“Hey, Luc.” Jamie stepped onto the covered deck and sat in the Adirondack chair beside him. Her lanky legs, already summer brown, extended from a frayed pair of denim shorts.

“Hey, sis. How’s summer going?” He gave up on the paper, folding it and dropping it onto the deck.

“Okay, I guess.” Jamie twirled a purple flower in her fingers. “Mom and Kate went for a walk?”

He closed his eyes and let his weight sag into the chair. “Yep.”

“The gazebo looks good there,” Jamie said.

Ethan had helped Lucas move the piece to his backyard overlooking the beach. It was as though it had been built for the spot.

For a while they sat in silence, listening to the sound of the water licking the shoreline. Lucas wondered what Kate was saying to his mom. More important, he wondered what his mom was saying to Kate. What if Kate figured out his parents were fine? He felt bad she was spending so much time on a fictional problem, but he’d had to use some excuse. He could hardly have told her the real reason he’d married her.

“How do you know when you’re in love?” Jamie’s voice cut through his thoughts.

Lucas looked at his sister, only fourteen, still in braces, and wanted to tell her she shouldn’t be thinking about love at her age. But he’d been fourteen once, although it seemed a lifetime ago. Emotions had felt bigger than life then.

“Who is he?”

Jamie wrapped the flower’s threadlike stem around her index finger. “His name is Aaron Brinkley, and he goes to my school. I’ve liked him forever, but he was going out with a girl named Liz.” She rolled her eyes.

“Don’t like her much?”

“She’s a snot. I don’t know what he saw in her. But he’s been at the beach all week, and Meredith said he broke up with Liz. He asked me to play volleyball today.”

Lucas propped his ankle on his knee and clasped his hands on his stomach. “Did you?”

Jamie flicked sand off her shorts. “Yeah, but I beat him.”

Lucas laughed. Jamie was a starter on her team and the best player, if he did say so.

Jamie slugged his arm, and the flower went flying. “It’s not funny. I think he’s mad at me.”

Lucas stifled the laugh. “What makes you say that?”

“He didn’t talk to me after that.” She wrinkled her little nose.

“Were his friends around?”

Jamie’s face fell. “I should have let him win.” She crossed her arms and chewed on her lip.

“He’ll get over it. Trust me.”

“What do I say when I see him tomorrow? I really like him.”

“You’re worried about finding something to say?”

She shrugged. “I get tongue-tied with him. I’m afraid I’ll say something dumb.”