Chapter Three
Ten minutes later, Morgan stood on a sandy beach at the lake’s edge, watching as Juliette demonstrated how to use a paddleboard.
Morgan hadn’t expected the beach here to be sandy.
It must be man made, and it was much appreciated.
She loved the feel of warm sand between her toes, but unlike the ocean, this water was dark green and smelled like wet plants.
Who knew what was lurking beneath its surface?
Fish. Snakes?
God, she hoped there weren’t snakes. Morgan rarely went in the ocean—or any body of water that wasn’t a pool—because again .
. . fish. And sharks. All scaly creatures freaked her out, but she was especially afraid of snakes.
Nature was not her friend, but she was doing her best to take Sierra’s words to heart and push past her fears, because it meant the chance to spend more time with Juliette.
The attraction was still there, at least for Morgan.
It bummed her out that Juliette didn’t remember her, but maybe that could work to Morgan’s advantage.
She’d probably seemed naive on that long-ago night, the very night she realized she was bisexual.
Today, she had a rare second chance to make a first impression, and she was determined not to mess it up.
She was also determined not to fall in the lake. Morgan had good balance. Surely she could stand on a paddleboard while avoiding the scaly creatures in the water. How hard could it be?
Juliette currently stood knee deep in the lake, demonstrating how to get on the paddleboard, and Morgan was trying to pay attention.
She really was. But Juliette’s board matched her pink bikini, and she made the whole thing look so effortless.
She knelt on the board as Roux hopped on in front of her like he’d done it a million times before.
He was a handsome dog, a golden retriever, if Morgan wasn’t mistaken, with a reddish-gold coat that shone in the sunshine.
He and Juliette made a striking pair on their paddleboard as the lake stretched out before them, sunlight glinting across its surface.
Morgan was already reaching for her camera, thankful she’d brought its waterproof case. “Do you mind?” she asked.
Juliette looked over her shoulder. “Go ahead. Just don’t take any pictures of my ass.”
A shocked laugh burst from Morgan’s throat. “That’s not . . . I wanted to get a wide-angle shot of you and Roux on the lake.”
Juliette’s lips quirked. “I figured as much, but you’re fun to tease.”
“Oh.” Morgan gulped, cheeks growing warm. Juliette was more playful than she remembered, and it left Morgan feeling flustered . . . in a good way.
Morgan adjusted the aperture on her camera as she set up her shot, Juliette and Roux on their paddleboard with the lake unfurling around them, glistening water and tree-lined shores. The lighting wasn’t ideal with the sun blazing overhead, but she wasn’t complaining.
She’d almost forgotten the thrill of taking a series of unposed shots without a studio or a prop in sight.
God, she loved this. Morgan zoomed in to capture Roux’s “smile” as he settled in for the ride before turning her attention to his master.
Juliette was graceful and confident as she steered her board through the shallow water along the beach.
“Are you ready for that lesson or what?” Juliette sounded slightly impatient, and Morgan realized she’d gotten lost behind the lens again. She had a tendency to hide behind her camera, observing life instead of participating in it. But participating was the theme of the day, so . . .
She lowered her camera. “I’m ready.”
“I can put that in my bag,” Juliette offered, gesturing to the cross-body bag she wore. “I wouldn’t recommend carrying anything your first time on the board.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks.” Morgan watched as Juliette brought her board back to the shore, then Morgan held out her camera so Juliette could tuck it into her bag. With her hands free, Morgan approached the blue board she’d selected for their excursion.
Juliette showed her how to fasten the ankle tether so her board wouldn’t float away if she fell off. “Now you’re going to walk out until you’re about knee deep.”
“Do I have to?” Morgan internally cringed at the idea of going even that far into the murky green water. Scaly creatures . . . gah.
Juliette’s lips pursed. “If you don’t want to go in the lake, you should stay by the pool.”
Morgan heard a hint of judgment in Juliette’s tone, a reminder that Morgan was supposed to be making a good impression right now. She lifted her chin, determined to push through the fear. “I want to do this,” she insisted.
“You’re probably going to fall in at some point,” Juliette warned.
Morgan pressed her lips together, pushing that thought right out of her head. She stepped forward, sinking first one foot, then the other into the surprisingly cold lake water. She was doing this, dammit, and she was not going to fall in.
With Juliette’s encouragement, she floated the board beside her and then carefully crawled onto it on her hands and knees. She stayed in that position for a few seconds as she got a feel for the way it swayed beneath her.
“Great job,” Juliette said.
Buoyed by the praise, Morgan shuffled her feet forward and stood. She wobbled, holding the paddle in front of her as she caught her balance. “I did it,” she exclaimed, turning to look at Juliette and losing her balance in the process. Morgan dropped back to her hands and knees.
But she’d stayed on the board!
Juliette’s lips twitched with one of those little smirks she’d been giving Morgan all morning. “Don’t do this if you aren’t willing to get wet.”
“That’s what she said,” Morgan fired back, surprising even herself.
Juliette chuckled. “Are you sure you don’t want a life vest? It’s deep out there, although we’ll stay close to shore for your first time.”
“I’m sure. I’m a strong swimmer. I’m just not overly fond of lake creatures.”
“Not many creatures in this lake that would bother you.”
Morgan struggled back to her feet, grateful that her swimsuit had boy shorts instead of a bikini bottom, or she’d be giving Juliette a show right now. As it was, she straightened to find Juliette watching her with unmasked amusement.
“Now let me show you the different strokes.”
Morgan resisted the urge to make another “that’s what she said” joke, but seriously, why did everything Juliette say sound dirty all of a sudden?
Probably because it had been too long since Morgan had had sex .
. . or gone on a date, for that matter. She watched as Juliette demonstrated how to paddle forward and backward and how to steer the board.
Before long, Morgan was paddling beside her, making her way slowly across the water, and it was a lot more fun than Morgan had been expecting. She’d imagined spending the whole time trying not to fall off, but while she was a little wobbly, she was holding her own.
“Standing up gives you a perspective you wouldn’t get in a canoe,” Juliette commented. “If the water’s clear enough, you can see fish or even the lake bed beneath you.”
That might have interested Juliette, but it sounded terrible to Morgan. When she was in the water, she absolutely did not want to know what was below her. “Really?”
Juliette gave her another amused look. “Your tone always gives you away, so you might as well be honest. You aren’t a nature girl. That’s fine. I respect you for trying this anyway.”
“Yeah, you caught me, but thanks.” Right now, Morgan was too busy basking in Juliette’s praise and admiring the way the sun glinted on her blond hair to worry about the scaly creatures that might be lurking below her paddleboard.
Muscles rippled in Juliette’s shoulders as she paddled, making the ivy in her tattoo seem to slide over her tanned skin. Morgan was so caught up in watching her, she almost tipped right off her board. She bent her knees, steadying herself.
Their rented house was on the shore of a private lake in southern Vermont, not far from where Morgan and her friends had grown up.
She, Sierra, and the rest of the group had known each other since they were kids.
They tried to take a vacation together every summer, and they always ended up with a few extra people, friends of friends or dates or spouses, which explained Juliette’s presence and presumably why she’d been at the Cape eight years ago too.
The group had split up that year, renting two smaller houses, so Juliette must have been in the other house.
The lake today was fairly uncrowded, only a few boats visible on its shimmery blue surface. The shore was dotted here and there with houses but largely unspoiled by anything man made. Beyond the trees, the Green Mountains rolled along the horizon.
“It’s beautiful here,” she murmured.
“Yes,” Juliette agreed. “Roux and I have been out on the board every day.”
She’d set a slow, steady pace, allowing them to glide quietly between strokes.
Morgan suspected Juliette was doing it for her benefit, and she appreciated it.
The slower pace gave her time to enjoy the scenery .
. . and to appreciate Juliette’s physique.
Occasionally, Juliette pointed things out, including an eagle in a distant tree and a sunken canoe near the shoreline.
More than once, Morgan wished she had her camera, but she also knew she wasn’t steady enough on her board yet to do anything but hold the paddle and soak it all in.
They’d traveled a good distance from the house and were admiring a large maple tree on the shore when Juliette said, “Uh-oh.”
“What?” Morgan looked around in alarm, half expecting to see a water snake swimming her way, but nothing seemed amiss.
“Roux, no.” Juliette was looking at Roux, who was staring intently at . . . Morgan wasn’t sure what. “He’s fixated on that buoy.” Juliette gestured toward a red dot on the far side of the lake. “I think he thinks it’s a ball. He doesn’t realize how far away—or how big—it actually is.”
“A ball?” Morgan squinted at the buoy in question. From this distance, she supposed it did look sort of like a ball.
“Roux, stay.” Juliette’s voice was firm, but it was too late. With a loud splash, Roux leaped into the lake. Juliette let out a little yelp as the board lurched beneath her feet, sending her into the water with her dog.
Her board slammed into Morgan’s, and then it was Morgan’s turn to yelp as everything went sideways. She’d barely had time to think Snakes! before cold water closed over her head, submerging her.