The Winter Lodge by Susan Wiggs

Author:Susan Wiggs [Wiggs, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Adult
ISBN: 9780778324140
Goodreads: 73065
Publisher: Mira Books
Published: 2007-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

After the traditional Fourth of July parade, there was an enormous picnic at the county park by the river. At dusk, people made their way up the mountain to Camp Kioga for a display of fireworks over Willow Lake. The camp directors invited the whole town. Jenny and Nina went up together, with Sonnet strapped in her car seat in the back. “Her first fireworks display,”

Nina said. “Think she’ll be afraid?”

“She’s not afraid of anything.” Jenny half turned to gaze at the little girl, cute as a Cabbage Patch doll in red, white and blue overalls, clapped her hands in delight. She was potty trained, although Nina toted along a diaper bag just in case.

Nina pulled into the gravel parking lot. “Where did Rourke and Joey say they’d meet us?”

she asked.

“Main pavilion,” Jenny said, gesturing at the large, timber lodge. She spotted the guys in their gray athletic sweatshirts with the Camp Kioga logo. As always, the sight of Rourke caught at her heart and as always, she ignored the feeling. It was, she knew, yet another facet of being an adult. After losing her grandfather and going through bankruptcy, keeping herself from falling for a boy should be a cakewalk.

Except that it wasn’t. When she looked at him, she felt a searing pain that left her breathless.

“I’ll carry her,” Jenny offered, holding out her arms for Sonnet. In addition to being a welcome armful, the little girl was a shield Jenny could hold up to keep her distance.

Unlike Jenny, Sonnet didn’t hold in her feelings by any measure. She took one look at Joey Santini and shrieked with joy. The first time she’d seen him, she had decided that he was the love of her life. While it was sad that she was growing up without a father, it had its advantages. There were so many people in the little girl’s life who adored her. Surrounding a child with love was the key, not whose DNA she carried.

Like most young men, both Joey and Rourke regarded small children with the same horrified caution as a cottonmouth snake. And like most toddlers, Sonnet didn’t care. She squealed and bucked in Jenny’s arms until Jenny surrendered her to Joey. He gazed into the small, nut-brown face. “One peep outta you, and I’m giving you back,” he said.

“Peep,” said Sonnet, gazing back at him.

As they headed down to the beach with their guests to enjoy the fireworks, Rourke kept his distance, as though Joey was holding a volatile substance. It was dusk, and people gathered around the campfires strung along the lakeshore. They toasted marshmallows and lit sparklers, which the kids whirled tirelessly in circles and figure eights. When darkness fell, the fireworks began shooting from the island in the middle of the lake. Colorful starbursts were reflected in the still water, greeted by the oohs and aahs of the onlookers. Sonnet adored the fireworks, clapping her hands and chortling with each explosion. But, like most toddlers, she soon grew bored with the display and wanted to go swimming in the lake.

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