Georgia ordered a taco bar that I picked up on my way to the lake, and Lola brought enough drinks to last us a week. We eat, drink, and celebrate my brother’s birthday.

As the sunset transitions into darkness, I say good-bye to my mother and grandparents and walk outside. I accept the bite of the wind as I stroll down the wooden dock and settle myself on the edge. Shutting my eyes, I soak up the silence and absorb the semblance of my surroundings. There’s something about the lake, the rhythmic echo of the water, that lends a hand to your psyche and relaxes you.

Yet at the same time, the solitude of the water forces you to remember.

The two-story home, complete with a wraparound porch and wall-to-wall windows, has been in the Callahan family since my grandfather bought it in his thirties. It’s been renovated a few dozen times by my mother, whose interior style is a revolving door of changes.

After my grandfather’s death, the home was passed down to my father. It was supposed to keep that same course—the home being passed down from generation to generation. Too bad that didn’t last. The feds wanted it, and before they managed to get their grimy hands on one of my favorite childhood destinations, my mother’s parents stepped in and purchased it from my father. That way, it could stay in the family, and we wouldn’t lose yet another thing. The lake house is modest compared to our other family homes, but it was my grandfather’s pride and joy. We’d already annihilated the business he’d built from the ground up; we couldn’t lose the lake house too.

“Hey, party of one out here.”

I glance back to find Cassidy stopping behind me.

“Can I join you?”

I pat the space next to me. “Sure.”

If it were anyone else, even Archer, who’d asked that question, I’d have told them I needed alone time. But not with Cassidy. I’ll never decline a second with her. Like the serenity of the lake, she’s practically a sedative for me. And this isn’t about me being codependent with a girl; it’s about being around someone who shines so fucking bright that I can’t help but be zapped with her energy.

About a woman I can sit here with, not say a word, and she’d understand.

Or I could ramble off about the most random shit, and she’d understand.

Or I could ask her to leave, and she’d also understand.

Cassidy is understanding, and in the world of the rich and felons, that isn’t a common trait.