Salthouse Place: A Novel by Jamie Lee Sogn

Author:Jamie Lee Sogn [Sogn, Jamie Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2023-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

Then

The mirror surface of the lake was crystal clear, and for one split second, Keene’s body was perfectly reflected in the water before it crashed into itself. The waves rocked the little pontoon boat we were piled onto, the canopy from which Keene propelled himself. Cara was next off the canopy, her scream echoing from the cliffs on the far side of the lake as she jumped with arms out wide.

Cool splashes licked my face, and I cheered as Cara emerged from the water. She climbed the ladder back onto the boat, where I handed her a new beer. The radio played bouncy pop beats barely audible over Keene’s and Jason’s yowling as they wrestled, trying to toss each other overboard.

Cara and I clinked our bottles and cheered to the summer before our sophomore year. We drank and leaned over the edge, looking to see where Zee was floating nearby on an inflatable raft tied to one side of the pontoon. She lay on her tummy, feet hanging off, her hands making gentle strokes in the water. She was looking down, focused on something Cara and I couldn’t see.

“What are you looking at?”

Zee looked up. “Give me a cup.”

“Beer or this gross Smirnoff thing?”

“No, an empty cup.”

I tossed one overboard, and it fluttered down, dipping into the water. Zee paddled the raft and retrieved it. She scooped a cupful of lake water.

“Ew, what are you doing?” Cara scowled.

“I think the algae here is different.”

“What are you talking about?”

Zee sat up on the raft and, hand over hand on the rope, pulled herself back against the boat. The red cup appeared over the side, and I took it so Zee could climb inside. Removed from the sun and separated, the lake water was a dull opaque brown with green furry specks floating.

She took the cup from me, then placed it in the cooler between beer bottles and packed it into place with more ice. “Keene, you have to drive slowly on the way back, okay? I don’t want this to spill. Do you think we can swing by the north shore too?”

“Whatever,” Keene grunted, avoiding a karate chop to the crotch from Jason. “Really, dude?”

Jason glanced over. “North shore? There’s nothing over there.”

“Exactly,” said Zee. “I was thinking, the north shore has those big cliffs but no beaches, unless you count the rocks as a beach. No beaches people hang out on, which means no trash or booze or God knows what else goes in the water. I want to get some algae from over there too.”

I knew where she was going. “The science showcase. Are you thinking of a project?”

Cara groaned. “Ugh, you guys are literally the nerdiest ever. Why can’t you enjoy the summer without thinking about school?”

“We’re going to be sophomores, which means I can finally enter the competition. The showcase is the last Thursday of September, so I don’t even have that much time once classes start.”

“It’s the day before homecoming. You’re going to spend homecoming

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