“I'll catch up later,” he tells them.
Cash, Mac, and Graham head off in the bass boat with their fishing poles, and Anchor and I begin rowing out to the center of the lake.
We lean back in the rowboat, looking up at the sky.
He tucks his arm around me. “What are you thinking now? Really thinking?” he asks me.
“I'm thinking that somehow we managed to get through the most awkward morning with my brothers without any pitfalls. And if we could get through that minefield, maybe we could get through anything.”
Anchor pulls me in for a kiss. “Well, that's sweet,” he says. “Here I was thinking about fucking you silly tonight.”
“Tonight?” I protest, pressing a hand to his chest. “That's not fair. You're gonna make me wait that long on my birthday?”
He laughs. “Damn, you’re something else, Lemon.”
“Yeah, I suppose I am.”I kiss him deeply. I kiss him hard. I kiss him knowing that I have no intention of stopping.
When we get back to the house, it's late afternoon. My brothers have returned from fishing, though they didn’t catch anything. I think they were too busy shooting the shit. At least they brought stuff to grill hamburgers, and Anchor preps a salad. Cash and I play cards as they get dinner going. My feet are propped up on a chair, taking in the late afternoon sun. We have music on and there's laughter everywhere. The day feels perfect.
Until Graham’s phone starts ringing. He takes the call, his face falling as he steps off the porch, pacing the lawn. He ends the call, walking back to me.
“Lemon,” Graham’s eyes are on me, steady, but full of emotion. “It’s Grandma Rosie.”
“Oh no,”I gasp.
“What is it?” Anchor asks.
“She’s in the hospital. She had a stroke,” Graham tells us.
Tears fill my eyes. “Oh god. We need to go home.”
10
ANCHOR
The ideaof Lemon leaving the lake house the day after we met slays me.
I'm not going to let her leave without a fight.
Her eyes reach mine before I even need to clear my throat and declare myself.
"Can we talk?" she asks me.
Her brothers seem to understand that this conversation is none of their goddamn business. They turn off the grill and place the hamburger patties they've been cooking on a platter.
"We're just going to take these on inside. All right, Lemon?" Mac tells her.
"Thanks," she says, "I guess we ought to eat before we start trekking home." She looks at her watch. “It's six in the evening and it'll be a few hours’ drive to get back to Home.”
Alone on the back porch, she steps closer to me, presses a hand on my chest, and damn, I can't help but wrap my arms around her waist. "Hey," I say, "your grandma's going to be okay." I tell her something I know I have no business promising, but I need to comfort her in some small way.
"I love her so much," Lemon says. "My whole childhood, she was a part of it and I can't..." Tears fill her eyes.
I press my lips to her forehead and kiss her softly. "Hey, hey, I got you. It's all right."
She presses a hand to her eyes, wiping away her tears. "And we were having such a good day, and now this." She shakes her head. "I hate leaving you.”
“Do you want me to drive you home?" I ask.