“That was next on my to-do list.” He gets quiet for a second. “Your daughter looks just like you. I thought she was you standing there when I first walked up.”
“She’s natured like her dad, though.” Talking about him makes me smile. “Same drill sergeant personality.”
“Did you meet him in the military?”
I nod. “Yes. Love at first sight.” I take in a deep breath. “There’s no better feeling, is there?”
He says nothing, then he tosses a rock toward the still water of the lake.
I realize that I’ve been talking about myself. “What did you do with yourself, Jake? You said you don’t live in North Carolina anymore?”
“I’m a cop.”
“Wow. Really?”
He glares down his nose at me. “Why are you surprised?”
“Honestly?”
“No, lie to me,” he deadpans. “Of course I want honesty.”
/> “You were kind of famous for the amount of trouble you could get into.”
He laughs. “I vaguely remember you being right there with me when I got into a bunch of that trouble.”
The crunch of gravel sucks me out of my summer memories. They’re one of my favorite places to go when things go bad, which they have been for a while now. “Jake!” someone bellows.
Jake gets to his feet and shades his eyes with his hands. “That’s Pop,” he says.
The old man drives the red golf cart directly onto the sand. “I need your help with something,” he says to Jake.
“Can it wait a minute?”
“If it could wait a minute, I wouldn’t be coming to get you, would I?” the old man grumbles. He looks around Jake and his eyes fall on me. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“Hi, Mr. Jacobson,” I call out.
“You grew tits,” he replies.
I look down at my boobs. “Yes, I did.”
“Good job.”
“I do aim to please.”
“Pop,” Jake complains, “don’t talk about her tits.”
“Why not?” the old man crows. “Those are some impressive tits.”
“He’s got you there,” Jake says, leaning closer to me like he’s whispering.
“Cabin 112 has a leaky roof, Jake,” Jake’s dad says. “I need you to fix it.” He points to a toolbox on the back of the golf cart.
Jake points to the same box. “You think I’m going to fix a roof?”
“I just had a stroke, son. I’m not going to fix it myself.”
Jake sighs.