgot was still wrapped around her body. She went to take it off then stopped, remembering that she only wore underwear. She never slept with pajamas, especially in the cabin that didn’t have any air conditioning. She tightened her robe.

“Your grandmother must be so happy that you’re here,” Sandy started. “She wouldn’t stop talking about it for weeks after your mother called.”

Tea swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn’t want to sound ungrateful that her grandmother was taking her in for the summer, but she was still feeling unsettled about leaving Mom alone in New Jersey. And the return of her dreams certainly wasn’t helping.

“I’m excited to be here with them,” she replied. “It’s been a long time.”

“How long has it been now?” Sandy asked.

“Eight years,” she answered, so low she wondered if the other woman heard her.

Sandy hummed. “That is a long time, dear. I’m so sorry for your loss. Gareth was such a light to all of us. Always knew how to make us laugh.”

Tea white-knuckled the handle of her mug. “Yeah. He was good at that.”

A figure in the distance caught Sandy’s attention. She raised her arm. “Yoo-hoo, Archer!”

Tea’s stomach curled. She took a sip of her coffee, which tasted far too acidic now that her throat threatened to puke up bile. Plus, sipping on a hot coffee was not pleasant as she baked inside her bathrobe, even with the light breeze off the lake. She pulled the robe even tighter, keeping her eyes out on Pop’s boat as Archer’s tall frame entered her periphery.

“Good morning, Sandy,” Archer said.

She could feel his gaze on her. She sipped her coffee.

“Archer, dearest, what is the meaning of all of this?” Sandy asked him, throwing her arm out wide.

He scratched his head. Tea couldn’t help but eye the tattoos on his right arm as his bicep flexed. A black bear, a pine tree, a coiled snake . There were so many of them.

He must have noticed her staring, because he dropped his arm and tucked them both behind him. “Apparently there’s a baby loon on the lake.”

“A baby loon?”

“Yes, didn’t you read the email?”