I wrinkled my nose. That was awful. Not the right term for my family at all.
Seagulls, maybe? A squabble of seagulls. Better. No, wait—geese! A gaggle of Giffords. Perfect!
Swaying lazily in the hammock, I watched my cousins and aunts and uncles, my brothers and sisters and parents. What would those people in the Middle Ages have thought of my family? I wondered.
“What are you snickering at?” asked Mackenzie, giving me a sidelong glance.
“Nothing.”
She sighed deeply. “I wish we had more time together! I can’t believe we only have one more day left.”
“I know.”
She sat bolt upright, sending the hammock swaying wildly. “Hey, what if you flew back with me to Austin?”
“What?” I frowned. I loved Mackenzie and would miss her, but Texas was not part of my perfect summer plans.
“I’m sure Coach would be happy to have you back on the Nitros’ summer swim team. And we could hang out with all our friends and go to the mall and camping and play with Frankie!” Frankie was Mackenzie’s new kitten. She’d taken him home with her when she’d visited in March, courtesy of Belinda Winchester.
I hesitated. My perfect summer dangled in the air between us, glimmering like an ornament on a Christmas tree. “What if you stayed here instead?”
She shook her head. “Can’t. My parents have a big family vacation planned to Yellowstone. You could come with us.” She looked over at me. “Plus, I’ve already been to Pumpkin Falls twice now since you moved here, and you haven’t been back to Austin even once. C’mon, Truly—everything will be just like it was before!”
That isn’t true, I thought, as she continued to chatter on about all the stuff we could do together. Nothing was going to be like it was before. Not my father, whose arm would still be missing, and not my family, who was still getting used to the unexpected left turn in our lives that had brought us here to Pumpkin Falls.
“So, what do you think?” prodded Mackenzie. “Are you in?”
“I have stuff planned,” I told her. “I can’t.”
She took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “I wish you still lived down the street, Truly. I really miss you. I miss us.”
I knew exactly what she meant. We’d hit a rough patch over Spring Break, but she was still my best friend in the whole world. Life just wasn’t the same without her around. Pumpkin Falls wasn’t as awful a place as I’d thought it was when we first moved here, but still, Mackenzie wasn’t here.
“I know,” I replied, squeezing back. “I miss us too.”
CHAPTER 3
“It’s going to be a scorcher!” my father announced as I yawned my way into the kitchen the next morning. Mackenzie and I had stayed up way too late talking.
My mother stretched up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Happy Fourth of July!” She handed me an apron, and I blinked at it sleepily. “Squad Lovejoy is in charge of breakfast, remember?”
“Where’s Hatcher?” I said automatically. My brother was AWOL again, as usual.
My father cupped his hand behind his ear. “What was that? I believe the correct answer is ‘yes, ma’am.’ ”
I sighed. “Yes, sir. I mean, yes, ma’am.”
“Looks like your aunt could use some help,” my mother said as I draped the apron over my head. I turned around so that she could tie it for me, then shuffled over to the stove, where Aunt True passed me a large spoon.
“Blueberry donut muffins,” she said as I joined her in scooping batter into the waiting muffin tins. “My new recipe. You’ll have to tell me what you think—I’m considering making a mini version as our signature treat at the bookshop this summer.”
My aunt was in charge of marketing for Lovejoy’s Books, and she was big on signature treats. She said people came for the treats and stayed to shop, and so far, she’d been right.
A few minutes later, Uncle Teddy and Aunt Louise wandered in, sniffing the air appreciatively. The kitchen smelled of sausage and coffee and muffins.
“Morning, everyone!” said my uncle. “Tables are all set up and ready to go outside, J. T. Anything we can do to help in here?”
“Nope,” my dad replied. “Breakfast is still a few minutes out. Grab a cup of coffee and take a load off.”
“That’s an invitation we won’t refuse,” said Aunt Louise. She took two of the mugs stacked by the giant carafe that my mother had borrowed from church and poured coffee for my uncle and herself.
Uncle Teddy waggled his eyebrows at me. “Great day for a road race!”
I made a face. Running was so not my thing, and Uncle Teddy knew it. I’d much rather be in the water, especially on a day that was expected to be a “scorcher.”
“Do we have to go?” I asked my father. “Can’t we just spend the day at Lake Lovejoy instead?” My voice sounded whiny even to my ears, but I couldn’t help it. The prospect of trotting all
