Chapter 33
June - Lake Nashoba
ASH
I wake up to persistent knocking on my bedroom door combined with little voices, followed by my brother’s.
“Hey, get away from that door. I told you to let Aunt Ash sleep.”
The sound of small retreating footsteps makes me laugh into my pillow.
If I’d really wanted to sleep in, I should’ve stayed across Lake Nashoba at the Coyote Lodge with War and the rest of our GU crew.
Instead, I made War bring me back to the family lake house Scotty gave his in-laws.
It’s twenty-four-hundred-square-feet of beautiful, but with my nephews in residence, it’s not quiet in the morning.
I check my phone and find an eight-thirty message from War.
War: Working out next door
War: Text when you’re up
After dragging my butt out of bed, I take a shower and put on my new black bikini, which has gold-colored rings as clasps over my breastbone and hips.
It’s way sexier than what I normally wear for family time at the lake, but this trip is different.
This week, I’m seeing my boyfriend every day, and he will like this swimsuit. A lot.
When I emerge from my room, the humid summer air hits me and makes me smile.
I love being at the lake in June. Last night, we sat on the lodge’s patio until two in the morning, drinking, talking and playing cards.
Jamie and I were the ringleaders, as usual, but we gave up the floor to Killian’s girlfriend Raine when she gave us an advance viewing of her documentary.
The film is about the GU rowing team’s journey to winning the national championship this year.
The stunning footage of the guys on the water was intercut with interviews and candid shots.
Even Sawyer and I got five minutes of fame while cheering in the stands and being interviewed at the finals in California last month.
We all complimented Raine on her amazing skills as a filmmaker, and then I chimed in, deadpan, “So this is how I get my start as a movie star. Knew it would happen eventually. Thanks, Raine!”
After everyone laughed, we launched into a serious discussion about the feature film that’s being shot on Granthorpe’s campus. A lot of theatre kids—which I am not—are going to be in it, so it could be a big break for one of them.
When I enter the kitchen now, I smile. My nephews are already in their swim trunks and awaiting breakfast, looking so cute I could squeeze them.
“The boat rows are here?” Sean asks hopefully.
“Here, where? Sleeping under my bed like monsters?” I tease.
Laughter erupts from the boys.
“They coming?” Finn asks.
I know where the boys’ interest stems from. There’s a lake raft I like to go out on, and yesterday, Jamie and Killian rowed Sean, Finn, and the Stroviak girls back and forth so they could jump in the water in the middle of the lake and have a picnic with Sawyer and me.
“No, the boat rowers are in their rooms at the hotel across the lake, remember? They’ll come over later.” As I’m typing on my phone, Finn slides out of his seat and runs over to look at my screen.
“Tell them come. Right now. Okay?”
“No. They’re still asleep. They don’t have little fists knocking on their doors to wake them up.” I reach out and tickle Finn’s belly. “Unlike me.”
He laughs. “Tell Jamie cousin, come.”
“Finn,” Scott says. “If you want to go outside, you’d better get your butt back in your chair and eat some cereal.”
“Maybe wait on that. Let me see if I can get us a better breakfast option.” I glance up at Scott briefly and wink. After typing a quick message to War, I hit send. It’s been an hour since he sent his message about working out, so he should be finishing up.
Ash: I’m hungry. French toast? Plz and TY
War doesn’t respond.
Ash: wearing new bikini
A few minutes later there’s a knock on the deck’s slider. I hop up and go over. War’s hair is wet, and he’s wearing black swim trunks.
“Did you work out in the lake?”
“Nah, Anvil’s. Took a shower there.”
My brows rise. Sasha isn’t one for guests normally, but I guess he makes an exception where his DNA-verified younger brother is concerned .
“Did you work out with him?”
“Yeah.” He slides the door closed behind him, but a few seconds later two small palms slap against it.
Makayla pushes the glass sliding door open and strides in, wearing black workout gear. Her long hair is sweat-dampened around the temples.
“Hi, Makayla. Did you work out, too?”
She nods and strolls over to the table. The boys greet her enthusiastically. She waves and pulls out a chair.
War studies her for a beat. “What do you want?”
“Food.”
“There’s food at your house.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and stares at him silently.
Scott gives War a quelling look. “Mac knows she’s welcome to come over anytime she wants.” He puts a hand on her head briefly before turning his attention to War. “What are you making everyone?”
“Ask Princess Sweet Tooth,” War says as he walks to the fridge.
“Donuts!” Finn shouts, shoving the cereal box away so fast it falls on its side.
“No, better than donuts,” I say, grabbing the box to put it back in the pantry. “French Toast.”
“I like Frenchie Toast!” Finn says.
“Shocking,” Scott says dryly.
“Me, too,” Sean says. “I like French Toast, too.”
I kiss the top of Sean’s head. “I know. It’s going to be delicious, right? We’re lucky Stas is here to make them for us.” I join War at the counter. “Are you making the strawberry cream? I’ll slice the berries.”
“Chantilly cream and strawberries are separate toppings.” He opens the fridge to survey things and hands me the carton of berries. “Yeah, cut them. But I don’t think you’ve got what I need for Chantilly cream.” War turns, his gaze raking over my body .
“Shilly Cream!” Finn cheers. “I want some!”
“What do you need?” I ask War.
“Heavy cream. Sugar and vanilla.”
“Can you use Half and Half instead?”
“No.” He takes eggs from the fridge and sets them on the counter.
“Sasha and Rachel will probably have some. Lemme check.”
I text Rachel who confirms they have a small carton of heavy whipping cream. Walking over to the table, I stop next to Makayla’s chair. “Hey, can you do me a favor?”
She nods.
“Can you go to your house and get a little carton of cream?”
After sliding out of her chair, Makayla is immediately joined by the boys who are always up for an errand that involves heading outside.
“I need you guys to stay right on the decks and the path between them, okay? That’s sanctuary. Nowhere else is.” When I speak in game lingo, they promise immediately to follow the rules.
I walk out onto the deck to supervise their run next door. After so many fun trips to the lake, Scott convinced both Connor and Sasha to buy houses on either side of ours. So, just like in Coynston, the C Crue founders practically have a compound.
Once the kids disappear inside the Stroviak house, I return to the kitchen. Scott’s left the room, so War and I are alone.
He pulls me over to him, trapping me against the counter by putting an arm on either side of me. “Nice outfit.”
“You like that?”
He nods and leans close. I kiss him slowly, until I hear noise from the other room.
Pushing him away, I say, “That’s all you get for now. Because… people.”
Rolling his eyes, he gives my ass a small pinch before moving away to start the French Toast .
A few minutes later, the sliding glass door opens and Sasha, Rachel, both girls, and both my nephews come in, carrying supplies.
“We heard Stas was making French Toast,” Rachel says. “And someone asked if we could join you?” She nods her head toward five-year-old Irina, who is dressed in a metallic plum-colored swimsuit and matching beaded hair ribbon.
“Of course,” I say.
Irina walks over to the kitchen, standing tentatively near the fridge as she stares up at War. “May I ask a question?”
My breath freezes. If he is not nice to her, I will kill him.
“Yeah.” He pauses from cracking eggs.
“You’re my real uncle, right?” Her tone is so grave I nearly laugh.
To his credit, War turns to face her and responds just as gravely. “Yes. Same blood.”
She steeples her fingers together. “My second question is about the breakfast.” Irina’s eyes shift to the counter where he’s got a bowl of eggs.
“So grown up,” I whisper to Rachel.
Rachel nods. Irina is a huge reader and often sounds like someone much older because of her vocabulary.
“Go ahead,” War says.
“Finn says you’re making ‘silly’ cream. What is that? Because…” She takes a breath, bucking up her courage. “I’m not sure I would like that on mine. I only like cinnamon and syrup. And not fruit syrups.” She wrinkles her pretty little nose. “The real kind of syrup. From Canada.”
“Chantilly cream is fancy whipped cream,” War says, grabbing vanilla from the cupboard.
“Oh. I have whipped cream on waffles sometimes.” Irina tilts her head. “Do you have to put it on everyone’s?”
“No.”
“Plain for me please.” She starts to turn then turns back to him. “Thank you for making breakfast for our families, Uncle Stanislav.” Her pronunciation of his name is perfectly Russian.
War answers her in Russian, presumably telling her she’s welcome because she smiles shyly.
After I hand silverware and napkins to Irina and Sean to set the table, I stop near War. “Need anything, babe?”
“Not here and now,” he says in a low voice, with a pointed look at my bikini top. “But later, yeah.” He takes a package of bacon out of the fridge.
I wink at him.
By an hour later, everyone has been fed the most delicious fluffy French Toast and crispy bacon that ever existed.
When we head down to the water, Makayla appears right next to War and me with her life jacket and snaps it on.
“Where do you think you’re going?” War asks.
Makayla walks to the edge of the water and stands at the ready. A sharp whistle from the deck causes us all to turn and look up. With a spicy Bloody Mary in his hand, Sasha surveys the scene. Brunch cocktails are part of Crue lake life, apparently.
“Come here, Mac.” Sasha beckons her with his free hand.