(Complete) Nick has suffered sorrow and loss. He has relied on his family to help him survive. Can Nick ever find happiness and a love?
Sara has spent the better part of her twenties caring for the sickest people of the world. Realizing that her dre...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Sunday afternoons during the summer the family gathered at his parent's house on the lake. They had moved from town to the lake when Nick was in grade school. The family had grown too big for the small cape even with Tim grown and married. The old house had been the home of his father and his first wife. Living on the lake offered beauty year round, but the summers were idyllic. They could swim and boat every day. His father cursed the old speed boat that broke down constantly, but water skiing out on the lake was utopia to Nick. The summer after Mel was gone, water skiing was the first thing that brought him real joy, aside from his children. The joy they spread was always bittersweet.
His parents spent from after Christmas until just before Easter in Florida. Being at the lake when the snow piled up outside was not as much fun. The main recreation in the winter was snowmobiling and ice fishing. The consensus in the Burke family was snowmobiles were dangerous and fishing was boring especially in the cold winter temperatures. The glass windows looking out over the lake and the vaulted ceiling made the house expensive to keep warm in the winter. They shut off the water and drained the pipes before turning the heat off.
In the winter, Julie played hostess to the family gatherings. She was born domestic and could feed a crowd with as much ease as feeding two. It was a mild autumn day, so they were at the lake. The early colors were turning on the maple, and poplar trees. The vibrant greens were mixed with a spattering of red and gold. The cool temperatures made it a perfect orchard day. Maybe next weekend, they could take a drive for apples. Apples and warm cider donuts meant autumn to him. The warm fragrance of the fried dough masking the pungent smell of the cider press reminded him of his youth. He was thinking of things that brought him joy. It meant he was moving through his grief, if not his regret.
He was the last to arrive, and his sister greeted him by teasing him for being late. He just rolled his eyes, because it was not for lack of effort. Even with Julie's help, being a single, working father was a challenge on the best day. If he was late, it usually involved something unforeseeable like an accident or extra coaxing to get Bridget to cooperate. The one rule he refused to budge on was not rewarding with food, and some days it took all he had to not say, if you put on your coat, I'll give you a cookie. Today he was late because Bridget wanted to wear her swimsuit to the lake and the rational, that it was too cold outside and no longer summer, was lost to her. He wished he hadn't slept through that eight am child psychology class years ago.
Already both of his children had run off to play. Clare's two, his nephews were just a little older and played with his little ones. He found the adults gathered on the porch overlooking the lake. The view never ceased to amaze him.
Tim said, "Hey Nick, Dad was asking about our new employee."
"I've met her. She's very nice," Clare said. "You boys got lucky. Of course, I have Emily so I am too."
"She's competent and hardworking. Mr. Michaud loves her."
"Mr. Michaud used to charm your mother in front of me," John Burke said.
