6. Daisy
***Daisy***
“Hank! Hank, no!” I chased after Hank in my red, patent leather, t-strap pumps. “Put the turtle down!”
The kids were behind me, but instead of helping me, they were already arguing Hank’s case. Charlie, especially, seemed eager to defend my dog. “Aunt Daisy! That turtle was a jerk! Hank’s just taking it back to the water!”
Poppy agreed eagerly. “Yeah, that turtle was mean! He gave us nasty looks! Just like Mrs. Gabbles at the candy store!”
Hazel, quieter and more reserved while still chasing after a woman chasing after her dog, sighed. “It’s the way things work in the wild, Aunt Daisy. But I don’t think Hank wants to hurt Tank. He’s just moving him.”
“He’s not-” I stopped running and rested my hands on my hips as I watched Hank toss his head from one side to the next and then sling the turtle into the lake. My dog turned back around and the grin on his face was too human. “I’ll be damned.”
Charlie cackled. “I’ll be damned!”
Wincing, I lead the kids back inside. “Don’t say that, Charlie. I shouldn’t have said it either.”
“Hank deserves a treat. He saved the day. Tank, the turtle, was truly awful.” Hazel flashed a wide grin at Poppy. “Just like Mrs. Gabbles.”
I probably should’ve stopped them from insulting the old lady who ran the candy shop but I remembered the cantankerous woman from my previous visits.
They were right. I was just thinking about what to do next with the kids when I opened the fridge to get a drink and saw Wes’ lunch was right where I left it.
Looking at the clock, I figured there was still time to get his lunch to him.
“Y’all want to take the golf cart into the village?
We can stop by and see if Mrs. Gabbles got any nicer since I was here last. Your dad forgot his lunch, Hazel, so we’ll stop by the marina first.” I was already going over what all I’d need to start a candy bar for the kids.
It was most likely a terrible idea but I’d been working to get Hazel to warm up to me for three years and nothing had completely melted the girl yet. Maybe a surplus of candy would do it.
After making sure we were all dressed for public, that my hair was in place, that Hank’s leash was firmly attached, and the battery was fully charged, we were on our way.
Calloway Cove, lovingly named for the family who’d lived on that chunk of land for decades, was really just a curve of Lake Sweetwater.
Sweetwater Cove was the village town just up the road.
South of the Adirondack Mountains, the area was stunning year-round.
In the summer, especially, it was magical.
The small roads leading to the village were canopied by trees and felt more like fairy paths than real roads at times.
The air smelled like pine sap, lake water, and sunscreen in a way that made me nostalgic for things I’d never experienced.
One of the things I’d loved about Tyler in the beginning was the way he talked about Lake Sweetwater.
His summers as a kid sounded like something out of a nineties movie.
Visiting for a long weekend for the first time three years earlier hadn’t taken away the magic.
Everything was somehow even better than I’d imagined.
I took a breath of air that wasn’t laden with the thick humidity I was used to in Atlanta.
Back home it was already closing in on a hundred with record breaking humidity, the same way it was every year.
I went through a can of hairspray a week during the summer in Atlanta, just to keep my curls decent.
On Lake Sweetwater, I could get away with a lot less and I didn’t have to worry about touch-ups throughout the day.
Even my makeup wore better, with no dangers of it melting right off.
Despite everything, despite the reason I was staying for the summer being different from what I’d planned, I was quietly thrilled. A whole summer of pretending that I was one of the locals had me ready to burst into song. And I didn’t sing like that in public, only while showering or baking.
The kids were strapped in on the cart with Hank on the floor at my feet. He was staring up at the seat like he couldn’t figure out why he’d been relegated to the floor. The only thing making him feel better was Hazel’s constant petting and soothing words.
“You’re going to love the marina, Hank. And the hot dog stand. Don’t steal from Mr. Henry, though. He’s nice. If you sit and look at him all sad he’ll probably give you a dog for free.” She looked up at me. “Can he have one?”
I grinned. “He ate a whole chicken yesterday. I think he can handle a hot dog today.”
The village turned into organized chaos in the summer, with tourists and seasonal workers flooding the streets, swelling the population by about four hundred percent.
It made me appreciate the quietness of the estate, for sure.
Since traffic was horrible with people trying to decide where to go, I parked the cart in the lot just outside of everything.
It was meant as overflow parking and it was mostly full already but I snagged a spot right at the front.
“Alright, we’re going to the marina first. No side quests until Wes has his lunch. And then…”
Poppy hopped in place. “What?”
“And then all the side quests!”
They cheered happily and my heart beat a little harder with care for the three of them. They were good kids and I was going to make sure our summer together was memorable.
I held Hank’s leash with a death grip as we walked down the busy sidewalk towards the marina but Hank was on his best behavior, something I hardly ever witnessed.
His nose was wiggling nonstop as he inhaled the same scents that I was inhaling.
They were good. They were too good. I was considering putting Wes’ lunch aside to grab a taco.
The marina came into view, though, sitting proudly at the end of a long boardwalk.
The building wasn’t huge, big enough to hold a simple restaurant on one side and a supply shop on the other.
It was weathered red with white trim and large blue and white strips on the dock leading out to the boatslips.
Tyler had mentioned that Wes’ late wife had fought him tooth and nail to get stripes.
The kids saw Wes up ahead, helping someone fuel up their boat, and sprinted towards him. Hazel looked more like a kid than ever as she shouted to him and smiled like seeing him was the best thing in the entire world.
He turned and, seeing her, smiled broadly back at her. I could see their smiles were the same in that moment and seeing them so open with each other made my eyes burn. My relationship with my own father wasn’t exactly warm.
“Hey!” Wes picked Hazel up with one arm and let Poppy and Charlie hang off the other.
The muscles in his arm flexed with the effort but I did my best to keep my eyes to myself.
It was something I’d been doing for three years, if I was honest. It’d always felt respectful before but without Tyler standing next to me to respect, I realized maybe it was something different.
Maybe I’d been afraid of finding something more attractive.
Then Wes looked up and caught me staring. His smile faded, but his eyes didn't leave mine. They moved slowly over me before coming back to my face.
Oh. Maybe I hadn't been the only one trying not to look for the past three years.