Twenty-Four
W hy?” Scott asked
“It sparkles. It’s the ideal version of a lake house. Of what a lake house should be.” She was honest with her explanation instead of coming up with a made-up reason that made more sense.
Scott chuckled.
She didn’t blame him. After all, it seemed rather childish when she said the words aloud, but then she had been a child the first time she saw the house and decided she wanted to live there some day.
“How does it sparkle?” Scott sounded like he couldn’t believe he was asking her about houses sparkling.
“I think it’s the windows on that enormous room off to the side. When the sun is just right, you can see it sparkling through the trees from the bridge.”
“Maybe the next house will sparkle.” Scott pulled into the driveway five houses down from Lauren’s dream house.
Before she got out of the car, she took a deep breath and let loose the words she’d wanted to say to Scott since he walked into her bakery a week ago. “I had a huge crush on your in high school.”
“I know.” Scott rewarded her with one of his charming grins. He leaned across the center console and kissed her cheek. “Come on. Let’s see if this house sparkles.”
The house did not sparkle. And none of the next six houses on the list they looked at sparkled either.
As they drove through the meandering roads that edged the houses lining the lake and talked about everything and anything, Lauren had an epiphany. This was what it was like to not be alone. Yeah, she had friends and sure, they did things together, but they didn’t have moments like right then.
The simple existence of just being together.
Lauren didn’t want to be alone anymore.
“You know how people say they don’t have any regrets? Well, they’re lying. We all have regrets. Those moments we wish we could take back and do over.”
Lauren turned away from watching the passing scenery and looked over at Scott. She had no idea what he was going to say, or why he was even bringing up regrets when they were having an enjoyable conversation about homeowners on the lake fighting back against the weekend boaters by putting in buoys. When the DNR told them they couldn’t do that, the owners retaliated by putting in swim rafts. She had no idea what regrets had to do with swim rafts.
“I wish I had come back to Iron Creek sooner.”
“To reconcile with your dad? You can’t blame yourself for that. The heart attack was sudden. It wasn’t like he was sick, and you knew he was dying.”
“No, Lauren, not for my dad. For you. I should have come back after your mom died, but I was young and stupid. I don’t know what my excuse is after I graduated college, but I shouldn’t have waited this long.”
Lauren didn’t know what to say. Which was weird since she’d been dreaming about hearing those words since Scott walked into her bakery. Except now that fantasy had turned to reality, she had no idea how it should play out.
“Thank you.” It wasn’t the greatest or most romantic of responses and she wished she could take the words back as soon as they left her mouth.
He was right. People who said they didn’t have any regrets were lying.