Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

Author:Susan Wiggs
Format: epub, mobi

It was close to sunset when Julian’s hunger overtook his pride. Sadly, it didn’t take much. He ate all the time, his appetite like some insatiable monster with a ravenous need for sustenance. Initially, Julian had planned to keep to himself the entire time and go to bed hungry, just to show Connor what he thought of this suck-ass summer.

Connor probably thought it made him seem cool to reduce all the house rules to a single one—don’t fuck up. What Connor didn’t know was that he was taking away the only thing Julian was good at.

Now, with hunger gnawing at his belly, he made his way to the dining hall, which was in the main pavilion. It didn’t seem as big and palatial as it had when he was little, entering the place with the other Fledgling boys.

A bell rang to signal mealtime, just like it used to when the camp was operational. Connor said that if Julian missed out, he was on his own. Julian had every intention of skipping this pukefest of a meal, but as usual, his stomach betrayed him. He was hungry enough to start gnawing on his own leg. When the dinner bell sounded, he made a beeline for the dining hall, salivating like Pavlov’s dumbest dog.

Connor introduced him to everyone—Olivia Bellamy, who had hired Connor’s firm to renovate the camp, was a complete blond hottie. She said she remembered him from years ago, but he didn’t recall her. In his mind, all the counselors were a blur of bland, smiling white folks who listened to bad music and sang lame campfire songs. There was some guy named Freddy, and some combo of relatives—Cousin Dare, the event planner, who also prepared the meals, a guy named Greg and his annoying-looking kid, Max. The apple-cheeked boy, who was about ten, resembled one of the von Trapp children in the most horrifying film on record—The Sound of Music.

“Daisy should be here any minute,” Olivia said. “Go ahead and get something to eat.”

Daisy? Daisy?

Trying to quell his curiosity, Julian sauntered over to the buffet table. All right, he had to admit, Cousin Dare was a phenomenal cook. He shamelessly loaded his plate with chicken potpie, mashed potatoes, salad and rolls. Beside him, Max watched with an open mouth.

“You going to eat all that?” the kid asked.

“For my first course,” Julian said. “For my second course, I eat little boys.”

It didn’t work on Max. Instead of scurrying away to the protection of his father, the kid snickered. “Oh, I’m shaking.”

Ah, well. The fun in scaring a little kid was limited, anyway. Julian set down his tray at a table just as Daisy—apparently the missing cousin—arrived. Maybe it was a trick of the light, and maybe Julian was hearing things, but the moment she appeared in the arched doorway of the dining hall, everything changed. There was a hush, like an indrawn breath of anticipation.

As she stood there, her feminine silhouette backlit by the setting sun, he was sure he heard a chorus of heavenly voices blaring in perfect harmony.

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