It had been one month since Jake and Olivia had married and moved in. The wedding had been a simple affair at Ben and Marge’s house, with drinks and appetizers in the garden. It was the same day that Jake and Olivia announced the purchase of the new house. Perry had been flummoxed.
“It’s wonderful news,” he’d told his little brother. And he’d meant it. “But how?” Jake’s job at the nature center paid the bills, but would not have afforded them much beyond.
“Did you hear? Olivia’s piece that was featured in Ben’s show last month? It sold. And she’s been commissioned for another.”
Perry had not heard. Once again, this family who never seemed to stop talking about mundane details still managed to skip all the important ones. “Congratulations,” Perry said.
“It’s not a lot. But combined with my salary, it was enough for a deposit. The place is pretty small. But it’ll be ours.”
Now, standing in the backyard at the official housewarming party, Perry was pleasantly surprised. The place was very small. And much in need of updates. But it was bright like Olivia and felt friendly like Jake. Jake got Perry a beer, and excused himself to greet other guests. To Perry’s joy, one of those others was Amelia. “Hi, honey. Don’t you look handsome in your seersucker jacket.” She pecked him on the cheek. It was then he noticed she, too, had brought a bottle of wine.
“Thank you. Wait, which bottle is that?” he asked. “I already brought one.”
“Oh.” Like him, Amelia coveted the wines they imported from their travels, and as such they reserved gifting bottles only for the closest of family and friends. One bottle was generous. Two was just plain crazy. She lowered her voice. “I can put this one back in the car.”
“No, no,” Perry said, slipping his arm around her waist. “It’s all right.”
“You sure?”
For a long time, Perry had not been sure of much. After the accident and the leaked photo of his daughter’s first, but probably not last, bad choice, he had come to question everything he’d so firmly believed. That careful forecasting and prudence could secure them a safe station in the world. That crises could be managed. After that summer, those ideologies had been reduced to ash. But in the months since, as the smoke cleared, Perry had been unable to escape the notion of risk. And people’s differing tolerance for it. Some avoided it like grim death. Others possessed an appetite for it; some, insatiable. Perry wondered at all his family had grappled with that summer. Sometimes the people you loved risked too much. To his surprise, he had been one of them.
For all he thought he knew about being a family man, his daughter had shown him there was much still to figure out. In the end, the very things he had strove for were not what he needed. Boats could be replaced. Docks could be repaired. Loyalties lost, however, could not. Perry had withdrawn as president of Candlewood Cove. He waited until they reinstituted Emma’s camp counselor position, if only under pressure, and then he canceled the family’s membership in full. He did not need to belong, at least not to the Club. What he needed he already had with his wife and daughter. And yes, his family, however unreasonable they could be. They still needed him, after all. And, as it turned out, it went both ways.
Still, it surprised him, the things that people willingly risked: Money. Marriage. Security. As such, Perry still subscribed to a healthy diet of skepticism, and caution still whispered in his ear. But how lovely, for a change, to scan a horizon for stars instead of danger. To race full-tilt down a dock on a summer day and jump into the lake. To put yourself out there, if only a little further, each day.
Perry still did not like parties and big crowds. And his family was still so much themselves. As he stood at the edge of Jake and Olivia’s yard watching his wife and daughter mingle, he was nudged roughly in the thigh. When he looked down, he found himself staring into inquiring brown eyes. “Well, hello, Buster.”
“He likes you.”
Perry spun around to find Luci staring up at him with that strange and knowing look. She smiled—the same way she had on the Metro-North train that day, and again, in the hospital, when he’d read her the story about the mouse. But never before had she spoken to him. Was Luci’s talking a new thing? Warily, he glanced around. “Buster likes me, does he?”
“He wants to show you something.” To his further surprise, Luci held out her hand.
Perry wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t know if he should alert Olivia, first, or follow the child. But he was also fearful of fumbling this, and embarrassing Luci. He paused, struggling to assess the situation.
“What does Buster want to show me?” he asked her.
“His new bike.”
“How wonderful. I did not know Buster rode a bike.”
Luci giggled, a bright trill that echoed her mother’s, and Perry looked up just in time to see her staring at them. Olivia stood but a few yards away, and she drew her hand to her mouth. He watched as she grabbed Jake’s arm and pointed in their direction. So, this was new.
But Luci was not aware of the many faces turning in their direction. “Come on.” She tugged his hand.
Perry’s gut stirred. Something told him this was not time to be squandered with assessment. Of this, he was suddenly sure.
“Ladies first.”
Without further delay Perry followed the little girl, who trailed the big hairy dog, who smelled terribly, across the overgrown yard and into the garage to see about a bike. He sneezed once, then again. Some risks were worth it.
Acknowledgments
This book is especially meaningful to me, as it takes place in a setting dear to my childhood heart. While Lenox, Connecticut, is a fictional town created for the purpose of this story, Candlewood Lake and the Litchfield Hills countryside surrounding it are as real as a Connecticut summer day is long. This area is home to many artists and families, and an attraction to visitors in search of a postcard-perfect New England summer day.
Candlewood Lake’s storied past can be traced on the walls of the Sherman Historical Society and Old Store museum, in Sherman, Connecticut, where I grew up. I am thankful to this neck of the woods for allowing me to traverse its winding trails, dip my feet in its lakes, and hike its hillsides where my imagination could wander. It has inspired the settings for all of my novels and the characters who hail from them.
As always, I am ever grateful for the incredible team at Emily Bestler Books, and most notably, my talented editor, Emily herself. Your enthusiasm for this book buoyed me during the writing process. Thank you, also, to Lara Jones, associate editor extraordinaire who handles more details than this author can keep track of. To art director James Iacobelli, and cover designer Laywan Kwan: I couldn’t be happier. Special thanks must be given to associate publisher, Suzanne Donahue, for her tireless support and zeal. To publicists Ariele Fredman and Yona Deshommes, who’ve ensured my books are seen, heard, and put on store shelves and who get me out on the road each summer to share them. To Michael Gorman, marketing manager; Sonja Singleton, production editor; and Rick Willett, copy editor, who each touched the pages and production of this book.
To the unsung industry book fairy godmothers: the reviewers, bloggers, book clubs, and readers. To Robin Kall Homonoff and Emily Homonoff, Suzanne Leopold, Lauren Margolin, Kristy Barrett, Andrea Peskind Katz, and all the readers who pick up my books and put out the good word. You do such important work for us authors and we are terribly grateful!
Family stories inspire my writing, and this book is no different. To Barry, Moe, Josh, and Jesse for your continued love and encouragement. To John Brown, for holding my hand and walking beside me. And always, my heart, to Grace and Finley: avid reader and writer, chaser of chickens and wrangler of rescue dogs, and two of the brightest, kindest, silliest, most interesting people I know. You are my stars, my sun, my harvest moon. You fill me up.
More from the Author
Sailing Lessons
The Summer House
Mystic Summer
The Lake Season<
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About the Author
Hannah McKinnon is the author of The Lake Season, Mystic Summer, The Summer House, and Sailing Lessons. She lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with her family, a flock of chickens, and two rescue dogs.
SimonandSchuster.com
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@EmilyBestler @EmilyBestler
Other Books by Hannah McKinnon
Sailing Lessons
The Summer House
Mystic Summer
The Lake Season
For Young Adults (as Hannah Roberts McKinnon)
Franny Parker
The Properties of Water
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Interior design by Wendy Blum
Cover design by Laywan Kwan
Cover photography by Getty Images and Shuttersock
Author photograph © Amy Chaillou Caraluzzi
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
ISBN 978-1-9821-1450-3
ISBN 978-1-9821-1452-7 (ebook)
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