Read The Broken Lake for Free Online

back to the car. I was about to get in when he stopped me.
    “Sophie?” He was so close to me, I could’ve kissed him. He started wiping powdered sugar away from the corners of my mouth.
    “Yes?” I answered softly.
    “I
am
going to get that white horse and take you to that island.”
    I leaned in now, only millimeters from him, and I could feel his breath. “Now?”
    He shook his head gently. “No. You’re not ready.”
    “Yes, I am. I just want to be with you.”
    He kissed me in a tender way that reassured me of his affection, and also in a way that told me he would always be there for me. But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t binding, like a plane ticket would be if it was purchased for us tomorrow.
    I broke away. “We’re not going any time soon, are we? I have to keep waiting for you to pick me up or come over to my mom’s?”
    That all sounded too immature and shallow for us. What we had become was so much more than that. A century of belonging to each other was undeniable. Our lives were connected, and even though the purpose of that had yet to be discovered, there was no doubt that I was born to be with him. Our destinies were intertwined, and I wanted to own up to it. Make it ours to mold. I wanted a place where we didn’t have to hide our affection, a place where we could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.
    He kissed my forehead and drew me to his chest. “We’ll go when the time is right. I promise you.”
    I thought about pressing the when and where, but I knew it was better not to. Wrapping my arms around him, I gave in to the idea that Dawn would just have to see me again at Healey’s tomorrow, and I was fine with that, for now. I knew deep down that he was right. I was overreacting in my desire to be with him, and only him, right now. My mom would freak and that wasn’t fair to her, but it didn’t change the way I felt.
    “You’re staying with me again tonight. Right?”
    He smiled. “Of course.”

     

Chapter 4
     
DAMAGE CONTROL
     
    O n Saturday morning, I was awakened by the smell of breakfast. I took a big whiff. Bacon, cinnamon, but there was more. Sausage? Yum, but not normal. I smelled a ton of different things and was hungry, so I dragged myself out of bed, brushed my teeth, and picked up a bounce on my way downstairs.
    Mom was laughing, and then I heard Tom’s voice.
If they are in their pajamas, I am going to be ill.
I turned the corner. Fully dressed, the pair were making breakfast.
    “Hey, sleepyhead,” my mom chirped. “We thought you’d never wake up. Come on. Tom came over to eat breakfast with us.”
    “Hi, Tom.”
    “Hey, Sophie. You look good. It’s nice to see you feeling better.”
    Tom and my mom had been dating for almost as long as Wes and I. She met him on the Berkeley campus where she worked in one of the medical centers, and although he was 17 years older, he had enough energy to keep up with a toddler if he needed to. And he had a full head of hair. I wasn’t into the salt-and-pepper thing, personally, but I was happy for her. I just didn’t want to imagine them sharing a room. I was definitely glad he was still sleeping at his own house.
    I sat at the table which was already set. “Thanks, Tom.”
    “You have perfect timing, sweetheart.” My mom came over to the table, juggling platters of food. Tom freed one of her hands.
    “Wow.” I wanted to ask if all of this was for me, but I knew it wasn’t, and that was okay.
    I liked the idea of Tom hanging out here. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I still worried about Mom being alone. I couldn’t shake the thought of my leaving, and then realized why I was so ready to go away with Wes.
    I sensed I was leaving, and it was better to think of it in terms of “leaving” rather than “dying.” If I only had a year left, why shouldn’t I want to spend it with the one I loved?
    “Sophie, honey, what would you like?” She was standing over me with a spatula. My eyes surveyed the spread. Eggs,