Page 15 of It Started at the Lake

I won’t have to fight him for this spot after all. “Thanks for sharing this place with me.” I stand, committing the view to memory. “It feels special. Almost reverent.”

“I feel that way about it, too. After everything that’s happened today, I needed to soak in the peacefulness of it. Thanks for coming with me.” He clicks on the flashlight and gestures for me to follow. Our walk is quiet. Silence isn’t something I often enjoy. Memories of my childhood, mistakes made with past boyfriends, things I’ve said when I should have kept my mouth shut, haunt me when it’s quiet.

But right now, I’m calm. My mind is at ease and my limbs are loose. It’s like this lake is the antidote I’ve always needed but never had.

The walk back to the house is faster. Bennett goes through a side entrance, at once making me lose my bearings. I open my mouth to thank him again when he asks, “Would you like an escort to your room? It takes a while to get the lay of the land around here.”

I let out a shaky laugh. “Yes, that would be nice. I was going to text Evie to come find me when she got home, but sleeping in my room sounds a lot better.”

He smirks. “Evs might be too out of it to find you. She goes a little overboard the first night we all get here. Of course, she regrets it the next morning and vows never to do it again.” Bennett walks down another long hallway, with me at his heels. He makes a turn every so often, and I’m convinced it will take more than three months to memorize the floor plan.

“But we both know she will.” I chuckle. “Evie likes to seize every opportunity and live it to the fullest.”

“She does. It’s one of the things I admire about her.”

“Even when she’s demanding you go out when you don’t want to?” I wince. Why did I bring that up?

“I can hold my own when it comes to Evelyn.”

That makes one of us. “Maybe you can teach me how. I usually cave right away to whatever she wants. It’s easier.”

Bennett climbs a staircase, and photographs of Evie and Camden from every age from the time they were babies to last year hang in artful displays. I finally know where I am. My room is down the hallway we’re approaching.

“Where’s the fun in giving Evs what she wants?” He turns his head over his shoulder, looking at me. “Often when she’s wrong as well?” He lifts one brow.

“To save myself a fight.” Something I've had enough of to last a lifetime.

He stops outside a white door, pointing at it. “Riling Evie up is fun for me. But in instances like tonight, it gets annoying. But since I’m still here, she lost the argument.” His lips pull up into a satisfied smile.

I dig my toes into the carpet. “You know she wants the best for you, right? For you to be happy?”

The smile he wears slips away like the tide going out. “I do. But what she wants and what I want are two separate things.”

As the oldest sister, I’m used to being the peacemaker in my family. Unlike with Steph, Bennett doesn’t need my protection. Evie doesn’t need me to explain her actions to Bennett, either. My stomach tenses up. Navigating my role in this situation, figuring out what to do and say is difficult. When Evie and I are at home, I know where I fit. Here? Not a clue.

I don’t like it.

“I’ll talk to her about easing up, but after tonight, I’m confident you don’t need my help.”

He nods once. “I can handle myself.”

“Right.” I rub my hands down my sides. “Okay, well….” I clear my throat. “Thanks for the backyard and walking me to my room. Hopefully, I can find my way to the kitchen tomorrow and see you then.”

He smiles, making the laugh lines around his eyes more pronounced. “Would you like me to draw you a map?”

“I’ll be okay, but thanks for the offer. Goodnight, Bennett.”

“Goodnight, Millie.”

I wave, then close my bedroom door and immediately lean my head against the back of it. A soft thunk echoes from my skull hitting the wood. I have to figure out where I fit in with this family dynamic. I’m not needed as a mediator. I don’t need to stand up to anyone. I don’t need to negotiate for peace. They are adults capable of holding their own.

Am I needed?

Pushing off the door, I head to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Who says I have to be anything?

Just relax and enjoy yourself, Mils.

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