17. Natalie
Natalie
We all walk out to the back deck where Cam’s flipping burgers and the kids are climbing the steps to take their seats at the table.
Cam is naturally taller than he was as a teenager, silhouetted against the oranges of the setting sun, and his brown hair swoops back under a backward baseball cap.
His green eyes light up when he sees me.
“Hi, Natalie. I’m Cam.” He extends a hand and I shake it. “I’m not sure if you really remember me. I was friends with Ty in high school.”
I nod, smiling up at him. “I remember. I didn’t think you’d end up with my sister, though.” I laugh.
“Believe me, I didn’t either. But when I moved back to Maple Lake, it just happened naturally, you know?”
“I get that. I really do. Anyway, it’s nice to see you again. It’s been a long time.”
Cam scratches at his neatly trimmed beard, watching me, before his eyes lift to look over my shoulder. Jules steps around me to kiss him on the cheek, and he smiles down at her.
“Are the burgers done?” she asks, her tone smooth and kind and … in love. From that voice alone I know they have a happy marriage. It’s the way I talked with Luke for so many years. It’s the voice that tells the other person you feel safe and happy.
“Yup, everything’s ready,” he replies, moving the burgers from the grill to a plate with metal tongs. Juliet takes the plate and sets it on the table. “Boys, get to the table!”
The two little brown-haired boys scamper away from my parents’ embrace to sit at the long metal-top table. One child is only slightly taller than the other, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think they were twins sitting side-by-side. After a second, I notice the older boy is watching me.
He has eyes like Cam’s—deep green and intelligent, like he knows something’s wrong with me.
Maybe kids have a sixth sense like that.
He tugs on Juliet’s arm and points to me. “Who’s that?” he asks in a loud whisper.
Juliet looks up, then back to the boys, whose eyes are wide, trained on me like I’m a new toy. “This is Natalie. She’s Mommy’s sister.”
“You have a sister?!” both boys shout in unison.
It would be cute if I didn’t feel the sting of the knife carving away at the remains of my heart. She didn’t even tell them about me.
“Yes, I have a sister,” she replies calmly. “She hasn’t lived here for a long time.”
The older boy smiles and waves at me, saying “hi,” while the younger one slumps down in his chair so far that I can only see the tips of his wavy brown hair above the tabletop.
I wave at them, noticing the tension around me as it emanates from my parents, Jules, and Cam. All I can do is smile and try to ignore the pressure. “Hi,” I say. “It’s so nice to meet you. What are your names?”
I sit across from the kids, my back to the sliding screen door that leads inside.
Cam sits to my left, at the head of the table, Dad sits on my right, and Juliet sits on the other side with the boys, leaving Mom to sit at the other end.
Everyone settles down seamlessly like they have assigned seats.
I blush, worried I may have stolen Juliet’s place next to her husband.
The oldest sits up tall and gestures toward himself, then at his little brother. “I’m Herman, and this is Melville.”
Snickers erupt around the table.
“Levi,” Cam says sternly. He has a smile as wide as everyone else’s, though, as he dishes out burgers and buns for the kids. “We’ve been reading Moby Dick,” he says to me, “and Levi thinks it’s funny to give himself and his brother different names.”
I chuckle. “At least he didn’t go with the name of the whale.”
“Oh, goodness,” Juliet says from the other side of the table.
“He’s done that one. Got in trouble at school for it too, right?
” She eyes Levi, who just shrugs and fills his mouth with chips straight from a large bag on the table.
My mom slides the bag away, and I don’t miss Juliet giving her a grateful smile.
“And what’s your name?” I say to the little boy who’s still struggling to sit upright.
Juliet taps his shoulder and he pokes his head up. “Archie,” he barks before hiding again. It’s obvious which kid is shy and which is outspoken.
“Thank you for having me over for dinner, Archie. And Herman, of course.” I smile at Levi conspiratorially, and he scrunches his nose in a laugh, happy that I’m playing along.
Levi goes on to tell me that he’s six and his brother is four, but Archie doesn’t like to talk to strangers much.
I tell him that’s very smart, but that I hope I won’t stay a stranger for very long.
Archie perks up when he hears us talking about him, and Juliet and Cam work together to convince him to eat his burger rather than just the bun.
I ask about my parents’ travels, and Dad waxes eloquent about his precious RV. He tells me about selling the house to purchase it and all the states they’ve visited, camping in one place for weeks at a time, then moving on to their next exciting destination.
He mentions their trip to Florida, where they stayed only three hours from Miami. I know it will hurt them when they learn I’ve been living in Fort Lauderdale, where they were close enough to visit if they’d known where I was.
I tell them about my photography business and how I realized I loved photography from the moment I held my first camera.
Juliet suggests I get some photos of the scenery while I’m in Maple Lake, and I agree that it would be amazing to see the views from the mountaintops while I’m here.
I want to ask her to go with me, but I chicken out, afraid she’ll say no.
“So where have you been living, Natalie?” my mom asks. She slides a baby carrot around in ranch dressing, and I can see she wants to know everything but is trying not to overburden me with too many questions on my first visit.
“I’ve been in Florida, actually. Ever since I … met Luke.” Nerves fill me, taking up space in my belly. No longer able to eat the second half of my burger, I lean away from my plate to rest my back against the cushioned chair.
“And where is Luke?” Dad’s never met Luke. Of course he’s curious about the guy who would take his daughter away without a word to her parents.
“He’s back in Florida right now. He’s been really busy with work,” I lie.
“What does he do for work?” Juliet asks.
I watch the eyes around me as they gobble up every answer I give them. They’re hungry for information, and I’ve starved them for a very long time.
I clear my throat. “He’s a property investor. He buys houses and then rents them out after upgrading or remodeling them.”
Everyone responds positively with oohs and raised eyebrows.
“He could help you out, Cam,” says Dad. “Maybe get that cabin off your hands.”
I look to Cam, who tilts his head back and forth.
“That’s not a bad idea.” He turns to me.
“I have a cabin on the mountain that I’ve been renting out to tourists in the peak seasons.
Just for short stays. A few weeks at most. But I’ve been debating whether I want to keep or sell it.
It’s making decent money I suppose, but it’s a lot to take care of. ”
“And,” Juliet adds, “it doesn’t get any renters in the offseasons.
It does best in the summer and into fall, but nobody wants to be stuck on a mountain in the winter.
We got a few bad reviews because of the snow, and ever since then nobody wants to risk missing out on their winter vacation because they’re snowed in at the cabin. ”
Cam shakes his head, resting his elbows on the armrests of his metal chair.
“Nobody’s been snowed in for more than a day, but it was a day the renter had tickets for the ski lodge, so of course they were upset about it.
The town is great about plowing, and I even get up to the cabin and shovel the driveway.
There just doesn’t seem to be much I can do about the winter bookings.
People would rather rent a house farther away and drive an hour back here to ski, just so they don’t have to sleep on the mountain. ”
I almost forgot about the winters here—the snow and the cold. I’ve gotten used to sunny Florida. Thinking about it now makes me miss the beach—the calming waves, hot sand between my toes.
I look around at everyone’s expectant faces and nod. “I’m sure I can ask him about giving you some pointers. He’s great at advertising.” I sip my water, allowing the cold liquid to cool me from the inside.
“So …” Mom places her hand over Dad’s on the table. “When do we get to meet this man who stole our daughter away?” The table grows deathly silent, my mother’s comment falling too heavily over our heads. “Oh”—she looks around at all of us—“I mean …”
I shake my head, my brows heavy over my eyes. “No. It’s okay, Mom. It’s true; he did kind of steal me away.” I tilt my head, struggling to meet anyone’s eyes.
But then Archie sits up abruptly and yells, “Stealing is bad!”
Everyone chuckles, and Jules rolls her eyes, a smile pulling at her lips.
I lean forward, emboldened by the little boy who’s too shy for attention until he has something important to say. Something to stand up for. Something to shout about.
“You’re right, Archie,” I say in a stage whisper. “Stealing is bad. But when someone steals your heart away, it means they love you and you love them.”
His eyes grow, and he turns his whole body toward his dad. “Daddy, did you steal Mommy’s heart?” Everyone snickers.
Cam fidgets with the hat on his head, eyeing each person at the table bashfully before answering his son. “Yup, I sure did.”
“You should give it back,” says Archie with his arms crossed, just as Levi mumbles, “Ewww, taking a heart is gross!”
“Okay, you two. Time for bed.” Cam takes the plates from the kids and stands. “It’s getting late.” He kisses Jules on the head. “I’ll get them ready for bed. I’ll tell you when they’re ready to say goodnight.”
She smiles up at him. “Thanks.” She grabs his fingers lightly as he starts to turn away, pulling him back. “Let me know if you need help with them.”
He rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “We’ll be fine.”
The boys run inside and Cam follows. A second later, the sound of the doorbell chimes through the house.
Jules frowns. “That’s weird. We’re not expecting anyone this late.”
I notice the large round wooden clock on the wall inside the doorway; it’s almost nine. I hadn’t realized how dark it was until now—both the conversation and my anxiety kept me company as the light disappeared and the sun sank behind the lake.
Levi is yelling, “Someone’s at the door!”
I look around the table to see that Mom and Dad look as confused as Jules.
From the kitchen, Cam announces, “I’ll get it.”
Mom murmurs, “It’s pretty late for a solicitor, isn’t it?”
Dad shakes his head, sipping a beer. “People don’t care about personal time or family engagement anymore. Psh. Interrupting quality family time.” He huffs, his silver-streaked hair swaying as he shakes his head and removes his glasses to rub his eyes.
Men’s voices carry through the house, dampened by the distance between us and the front door. To me, it sounds like Cam has let the man in, whoever it is.
I look at Juliet. “Do you have friends who just drop by?”
She shakes her head, standing to investigate. “No,” she draws out. “Not really.”
Behind me, Cam’s voice grows louder. The sound of footsteps on the kitchen tile reaches my ears. “Yeah, man, it’s really no problem. Everyone’s outside. Come on out,” Cam says.
The screen door at my back grates as it slides open. Juliet watches Cam over my shoulder, and I sip from my water glass as my parents each watch what’s going on behind me. I feel like I’m interrupting something by being here. I should go—let them enjoy their new guest for the evening.
Cam’s deep voice is close behind my chair, making me jump. “There’s someone here for Natalie.”
My eyes widen, brows lifting in confusion, and I turn in my seat to see who he could be talking about.
I lock eyes with my unexpected visitor. Ice-blue eyes stare back at mine, the very ones that have always seen the deepest parts of me. His smile makes my heart soar, and I’m vaguely aware of my parents and Juliet staring at the newly arrived guest on their back porch.
“Hi, everyone,” he says, casting his gorgeous smile over my family like he’s the sun peeking out from the clouds. “I’m Luke. Sorry I’m late.”