I See You

Chapter 5: Fireworks

It was the Fourth of July, one of the holidays Landry seemed to remember the most from her childhood. Not that anything great ever happened on any of those days; the loud booms and energy just have a way of sticking out in her mind. She had a feeling this Independence Day would stand out for a different reason.

Her family had hosted a fireworks event on their farm for the town of Dandridge since she was little. It was one of the few places the small town had that was convenient and would hold everyone, allowing them to park in a clearing near the road, bringing blankets and chairs into one of the open fields to enjoy the show. Between all the excitement from the people and the noise and vibrations from the explosions, it was her second-favorite holiday.

Even though her dad was a hard worker and expected the same out of his summer employees, he was also kind-hearted and knew hard work deserved acknowledgment. The guys had worked long hours for weeks, so he gave them an extended weekend to relax and recoup. Dawson would have the entire weekend free.

On the other hand, she knew her mom and dad would be busy all day helping get parking marked off, signs put out, and the food vendors set up. Wanting to take advantage of the freedom, she yelled for her mom as she started to walk out the door.

"What?" Laura said as she peeked her head around the corner of Landry's doorway.

"Can we swim today?"

"Honey, you know I can't, today. We've got too much to do."

"No, I meant take the guys down so they can enjoy the lake. Sam's family won't be here till later, so he'll be there, too." She knew her mom trusted him more than the other three.

"I don't know, Landry. I don't think your dad would like you going swimming with a bunch of boys."

"He's so busy, he probably wouldn't even know," she pleaded. "I mean, I'm sixteen, now. I can't drive or take off on a whim like Maddy can, so can't I at least go swimming?" She hated pulling out the blind card, whether it was true and how she actually felt or not. "I'll invite Maddy to go, too, so I won't be the only girl. She's had to work a lot, lately, and I've not got to see her, either, so it'll be fun."

"I don't know," she said again.

"Please? We won't be gone long, just long enough to cool off a bit and get some sun."

She laughed. "I think the boys have enough sun and you'll just burn."

"Then we'll all wear sunblock. Please? It's summer, the Fourth of July, and it's hot. Sam can drive us down in the Kubota." Laura was quiet, but Landry could tell she was swaying her decision. "Please, Mom? We'll be careful. I'll take two bottles of bug spray."

Laura sighed. "Okay, I guess you can, but don't stay too long."

"We won't."

She called Dawson as soon as her mom walked out the back door and asked if he'd like to go swimming, which he quickly took her up on. "Your dad said it was okay?" he asked.

"No, not necessarily," she admitted. "Mom said we could, though, as long as Sam went. I'm going to invite Maddy, too. I figured we could all go, if the other guys want to. We can drive down the trail to the lake."

He hesitated. "I don't think Maddy likes me."

He was right, she didn't. However, she didn't know him like Landry did. All she knew was who he pretended to be at school. Landry wanted her to see he wasn't like that.

"She just doesn't know you that well," Landry told him. "It'll be fine." And it was.

Once Maddy got there, they all piled into the Kabota while her dad was busy at the road. She showed them where the trail started that led to the lake. Since she was little, her mom had taken them down to swim in the cove when the water was up.