surface. You’d think they were the teenagers with the amount of giggling they were doing. I talked Niall into letting me drive the boat for a little while, although he hovered next to me, prepared to take over the moment the boat threatened to capsize.
When we return to the lake house, I have a frizz of loose strands floating around my head, like I was electrified, despite trying to keep it contained in a topknot. My mother has a flush of color on her cheeks I’ve never seen before and a smile that won’t quit.
I nod appreciatively at Niall when he helps me off the boat. And I can tell he understands the weight of the gesture when he nods back. Olivia links arms with my mother, and they chatter incessantly all the way to the house.
“They’re close, huh?” I note, not taking my eyes off them while Niall and I trail behind.
“Olivia’s missed her. I’m glad they’re spending this time together.” His usually flat tone has a hint of sentiment to it that I pretend not to notice.
“What happened?” I’m trying to be subtle and practically hold my breath, awaiting his answer.
“It’s complicated,” is his unhelpful and extremely frustrating response. I sigh audibly. Picking up on my agitation, he adds, “She’ll tell you when she’s ready.”
I leave it at that and enter the bottom level of the house by the hot tub where Olivia stored our change of clothes before we took off on the boat. My mother is staying on this level, in a bedroom with its own mini patio. It’s quaint and private within this corner of the house. I choose to shower and dress in one of the three changing rooms that line the hallway.
When I emerge, braiding my wet hair because I can’t be bothered to blow it out, I overhear the whir of a hair dryer in my mother’s room and decide to head upstairs. I find three people in the kitchen, one wearing a white chef’s jacket and the others in black pants and white dress shirts.
“Would you care for something to drink?” one of the servers asks, motioning toward the small bar they set up on the corner of the island.
“Uh, no, I’m okay. Thanks.”
The dinner’s catered? The concept is so outside my brain that I just stare at them for a second, watching as they continue to prep the meal and stack items to set the table. Which is … huge.
On the upper deck is an expansive distressed grey wooden table that looks as long as the bar at Stella’s. Who exactly is coming for dinner?
“Oh shit,” I breathe.
Fear of the coming nightmare dinner creeps in when I spot Parker standing on the dock next to Brendan, looking out at the lake. Brendan glances back toward the house like he can detect me.
I turn around, not ready to face the two of them together. It was only recently I discovered they’re business partners, and I’ve yet to come to terms with it. Definitely not prepared to witness their conspiring in person.
But I have no idea where to go. So I retreat to the guest bedroom I stayed in the night of my birthday and close the door with my back pressed against it, willing my pulse to chill the fuck out.
I step to the window and watch the two guys talk like they’ve known each other their entire lives. Parker leans back and bellows in laughter at something Brendan said.
Then Joey appears on the upper deck—with Lincoln. They join the other two, greeting them with a casual nod.
“What the hell is he doing here?” I question out loud, not expecting to see anyone from Sherling here.
Did they invite Tori and Nina too? The possibility lightens my mood. Having my girls here would turn this night around—or at least provide some much-needed support.
I start toward the door, ready to search for them, when I notice a picture on the dresser. An oddly familiar picture, which is why it catches my eye. It’s a group photo, captured in black and white, of people having a picnic on a lawn in front of a large house. But unlike the chaotic one Brendan still has in his possession, everyone is in place, posing for the camera.
Niall has a toddler-aged Parker on his lap with a very pregnant Olivia beside him. My mother is seated next to Brendan’s mother, and Kaden’s sitting behind them. I squint to make out a small boy wearing glasses propped on