Summer at Forsaken Lake by Michael D. Beil Read Free Book Online Page A

help?” said Nicholas, approaching the car. “I’m Nicholas.”
    As Charlie’s mom was handing him the bowl of green beans, she got her first close look at him and stopped suddenly.
    “Oh my,” she said, continuing to stare at Nicholas, who didn’t know what to make of the situation.
    Luckily, Charlie rescued him. “Come on, Mom, let’s go inside. You have to meet the twins. They’re hilarious. And besides, I’m starving.”
    Nicholas held the screen door open for them, but even when the twins came running down the stairs and into the kitchen, followed by Pistol in all his tail-wagging glory, Charlie’s mom still didn’t seem able to look away from Nicholas.
    “Hi, Fran,” said Uncle Nick, kissing her on the cheek. “And hello again, Charlie. Thank you both for the feast—and the company. And I see you’ve met my boarders. These are Will’s kids—Nicholas, Hayley, and Hetty.”
    Nicholas’s ears had perked up at Charlie’s mom’s name.
    Fran? As in Franny? As in Dad’s old girlfriend?
    Nicholas was so busy making connections to the letter he’d found that he hardly noticed her reaction to learning who
he
was.
    One of her hands flew to her mouth as she whispered, “Will,” and she almost dropped the salad bowl, juggling it for a few seconds before getting it back under control. “Omigosh, I’m so sorry. It’s just—for a second there, I thought I had stepped into a time machine.”
    Nicholas, Charlie, and the twins wore confused looks, but Uncle Nick nodded in agreement. “He is the spitting image of his father, isn’t he? Janet at the library had the same reaction.”
    “It’s remarkable.” She quickly regained her composureand, after setting the salad on the counter, held her hand out for Nicholas to shake. “I apologize, Nicholas. I’m Charlie’s mom, Franny Brennan. You must think I’m crazy, the way I’m staring at you. I was … Well, I knew your dad when he was about your age—I was Franny Sherbrooke back then. I’ll bet you’re probably sick to death of people telling you how much you look like him.”
    Nicholas shrugged. “It’s okay. Doesn’t really happen that often.” Even so, he knew it was true; he’d seen pictures of his dad as a kid, and the two of them looked more alike than Hetty and Hayley.
    “You knew Daddy when he was a boy?” Hetty asked. “Did you know he’s a
doctor
? He’s in Africa, helping people with mengeeitis.”
    “Meningitis,” said Nicholas.
    “I did know that he’s a doctor. It’s nice that he’s helping people,” said Franny.
    “Were you in his movie?” Hayley asked. “We just saw it last night.”
    Franny turned to look at Nick, her eyes wide with surprise.
    “Nicholas found Will’s movie,” said Uncle Nick.
    “In a secret compartment up in the tower room,” said Hayley. “That
I
discovered.”
    “You know, I don’t think I was. Maybe one little scene. Mostly, I was the cameraman, er, person. Your dad and I were the only ones who knew how to use the camera, so we took turns—”
    “Okay, kids,” Uncle Nick interrupted. “Why don’t you all go out on the porch for a while and let Fran and me get dinner ready.”
    Franny looked relieved, and immediately started tossing the salad with the dressing and croutons she had brought.
    On the porch, Hetty and Hayley insisted that Charlie sit between them on the swing while they continued their interrogation about school, what she did for fun, her favorite musicians—anything they could think of.
    Nicholas, meanwhile, picked up a magazine about wooden sailboats and pretended not to listen. Part of him was dying to show Charlie the letter from her mom to his dad.
    Not yet. Maybe if I get to know her better. She might think I’m weird, or get mad because I read somebody else’s letter. You just can’t tell with girls
.
    So he sat there pretending to read until Uncle Nick called them all into the dining room. The twins immediately started their assault on Franny, hitting her