“My sister hurt her hand, but everything is okay.” Joy exchanged a side-eyed glance with me. “We’re fine.”

  “Is that… hey, are you Summer?”

  I blinked and my stomach dropped as his familiar voice registered in the back of my memory. His shoulders were broader and sharper, as was his jawline, but it didn’t take long for me to remember. He was the one and only bright spot in the awkward visit to my grandparents lake house all of those years ago.

  “Bryan? Wow, is that you?”

  “Yeah! You remembered! Gosh, you look… I mean. You haven’t changed a bit.”

  “Thanks.” Blood rushed to my cheeks. I clutched my injured hand to my chest. “You remember my sister, Joy?”

  “Hi, Joy. Nice to see you again.” Bryan shoved his hands deep into his pants pockets. “I heard about what happened here. I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you. We’re trying to clean everything up.” I motioned toward the entryway. “The cops ripped the door frame up when they had to break in. I caught my hand on some of the jagged pieces.”

  “Oh, man.” Bryan bent over and examined the wood. “Well, I can grab a chisel and my sander and take care of that for you if you want.”

  “No! Oh you don’t have to do that.” I laughed, my lips spreading out into a wide smile. I cleared my throat. “I mean, you don’t have to go to the trouble. We won’t be here for that long.”

  “Well, it’s dangerous.” He straightened up and propped his hands on his hips. “If you’re going to be moving more stuff out of here it might catch on something again.”

  “He’s got a point.” Joy gave me a half-smile half frown.

  “Sure.” I sighed. “That would actually be very helpful.”

  “Okay. I’ll be right back then.” Bryan threw me a wide grin and my heart fluttered again. “I’m still just right next door.”

  Bryan bounded down the front porch steps. Joy and I exchanged a glance and moved toward the kitchen window. We watched as he crossed over the property and fell into a light jog toward the nearest lake house.

  Joy let out a low whistle. “Well, he’s still nice to look at.”

  “Can’t argue with that.”

  “Gonna sneak out in the middle of the night to go see him again?” Joy smirked and turned toward the living room. “I won’t have to be your watch dog this time.”

  I frowned, my face and neck positively flushed as I gazed across the lawn again. I never forgot about Bryan Attaway. The boy next door. He was just a teenage fling, and we only spent a few nights and days together, but those stolen moments were intense and still vivid in my memory. It hadn’t occurred to me that he still might still live at Palmetto Lake after all this time. I locked those long-ago, magic memories of him up in my heart and visited them from time to time when things got hard at home, or when I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize the person staring back at me. One dangerous look at Bryan and the sixteen-year-old inside of me threatened to bubble to the surface again.

  I splashed my face with water, took a long drink from the tap and set to work again, trying to keep myself busy before he returned. My hand still hurt, but the pain wasn’t intolerable. As I began to clean out the last kitchen cabinet, Bryan returned with a tool box and a smile.

  “This shouldn’t take too long.” He reached into the tool box and brought out a small chisel with a sharp, flat end.

  “I didn’t think you would still be in the neighborhood.” I said, pulling down a set of drinking glasses from the shelf. “I would have come by and said hello if I did.”

  “Oh yeah. I moved away for a while, but my mother got sick. Dad needed some help, so I’m here for a while.”

  “That’s nice of you.” I wrapped one of the glasses in newspaper as Bryan began to chip away at the door frame. After a few more whacks, the jagged pieces of the door frame were gone.

  “Anyway, I know it probably looks pathetic, me still living with my folks.” Bryan crouched down, pulled out a strip of sandpaper and met my gaze. “Palmetto Lake is home though. I really love it here.”

  “Oh, it’s not pathetic at all.” I bit my lower lip, hoping my face wasn’t still flushed. “It’s nice, actually. I wish I could say the same about this place though. There’s only bad memories for me here.”

  “Only bad memories?” Bryan stopped sanding and gazed up at me from under his mop of hair.

  “Well, no. There are a few good memories,” I admitted.

  “So, how long are you and Joy going to be here?” Bryan stood up and tucked his sandpaper back into his tool box.

  “The plan is to do what we can today and tomorrow.” I shoved my hands into my back pockets. “We’re trying to clear everything out of the house so we can sell it.”

  “That’s a big job.” Bryan said. “If you could use another set of hands I’d be happy to help.”

  I glanced toward the back of the house where Joy was working. She was likely listening to every last word we said. I nodded and smiled.

  “Sure. We’d love that.”

  Chapter Four

  The sun was high in the sky by the time Joy, Bryan and I had finished clearing the large, heavy items out of the house. The dresser in my mother’s childhood bedroom was massive, and with my injured hand, Joy and I were happy to have the extra help. Bryan was also helpful moving the enormous console television from the living room into the trailer as well as a few heavy boxes. By the afternoon, we were covered in dust, sweaty and exhausted, but most of the furniture and large items had been removed from both bedrooms, the living room and the kitchen. All that remained were the twin couches, which were too large to fit into the trailer. They still smelled like death and would have to go to the trash anyway.

  “I can’t believe your grandparents still had one of those old TV’s.” Bryan crossed his arms at his chest and leaned against a porch rail.

  “Yeah. I think it still works too.” I laughed and wiped my brow with the back of my good hand. “It’s past lunchtime. Are you hungry? I can make us some sandwiches.”

  “Nah, you don’t have to do that.”

  “I would offer you a beer if we had any.” I said, perhaps a little too hopefully.

  “You know what?” Bryan ran his thumb and forefinger along the line of his jaw and threw me a smoldering gaze. “You could make it up to me by being my date for the Palmetto Lake Association cookout tonight. We can have a few drinks there.”

  “Oh.” I stammered, smiling despite myself. “I… Bryan, I’m married.”

  “That’s okay.” He smiled. “Come as my friend then.”

  I lowered my voice, knowing full well that Joy could hear too. “Can I invite my sister too?”

  “Sure.” Bryan shrugged. “There’s going to be plenty of food.”

  “Great.” I nodded.

  “It’s going to be at the community pavilion on the water.” Bryan hitched his thumb over his shoulder.

  I cocked my head and glanced around the side of the house toward the lake. Its’ sparkling blue waters were calm for the moment, a hot, hairdryer breeze only slightly rippling the surface. Just in the distance, I could see the square frame of a covered pavilion set at the water’s edge and shaded by oak branches dripping with moss.

  I glanced back at Bryan and nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be there. Should I bring anything?”

  “Just bring yourself. The association members will be happy to see you.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Your grandparents were well liked around here.” Bryan said. “I know some of them will want to give their condolences.”

  I sucked a quick breath in through my nose. “That’s nice to hear.”

  “I always looked for you every summer, you know.” Bryan glanced up at me from under heavy brows. “Why didn’t you ever come back to visit again?”

  My heart dropped in my stomach. I couldn’t meet his gaze. “Our relationship with our grandparents was complicated.”

  “In what way?”

  I was surprised as hot, fat tears accumulated at the corner of my eyes. I wiped them away. “Well, you heard what happened here. My mother hated them. I never knew why.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s really none of my business…”

  “No. It’s okay.” I nodded and forced a smile. “I don’t have a whole lot of people to talk to about this.”

  “I won’t pry too much, but if you need an ear, I’m glad to listen.”

  “Thanks.” I sniffed and nodded.

  “To be honest, I don’t even know why she left us with them that summer.” I shook my head. “Spending time with you was the only thing that made it tolerable to be here.”

  Bryan looked up at me and smiled and I was sixteen again, walking through the woods, sneaking out. Making out. Sweaty palms and sticky thighs. Stolen moments that were suspended in a time that was beyond strange and bittersweet.

  I pursed my lip and swallowed. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “It’s good to see you too.” Bryan uncrossed his arms and paused as he turned to leave. “I should get going. I need to go shower and help my dad with a few things before tonight.”

  “Oh, Bryan, wait.” My head and heart were drugged by the flood of sweet nostalgia. I didn’t want him to leave just yet. “What time should I be there?”

  He grinned, his gaze set firmly on my mouth. “Six o’clock.”

  “Okay. Thanks again for your help.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  I waved and watched as he crossed the property toward his house. My sister’s soft footsteps fell in the kitchen vibrating the front porch at my feet. I prepared myself for a lecture.

  “Not this again,” she groaned.

  “Hey, you’re invited too.” I said.

  Joy leaned in the doorway and picked at her nails. “Nah. I don’t need to be around anything that might tempt me.”

  I frowned and glanced back at Bryan’s house. He had already disappeared inside. “Well, I won’t be there for too long.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t snitch if you don’t come back tonight.” Joy scoffed. “I wouldn’t dream of getting my perfect sister in trouble.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I spat.

  Joy glanced up at me with wide, hurt eyes. I knew exactly what she meant. I sighed and walked toward her. “I’m hungry. Want me to make you a sandwich?”

  “Sure.”

  Joy turned and walked back into the kitchen. I opened my mouth, ready to defend myself against her accusations again. Instead, I clamped my teeth together, threw my shoulders back and walked toward the RV. There was no point in bringing up every single thing from the past that hurt. Some things were better left dead and buried.

  * * *

  Joy and I ate our sandwiches in silence on the front porch. Even though the upsetting aroma of death was mostly covered up or gone, neither of us wanted to be inside the house any longer than we had to. Now that all of the rooms were nearly empty of furniture, the home of our recently deceased grandparents seemed spookier than ever. Hollow. Lifeless.

  “I spoke to a realtor friend of mine before I left Atlanta.” I took a sip of iced tea and stared out at the lake. “She thinks even as-is we could get a half a million for it or more.”

  “Sounds like a lot for a dumpy little lake house.” Joy’s half-eaten sandwich sat on the porch steps. She puffed on her vape pen and paused.

  My shoulders stiffened. Something moved beyond the treeline again. Or at least, I think it did. “Have you gotten the feeling that we’re being watched here?”

  “Like by the neighbors?”

  “No. I keep thinking I’m seeing something out in the woods.” I shook my head. “I can’t wait to get home. This place is screwing with my head.”

  “Well, there’s a lot more to this house than I think you or I ever realized.” Joy glanced up at me from under her greasy bangs. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Bryan, but I found some weird stuff in Mom’s old room.”

  “Like what kind of stuff?”

  “Like messed up stuff.” Joy frowned. “Stuff I don’t think we were ever meant to find.”

  “Show me.”

  Joy rose from her spot on the porch and headed into the kitchen. After a moment, she returned carrying a large rectangular shaped box with a black lacquered finish. Sunlight glinted off the top of the unusual, highly polished container as she handed it to me. I raise an eyebrow and glance up at Joy.

  “There’s nothing gross in here, is there?”

  She huffed. “Just open it.”

  I placed the black box on the porch and gently lifted the lid, not knowing what to expect. At first, the contents of the box didn’t seem so nefarious. The interior was lined in white satin and held a variety of small keepsake looking items. There was a stack of yellowed papers, a handful of old photos and a lock of auburn hair secured with a red satin ribbon.

  I picked up the photos and studied them, most of them taken in the 1960s and 70s. The series of photos were obviously of my mother, starting with her as an infant. There were seventeen photos in all, each of them appearing to be dated just after her birthday. In each photo, she was dressed in a white baptism-style gown with a veil and Palmetto Lake in the background. With each photo I watched my mother age a little bit more until she was well into her teen years.

  I placed the photos back onto the paperwork and moved to the other items in the box, my fingers tracing along the sleek white satin. Nestled next to the lock of hair was a small, black velvet cinch purse that contained what appeared to be a full set of pearly baby teeth.

  “Joy, what the hell is all this?” I threw my sister a confused frown.

  She crossed her arms and nodded toward the contents of the box. “Look in the other little bag.”

  Hesitantly, I grabbed the second black velvet cinch bag, undid the strings and pulled open the top. Little crescent-shaped ivory fingernail clippings peered up at me from inside.

  “Seriously. What the fuck!”

  “That’s not the worst of it.” Joy leaned down and pushed a strand of hair behind one ear. She pushed the yellowed papers aside and plucked a glass vial from the box. The end of the vial was plugged with a cork. Inside the glass appeared to be old,coagulated blood.

  “What is this, some kind of demented baby memory box?”

  “There’s more.” Joy walked into the house and came back out with two more identical boxes. “I found these in the back of our grandparents closet.”

  “I don’t get it.” I stared back at the contents of my mother’s box. Bile rose in my throat, hot and acidic.

  Joy opened up the first box, took out a photo and handed it to me. “They started a box for each of us, too.”

  I held my breath as she handed me a photo. It was a picture of our mother when she was still young; no older than twenty-two. She had a dead-eyed, vacant expression as she stood at the edge of the lake, an infant Joy in her arms and me grasping to her skirt with a chubby hand. We were all dressed in white.

  My body numbed as I glanced at the contents of each of the boxes, my pulse thudding in my ears. The boxes with pictures of Joy and I weren’t nearly as complete as our mothers, though they contained locks of hair and a few of our baby teeth. The photos stopped after my fifth birthday.

  “Why did you wait until now to show me this?”

  “You said you didn’t want to know anything.” Joy said. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

  “Obviously I would want to see this though.” I picked up one of the papers with Joy’s name, birthdate and star sign on it. “This can’t be some kind of… I don’t know. Joy, what the hell is this?”

  “I don’t know, but I told you, I came here for answers.” Joy sucked on the end of her vape pen and stared out at the lake. “There are things I knew about mom that I never told you. Things that made me realize there might be more to what happened here than we think.”

  “Dammit, Joy.” I pushed the box nearest to me away and stood up. “Why do you have to make things so complicated? We’re almost done here. You’re right, I’m really not interested in digging up the past right now.”

  “Not interested?” She shrieked. “You can’t tell me what’s in those boxes looks normal. Our grandparents were into some weird shit and mom was trying to keep us out of it.”

  I kneaded my temples, the blood throbbing in my skull. “This is all too much. It’s not normal, for sure, but a box full of weird stuff isn’t proof of anything.”

  “Open your eyes, Summer! I’m not leaving this place until I get some more answers.”

  I glanced up at Joy as she stood at the edge of the porch, thin arms crossed defiantly at her bony chest. Deep down, my heart still hurt for the sister I used to have. The one I could never have again. “Fine. You do what you want to do. Stay here and investigate all you want. But I’m leaving tomorrow and then first thing Monday, we’re going to get this place listed with a realtor.”

  “So you’re just going to put your head in the sand again?” Joy scoffed. “I should have guessed you would. You didn’t show up for me. Why did I think you would show up for mom?”

  “Mom made her choices. And so did you.” I clenched my fists, every inch of my body vibrating with rage. “I’m gonna take a shower.”

  I stomped down the steps of the porch and into the cool, quiet interior of the RV, seething. If it weren’t for Bryan’s invitation, I would leave the house at Palmetto Lake that minute. The property was cleaned out enough; I had fulfilled my part of the bargain. Still, the promise of stolen time spent with an old flame was too good to pass up. A distraction on my last night of freedom away from my real life back home was exactly what I was looking for. What I wanted. What I needed.

  Chapter Five

  My hair was still dripping wet as the unmistakable sound of my phone buzzing on the bathroom counter cut through the silence of the muggy RV bathroom. I towel dried in the tiny shower and glanced over to see Jeremy’s name on the caller ID. I let the call go to voicemail. Immediately after, my phone screen illuminated again with text message after text message. Jeremy needed help finding something in our own home again.