Page 4 of 15 Summers Later

Sierra leaned into the open passenger window, her brown hair streaked with sunlight. “We were hanging out at my place and thought maybe we would ride to the Dixon’s farm stand and grab some fresh strawberries.”

“We really love strawberries,” Zoe said with a giggle.

Madi strongly suspected the real draw wasn’t so much the strawberries but Ash Dixon, the heartthrob fifteen-year-old whose family ran a popular farm stand and also had a stall at the Emerald Thumbs Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.

“Sounds like fun. Enjoy a crepe for me.”

“I will. Bye, Mad. See you later.”

She waved and put the truck in gear again, though before she drove away she thought she heard the wordsbookandGhost Lakefrom the girls, through her open window.

No. She was imagining things. That damn book seemed to be popping up everywhere...but only a narcissist would think everyone in town was talking about her, right?

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I am a coward. It is a grim, humbling realization for someone who has always considered herself strong.

—Ghost Lakeby Ava Howell Brooks

Ava

Everyone in town seemed to be staring at her.

As she drove down Main Street in Emerald Creek, Idaho, Ava told herself she was being ridiculous. Why would they possibly be staring at her?

She had only lived in Emerald Creek with her grandmother for a few years, between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, and had been away for more than a decade, with only the occasional visit home. She probably didn’t know all that many people who still lived here and those whodidknow her likely wouldn’t recognize her anymore.

When she drove past the new-and-used bookstore, Meadowside Book Nook, she almost drove into the back of a big black dually pickup truck ahead of her.

Out of the corner of her gaze, Ava’s attention had been caught by the window display at the bookstore. The entire front window featured the red-and-white cover ofGhost Lake, with that moody line drawing of a mountain lake.

Oh, this was bad. Really bad.

Madi must be so furious with her.

What did her sister think when she drove past this display every day?

Maybe she hadn’t noticed it.

Ava knew that was a ridiculous hope. Of course Madi would have noticed it. And she was probably angry every single time she saw it.

Ava knew from her grandmother Leona in one of their frequent Zoom calls that Madi was furious about the book.

She didn’t quite understand why. It wasn’t as if Madi hadn’t known it was coming. Ava had tried to give her sister plenty of warning the book was releasing in late May.

When she first began to realize herself that her book’s journey toward publication was actually happening—and much faster than she’d ever imagined—Ava had been upfront with her sister.

Six months earlier, Ava had sent her an advanced reading copy of the manuscript, then she waited for a response. And waited. And waited.

When she nervously called a few weeks later, her stomach tangled with nerves, Madi had been nonchalant, even blasé. She had made excuses about how busy she was, still working at the vet clinic while trying to organize all the details to open the Emerald Creek Animal Rescue.

“Anyway, I lived it,” Madi had finally said as their awkward conversation drew to a close. “I’m sorry, but once was enough. I don’t really need to go over everything again.”

Ava should have pushed her to read the book. She should have made sure Madi wouldn’t be blindsided when the book started to receive prepublication buzz.

How could Ava have known everything would explode as it had? Everyone involved with the book had high hopes it would succeed, but even her publisher had to rush back to print more copies in order to keep up with demand.

Ava’s hands were tight on the steering wheel as she drove through town and finally pulled into the driveway of her grandmother’s two-story house, with its extravagant, colorful garden in full bloom.

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