"Every summer it’s the same. I end up wedged between my two sisters on the back seat during the three-day drive from Los Angeles to Bluepointe, Michigan. Of course, since I’m the youngest, I don’t get to choose my spot or the topics of conversation (which can be summed up as: 1. boys, 2. boys, and 3. boys).
But this year, for the first time, my heart tightened thinking of the house by the lake and my grandmother who would not return there. I did not yet know that a bookstore, a waitressing job and a first love would make this vacation unforgettable."