Harper asked me as we picked our way along the shoreline. “Because Nate promised to behave,” I said, hopping over a slimy rock. “And provide s’mores.” “We could’ve made s’mores in the fire pit in your yard.” “Right. You think Pop would let me have unlimited access to sugar like that?” Harper shook her head. “I can’t believe my mom and your dad came from the same parents.” “I know.” We discussed this all the time, how different Pop and Aunt Carrie were in spite of being raised in the same household. Aunt Carrie was a lot more laid back and go-with-the-flow. She was a high school teacher and a big believer in picking your battles. We were the last to show up in the bonfire clearing. Emmett had already arrived and was sitting by himself on one of the logs, head bent as he stabbed a stick into the coarse sand below him. Zoe and Gabriella paddled in the water nearby, giggling and dunking each other and essentially putting on a show for the guys. But only the twins were watching, their mouths hanging open in dual expressions of awe.
