12. Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Lizzie
“L izzie, Indi, put down the books and grab your bikes! We’re gonna go over to the pier and check out the new guy from Heartwood that Lena’s dad hired to sell minnows.”
“Nah, maybe later… I’m all comfy out here on my floaty…”
Brooke crossed her arms and glared at us from the dock. “As your friend, I refuse to allow you two to miss out on this opportunity to see Scotty McHottie without a shirt on. He has actual abs , Lizzie… think of the inspiration for your next book! Even if he does smell a little fishy…”
I stood along the edge of the shore, gazing out across the water. Off in the distance, the sun was starting to sink lower, casting an orangey glow across Lake Elska.
Breathing in deeply, I felt the warmth settle inside of me, illuminating countless memories that made up the best parts of my growing-up years.
God, it felt so good to be back.
My grandparents’ cabin— technically my cabin now, but would it ever feel right to call it that? —looked exactly the way I remembered it, for the most part. Dark blue wood siding, now with peeling paint; the white shutters, hanging a bit crooked; the wooden front porch bleached and sagging. Some of the shrubs and trees were overgrown, though clearly some care had been taken with the yard over the years. And the grass had already started working its way up, with daffodils sprouting up amongst the dead leaves that lay beneath the large front window.
And I was so happy to see my favorite trees—the tall river birches—were looking as healthy and majestic as ever along the eastern edge of the property, separating what used to be my friend Jules’ family cabin from ours. I couldn’t wait to see them showing off their vibrant gold color in the fall. It had been way too long.
Inside was like stepping back into a memory. The cheery, yellow kitchen with white cabinets, wooden dining set and circa 1979 avocado fridge; the large, wood-paneled living room with its stone fireplace and the old green sofa I’d spent countless hours curled up on with a book, gazing out the front bay window onto the lake; the back hallway splitting up three light-filled bedrooms and a yellow-tiled bathroom, along with the door that led out back.
Closing my eyes, I could almost hear the sounds of my brother running out that door, letting it slam behind him as he had so many times before, our parents hollering at him to ‘slow the hell down’. And I very nearly could smell my grandmother’s famous pumpkin pancakes, puffing up on her electric griddle.
All of it was familiar, but not. It almost felt as if this place had been holding its breath, waiting for me to return all these years later.
And now, finally, I was home—and ready to start fresh.
Even though I’d been back to Dearing Creek many times to visit my friends over the past decade or so, never once had I allowed myself to stop by our cabin. After Dad died, we never came back here again as a family—and until a few weeks ago, I’d believed this property wasn’t even a part of our family anymore.
Coming here, just to stare at a place that represented a life I’d never know again, had been too painful. Even Jules couldn’t coax me over to their place for summer weekends. It was just too close to home.
So instead, I’d come up to stay with Brooke’s family, or sometimes, Lena or Kait—out of sight of the old place. Most of the time I’d bring Indi along with me, as I’d always done. Throughout our college years, and then our twenties—as wings were spread and new homes were created, and biannual Dearie Girls weekends became our new tradition—this town had become my home as much as any. Maybe more than the rest.
Even with so much having changed over the years, the cabin had seemed frozen in time, isolated in its own grief. Maybe that’s part of why it felt so right being here now—the cabin and I, we understood one another. We’d both lost plenty, each with our own issues to work through. And there was comfort in not having to go it alone.
But if I was going to do this, I had to pull my head out of the past and focus on looking forward—to give this ‘fresh start’ of mine the fighting chance it deserved.
I had to admit, though—having my brother and these friends surrounding me here today made me feel stronger than I had in ages. Like maybe, I actually could do this.
“Ok seriously, Lizzie. How many freakin' books does one person need? I think it’s time to stage an intervention…” Kait grumbled as she stomped past, schlepping yet another box filled to the brim with a mix of hardcovers and paperbacks.
Shaking my head, I bit my lower lip to hold back the laughter. Kait was always so surly when she was hungry. “Hey, back off. I donated a bunch before I even left Minneapolis. And anyway, half of those belonged to Grandma Cora.” For a moment, I thought for sure I’d hear another snarky retort fly out of her mouth—instead, a chunk of her wavy brown hair cut her off at the pass, making it literally impossible for me to not giggle as she sputtered her way back into the cabin.
While Ethan had started unloading the moving trailer this afternoon, Brooke and I had stopped to pick up her collection from the assisted living facility just north of the lake, where they’d been storing Grandma’s remaining possessions for the past few months. Combined with my own, I knew the bookshelves inside would be overflowing.
“I don’t know why you’re griping, Kait.” Indi’s voice was muffled as she shuffled past, her arms laden with dresser drawers stacked all the way up to her chin. “Considering I literally have Lizzie’s entire underwear collection all up in my grill right now.”
I rolled my eyes. “For the love of God, they’re obviously clean …”
“Yes… and they smell amazing, by the way. I need to know what essential oils you’re using on those dryer balls!” she called out over her shoulder, disappearing inside through the front door.
I heard the sound of a vehicle coming from the cabin on the other side of mine. Turning, I saw a gray sedan park and an older woman with shoulder-length white hair and a flowy blue dress step out. A moment later, she was bustling across her lawn towards me, as if returning from the past.
“Elizabeth, dear, so good to see you finally moving in! I don’t know if you remember me after all these years, I’m—”
“—Georgia! Of course I remember. It just took me a minute.” I smiled at her, squeaking out a note of surprise as she pulled me in for a quick hug.
Pulling back, Georgia rested her hands along my arms, studying my face. “You’re looking more like Cora every day, young lady,” she said, shaking her head.
I felt myself blush. “Thanks. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Good, because it was,” she said, hazel eyes twinkling. Then a shadow flitted across her expression, the light in her eyes seeming to vanish. “Losing her has been so hard, hasn’t it? I still can’t quite believe she’s gone.”
A lump formed in my throat as I met her gaze, sad and knowing. Then I nodded. “Yeah, it’s been really hard. I miss her so much.”
“And then your mother too, sweet girl, on top of everything.” She reached out to fold my hands up into hers. “Such a tough time for you all. How are you kids holding up?”
“It’s been a rough year, but… it feels good to be here now. I’ve missed it.”
“I’m sure you have. But good that you’re here now.” Releasing my hands, she patted my cheek tenderly, glancing over my shoulder to where Ethan continued unloading the trailer. “Good to see your brother here as well. I know it made Cora happy to see the two of you grow up so close.”
I smiled, shaking my head as my brother awkwardly dropped my bike onto the ground. “Yeah… he’s pretty great.”
Georgia looked like she was about to continue when all of a sudden, her smile dropped, something catching her eye over my shoulder. “God dammit, that dog is headed back to the Weaver’s place again… I swear, he’s determined to knock up poor Lulu, too.” She held a hand to her mouth. “Boner! Get outta here, you big dumb mutt!”
I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing outright. “‘Boner?’”
Georgia turned her gaze back to me, exasperated. “Yeah, he’s the town stray… well, most everyone calls him Boner Jr. Jr. , after both his daddy and granddad. The name’s stupid, but it stuck.” She held her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. “Boner! Go on, git!” I watched as the mutt scampered off in the opposite direction, looking very dejected at not being allowed to complete his mission. Rolling her eyes, Georgia released a sigh. “There’s something wrong in those dogs’ DNA… not one of ‘em can hold back from humping every four-legged bitch in a five-mile radius.”
I snorted out a laugh, trying to compose myself. “Can’t animal control bring him in, so a vet can at least get him neutered?”
“Yeah, easier said than done, though many have tried.” She had her hands on her hips now as she watched the dog disappear off into the woods behind our cabins. “I swear, though… one of these days, those balls of his will finally get snipped. This town just isn’t big enough for any more Boner babies.”
Our conversation was interrupted yet again as we heard a crash coming from inside the cabin. With a shake of her head, she chuckled.
“Anyway, sounds like you’ve got your hands full here, dear. I’ll let you get back to it. Though, just curious… have you found anyone to help fix up the place yet?”
“No, not yet. I was going to first g—”
Georgia waved her hand. “Of course, you’ve been busy. Well, never you mind. I have the perfect person for the job. I’ll send him over sometime tomorrow, ok?” Before I could say another word, she turned to hustle back towards her cabin. “Feel free to stop by if you need anything!”
I couldn’t help but smile at the whirlwind of the past few minutes.
Georgia LaMott was just as I remembered her—kind, funny, full of spirit. I didn’t know why, but it felt oddly comforting, having her as my neighbor. She and my grandmother had been good friends since before they were my age—so it felt a little like having a part of her back with me again.
“Lizzie, where do you want us to put your jackets?” Lena’s face peeked out through the open bay window.
“You stay put. I’ve got it covered,” Brooke said as she sidled past me, carrying the fiddle leaf fig plant from her car to rejoin the chaos inside. A moment later, I could hear her voice filtering out through the many windows we’d left open to air out the place as she continued doling out instructions to the others—though I was pretty sure I heard some definite grumbling in the background.
Giggling to myself, I returned to the trunk of my light gray hatchback to grab the last few bags that remained. Behind me, the door to the trailer slammed shut.
“Well, Liz… I think that about does it,” Ethan said, wiping his brow as he hopped off the back. “I’m going to start heading back, if that’s ok. I want to get this dropped off before the rental place closes.”
“Sure, that’s fine. Drive safe, ok? And you’ll let me know how that second date goes with… wait, what was her name again?”
“Calliope.”
“Are we sure that’s her name?”
Ethan grinned, shaking his head. “Yes, I’m fairly certain. At least, I better be.”
“Ok, fine. Let me know how things go with Calliope ,” I said as I leaned in for a hug, feeling the tears prick behind my eyelids. “And thank you. I mean it. I couldn’t have made it through these past few weeks without you.”
“Of course. And I’ve told you before, you’re never getting rid of me. So never fear, I’ll be back, ” he said in my ear with his best Terminator impression as I groaned. Chuckling, he pulled away, keeping one arm looped around my back as the two of us gazed at the cabin together. “She needs some work, but… it still feels a little like old times, doesn’t it?”
I leaned into his shoulder, a million memories filtering through my mind. As much as this place felt familiar, there was still so much of the old days missing. I couldn’t help but wonder—would it ever feel the same again?
But… one step forward, not back.
“Yeah, a bit.” I took a step away, offering a small smile. “You better get going while it’s still light out. Love you.”
“Love you, too. I’ll text when I get home.” And after our usual ‘pow-pow’ fist bump send-off, he climbed into his car.
I stood there waving until the black SUV and trailer had disappeared from sight, past the tall pines surrounding the cabin and the gravel road. The dust and the noise kicked up from his tires filtered away until the air was still once more.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to head back inside.
And as I entered into the cozy living room, I found myself engulfed in a giant group hug—Indi, Brooke, Kait and Lena wrapping their arms around me, and each other. They knew how bittersweet this day was for me, without me having to say the words. And for a woman who knew the power of words better than most, I loved them all the more for it.
“Ok, I think we’ve officially succeeded in suffocating her. Lizzie, give us a sign… are you alive in there? ” Kait’s voice came out muffled, and I started giggling again as I felt multiple arms relax their hold around me.
“For the most part,” I said, wiping my cheek with the back of my hand. “Who’s hungry?”
“Oh, Tess said she won’t be here with dinner for an hour yet, so let’s finish cleaning up, and then we can crack open a few bottles of wine when she gets here.”
Two hours later, the cabin was fresher-smelling and a lot less dusty-musty. Now the space was filled with the sounds of chatter and laughter, remnants of salad and pizza scattered in containers across the floor as we sat on pillows and cushions pulled from the old sofa.
I had sold most of my own furniture before leaving Minneapolis and planned to order new things at some point—but not until after most of the renovation had been completed. Until then, I’d be roughing it with the existing shabby pieces that had always been here. Not that I minded so much.
Tess—somehow managing to pull off elegance while perched on her ratty cushion, her white fitted sheath dress and long, shiny mahogany hair cascading over one shoulder a dead giveaway of her social status—reached over to grab her red Solo cup of wine. As always, she looked the most out of place sitting on the floor of a rustic Minnesota lake cabin—but then, that was sort of the beauty of our mish-mashed group of women. Only the parts that mattered made sense. And it was all any of us cared about.
She’d just finished regaling us with another story about her horrible sister-in-law, Carmen—who, apparently, was in the midst of her third divorce. “So anyway, she asked Carlos if she could just move into our house in Malibu. When she heard he’d already sold it, she was livid . And blamed me for it, of course.”
Kait glanced over, her look curious. “I didn’t know you guys had sold your place, either.”
Tess shrugged. “Carlos thought we should downsize a bit. And obviously, we still have our main home in Rochester. It was an opportunity for a nice cash influx back into Dominguez Enterprises, while real estate prices were still up. The company took a bit of a hit during the pandemic, after all.”
“Ah, to have rich people problems,” Indi said, sighing dramatically.
Lena threw a pillow at her, coughing as she waved away the resulting cloud of dust. “Don’t be a brat. We all know how hard this recession has been for all business owners.” Lena knew this better than most—she’d struggled to keep her floral shop afloat when in-person events had halted for over a year during the pandemic.
“Sorry… you’re right.”
Tess gave her a small smile. “It’s fine. But,” she grabbed one of the open bottles of wine from the floor, refilling all of our glasses, “let’s not talk about boring business stuff. Instead, we should be celebrating Lizzie’s return to Dearing Creek. How are you feeling about everything?”
“Honestly? I’m thrilled to be back, but…” I broke off, feeling the tears start to crop up again.
“You miss her, don’t you?” Indi said, her smile sad and knowing. She’d loved her, too.
I nodded, taking a deep, steadying breath. “I feel her around me so much, especially here… you know?”
Brooke leaned over to brush back the hair that had once again fallen into my face—I could only imagine what I looked like by this point. “Of course you do. Cora was a huge part of your life and your time here. But maybe that’s a good thing?”
Lena smiled encouragingly. “Yes… and now, since you can finally focus on writing your book, it’ll be like she’s here, cheering you on.”
“Like we all are,” Kait said, reaching across to squeeze my hand.
“Me too!” Jules’ voice filtered out through the iPad perched on the floor, as she’d insisted on a Facetime call with us from her set trailer in L.A. Her face took up most of the screen, blue eyes twinkling with her long blonde hair done up in rollers, while someone off-camera worked on her makeup. It was such a bizarre sight, not one of us could help but laugh.
As for me, I’d given up on holding back the tears. “I don’t know what I’d do without all of you.”
“Well, we’re family, aren’t we? Dearie Girls forever.” Brooke’s eyes were also shining—I knew how hard this transition was going to be for her as well.
“Dearie Girls forever,” I said, making my best attempt at a smile.
And true sisters, in every sense of the word.