Page 23 of The Lake House

“No Charlie tonight?” I ask of her long-term boyfriend. I think he’s going to pop the question soon. Charlie would join us for dinner most nights, and Lily just adores him. He’ll be a good uncle to her someday.

She swallows a mouthful of food. “He is swinging by in a little while. Probably just in time for coffee and cake.” She winks. “He had to take care of a few patients at the hospital.”

Yeah, that’s the thing. Her boyfriend, who just so happens to be twelve years older than her, is an anesthesiologist. At first, no one thought they had a thing in common. Cheryl is a professional makeup artist and the sight of blood makes her squeamish. I think even little Cherrie questioned her decision in the beginning. But once we got to know Dr. Charles Marvelle, we were all proved wrong. Now, I don’t think we could picture Cheryl without Charlie; they just go together.

“Lily has her graduation ceremony at the daycare next week,” I tell my sister. I look toward the living room where Lily is propped up on the couch watching her favorite cartoons. She had gobbled all her food and asked to watch TV. Turning to face Cheryl again, I add, “I still can’t believe that come September, I’ll have a big girl in kindergarten.”

Cheryl’s face lights up. “Oh my god, that’s next week? Aww, I can’t wait. Let me know the exact date. I’ll take off and make sure Charlie can do the same so we can take her out and make her feel special.”

I nod, picking up my glass of water. Before sucking in a sip, I say, “Sounds good. I should have all the information before the weekend. I’ll let you know.”

She nods back and continues eating the rest of the food on her plate. Idohave to say that my sister has always been an exceptional cook. Not only is she a very talented makeup artist, bringing even a zombie to life, but the girl can cook her ass off. Our mom taught her well.

She takes one look at my plate with a smirk.

“What?”

She shrugs. “I guess I don’t have to tell Mom anything… you cleaned your plate. I’ll let you slide for now.”

I roll my eyes and chuckle along with her.

ChapterTen

GIULIANA

Icouldn’t sleep last night. The whole time I spent in bed, I was tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, but it was just no use. I didn’t waste another second in bed, trying to force myself to go to sleep. I got up, went out to the back patio, and watched the sun rise over the lake.

Growing up, I’d do this very same thing with my grandparents when I was lucky enough to be up this early. Usually, I’d sleep in late, being exhausted from the fun day before. All that running around and swimming in the lake would wear me out.

Now I just can’t sleep because I’m paranoid.

“Giules?”

I jump and flip around just in time to see Liv carrying two cups of coffee. What is she doing here at this time?

“Ooh, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Liv says, handing me a cup before coming to stand next to me. “I thought you heard me when I walked through the house.”

I shake my head, holding onto my forehead. “No, sorry. What time is it, anyway?” It has to be almost eight by now.

She flicks her wrist to get a look at the time. “It’s just after ten.”

My eyes widen. “Just after ten?”

She takes a sip, lifting an eyebrow. “Just exactly how long have you been out here?”

I shrug. “I couldn’t sleep last night. I came out here around five…” I suck in a deep breath, pausing. “I guess the serenity and beauty of the lake made the time pass.”

Liv looks at me like she can’t believe what she’s just heard, because she probably can’t. “Five hours? Are you feeling okay? You weren’t thinking about Todd, were you?”

Phantom vomit rises to the back of my throat. Liv laughs at me.

“Okay, I’ll take that as a no,” she says.

“I was not thinking about Todd. The thought of him and what he did to me makes me sick.”

She nods in approval. “Good. As it should. That dickwad.”

I chuckle at her words and then decide to let her in on what happened last night and the reason I could not fall asleep.

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