Chapter 1 #2
“I’m Maverick, currently your buoy and possible knight in a wet bathing suit.
As for where, you’re in Pearl Lake. I think you must have fallen asleep on your paddleboard.
” I nod toward the board, which is now floating about fifteen feet away from us, but slowly heading back our direction. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“Pearl Lake? Oh crap!” She lets go of my shoulder and swims over to retrieve her paddleboard.
While she does that, I grab the water bottle bumping the edge of the dock and the zippered baggie that contains a book.
I think the sunglasses are probably a new addition to the bottom of the lake.
I toss the items on the dock and swim over to help her with the paddleboard.
“Why don’t you come on up and get your bearings?” I suggest.
She glances around. Two docks over there are a bunch of people still swimming. And several more are dotted with people drying off. “Yeah. Okay. Thanks.”
I clip the paddleboard to the ladder and motion for her to go first. I try not to ogle her as she steps out of the water, shaking her head back and forth and twisting her hair around her hand, pulling it over her shoulder.
But damn, she’s smokin’. She’s all curves and hips and long legs.
Soft around the edges in the most appealing way.
I look up at the sky and mouth thank you as I follow her up onto the dock.
She runs her hands through her hair and then crosses and uncrosses her arms like she doesn’t quite know what to do with them.
And then she looks down at herself. Her hands go to her stomach.
“Oh fuck me. I’m so burned! How am I going to get rid of this?
” In the center of her stomach is a very obvious book-shaped tan line.
I bite my bottom lip and try not to laugh, but her expression is priceless. “I guess no crop tops for you this weekend, huh?”
“I’m too old for crop tops.” Her gaze meets mine and then drops, moving over me on a slow sweep. “I just pulled you into the water, didn’t I?”
“I was planning to go for a dip anyway.” I grab the towel from the back of my chair and pass it to her.
“Getting dragged into the water and willingly jumping in aren’t quite the same.
” She drapes the towel over her shoulders.
“I’m sorry. I think you introduced yourself, but I missed it because I was panic-flailing.
I hope I didn’t hurt you.” Her gaze roves over me again.
“You don’t look hurt, but you do look like you could do a lot of damage in a fight. ”
I grin. “Should I take that as a compliment?”
She drops her head, hiding her smile. “If you want to, sure.” She peeks up at me again. “Do you know what time it is? I have no idea how long I’ve been floating.”
“It’s closing in on five thirty, last time I checked.”
Her eyes go wide. “No. You can’t be serious.”
I hold out my arm with my smart watch and tap the face so it lights up. “It’s five thirty-eight.”
“I’ve been floating for nearly six hours. I don’t understand how I got here. I don’t even know what side of the lake here is.”
Pearl Lake is a lot smaller than Lake Geneva, but it’s still a lot of water to cover on a paddleboard. “You’re on the north side.”
“The north side? Yeesh.”
“Where’s your cottage?”
“In Pearl Bay, on the south side of the lake.”
“You wanna use my phone to call someone? A boyfriend maybe?” I’m totally fishing.
“That was subtle.” She arches a brow and gives me a wry grin. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“That’s excellent news. I don’t have a girlfriend, in case you were wondering. And my name is Maverick.” I extend my hand.
She blinks. “Maverick? Is that a nickname or a given name?”
“Given. And surprisingly, my parents aren’t hippies.”
“Did your mom like Top Gun or something?” She slips her hand into my palm.
I watch as goose bumps rise along both of our arms. “Actually yeah, she did. At least until Tom Cruise sort of . . . went out of style.” I reluctantly release her hand.
“Ah, well, that’s fair. I’m Clover.” She dips her head, and if her cheeks weren’t already pink with too much sun, I’d guess she was blushing. “And my parents were absolutely hippies. Please don’t make a joke about four leaves and being lucky.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Clover-without-a-boyfriend.”
We smile at each other for a few seconds.
She’s definitely older. Maybe mid-twenties.
My size makes me look a little older than I am, and so does the fact that by the end of the day I have a hint of shadow on my cheeks, unlike my older brother, Robbie, who can still get away with shaving twice a week.
“Can I get you a bottle of water? Or a soda? You must be parched.” I flip open the cooler and rummage around, setting cans on the arm of my Adirondack chair.
“Water would be amazing. Thank you.” She plucks a bottle from between two cans of soda and then looks up toward the cottage set back on the hill behind us. “Oh wow. Are you renting this place?”
“My aunt and uncle own it.”
“Wow.” She lets out a low whistle. “What are they, movie stars or something?” She cringes. “Sorry, that was so rude.”
“My uncle’s a retired NHL player.”
“Oh yeah? There are a lot of those guys on the lake, aren’t there?” She drains half of the bottle in three long gulps.
“Seems that way. Do you watch hockey?” I ask.
She gives me a somewhat embarrassed smile and glances at the dock where her book is sitting, slightly wet and still in the baggie. “I’m more of a reader than a TV watcher.”
That’s when I realize the cover of the book has a shirtless dude holding a hockey stick on it. “I play hockey,” I inform her.
Her eyes flare. “Professionally?”
“No. Not yet anyway.”
“You’re very athletic. Hockey players have great stamina.” Her eyes lift to mine. “At least that’s what I’ve read.”
“I’d say it’s an accurate assessment.” I nod to the chairs. “Do you wanna sit?” On my face?
She glances at the chair and then at the sun, which is slowly making its way toward the horizon. “I do. Absolutely. But it’s probably going to take me a while to paddle back to my place.”
“I can drive you, if you want. I’ve got a truck. We can put your paddleboard in the back.”
She tugs on her bottom lip with her teeth. “That’s nice of you to offer, but, uh, I’m sort of in the don’t-take-rides-from-strangers camp.”
“As someone with a younger sister, I can totally appreciate that stance. There’s a beach party later tonight. Maybe I’ll see you there?”
“Yeah. Maybe. I think I’d like that.” She takes another long gulp of her water. “I should probably get going.”
“Here.” I pass her my T-shirt. “Why don’t you take this? It’ll keep you from turning into a beet.”
“Are you sure? Aren’t you going to need it?”
“Nah. I’m good like this.” I run a hand over my chest.
“Not gonna argue with that.” She pulls my shirt over her head. It’s so long it hits her mid-thigh. She ties a knot on the side, presumably so she doesn’t end up with another bad tan line.
I help her get back on the paddleboard and send her off, hoping I’m going to run into her again.
And I’m not disappointed, because a few hours later, I find her on the beach.
Kody bailed on the party, and BJ is already being chatted up, so I take the opportunity for what it is.
“You want to sit on the pier, away from the noise?” There’s a huge bonfire, but it’s loud and rowdy. The pier is quiet and calm.
“That sounds good.” She takes a sip from her travel mug; it’s a different one from earlier.
I tap my travel water bottle against hers. “What’s in there?”
“Spiked hot chocolate; what about you?” She falls in step beside me.
“Just water. I have an early practice and I’m not much good if I’m hungover.”
“That’s very responsible of you.” We reach the end of the pier and take a seat on one of the benches. “Do you go to a lot of the beach parties?”
I stretch my arm across the back of the bench. “It’s not really my scene. How about you?”
“Not really mine either. I only came because of you.” She glances at me out of the corner of her eye and sips her hot chocolate.
“You’re the reason I came, too.”
She smiles, her gaze fixed on the moon hanging heavy in the sky. “If beach parties aren’t your thing, what is?”
“Hockey is a big one, but when I’m not on the ice, I like this.” I motion to the lake, the moon reflecting of the surface. “And Scrabble and origami.”
“Origami?” She tips her head, like she’s trying to decide if I’m joking or not.
“Yeah, it’s calming, and I don’t do stillness well, so it helps keep my hands and my mind busy.”
She shifts so she’s facing me. “You’re an interesting guy, Maverick.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I adjust my own position, and when I do, she reaches out and brushes something off my shoulder. Innocent flirting that speaks volumes about her comfort level with me. Which is good. “Now tell me what you’d rather be doing since beach parties aren’t your thing either.”
We spend the next couple of hours talking. But when the breeze coming off the lake cools, and Clover wraps her arms around herself, I suggest we take off.
She fiddles with the strap of her purse. “Do you want to come back to my place?”
“Not worried about stranger danger anymore?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Not now that I’ve had a chance to talk to you. Just let me tell my friend I’ve got a ride home.”
I wait while she checks in with a group of people before we leave the beach and make the short walk to my truck.
Once we’re settled, Clover gives me directions to her place.
“Are you renting, or . . .” I let it hang, wanting to keep the conversation flowing.
“It was my parents’ place,” she says. “But they moved to Florida a couple of years ago. They were going to do the snowbird thing, but then they decided to stay there, so it’s mine now. It’s a small, two-bedroom cabin. Nothing like the places on the north side of Pearl Lake.”
“Eh, they’re more like houses on a lake than actual cabins. I kinda love the smaller places on the south side, where all the locals live.”
“Me too, it’s a little more . . . laid-back.”