Page 60 of Patio Lanterns

“No, you are,” Robin mocked, laughing. Just then, her phone lit up with a notification, vibrating on the tabletop. Before she could grab it, Lark snatched it up. Shit.

“Who the hell is BRE71?” she asked, staring at the screen. “And why are they missing you already?”

Robin stole her phone back and tucked it into her pocket. “It’s my crack dealer, okay? Happy now?”

Footsteps padded down the stairs, and a moment later, Dove was standing in the kitchen in her PJs. Even with messy bedhead and bare feet, she glowed as if she should be surrounded by singing woodland creatures. “Do you two have any idea what time it is?”

“Sorry, Dove,” Robin said sheepishly. “We didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Not all of us were asleep. In fact, Robin here just got in.” Lark tapped her nail on the table.

Robin shrugged. “Apparently, I was at an all-night orgy with a Mexican drug cartel.”

Dove yawned as she poured herself a coffee. “I can’t believe you two are bickering this early in the morning.”

Robin got up and joined her in the kitchen. “I’m twenty-eight years old. Don’t you think I’m past the age of having to seek permission to do as I please?”

“Of course you are,” Dove answered.

Lark stood up too. “But don’t you think a twenty-eight-year-old should start acting their age, and have enough common sense not to stay out all night?”

“Of course I do,” Dove responded.

“Well?” Lark asked. “Which is it?”

Dove looked at them both, then took a sip of her coffee. “You’re both right.”

Robin rolled her eyes. “Way to pick a side, Dove.”

“I hate it when you two put me in the middle like this,” she said. “Either you want me to be the tiebreaker or the peacemaker, but only when I’m not your babysitter or dog walker. The rest of the time, I’m completely invisible to you both.”

Robin felt like shit. “You’re not invisible to us, sis. We see you.”

“Of course we do,” Lark said.

“It really sucks always being caught between you. My therapist says…”

“Wait,” Robin stopped her. “You’re seeing a therapist?”

“Oh, believe me, this family has given me plenty of issues to work through,” Dove continued. “My therapist says I need to better express my needs and set boundaries. So I’m staying out of your drama, and you two can work it out yourselves. I am now Switzerland.”

Robin and Lark stood stunned. Dove sat down at the dining room table next to the stack of mail that had already been sorted and reached for an unopened envelope.

“You went through all this last night?” Robin asked.

“Take a look at what we found,” Dove said, picking up a letter off the top of one stack to show Robin. Dated months before, it was addressed to Mrs. Michelle Pelletier from Polaris North Property Development Corp.

Robin’s eyes scanned the contents. They were offering to buy the Blue Canoe Cottage for “…eighteen and a half percent over current market value?”

“The exact same offer as the Koskies,” Dove affirmed.

“Don’t you think that’s weird?” Robin asked.

“We don’t think it’s a coincidence,” Lark said.

“What do you think is going on? Is this Polaris North trying to buy up the cottages around here?”

“Your guess is as good as ours.” Dove shrugged. “Think I’ll call them this morning.”

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