Page 36 of Lemon Pound Cake Club

I looked up. Camille was watching me.

"Hm?"

"You drifted off."

"Oh."

I smiled.

"Occupational hazard."

No one asked any more questions, which was a relief. Nia clapped her hands together.

"Okay! Everybody order."

"I'll save us a table."

While everyone else debated tacos or burgers, I walked over to the lemonade stand. The counter was stacked with wooden crates full of fresh lemons.

A handwritten sign read:

Fresh Squeezed Daily

The girl working at the stand smiled.

"Can I get you anything?"

"I'll take a classic."

As she made my drink, I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye. It was Miss Evelyn, sitting alone under an old oak tree by the pond. She rocked slowly in a white Adirondack chair, a glass of iced tea beside her.

She didn’t watch the crowd. She kept her eyes on the water. Before I realized it, I was already walking over to her.

"You mind if I join you?"

She smiled before looking up.

"I was beginning to think you never would."

I sat beside her.

We sat quietly for a while as dragonflies zipped across the pond.

"You settling in?" she finally asked.

"I think so."

"You sleep any better?"

Her question surprised me.

"A little."

She nodded as if she already knew what I would say.

"Houses take time."

I gave her a polite smile.