The marina lay straight ahead of her, with the boat dock, gas pump, lighted fishing pier and fish-cleaning station directly behind it. To the right of the marina was a large, sparkling swimming pool next to a two-story, sixteen-unit waterfront motel. Across the parking lot from the motel were three of the eight rustic cabins in the resort.
The road made a left turn in front of the marina, leading to the boat launch, a swimming area with a sandy beach, day-use grounds with picnic tables and a volleyball court, five waterfront cabins and the campgrounds. Public restrooms and shower facilities were strategically located in the resort for use by swimmers and campers who didn’t have their own camper lavatories.
Following the circular road back around toward the gate, guests would pass a turn-off marked with a sign that read Private Drive. That narrow road led to three brick houses occupied by Shelby’s parents, grandparents, and aunt and uncle. Her grandparents’ house sat in the center, flanked on either side by the houses built by their sons. Shelby had lived in her parents’ house from birth until she graduated from college four years ago, spending her entire life within the resort compound.
Near the three houses, a small, nicely landscaped compound held four tidy single-wide mobile homes. One of those mobile homes was Shelby’s. The other three belonged to her brother, her cousin M
aggie and her cousin Hannah.
Hannah’s home was the newest. She’d had it moved in after her divorce sixteen months ago. She and her husband—“the evil ex,” as he was known in the family—had both worked for the resort...well, Hannah had worked, and Wade pretended to be useful while secretly embezzling and scheming to get his hands on even more of the family’s hard-earned profits. During their two-and-a-half-year marriage, Hannah and Wade lived in town and drove to the resort every day, but after the split, Hannah had needed the comfort of family around her. Not to mention that the divorce had cost her nearly everything she’d earned and saved, so moving back had been a financial benefit, too. Like the others, hers was a two-bedroom mobile home, which would come in handy soon.
Shelby didn’t bother driving around to her place, but parked in front of the office, motioning for Aaron to pull in beside her.
“Let’s get you set up for your stay,” she said when they’d both emerged from their vehicles. “Would you rather have a motel room or a cabin? Because it’s a weekday, we have several motel rooms available—probably one with a balcony looking out over the lake. Each room has a minifridge, flat-screen TV, cable and Wi-Fi, but no cooking facilities. I know one of the cabins across from the motel is unoccupied at the moment, but if you want a cabin, you’d probably rather have one on the water. I think there’s a one-bed cabin there you could use. All the cabins have TV, cable, Wi-Fi and a full kitchenette. We provide linens and kitchenware, but guests supply their own food.”
As she spoke Aaron studied the nearby pool in which several younger kids splashed noisily under the supervision of sunbathing parents, then turned in a circle to take in as much of the rest of the resort and lake as he could see from their vantage point. “That cabin on the water sounds good, if it’s available,” he said, proving he’d been listening while he looked. “I can go back into town for supplies after I unpack.”
She motioned toward the large, multiwindowed main building with its double-glass-door entrance. “We sell a few groceries, just the basics for easy meals. We also have a small grill inside, open until 7:00 p.m. We serve burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, salads and a soup of the day. Nothing fancy, but not bad. No need to drive back into town for food tonight unless you just want to.”
He nodded. “That sounds great, thanks for the tip.”
“Well, look who’s here!” Bryan Bell ambled up to join them, a gas-powered weed trimmer dangling from a harness strapped around him. A lean fifty-three, with kind blue eyes and thinning sandy hair under a green cap emblazoned with the name and logo of the resort, Bryan was red-faced and sweaty from working in the heat. His sweat-dampened green T-shirt also bore the resort logo—the words Bell Resort and Marina printed inside a stylized, bell-shaped outline. The legs of his faded jeans were covered with grass clippings and dirt. Though everyone fussed at him for attempting too much during the worst heat of the day, her uncle was somewhat obsessive when it came to keeping the grounds trimmed and tidy.
Bryan beamed at Aaron. “Good to see you, Andrew. We’ve all been hoping you’d take us up on our offer to come stay with us. Did you bring fishing gear? If not, I’ll fix you up. Take you out to my secret fishing hole in the morning.”
For the first of what she was sure would be many times, Shelby said, “This isn’t Andrew, Uncle Bryan. It’s his twin brother, Aaron Walker. Aaron, meet my uncle, Bryan Bell.”
Bryan blinked a couple of times, looking as startled as Shelby herself had been. “Twin brother? Huh. Folks say Shelby’s dad and I look alike, but we don’t hold a candle to you and Andrew. Spitting image.”
Aaron nodded patiently. “Identical twins.”
“Well, ain’t that something. So how is Andrew?”
“He’s doing well, thank you for asking.”
“Good to hear it. He going to be joining you?” Bryan asked hopefully.
Aaron shook his head. “I doubt it. He’s pretty busy at work. I’m taking a couple weeks’ vacation.”
“Oh. Sorry to hear that.” Apparently realizing what he’d just said, Bryan added hastily, “Not that we’re sorry you’re here. It’s real good to meet you, Aaron. Andrew’s family is as welcome here as he is. Nice of him to recommend us to you.”
Aaron cleared his throat. “I was just going to check in.”
“Don’t let me keep you. And that fishing invitation is still good, by the way. I’ll be down at the boat dock at around seven in the morning if you want to join me.” Bryan grinned crookedly. “You’ve just got to sign in blood that you won’t tell anyone about my hidey-hole—well, except maybe your brother. We owe him that much and more.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” Aaron agreed congenially. “It’s been too long since I’ve gone fishing.”
“Who’s that you’re talking to, Bryan?” Dixie Bell, the seventy-nine-year-old matron of the family, had just come out of the office door. Silver-haired and brightly dressed, as always, she peered at Aaron through her rhinestone-enhanced glasses, then clapped her hands together, her lined face lighting up. “Well, as I live and breathe, it’s Andrew. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes, young man. Come give Mimi a hug.”
Claiming that her given name had always been a trial for her, especially combined with her married surname, Dixie had adopted the name Mimi with the birth of her first grandchild, Hannah, twenty-eight years ago. She insisted everyone she particularly liked should call her that. Andrew had been one of the chosen.
“It isn’t Andrew, Mom.”
Speaking at the same time as her uncle, Shelby said, “This is Aaron, Mimi. Andrew’s twin brother.”
Her grandmother frowned and looked over the tops of her glasses, studying Aaron’s face intently. “Are you sure?”
Aaron made a sound that might have been a swallowed chuckle. “Yes, ma’am. I’m sure.”