Page 59 of Buried in the Woods Below

If she only knew.

“You were right,” I lie, finishing my drink, tipping my glass, and standing. “Anyone need a refill?”

Mom frowns at her barely touched cocktail. “You’re done already? This isn’t college, dear.”

Olivia chortles. “Yeah, girl. We’re trying to float the boat, not sink the ship.”

I smile. “I’m on vacation.”

My mom sighs wistfully. “I could use a vacation.”

“You should take one,” I say, heading toward the grill. “When was your last?”

Olivia answers for her. “Um, never?”

Mom clicks her tongue. “Over a decade, probably.”

Eric spins, spatula in hand. “You haven’t vacationed in ten years? Julie, that’s criminal. Keep that up, you’ll have a breakdown.”

She sighs, and her gaze drifts to the sky. “I know.”

I shift my attention to the grill. Cheese bubbles from inside a patty. “What kind of burgers are those?”

“Juicy Lucys,” Eric says, proud.

“What’s a Juicy Lucy?”

Olivia gasps. “You don’t know what a Juicy Lucy is?”

Eric clutches his chest. “And you call yourself a Minnesotan. Julie, did you teach this woman anything?”

The twins run up beside me, and Penelope explains, “It’s a burger with the cheese inside.”

Eric presses down on a patty, and gooey cheese bubbles to the top. “Molten cheddar lava. It’s a Minnesota staple.”

I smile despite myself. “You had me at cheese lava.”

He plates the burgers, and my stomach grumbles. I realize I haven’t eaten since this morning’s croissants.

“Ladies, to the table,” Eric says. “Fixings incoming.”

My mom rises. “Can I help, dear?”

“Nope. Just relax. Chef Eric has it covered.”

We gather around the massive oak table. The air smells of smoke and char and summer.

“Speaking of work,” I say, “how was the Business Roundtable?”

Mom sighs. “Unremarkable. A bunch of executives congratulating themselves.”

“What else is new?” Olivia and I say simultaneously with a laugh.

“Well,” she says, eyes twinkling, “it wasn’t entirely a waste of time.”

I squint. “Wait. You didn’t talk to Bob Bernfeld, did you?”

“I did.”