Page 1 of The Summer We Mended
Prologue
Lily
The late afternoon sun filtered through the trees in golden streaks as Lily adjusted the string of white paper lanterns hanging across the back porch.Their little house in Vineyard Haven, tucked among the maples and oaks, hummed with energy.David’s laughter echoed from the side yard where he was helping Luke set up the grill, and Lily paused to watch him for a moment, barefoot, wearing jeans and a faded gray T-shirt, a dish towel slung over his shoulder like he owned the place.Which, in many ways, he did.
It was a small barbecue, just family, but it felt like the world had converged on their little corner of Martha’s Vineyard.Luke had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and they were heading to Langley AFB in a few weeks.This was their send-off, and no one wanted it to be overly formal.It was about warmth, good food, and the kind of love that settled into your bones.
Lily heard the door swing open behind her.
“Hey, you,” Margot said, stepping onto the porch, holding a pie she had no doubt made from scratch.
Lily smiled.“Blueberry?”
“Of course.Luke’s favorite.And Anna said she had more ice cream than any one person needs.”
The screen door clattered again, and Anna came out with a tray of drinks, the twins bouncing behind her like excited puppies.
“Mom, why can’t I drink the Kool-Aid inside?”Blaze called out, a blur of knees and elbows.
Nora followed close behind, her hair in two messy braids and her hands sticky from the popsicle she’d had in the car.
“Because you’ll get it everywhere,” Anna answered matter-of-factly.
She was six going on thirty.Nora had a quiet reserve about her, and her brother had her missing energy.He was all boy, that was for sure.
“Hey, my babies!”Lily dropped to her knees as both kids launched into her arms.She caught them in a warm embrace, inhaling the scent of summer, grass, sunscreen, and sugar.
“Mom said Dad got a new job,” Nora said, pulling back with wide, serious eyes.“Is he gonna be famous now?”
Lily grinned.“Something like that.He’s going to help run a whole Air Force base.That’s a pretty big deal.”
David called from the grill, “If they let Luke run anything, I worry for national security.”
“Hey!”Luke turned, grinning widely at his father-in-law.“I outrank you now, old man.Show some respect.”
“David wasn’t in long enough to be at your rank,” Lily called out.“Did his four and came home.”
“I never got to fly those fancy jets, so it wasn’t as fun for me,” David teased.
Anna laughed, sliding the tray onto the table.“Don’t listen to him, Dad.He still can’t remember to take the trash out.”
Margot snorted into her glass of Pinot Grigio.“Nothing new there.”
Lily stood, brushing her knees, and watched as Cody came around the corner of the house with his girlfriend, Nessa, in tow.They’d been together for almost four years.Cody looked good, tanned, strong, his hair buzzed short, and his posture unmistakably Marine Corps.There was something comforting about the way he walked, with confidence and calmness.Nessa held his hand, beaming.She had a sweet smile, a little uncertain, but open.
“Cody!”Luke called, waving a pair of tongs.“Come educate your dad on the proper grilling techniques.”
“I’m infantry, not a chef,” Cody replied, grinning.“I gotta give Mom a hug before I do anything.”
He stopped and hugged Lily tightly before he veered over to where David and Luke were at the grill, trading a quick hug with David before greeting Luke.
Lily approached Jess with a gentle smile.“Nessa, I’m so glad you could make it with Cody.How’s school going?”
“It’s going well.I’ll be glad when I have that Nurse Practitioner behind my name, that’s for sure,” Jess said shyly.
“You’ve worked so hard for it.”
Within minutes, the backyard was full of chatter and clinking glassware.A light breeze kept the mosquitoes away, and the scent of grilled food mingled with the heady fragrance of lilies blooming near the garden.
