Page 86

We are pleased to let you know that Bank of America will be shifting our summer internship programs to new programs this fall. We are delighted to welcome you as a Financial Analyst intern at the bank. Given the state of the pandemic, this position will be a hybrid role. This means some of the days you will work remotely, and others will be in-person at our offices in Manhattan. We will send you the proper equipment for at-home work. Your start date is September 15.

Please let us know if you are still interested in this internship, and we’ll send over a contract with salary details.

Thank you for your patience, and we hope you are keeping well during these trying times.

Stacy Gils

Bank of America Intern Program Coordinator

She turned the screen over and placed it on her nightstand, aghast. She lay there for a moment in stunned silence, then got out of bed and bundled up in a sweatshirt and leggings, making her way outside and sliding the screen door gently behind her.

Except for the early morning calls of the crows and the creatures slowly waking up around her, the lake was calm. A family of ducks swam up to the beach, dipping in and out of the water. The remnants of a thunderstorm lingered south of her, soft booms of thunder that passed over the resort late last night, leaving the grass dewy and the benches slick from the rain. She wiped down the seat at the dock then curled into herself, admiring the lake and the majesty it beheld, quiet and serene, leaving her alone with her wandering thoughts.

Streaks of cotton candy–pink covered the sky, blocking the sun as it slowly rose to meet the day. Tea couldn’t recall the last time she was up early enough to experience a Silver Lake sunrise, but she never forgot the feeling. It made her feel small in a great big world, like a tiny speck in a grander plan. A pebble on the beach. A pinecone on a tree, moved by the force of the wind. Without the rumble of boats, she could hear the soft hoots from the loons, echoing across the lake and into open windows and screen doors behind her.

What do I do?

She’d worked hard to get that internship. She knew working at a bank wasn’t the most appealing career choice, but numbers made sense to her, and eventually the pay would be really good. She chose this internship because it was closer to Mom, and after everything the two of them had been through—the late nights at the hospital, moving out of their home, finding ways to scrape by with only one paycheck coming in—she couldn’t fathom leaving her behind. She had to return east.

She rested a cheek on her knee and listened to the loon songs. Yes, this place was special. It was the only place that truly felt like home. But eventually, like the loons, they would all have to migrate elsewhere for the winter. She couldn’t stay forever.

Nan, Pop, Larissa, and Astor were exactly where she and Archer expected them to be during an afternoon at the lake; enjoying chips, dip, and margaritas for happy hour. They sat around the picnic table on the porch of Cabin F, already making a ruckus of noise as the two of them approached from across the lawn.

“Can I please hold your hand?” Archer begged.

“My god, can you not go a few minutes without touching me?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

She shook her head. Archer was doing a lot of that lately. Sweet little comments that made her heart melt, expressing his need for her while his big hands roamed her body. His mouth showing his need in other ways. Her skin prickled at the thought of what that mouth did to her thirty minutes earlier.

“Hey.”

She looked up at him, his face soft and serious. “Yeah?”

“It’s going to be okay. One day at a time, remember?”

Tea hummed as they reached the porch. “One day at a time,” she repeated.

They climbed the steps.

Larissa jumped from her sweet. “Archer! Is that really you? Come to finally join me on my porch?”

He gave his mother a teasing face. “Mom, I’ve come over for dinner a couple of times now.”

“A couple of times a summer is pathetic, son.”

“Hey, I’ve been busy!” He turned and pointed to Tea. “Right? We’ve been busy?”

Tea shrugged. “I don’t know. A couple of times does sound pathetic.”

His mouth fell open, which had everyone laughing. His eyes thinned into slits, but a smile widened on his cheeks. He liked when she teased him.

“Okay, okay, fine. I have another excuse,” Archer announced.

“It better be a good one,” Larissa grumbled.

Archer shrugged, then turned to Tea. She nodded once, slight enough for him to get the message. Go for it.