Chapter 11 #2
The lake was calm again today. The water lapped softly against the rocks that formed a natural seawall around its perimeter. Birds were chirping in the trees all around us. The smell of dewy grass and fresh silt hung in the late-spring air. It was serene.
Chic nudged my hand before turning onto the trail that led to his and Jake’s home. As we stepped closer to the house, we became enveloped by untamed patches of yard. Colorful tufts in white and yellow, blue, purple, and red spilled from the tops of the tightly clamped buds.
I approached the porch steps and knocked.
Jake’s porch was modern and new. In much better shape than Gibby’s.
His was enclosed in glass with sashes that could be opened, making the space fully open-air or closed presumably for the winter.
The glass was trimmed in black, giving the whole porch a modern touch.
My knock went unanswered. Phew. Not home.
Except . . . I heard footfalls headed in my direction. Crap! He was home this time.
He moved toward the back door and into view.
My. God. Gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt, which was perhaps the male version of lingerie when it fit a body the way it fit his.
His hair was tousled and his feet were bare.
He looked cozy and comfortable. It made me think back to the solid warmth of his body and how his taut chest had felt under my hands pressed to it the other night.
Shit. My resolve to keep this man at arm’s length was going to be very difficult if he strutted around looking like this all the time.
I think I yelped a little and swiftly turned away from him.
I needed to catch my breath. Recombobulate.
Strength, Ali. Resist. It’s for your own good.
“Ali? Hey. Good morning. Everything okay?” he asked as he swung open the glass door and stepped outside.
I turned back toward him and wrapped the cardigan I’d grabbed for the walk over tighter around myself.
“I . . .” My voice croaked, so I cleared my throat. “I brought your dog back. Didn’t mean to pop by unannounced.” I looked down at the gravel around my feet. Anywhere but up. Do not look at his crotch. Or his hands. Or shoulders. Or chin. And absolutely not into his eyes.
“Chicory? Oh no, was he bothering you? I’m sorry,” he said. “He’s harmless. Just old and tends to wander sometimes.” He began speaking to the dog. “Chicory, come. Time for breakfast.” Then back to me. “I was just getting ready for work. Here, let me grab my hoodie.”
He stepped back inside. I shook my head to revive my senses. Closed my mouth before Jake returned.
“He’s very sweet. We actually met. At your clinic. And he’s been coming by the cabin all weekend to say hello.”
“Huh. I didn’t know that.”
“He’s a very smart boy. Misha and I welcomed him, gave him the pets you so obviously deprive him of, and then sent him home.”
“This boy is not deprived in the least.”
Wait. Were we still talking about Chic? Or had Jake just made a joke? A salacious innuendo? Or maybe not. I was the one who made the jab about depriving Chic of pets. My face suddenly felt warm.
Jake looked at me curiously, like he could read my mind. “Thanks, but honestly, he knows the way home. If he’s leading you to believe otherwise, then I think he’s manipulating you.”
I flashed a half grin meant to tell Chic that I was on to his con-artist ways.
I squatted to Chic’s height. “I see you, Chicory. Another wildflower among Lakeside.”
“You’re familiar with the chicory wildflower?” Jake said, eyebrow raised.
I nodded as I looked up at Jake from Chic’s eye level. “I told you. Gibby taught me a few things.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and with one thumb brushed the edge of his lips. A gesture that made me think he was holding back from wanting to press those lips to mine. When did I start craving lips? Mine tingled.
“Well, thanks for bringing him home,” Jake said as he opened the door wider for Chic to step through.
“Come on in if you have a minute.”
Curiosity got the better of me, and I stepped into Jake’s world a little more.
His cabin was completely renovated. It was an open floorplan with a spacious kitchen toward the back of the house.
New cabinets, new countertops, new appliances.
Gorgeous natural stained oak wood floors and large windows looking out over the water.
A stone-surround wood-burning fireplace was the centerpiece of the room, with a fluffy sectional sofa positioned in front of it.
A large TV hung above the mantel. The mantel itself was a stunning piece, with heavy grain and a stain that allowed all the natural shades of the wood to sing.
Brass accents curved around the corners and offered a beautiful pop of shine.
And bookshelves lined the perimeter walls.
“I’m actually really glad you came by,” Jake said, interrupting my awe as I took in his cabin. “I was starting to think you were avoiding me after Thursday night.” He cocked a brow. Attentive. Inviting.
“Me? Not at all!” Absolutely I was avoiding him.
“Misha and I were so busy this weekend getting settled. The cabin was such a mess, and Misha was only here for a few days, so we wanted to get as much done as possible.” I sputtered and spewed with a shaky laugh like tumbling rocks down an unstable mountain.
“So you weren’t avoiding me?”
“Of course not,” I said with a snicker.
I gulped and looked out toward the water, desperate to change the subject and avoid eye contact. I suspected that if we locked eyes again, who knew what he’d see and what I’d do.
“The lake is so placid today. Peaceful.”
“I love the lake like this,” he said, stepping by my side and looking out at the water.
His proximity made my body feel . . . settled. Calm. Present. Huh. Just like the other night. Weird.
“I read that being near water or even drinking a glass of water is said to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps you relax,” he said.
Duh, Ali! The calm and peace I’d felt since being here was from the lake. Not Jake.
I turned toward his face, knowing I would be able to take in a full glimpse of him in profile without his eyes reaching for mine.
I took a deep breath and caught his scent. Clean cotton, pine, and something that tugged at the back of my memory.
“I’ve done a few yoga retreats that may have mentioned something like that,” I said, nodding and letting my eyes return to the lake.
“It’s why I chose this place on the lake.
It’s healing and replenishing. And every few months it changes.
Adapts to the climate. All by itself. And doesn’t stop for anything.
” Jake was smart and sweet. I might describe him to Misha later as adorkable.
At least when he was talking about science-y, outdoorsy stuff like this.
We were quiet for a few beats, gazing at the delicate, soothing lake. As if proving the soothing water theory, I felt myself sink deeper into the moment.
“Every summer when I came here to stay with Gibby, the first thing I’d do was leap off the dock into the lake.
It was always freezing. That lake takes forever to warm up.
But I don’t know . . . the cold water . .
. it felt like a baptism or something. Like I was rinsing off my city life and summer could start,” I said.
“Have you done it yet?”
“What?”
“Jumped into the lake? You said it was always the first thing you’d do when you got here, so have you done it yet on this trip?”
“No . . . Actually, I didn’t even think of it until just now.” I placed my hands in the deep pockets of my cardigan.
“How cold do you think the water is right now? It’s a few weeks earlier than when I would normally come here as a kid.”
“Ehh . . . it’s early yet for swimming in the lake.” He cleared his throat. “But . . . cold plunges. They’re all the rage these days, aren’t they? Our lake is nature’s cold pool. It might be just what you need to settle in.”
I could run out there, strip down to my underwear and bra, and leap into the water. Become fully submerged for two, three, five seconds. Then break the surface with a lifted chin, letting the water slick my hair back. A shock to my system? Maybe that was what I needed.
“You’re not wrong, Jake. I’m going to do it,” I said, new resolve in my voice as I started to move toward the door.
“Wait, uh, now?” He sounded surprised.
“Isn’t that what you meant?”
“Um . . . Let’s think this through. We should check when is the warmest time of day.
Bring towels and blankets. Maybe a camping heater.
You don’t want to get hypothermia.” Jake started to move around his living room, collecting his thoughts.
Organizing what I’d need to “spontaneously” plunge into the lake.
Wow, this guy. Impulsivity was definitely not part of his personality.
It was practically my entire identity. We were so different.
Incompatible. This was good. This was how I could maintain distance.
Just be my impulsive self and he will get the ick.
And poof—all that alchemy and attraction will fade.
As long as our mouths and other body parts don’t touch.
“Okay. You’re probably right. A leap into the lake first thing in the morning might be more symbolic anyway.”
“That’s not the warmest part of the day, though— ”
“Jake, you’ve convinced me. This is what I need. I love the idea.”
Jake wore a worried expression. It was cute.
“And listen, you can be my spotter, if that makes you feel better. I trust that you’ll bring lots of warm towels and blankets.
Unless you’d also like to take a plunge?
Then you can be my cohort. Either way, I have a sneaking suspicion that you’d make the perfect sidekick for this adventure.
I’ll just show up and do it my way, which is not prepare a thing.
And you’ll show up your way and have all the supplies ready to go, covering all our bases.
” I turned away from him to make my way out again.