Will worked quickly to finish his shift, carefully following Marlene's directions to avoid her spiky temper, then raced home to change. He'd planned a visit to the cottage with his friends for the night and they needed to get on the road.

His parents had been tight with the Archers and Parkers since Josh, Shel, and Will were small, so weekends by the water were a summer tradition, but this year was different. Since the Brodys' cottage slept eight, there'd been no good excuse to decline when Shelby asked if Skye could come along. It had been a few days since Will and Toby sat down with her on Shel's front porch, and her 1 had haunted his dreams ever since.

Will's brain buzzed as he threw clothes into a duffel bag. What was he doing, opening the door for Skye and her 1 to step further into his life? Sighing, he stuffed a set of earphones in to drown his thoughts out with music.

The "cottage" was his grandpa's former home on the water, a thirty-minute drive from town. His mom had inherited the property after his grandfather died, and they'd renovated the house until it gleamed.

Watching storms through the huge windows in the great room was one of Will's favorite things to do. Looking out across the water as rain mixed with thunder always seemed to help his problems shrink a little smaller. However long the night, the dawn will break, his dad would say when Will's face clouded over with trouble. He liked to think life was like that; even the darkest nights or the wildest storms would calm down eventually. At least, the thought gave Will hope.

Josh's parents would keep Toby for the night, though the Archers' cat, Mr. Snickers, wouldn't approve. Toby loved Dr. and Mrs. Archer, so staying with them would be a treat, minus a few hisses and glares from their resident feline. Securing Toby's leash, Will grabbed his bag, locked the door, and together they walked to Josh's house. The girls had arrived on time. After the SUV was loaded with bags, Josh's mom pulled her son into a quick hug before he hopped into the driver's seat.

"Drive carefully, sweetie." Fully aware of Josh's free spirit, she called out to Will, "Make sure he texts me when you get in so I know you're all okay!"

"Aye aye, ma'am!" With a salute, Will winked at her and climbed into the backseat. Shelby sat up front with Josh while Skye hopped in and buckled up beside him. Will's muscles twitched involuntarily from being so close to her.

Curling his lips, Josh mimicked the voice of a sports announcer as he pulled out of the driveway. "Okay, party people, let's get this road trip started! In one corner, we've got my rousing acapella rendition of Kumbaya, and in the other, we've got my ultimate driving playlist. Go ahead, pick your musical poison!"

Skye and Will yelled "playlist!" while Shelby giggled and cheered, "Kumbaya! Kumbaya! Kumbaya!"

Josh kissed his finger and placed it on his girlfriend's cheek. "Shelby, my love, your unwavering support for my manly falsetto is utterly adorable, but our cottage dreams rest on Will's shoulders, so playlist it is." Shelby feigned a pout, while Skye and Will cheered. Sun streamed through the windows, and Toby barked goodbye from the front step as Josh cranked the music and stepped on the gas.

Blue sky, green trees, and white clouds whizzed by as they left the town behind and hopped on the highway toward the lake. The girls bopped to the beat, Josh sang loud in a quirky twang behind the steering wheel and Will propped his feet up, enjoying the entertainment. Mid-ride, his phone buzzed:

Mom: Please pick up some hotdogs and marshmallows from Fletcher's. It'll be a great night for a bonfire! Can't wait to see you! xo

Will: Gotcha. I'm on it. Love you too. xo

Will didn't need to convince Josh to stop. Fletcher's was a beloved roadside attraction: part canteen, part convenience store, part curiosity. Parking spots were painted in red and white candy cane stripes, and the building itself was a living gingerbread house. Spilling out of the SUV, Josh, Shelby and Will headed straight for the covered porch while Skye gaped at the spectacle.

"What the ..."

"Don't question the Fletch, Skye. Just take it all in." Josh pulled the front door open with a flourish. "You're welcome."

Polished wooden floors gleamed, hidden speakers played the Top 40, and towering shelves were packed to the gills with merchandise - from garden gnomes to cuckoo clocks, barbecue gear to picnic blankets. Walking down the aisle, Will's nose filled with the smell of his childhood summers: lemon cleaning wax, freshly baked bread, and a whiff of campfire. Tucking a jumbo bag of marshmallows under his arm, he pulled three packs of hotdogs from the industrial fridge and paid at the back cash register.

On their way out, they made a pit stop at the ice cream counter. When Will was small, he and his parents always pulled over at Fletcher's for ice cream on the way to visit his grandpa. Will's order was the same every time: blue bubble gum in a waffle cone. He'd pick tiny pieces of gum from his two chilly scoops and pile them on a napkin in a gluey clump until the cone disappeared. Then he'd chew up the sticky mess, and they'd be on their way.

"Hey Don," Will nodded at the man behind the counter as a gentle mix of fondness and nostalgia turned his lips up into a grin.

Don Frances had scooped cones at Fletcher's for as long as Will could remember. Don looked like Popeye come to life: squinty-eyed, bow-legged and wiry with buzzed gray hair and tan, leathery skin. His scooping arm featured three tattoos from wrist to bicep: a bluebird with a gold key hanging from its beak, a buxom mermaid lounging on a rock, and a heart with a scroll that simply read, "Mom." But the most intriguing part of Don's appearance was that he'd been a 1 ever since Will was a kid. Some years, Don's 1 glowed, others it faded and sometimes it would flicker.

There were times when Will was sure he wouldn't last another year, but there he'd be, scooping away, flexing his bluebird, mermaid, and heart the following summer. They'd never done much more than exchange pleasantries, but somehow Don's stubborn 1 brought Will solace. After Alex's died, it felt like everything had gone to shit, but seeing Don Frances reminded Will that some people managed to weather life's storm, against all odds.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. Back for some summer scoops huh? What'll it be?" Don's 1 still burned deep in its pupil, daring Will to stare. Maybe some 1s were bulletproof; he'd like to think so, anyway. They took turns rhyming off their selections, and as Skye placed her order, Will couldn't help but hope Don's longevity might rub off on her somehow.

"So how's it going, Don?" Will searched the scooper's left pupil and a blistering white 1 practically winked at him.

"You know, son, I can't complain. Too stupid to leave, too stubborn to die." Don's rusty chuckle was a legacy of too many cigarettes and a stack of simple pleasures. They'd traded this exchange for years, and Don's response was always the same. Still, Will wished one day he'd reveal the secret to his 1. Did he come from a line of long-living relatives? Did he swear by the miracles of tinctures or cod liver oil? Did he rarely stray from home? Or was he just goddamned lucky? Will didn't know if he'd ever find out, but Don's 1 continued to persevere, and maybe that was enough.

They sat at a red painted picnic table on the grass behind Fletcher's and slurped their ice cream in the sun. Picking sticky gum from a soggy cone had long lost its appeal, so Will ate rocky road while Josh ploughed through a triple-decker mocha fudge. Shelby was quiet for once, lost in her cookies and cream, while Skye licked a butter pecan cone.

"Wow, Skye. Butter pecan, huh? You totally just ordered an old lady flavor," Will teased. "What's next, wine gums and black licorice?" When she wore her sunglasses, he could almost pretend her 1 away.

"Butter pecan's not an old lady flavor," Skye shot back. "It's classic. And, for the record? An old lady flavor would be mint chocolate chip." She stuck her tongue out at him, and he just laughed.

"My nonna used to eat spumoni ice cream with candied fruit and nuts. It's basically the ice cream version of fruitcake at Christmas. Gross." Shelby wrinkled her nose and shook her head in disgust.

"Yeah? Well, my bubbe used to eat sherbet. She kept her girlish figure until eighty-three, thank you very much." Josh took a huge bite of his cone and groaned. "Bubbe had no idea what she was missing."

Scarfing down their cones, they jumped back into the SUV and hit the road. When they drove up the long gravel lane to the cottage, Will's parents were already waiting outside. His mom was in her floppy sun hat and gardening gloves, trimming the shrubs while his dad sat in his favorite Adirondack chair, reading a book under a tree. Will smiled; he couldn't have scripted them any better. As the SUV pulled up to the house, they looked up and waved, dropping the tools of their separate trades to greet their visitors.

"Hey, Mr. B, Mrs. B!" Josh shouted, reaching out to grab Will's dad by the hand and wrapping his arm around Will's mom, dwarfing her small frame with his height. Jumping out of the car, Shelby squealed and dove in for two warm hugs. When the sea of greeting parted, Skye stepped forward shyly.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Brody, I'm Skye. Thanks so much for having me. Your property is beautiful." She reached out for a handshake, and Will's mom waved her hand away.

"If you're okay with it, Skye, I'm more of a hugger. No need to say thanks, we're happy to have you. And please, call me Ellen." She had a way of winning people over with her easy warmth. Will's friends had always gravitated toward his mother, and Skye accepted her welcoming squeeze with a smile.

Stepping back, his mom scanned Skye's face. "You're Bridget's daughter, aren't you? We went to high school together and the resemblance is striking, aside from your hair color."

"Yeah, we get that a lot." Skye looked happy about the comparison. "I take it as a compliment."

"As well you should; I'm sure Bridget's as lovely as always -- she was a beauty on the inside and out." Moving her eyes away from Skye, her gaze landed on her son. "Will Brody, I hope you don't think you can get away without hugging your mother. Get over here, sweetheart."

"Okay, Tiny." Will reached out to pull her into his arms and rested his chin on her head. He'd towered over her small frame since he was fourteen and loved to tease her about it. She stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, and his dad reached over to ruffle his hair. They didn't notice Will conducting a special greeting of his own, sneaking in a quick scan of their pupils to make sure they were okay. He exhaled softly after confirming his mom's 2 and dad's 3 both looked strong. Scanning their numbers had become a habit like some people double-checked locked doors or did a final sweep to make sure appliances were shut off before they left for vacation.

After the SUV was unpacked, his parents treated them to homemade iced tea and snacks under the covered verandah facing the lake.

"So, what's on tap for this afternoon? Ellen and I thought we'd have a bonfire supper by the water tonight. She made me promise to keep my camp songs to a minimum." Hand on heart, Will's dad chuckled.

"We're heading down to the beach, Mr. B. Shelby here's pretty confident in her spike, but I think it needs some work." Josh paused to make an over-exaggerated wink. "Will and I are going to teach her and Skye a lesson in volleyball."

Clearing her throat, Shelby shot eye daggers at her boyfriend. "Gee Josh, that's so sweet of you, but we'll see who teaches who, right Skye?"

"Damn straight. I was captain of our team in middle school and I'm pretty sure that kind of training lasts a lifetime." Skye smirked, raising an eyebrow and flashing a grin. "All I can say is, good luck, boys."

Will led the way down to the water, where the net was set up in the sand. Volleyball was okay, but basketball was his sport of choice. He and Alex used to spend hours taking shot after shot in his driveway, no matter the season. Co-captains of the Reese Warriors, they wore their red and white team jackets any chance they got.

Alex had loved the cottage. One summer he and Will had spent a whole week here, catching frogs in the rushes, eating hamburgers on the back porch, sleeping in a tent under the stars. If he imagined hard enough, Will could pretend that Alex was back at the house, drinking iced tea with his mom and dad. But pretending wouldn't bring him back again, so Will shook his head and joined Josh on the sandy volleyball court.

"School's in, suckahs!" Josh shouted and served the ball over the net. They started off strong, but Shelby's hard-core spike was stronger, and the girls won in the final set. Not that Will was surprised; Shelby had gotten pretty competitive the last couple years, and she'd already made her first trip to state finals. Despite all his teasing, Josh was proud of her accomplishments and watched as many of her games as he could.

"Looks to me like..." Shelby paused for dramatic effect, "...you've been served!" She and Skye did a victory dance and giggled until they almost fell over.

At sunset, Will's mom carried trays down to the beach, and his dad built a fire. They roasted hot dogs, made double-decker s'mores, traded stories of summers past and snapped ridiculous selfies inspired by Shel's addiction to Instagram. Will's eyes caught on Skye's face, lit up and gorgeous in the glow of the fire. She laughed out loud as Josh scooped Shel over his shoulder and carried her down the beach, pretending to toss her in the water. Her shrieks echoed across the lake until he finally put her down and stole a kiss under the purple horizon. Will and Skye's eyes flickered together for a moment and then broke apart as they turned away from their amorous friends to focus intently on the fire.

When stars dotted the sky, Will's parents exchanged yawns like they were contagious.

"I'm not sure about you, Ben, but I'm ready for bed. I think I've outgrown the luxury of staying up late." Will's mom placed her hand on his father's knee and smiled.

"You know you're old when sleep becomes luxury instead. I'm with you, hon. It's time for bed. 'Night kids - we'll see you at breakfast." Will's father rose from his chair, took a bow and wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, guiding her toward the house.

Quiet pride bloomed in Will's chest as he watched them walking, heads bowed together. He wondered if he'd ever have what they had, if anyone could ever understand him so completely; or if anyone would want to, given his strange reality.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Skye's breath tickled his ear, making his skin burn. Her eyes, long-lashed and round, widened quizzically when he turned toward her. "You seemed far away for a second; I wondered what was on your mind."

"Make it a dollar and maybe you've got a deal." He smirked and tried to swallow the vulnerability that had seeped into his throat. "Actually, I was just thinking that my parents can drive me crazy, but all in all they're pretty great. Don't judge me -- I sound like one of those nice guys who finish last."

Skye took a breath and stared into the fire. "Well, this girl happens to think nice guys are underrated. Seems to me the bad boys are the ones who belong in last place." Her lips curved downward as she played absentmindedly with the rings on her middle finger.

"Hey, Skye, are you okay?" She was doing it again: retreating inward somehow, and he wasn't sure why.

Startled by his question, she looked up with an expression that was difficult to read.

"Hey guys! Did you save us any marshmallows?" Shelby bounded up from the beach, followed by Josh. Skye's features morphed into a smile as she turned to greet them.

"As a matter of fact, we did. You can have some if you make the next round of s'mores." Grinning, she held the bag just out of her cousin's reach.

"You, madam, have got a deal," Josh drawled as his long arm plucked the marshmallows from her grasp. "Chef Joshie's about to lay the smackdown on the best damned s'mores you've ever eaten -- and that's a fact!"

After what Josh called "a smorgasbord of s'mores", the flames died down and they dragged themselves from their beach chairs to retreat inside. Shelby and Skye shared the large guest room with two double beds upstairs, and Josh claimed the spare room down the hall. In his bedroom at the back of the house, Will fell asleep to the sound of cicadas singing in the moonlight.

***