I told myself I was only back for Sophie.
That was the lie I repeated on the plane, in the Uber, and again when I saw the lake house for the first time in seven years. “One month. For Sophie’s wedding. Then I’m gone.”
It wasn’t working.
The house looked the same. White paint, blue shutters, the old dock sagging a little more than I remembered. The smell of pine and lake water hit me the second I stepped out of the car, and suddenly I was sixteen again, hiding in Sophie’s bedroom while her older brother acted like I didn’t exist.
Sophie ran down the porch steps and threw her arms around me. “You’re here! You’re actually here!”
“Obviously,” I said, hugging her back. “I’m not missing your engagement party.”
“Good. Because if you did, I’d hunt you down.”
She pulled back an
