Page 49 of Lovewell Lane

He just crinkled his eyes and did that short quiet laugh of his.

Ever since I got sloppy drunk and probably said a lot of embarrassing shit to him that I didn’t remember, he’d avoided me. Or I’d avoided him. I wasn’t sure who was the originator of the avoidance, but we both managed to never make eye contact or speak to each other, despite living and working right next door.

I was grateful he wasn’t making this awkward.

Out of the corner of my eye, someone sprinted up to us. “Sienna!”

“Tessa!”

The two girls shared some very intense giggles and whispered to each other like they were middle aged women gossiping in a hair salon. We adults watched with interest when Lila walked up.

“Hey,” I greeted with a smile.

“Good morning,” she said quietly. While I was sure my eyes were swollen and my hair was still frizzy from sleeping, Lila looked like she just walked off of a modeling job. She was stunning, and her silky blonde hair hung off of her shoulders in waves.

Sam got up from his chair to walk over to her and give her a quick hug. “Thanks for letting us crash so early.”

“Of course, Sienna was very adamant.” Lila shot Derek and me a nervous look. “The boat is already tied to the dock if you want to try it out. Like I said, it’s old and I’ve never tested it, but Imogen takes it out all the time.”

Lila looked at me and clarified, “Imogen is our chef and maintenance person.”

Well if Imogen trusted it, can’t we all. I nodded with the most reassuring smile I could muster.

I walked out on the small wooden dock to take a peek at what we were working with. And, oh boy, was she right. It was awooden boat, and the paint was so chipped it had a permanent gray look. There was no way we could take small children out on that thing.

As if she read my thoughts, Lila called. “Maybe you guys should test it out to see if it’s okay for the kids.”

“I have life vests,” Derek answered. He walked over and confidently stood in the boat to see if it would sink. He had the grace of someone who’d been born and raised on a plank of wood floating in the ocean. “It looks good to me.”

I turned away from watching Derek to catch a glimpse of Sam, Lila, and the two girls huddled together whispering something by the bank. Lila was the first to notice me watching and she smiled before clearing her throat.

Derek was on a mission and started gathering supplies to set in the boat before… take off? Did row boats move fast enough to consider it a launch? He got everything set up and turned to the rest of us.

“It’s not big enough for all of us, but I can probably take the kids out with one of you three.”

“Actually, Daddy,” Tessa said, her voice the smallest I’d ever heard it. Which was saying something. “I don’t feel good.”

Derek stared at her like she’d grown an extra head. “What do you mean? Are you scared of the boat? I promise it’s safe, honey, I wouldn’t let you on something that wasn’t.”

“No, I’m not scared. I just don’t feel good. My belly hurts.” If the kid was an actor, I’d cast her in a commercial. Derek looked like he was about ready to go drown himself in the lake, though.

“I don’t feel good either. I think the grape juice was bad,” Sienna added. She held up the juice boxes that her and Tessa were sipping on as Derek set up the boat. “But you guys should go. We want to see you fish!”

Tessa’s voice turned excited again. “Yeah, we want you to catch a big fish!” Sienna nudged Tessa with her elbow. The stomachache must have come back because her voice sounded pitiful again, “And we don’t feel very good.”

“Maybe we need to go home then, honey,” Derek said, crouching down to be at Tessa’s eye level.

“No, I feel good sitting here. I just think I’ll get seasick. And I don’t want to throw up.”

Derek stood up again, not looking totally convinced. “What if Sam and I go on the boat, and you can see that it doesn’t make us sea sick. Would that help?”

“I think you and Margo should go,” Tessa said quietly. “Margo is brave. She’s been all over the world.”

Derek laughed under his breath and shut his eyes like that would help him find patience. Then he turned to me. “What do you think?”

I glanced over at the rickety boat, and again at Tessa’s puppy eyes, that were now directed at me. “Okay, sure. I’m brave.”

The girls cheered and quickly stopped when Derek turned his scrutinizing gaze on them.

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