25. Chapter 25
Chapter 25
James
“I was wondering when you’d finally show your face around here.”
GiGi stood in the doorway, one eyebrow raised as she attempted to look angry. But I’d had many years of experience learning to detect my grandmother’s moods—or rather, knowing when she was actually messing with me.
Scooting past her, I kicked off my shoes before dropping down onto the same beige floral sofa that had sat there my whole life. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, go ahead, get it out of your system. I know you’ve been waiting to give me crap about that kiss you saw last weekend.”
“Oh… a kiss, you say?”
It was Friday—also the Fourth of July—and I’d been avoiding GiGi’s cabin all week, giving myself a chance to slowly settle into the idea of me and Lizzie before I let my grandmother latch onto it herself.
Ok, that was a lie —-once my brain had caught up with the rest of me, I’d been full steam ahead since that day in the lake, no settling in required. Which was, in a way, a little terrifying, too.
I’d wondered if I made her feel pressured by calling her my girlfriend the morning after our first date—but something about the way she’d looked at me suggested it hadn’t been a mistake. That she wanted it, too.
Because no matter what, I didn’t want to do anything that added to the anxiety I knew she struggled with.
Honestly, the fact that she’d admitted to feeling scared at all made me realize that I was finally ready to stop living that way. And the idea of the two of us learning to be brave together felt… I don’t know, pretty fucking incredible . And so much less lonely than where I’d been all this time.
I don't even think I'd realized how much I'd been needing someone like her.
For once, I was starting to look ahead, rather than behind—and tonight, I’d be taking Lizzie out for a proper date. Well, not so much a date as a holiday cookout at Jesse and Tara’s. Unfortunately, there’d be no official fireworks anywhere near Dearing Creek tonight, with the state in drought status after weeks with no rain—making anything fire-related a no-go.
But I had plans for us afterwards as well, which I hoped would keep us plenty occupied.
First, though, I better get this conversation with my grandmother over with. Catching the glint in her eye as she settled into the chair across from me, I realized all I’d done was delay the inevitable.
“The jig is up, GiGi. I’ve already talked to Jesse and Jack. I know all about this little side bet you three had going.” Waggling a finger, I leaned in, eyes narrowed. “Which I don’t appreciate, by the way.”
She waved a hand, as though trying to shoo away any accountability for her nosey interference. “Calm down now. You’re usually so predictable. Can’t blame me for trying. ‘Course I lost, so… thanks a lot for nothing.”
I couldn’t help it—seeing her face all screwed up in a frown like that, the laughter just spilled right out of me. A moment later, she was laughing too.
“Serves you right, GiGi. Though I have to admit… watching you lose kind of makes having to go through your little emotional manipulations worth it.”
“No idea what you’re talking about,” she said, shrugging. “I certainly didn’t force you to kiss Elizabeth that day. You did that all on your own, boy.”
“Uh-huh, sure.” Of course, she wasn’t wrong. And even though I’d fought my attraction to Lizzie since our coffee shop collision, I didn’t regret a single moment of the past week. Except for the fact that I wished I’d gotten over myself and asked her out sooner.
“Anyway, just don’t go messing things up with this one, Tater. Take care… she’s special.”
I nodded, smiling to myself. Luckily, I’d already figured that one out on my own.
“Ok, I know I keep saying this, but that was probably the best burger I’ve had in ages.” Lizzie sat back on the picnic bench across from me, a small bit of steak sauce caught in the corner of her mouth. Doing my best to hold back a smile, I offered her a napkin—which she snatched from my hand with a look of embarrassment. “Sorry, I just… get a little too excited about food sometimes.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed,” I said, grinning as I popped a few grapes into my mouth.
“Hey, I’ll take it as a compliment,” Jesse said as he sat back down in the seat next to me, reaching over to hand Tara a fresh glass of lemonade. “I’ve worked hard to maintain my Master of the Grill title around these parts.”
Tara smirked at her husband, one hand resting on her baby bump as the other mussed his sandy blonde hair. “Oh, is that what you’re calling yourself now?” She leaned in towards Lizzie. “Ask him how he is with indoor cooking …”
“Now listen, wife, that fire was not my fault…”
“Uh-huh, sure .” But by now, everyone at the table was laughing.
Jack took another swig of his beer before clapping a hand on Jesse’s back. “Look, man… no judgment here. And you do make a damn good burger. But I hate to break it to you… Loon’s Landing still has the best in the area.”
I nodded. “He’s not wrong. They might be even better than Mac’s.”
“You mean Mac’s Bar, in the cities?”
“Yep.”
“Ohhh, boy … then be glad my brother wasn’t able to make it up here this weekend to hear that.” Lizzie raised an eyebrow, smirking as she set down her fork. “Because those are fightin’ words, where I come from.”
“I think I can hold my own just fine, city girl .”
“Reformed ‘city girl’ , thank you very much,” she said, grinning. “As for the rest, we’ll see about that.”
Chuckling, I took a sip from my beer as I caught Jack’s eye from where he sat on her left, grinning. I already knew that Jesse had grown to love Lizzie over the past couple of months, but it felt good to see Jack giving his official stamp of approval as well.
These guys were my brothers, after all. And she’d managed to slide into the entire group so easily, like she’d been a part of our circle since the beginning. It had been almost impossible to separate her and Tara since arriving a couple of hours ago. Watching her with these people I loved, it’d be damn near impossible not to fall for a woman like this.
But as much as I loved all this, I couldn’t wait to have her all to myself again.
Shifting my eyes back to Lizzie, I watched as she took a sip from her hard lemonade, licking away a droplet on her upper lip while I did my best to hold myself in check. It was almost as though she knew exactly what she was doing to me—all of her warmth, her beauty, and the quirky little facets of her personality making me want to show her off and protect her and kiss her senseless, all at the same time.
It was unreasonable, really, how quickly I was falling. But not something I had any interest in fighting anymore.
Leaning my arms against the table, I looked across to my date. “So, you up for a drive?” I’d wanted to keep our first official public date casual, to take the pressure off both of us after the heavier, more intimate tone of our first date. It was good to have this time with friends on such a beautiful night, to see her relaxed and having fun as well.
But I still had more planned for her.
Lizzie looked at me, curious. “A drive? Where are you thinking?”
I bit back a smile. “Oh, it’s a special spot. You’ll appreciate it, I think. So… whaddya say, Red?”
“I say… I’m in.”
I caught both Jesse and Jack shooting a knowing grin in my direction—but for once, I didn’t care.
Damn it, I was happy.
Twenty minutes later—after a very long Minnesota goodbye and being loaded down with packaged-up leftovers in a cooler—we were making our way east along County Road Three. Looping around the lake, I drove until we reached a narrow gravel road that zagged off to the north, weaving our way through the pines until pulling into a small clearing at the top of a slope. From there, we had a view of most of the town—Lake Elska glittering at the heart of it all, the setting sun coloring it in shades of orange and peach with hints of gold. And by an odd stroke of luck, we were the only car up here tonight.
“Oh… my God.”
I glanced over at her in the passenger’s seat, feigning innocence. “What?”
By now, though, Lizzie was smirking. “Did you seriously just bring me up to Neckineezer Hill?”
It was impossible to hold back the laughter. Neckineezer Hill—technically Ebenezer Hill, after one of Dearing Creek’s earliest residents, though nobody ever called it that—was well known for being the premiere make-out spot of every coming-of-age teenager in the area.
And though I wouldn’t admit it out loud to my date, I’d had my fair share of visits up here as well in my youth. Not that I gave a damn about any of them that came before her.
“Come on, Lizzie… let’s go see what all the fuss is about,” I said, giving her a wink.
Grinning, she grabbed her door handle and hopped out.
Pulling out the blanket and pillows I’d packed from the backseat, I made quick work of setting everything up in the back bed of the truck. “I’m actually surprised you’ve heard of this place, not being a local and all.”
“Are you kidding me? Most of my best friends grew up here. Of course I know about this place.” She glanced at me from across the truck bed, giggling. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but Brooke actually lost her virginity up here. Not that she really keeps it a secret, anyway.”
I laughed along with her as I lowered the back gate. “I’m sure whoever the lucky guy was considered it a badge of honor. Especially if he managed not to get killed by her brothers in the process.” Reaching out a hand, I helped her step up onto the truck bed, and soon the two of us were settled into the cozy nook I’d set up for us.
Laying on my back and looking up at the sky, I watched as a lone eagle glided across the kaleidoscope of colors above our heads. It was beautiful how peaceful he looked, up there all on his own. Some creatures really were meant to go through life solo.
I used to think I was one of them.
Now, I turned my head to glance at the woman laying beside me. “So, how about you? Did you ever come up here with a boy during your hot cabin summers?” I’d meant it to be teasing—but even saying the words made something clench in my gut, irrationally jealous that she may have had a history of her own on this hill, too.
“Psssh… no boy wanted to make out with the awkward, nerdy girl with frizzy hair and way too many books.” She sighed, eyes skyward. “I just lived vicariously through Brooke and Jules. They were the ones all the boys wanted, anyway.”
“Their loss. Which one is Jules again?”
She turned to look over at me. “Jules Silver.”
“Why does that name sound familiar?”
“Ever see Anyone But You? Rome and Julia?”
I grimaced. “Maybe now’s the time I tell you I’m not… super into chick flicks.”
“Well, you better get on board quick, because I love ‘em,” she said, nudging my foot with hers. “But anyway, Jules stars in both films.”
“Your friend Jules is that Jules? Why didn’t you tell me?”
She tilted her head with a smug smile. “Technically, I just did.”
“Fair point, Blake.” I elbowed her in the side, chuckling.
She was quiet for a moment. “I wish Ethan had been able to get up here this weekend. He’s been so bogged down with some major tech project that he hasn’t been able to get away. I really miss him.”
“I get it. I mean, it’s how I feel about Jesse and Jack. The world doesn’t seem quite right when we’re apart.”
“Yeah, I can see that. With brothers, I think we both got pretty lucky.” She smiled, squeezing my hand before redirecting her gaze upward again.
We lay like that for a while, watching as the sky shifted from gold to purples and deep blues, the moon becoming clearer as the sun dissolved below the horizon. It was easy being myself with Lizzie and not having to worry about hiding parts of me. Being up here together now, surrounded by nature and fresh air and stillness, I felt more happy and relaxed than I had… ever.
But not everything was still. Inside, the slow heat building was becoming harder to ignore.
Now that I had access to this woman I’d wanted for months, it had taken everything in me this week to hold myself back from finding excuses to touch or kiss her. And, of course, countless other things beyond that.
But I’d meant it when I told myself I wouldn’t rush. With her, I wanted to be intentional, for her to know I wasn’t in this to mess around. That what I wanted with her was more .
GiGi was right. Lizzie was special . She wasn’t like any of the other women I’d been with—where it had never amounted to anything beyond a few casual dates and hookups. I mean, how could it have, when everything in me felt broken, discontent? Of course, I’d probably never given them a fair chance.
But it was about more than brokenness and boundaries. I hadn’t felt anything like this with the others, not even an inkling of it.
Lizzie, though. It felt different with her, because… she was different. She was hauntingly authentic, in a way I’d never known anyone else to be. And with her, I felt different, too—more settled into myself, not feeling like I had to prove anything. Whatever this was between us, it mattered—for us both.
And I’d meant what I said the other day—being brave with her was something I was ready to do. So I would take things as slow as I could manage, until she was ready to believe it. She was more than worth the wait.
But in the meantime, I’d make sure that the girl who’d never had a chance to make out on Neckineezer Hill would know what it felt like to be the only one this man would ever remember kissing up here.
Reaching over, I brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen into her face when she’d turned her head. She was watching me too, I realized—her eyes darker now in this light but no less striking. I kept my hand near her face, running a thumb down along her cheek, grazing across those full lips of hers.
“Lizzie…”
“Yeah?”
“It’s too bad I didn’t really know you much back then.”
“Why’s that?”
My eyes locked on hers. “Because if I had, there’s no way that frizzy-haired girl wouldn’t have gotten her kiss.” Then I leaned over, nibbling along her upper lip, coaxing her mouth open as the tip of my tongue found hers.
As a soft moan escaped her lips, I began kissing her more deeply, though every bit as slowly. Weaving my fingers through her hair, I pulled her in closer—our bodies side by side, not quite touching. I knew if I moved even a centimeter closer to this woman, any resolve I had within me would crumble.
Especially if she kept making noises like that…
Suddenly, a high-pitched whine pierced through the silence not far from my truck. Lizzie broke away, eyes wide. “Um… what the heck was that?”
Pulling away with a disappointed sigh, I raised my head to look around. The light had mostly faded around us now, making spotting anything out here tricky. “I don’t know… probably just some raccoon or something.” I’d barely finished my sentence, though, when the noise sounded again—whatever was out there, it must be closer than I’d thought. Grabbing the key fob from my pocket, I pushed the button to activate the headlamps, standing now to look over the truck cab as I peered off into the trees just ahead of us.
Then I heard Lizzie’s voice behind me. “Oh, my God… is that… Boner Jr. Jr.?”
Sure enough, there he was, just past the edge of my headlight beams on the far left. Dearing Creek’s most infamous mutt whore was going to town, humping a white fluffy dog I was fairly certain belonged to Bess and Tom Granger from a half mile down the road.
I turned back, doubled over with laughter as Lizzie released a loud snort of her own, clapping a hand to her mouth, as the doggy porn show continued to play out in front of us.
But before I could even begin to pull myself together, the ridiculousness of the situation only multiplied as we found ourselves startled by the flashing lights—and woop-woop siren—from the police car that had pulled up behind my truck in the chaos of the moment.
Holding up a hand to shield my eyes from the light, I squinted as a car door slammed and a tall figure approached.
Then I sighed, running a hand over my face. Jesus Christ.
“Good evening, what’re you two up to tonight?” Lars Egge—sorry, Deputy Lars —strolled over to the truck, resting his arms against the side as he stared up at both of us. I’d known Lars my whole life, graduating from Lake View High the same year—but the guy had always been kind of a dipshit. And for reasons unknown, he’d always seemed to have it out for me and my friends. Giving him the almighty power of town deputy was a decision I still couldn’t understand for the life of me.
Sighing, I hopped down onto the ground next to him. “Relax… we’re not doing anything, Lars.”
He cocked his head to the side, shifting his lanky frame away from the truck as he gave me a smirk. “Not what it looks like to me. You got fireworks up in there?”
“You know we don’t, man.”
He looked at me skeptically before glancing back towards Lizzie, still halfway up on her knees in the truck bed. “How ‘bout you, ma’am… you ok?”
The look she gave him was clearly amused. “Other than being eye-assaulted by Boner Jr. Jr., yes … I’m perfectly fine.” As if on cue, the two dogs scurried through the beams of the headlights, Deputy Lars shaking his head in annoyance before turning back to continue his interrogation.
“You’re that Blake girl that inherited the cabin on the south side, aren’t you? I’m Deputy Lars Egge… but you can go ahead and just call me Lars.” He extended a hand across the open hatch towards her, which she leaned forward to accept hesitantly.
“Yes, I’m Lizzie. Nice to meet you… Deputy.”
“Lars.”
“Alright, then… Lars . Anyway, we just came out here to watch the sunset. It’s such a beautiful night, we couldn’t resist.”
Deputy Lars nodded, a slow smile creeping across his face. “You picked a beautiful spot for it, best in town. I’d be happy to take you around sometime and show you a few other views that are almost as good…”
“Egge, are you seriously trying to hit on my girlfriend right now?”
Shifting his eyes back to me, the satisfied smirk on his face told me all I needed to know. And it made me want to slap the buzz-cut right off his head. Even still, he continued to flap his damn mouth. “Just trying to make sure the lady’s ok and that you’re not getting her into trouble up here, Tate.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m thirty-four years old, Egge. What the hell kind of trouble would I possibly be up to?”
“That’s ‘Deputy’ to you, Tate… and watch your tone. Don’t forget, I’m an officer of the law.” He patted his holster as he thrust his hips forward a bit, which might have been menacing if the man hadn’t made it look so ridiculous. I glanced up at Lizzie just as she let out another little snort of laughter. Biting at the inside of my cheek, I did my best to keep my expression neutral.
“As if anyone around here could forget that,” I said, not bothering to conceal the eyeroll. “Listen, just because your great-great-granddaddy used to own this hill doesn’t mean you need to prowl around here all the time like it’s sacred ground.”
“Yeah, well… maybe it is to some of us. Regardless, the city park curfew starts at ten p.m.”
I glanced at my watch. “And it’s nine-fifty right now. Don’t worry, we’ll be on our way by then.”
He eyed me for a moment, arms crossed. Then his posture relaxed as he looked back at Lizzie. “You make sure he watches the time, Ms. Blake. And when you decide you’re ready for the company of a real man, you know where to find me.” With a tip of his head, he strode over to his squad car, making sure to flash his lights and siren a few times as he pulled away, just to be annoying.
By now, Lizzie had hopped out of the truck bed to join me where I stood. Our eyes locked—and after a beat, we both dissolved into fits of laughter, echoing out over the ridge and down across the lake.
And even though I was still annoyed at being interrupted when I finally had Lizzie to myself, I knew it was another night with this woman that I wouldn’t forget for a very long time.
JAMES: I’ve still got your sweater in the back of my truck.
LIZZIE: I know… I’ve already alerted Deputy Lars to send a squad car to swing by and pick it up. You’re looking at hard time for petty theft, bud.
JAMES: Pretty sure you left it on purpose so you’d have an excuse to make out with me again.
LIZZIE: Maybe. Guess we’ll find out in five to ten… or maybe two years, if they let you out on good behavior.
JAMES: Might be tough… I’m not always that good.
LIZZIE: Neither am I… ;)
LIZZIE: But don’t worry… I’m sure Deputy Lars will be more than happy to keep me company in the meantime.
JAMES: Jesus Christ, woman…