The Summer Plans (Chestnut Mountain #3)

1. Summer

SUMMER

“ M om, did you know there’s a sea creature that can shoot orgasms out of its butt?” Logan says proudly as he turns around in the seat in front of me on the plane.

“You mean organs,” I say, correcting my ten-year-old.

Logan frowns. “That’s what I said.”

His twin sister Lana wrinkles her nose. “Gross.”

“Cool! Wait, do they die?” Lucas asks.

“No, they grow back once they get away.”

“I did not know that, sweetie. Can you keep your voice down, please?” I try to sound interested. Logan’s been reading all the books on sea creatures he could find, once he found out we were going to the beach for our summer vacation.

“That’s what the book said. When it gets scared, it shoots stuff out of its butt?—”

Lucas laughs, leaning forward in his seat. “Like poop?”

“That’s not impressive, all animals poop.” Lana rolls her eyes as she turns to look out the window.

“Jellyfish don’t. They don’t have a butthole. It goes out the same hole it went in.”

Lana makes a face. “Eww, they poop out of their mouths?”

“Yup, and starfish poop through their feet.”

“Can we stop saying poop?” I beg, hoping we’re not disturbing the other fliers around us.

Logan continues, undeterred. “Jellyfish doo-doo out of their only hole. And sponges release waste through their whole body.”

“So, SpongeBob doo-doos out of all his holes?” Lucas giggles.

“Yup! But the other animal I was talking about squirts out a sticky substance.”

The man next to Logan clears his throat and gives me a look over his shoulder like he wants me to change the topic.

Trust me, buddy, I’m trying. But when you have a voracious reader like Logan, it’s difficult.

His fluency is fantastic, but his reading comprehension could use a little work.

I’m not entirely sure everything that comes out of his mouth is accurate.

“Are you sure that’s what it said exactly?” I ask.

Logan shrugs. “Close enough.”

“What was the animal?” Lucas asks.

Logan holds up his book, flipping through the pages. “A cucumber.”

“A sea cucumber?” I offer.

“Yeah, that’s it!”

“Hmm, I don’t remember them mentioning that on the sea cucumber episode of Octonauts .”

“ Octonauts is a baby show,” Lucas adds, reminding me that at nine, my youngest is no longer a baby.

“What else did your book say?” I regret the words as soon as they’re out of my mouth.

“Turtles can breathe through their butts. Lobsters pee out of their face, and that’s how they talk to each other. Male seahorses shoot out babies from their penis.”

Lana frowns. “I don’t think that’s right.”

“Let’s talk about something else, maybe. Are there any facts that don’t involve private parts?” I’m desperate to redirect this conversation.

Logan taps his finger against his cheek as though he’s deep in thought. “Narwhals’ horns are actually a giant tooth. The blue whale’s tongue is heavier than an elephant. And some crabs can taste with their feet.”

“Do you know facts about other animals?” The annoyance in Lana’s voice is palpable, and I know a fight is inevitable if I don’t intervene quickly. While they may be twins, these two couldn’t be more different.

“We’re going to the beach so I’m reading a book about sea animals. I want to be prepared if an octopus punches me in the ocean.”

“You’re not gonna get punched by an octopus.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. I’m gonna punch you if you don’t shut up,” she snaps at her twin.

And this is why they aren’t sitting next to each other on the plane.

The rest of the flight is uneventful. When we land and collect our bags, the kids are surprisingly cooperative as each one shares their plans for our vacation. I order an Uber and give the address to the boatyard so we can catch the boat to Raven’s beach house.

Did I know my best friend owned a beach house?

Nope. But when she asked me to check it out for her and see what needed to be done in order to sell it, I jumped at the opportunity.

While I only have a license to sell houses in Colorado, I wasn’t turning down a free beach trip.

Nor was I passing up an opportunity to boss Raven around.

As the oldest member of our friend group, she often feels like the adultiest of us, especially when Bella tries to rope us into her antics.

Raven and I’ve been friends most of our lives. She’s been with me through everything—shitty exes, motherhood, and heartbreak.

After Todd and I divorced, he left Chestnut Mountain, Colorado, and moved to Wyoming.

I was granted full custody with the caveat that the kids would spend the summers with him, but really, they spend it with his family.

I get one week with them after school lets out in early June, and then they’re off to Nana and Pop-Pop’s.

But when Raven showed me the house plans and dangled a free vacation in front of me, I reached out to Todd’s family about swapping weeks.

I never get to spend my summer birthday with my kids.

I’m not normally one to rock the boat and ask for what I want, but I wanted to take this trip with them.

Sending them to their grandparents on a flight from Florida at the end of this makes me nervous, but they’ve flown on their own before.

It’s an hour-long drive to the boatyard, but I’m now armed with the knowledge that there are four hundred different species of sharks, along with a few additional facts that may not exactly be correct.

The driver pulls up to the dock and takes our bags out of the trunk, depositing them on the curb before taking off without a word. We load our stuff onto the boat, and not long after we sail away from the mainland, several dolphins are swimming alongside us.

“Logan, look, a group of dolphins!” I point to the water.

Lana runs over to the side of the boat. “Cool!”

“It’s called a pod, Mom,” Logan corrects.

I grab the back of Lucas’s shirt as he attempts to climb on the railing to get a closer look.

“Did you know dolphins sleep by turning off half of their brains? And they have two stomachs. One for storage and one for digestion,” Logan announces proudly. “They’re also the only animals that do it for pleasure.”

My head snaps in his direction, praying he doesn’t elaborate.

Apparently, he piqued Lana’s curiosity. “Do what?”

Before I can try to deflect, Lucas chimes in with “I wish I had two stomachs like a dolphin.” He lifts his shirt and pats his tummy.

Lana narrows her eyes at him in annoyance. “Why?”

“So I can eat and store food for later in case I get hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” she grumbles.

Logan throws his hands up. “That’s why I need two stomachs.”

A tiny island appears in the distance as the boat slows its speed in the shallow water.

“Welcome to Broccoli Bay,” the captain says.

“Eww, I hate broccoli,” Lucas whines.

Lana ignores her brother. “Why is it called that?” she asks the captain.

“Actually, it’s called that because the island is shaped like a broccoli,” Logan answers.

“Kid’s right,” the captain says, guiding us into the dock. “This is your stop.”

I look up at the row of massive houses. “Which one is ours?”

He points at the house in front of us. “It’s that one right there.

I’ve got another group coming in later, but I’ll be back after that.

I also do deliveries for Broccoli Market.

It’s the only place on the island to get supplies.

There are no cars, only bikes, if you decide you can’t wait on me to bring you what you need later.

Here’s how you can reach me. Name’s Tony.

” He hands me a card with the store’s contact info and website.

“Eww. A whole store full of broccoli?” Lucas pinches his nose in disgust.

Tony chuckles. “Nah, it’s named after the island. Ironically, the one thing it doesn’t carry is broccoli.”

We climb off the boat, and Tony helps us unload all our bags onto the dock before taking off. When I look up at the house, blinking in the bright Florida sun, I’m in awe. How long has Raven owned property like this? What else does she own?

“Dibs on beds!” Lucas calls.

Logan pushes Lucas out of the way, trying to beat him up the steps. “No, I call dibs!”

“Me first!” Lana races upstairs, leaving both of her brothers in her dust while I’m left struggling to drag our bags through the sand.

And the cycle of chaos begins. With two kids, they just annoy each other. But when you have multiple, the annoyance possibilities are endless.

They run up the stairs, as if touching the door first wins them some sort of magical prize. But they can’t get in without me punching in the code.

“There are four bedrooms, so you can each have your own if you want. And remember, this isn’t our house. Please don’t touch or break anything.”

They all stand there staring at the door, not a single one of them acknowledging my words. Do I even exist, or am I just the person providing them with snacks and Wi-Fi?

“Ummm, hello? Did anyone hear me?”

A chorus of “Yes, Mom’s” erupts, and I punch in the code, already bracing myself for a long week.

Maybe I should’ve just taken a solo trip. No one to ignore me while I’m speaking, no one to cook for, and no one shouting “skibiddi,” “rizz,” “aura,” or “six-seven.” I can’t even go a day without thinking that stupid phrase in my head.

Guilt punches me in the gut at the thought. I love my kids and I’m excited to spend the week with them, but it doesn’t negate the exhaustion that comes with parenting kids on my own.

Once I get the door open, everyone scatters.

Lana takes the room with the twin bed and the best ocean view while Logan and Lucas decide to share the room with the bunk beds.

It makes my heart happy knowing that even when they have the choice, my boys choose to bunk with each other.

Sure, they fight like all siblings do, but I love how close they are.

Once I unpack Logan’s insulin from my cooler bag and put the rest of the snacks in the fridge and kitchen, I grab my phone and place a grocery order from the market. With Logan’s egg allergy, going out to eat is hard, so I usually have to cook all our meals.

Walking out onto the patio, I take in the gorgeous beach front views.

What I wouldn’t give to have someone to share this with.

After I had my heart broken in high school, I met Todd and naively thought I’d found my happily ever after.

Instead, I lost part of myself to that relationship.

It’s difficult to speak up for myself and go after what I want, but I found a piece of that strength after my divorce.

My best friend Raven supported me through that time, encouraging me to advocate for myself again.

And taking this trip, asking for this unscheduled time with my kids, feels like a step in the right direction.

And when the first boy who broke my heart—Raven’s brother—moved back to town a year ago, I was ready to finally let him know how I felt.

I kept trying to work up the nerve to talk to him after our falling-out in high school, but I never could find the courage to voice my feelings to him.

It’s been too long anyway, and he’s moved on.

The lapping waves create a soothing backdrop as I stare out at the water.

I can’t believe Raven wants to get rid of this place.

It’s heaven on earth. At first glance, the house looks to be in great shape.

Hopefully I won’t have to do much to get it ready to sell.

I’m looking forward to a relaxing week of making memories with my kids.