9. Maria
Chapter nine
Maria
I rolled over onto my side, half awake. I knew it was Sunday morning, and then my thoughts went immediately to last night—and the kiss.
Did I kiss Mav, or did he kiss me? Who made the first move? My mind felt confused but also dreamy. And why did I walk away? I think he scared me. Or was I scaring myself because I was falling in love with him? Wait! How could I be falling for this practical and serious guy? And why would a guy like that be interested in me anyway, with all my silly ideas and ways of doing things? Although he had said he was becoming more comfortable with my zany ways when we danced at the party.
Suddenly the sound of a door slamming brought me out of my tranquil state. I glanced at my phone for the time. Eight o’clock. That must be Maverick returning from the airport, having helped to deliver everyone for their early flights out this morning.
I dragged myself out of bed and jumped in the shower.
While getting dressed, I decided to act like that kiss had not happened last night. I’m sure that for both of us, it was the “let-down,” you might call it after so much adrenaline pumping through us this past week to get everything accomplished.
I went upstairs and found Maverick in the kitchen. On his way back from the airport, he had stopped and picked up some coffee and muffins for us both.
“Care for a coffee and a muffin?” he asked.
“Sounds perfect,” I replied and sat down at the table with him.
“It’s supposed to be pretty cool today compared to how hot it’s been this past week. Maybe we could take a dip in the hot tub?” Mav suggested. He seemed “normal”. No hint of our kiss last night.
“Let me finish my coffee and muffin then I’ll change into my swimsuit,” I said.
Once finished with my breakfast, I went back downstairs to put on my black one-piece with yellow and white flowers all over it. It had a sweetheart neckline, and I liked the way it cinched my waist—or appeared to, anyway. I wasn’t the biggest fan of bikinis because of how much they exposed, but a one-piece was just fine.
For some reason, as I pulled my sheer coverup over my shoulders, I was silently glad that only Maverick was here to enjoy the hot tub with me. I walked back upstairs and found that he was already outside. He wore a pair of maroon swim trunks and no shirt. He was decently built, with some visible muscles. I had felt those when we danced. But I needed to forget all that. A long-distance relationship would never work.
As I opened the door to the patio, Mav looked up. His eyes traveled from my face to the cover-up and then to the swimsuit. Then, almost as quickly as they had found the swimsuit, they went back to my face.
“That looks good on you, Maria. I think the flowers suit you,” he said.
“Thank you.”
I took off my cover-up and put it on one of the chairs before getting into the hot tub. Maverick had done the smart thing and pulled two towels out for us to use, which I appreciated.
“Also, thank you for getting the towels. I never would have thought of that,” I said as he got in.
“Well, if we want to get wet, I don’t want to track it into the house,” he said. “But I must admit, after our discussion last night, I’m curious about Lantana. What’s it like? Must be pretty good for you to want to live the rest of your life there.”
I smiled a little. At least he didn’t mention the kiss. If he wanted to talk about Lantana, then that’s what we’d talk about.
“Well, it’s a quiet town. Relatively small, too,” I said. “Kind of like Eagle Falls. We might have done a lot in Boise, but Eagle Falls is much more my speed. I like the feel of a small town, the way that it feels almost lazy on some days and expects nothing of you, but when there’s an event going on, everyone and their uncle comes out to make sure it goes right.”
“Sounds a bit like Waterfront,” Maverick said. “We’re always busy in the summer because that’s tourist season – or hunting season, depending on who you ask. But when the winter comes, it’s white, quiet, and beautiful. I’ve never seen such snowfall outside of Waterfront. Even in other parts of Idaho.”
“What kind of snowfall would that be, Maverick?”
I couldn’t help myself from being curious. He spoke of Waterfront in much the same way I spoke of Lantana: reverently as if there was nothing that the town could do wrong for him. What could he find in another area of Idaho that Eagle Falls and Boise didn’t offer?
“Untouched,” he replied without hesitation. “The snow sits untouched by anyone for days. We prefer to dig out the parking lots and the streets, but we’ll leave as much untouched as possible on the sidewalks and the grass. The area needs the water if we’re going to continue to have such a fertile hunting ground.” He shrugged. “And the stuff in the mountains? Unless you’re in a cabin up there, you don’t touch it.”
“How far is Waterfront from here, anyway?” I raised an eyebrow. “And where is it?”
“It’s up by Coeur d’Alene. About a seven- or eight-hour drive from here, depending on how often you stop and the weather,” he said. “It took me about seven and a half hours to do the drive, and that was with minimal stops but lots of traffic around the other cities from rush hour.” He shrugged again.
“I see…and how did you end up in Waterfront?” I inquired.
“After high school, I joined the military and ended up in Afghanistan. Saw some rough situations but made some great friends. When I returned and checked out of the military, I wanted peace and quiet. One of my army buddies invited me to join him for some fishing at this lodge in Waterfront. I fell in love with the place, talked to the owner and he hired me on the spot. Then Luke took over the place and started making some great changes – and pretty much put me in charge. I love it there. You would too.”
I sat there in the hot tub, mesmerized by his simple story. “That certainly tells me more about you,” I said.
“So, when do you take off tomorrow again?” he asked.
Maverick changed the topic. I frowned.
“My flight leaves at noon, but as long as I’m there by ten at the latest, I should be good,” I said. “Maybe nine-thirty. I imagine you were planning on leaving earlier than that since you have a long drive ahead of you?”
“Yeah. I was thinking we need to be out the door on the way to the airport by eight,” he shared. “But… we wouldn’t have to be so rushed if you moved here to Idaho.”
I blinked in shock.
The jet bubbles burst around us as I took in what he had just suggested. A move to Idaho? As much as I may have wanted to explore that option, I didn’t know if I could afford to make a move right now. And my business – would Jade and I be able to work something out? My mind was a flurry of thoughts. My stomach sank. I just couldn’t. Not now, not with everything that I had to do. Did any of this make sense?
“Wow, Mav, I don’t think I can simply up and move to Idaho. I don’t think a move is possible right now,” I said.
I wanted to do everything in my power to make it sound like it was simply out of my hands. Partially because it was and partially because I wasn’t sure of what he really wanted. Did he just want to date me? Was there more to it than that? But not being able to be closer to him was quietly killing me. Why did I have to feel so strongly about someone who lived so far away from me?
“You could move to Lantana?” I offered.
Maverick shook his head, and I could tell from the way he couldn’t meet my eyes that he was not happy about this situation—maybe even sad.
“Mav,” I hesitated. “What’s going on here? Are you thinking we can … date… or what?”
Mav jumped up out of the hot tub and started to pace.
“Maria, there is something about you,” he started. “You are the kind of woman I would have never been interested in but being together this week – you’ve done something no other woman has ever done. You’ve brought me out of my well-constructed, ordered life. You got me to ride on those silly rides. You got me to dance at the party. Your quirkiness has made me laugh.”
Just then, Mav’s phone went off. He answered and stepped back into the house.
His phone call seemed to be taking some time, so I stepped out of the hot tub and went inside to clean off and change into some clothes. When I came back upstairs, he was back on the patio. I walked out to him.
“Is everything ok?” I asked him.
He sighed.
“That was Luke on the phone. My boss. He needs me back as soon as possible. Is there any way you can find another ride to the airport in the morning? I know I promised to take you, but I’ve got to leave right now.”
“I’ll check with Stacey. But don’t you worry. If you have to get back to Waterfront, then you need to go,” I replied though my heart was shouting NO. “What happened, Mav?”
“One of Luke’s brothers is a firefighter, and he was caught in a sudden gust of fire and smoke or something like that. Luke’s mom and dad didn’t know how serious his injuries were, but they were headed to the hospital and would let him know once they knew anything more. Luke and his brothers are very close, so he’s already made plans to fly out if he has to. The problem is we have a large crowd coming in tomorrow and Luke and David, another guy we hired not too long ago, were going to be pretty busy as it was with me not around. But now, he can’t take the chance of having to leave with David there all by himself.”
“I’m so sorry, Mav, but I understand. Go! Go get your things around, and I’ll give Stacey a call.”
Mav went to his room, and I called Stacey. She agreed to pick me up in the morning and take me to the airport for my flight.
Mav soon came out with his bags and headed to his truck. I followed along behind him.
Once he had everything in his truck, he turned to me. “I’m sorry I have to leave so suddenly. There was more I wanted to talk to you about, but I guess we’ll have to do that over the phone – for a while at least.”
“I guess so,” I replied, not really knowing what to say.
He gave me a hug and a kiss, then climbed up into his truck.
“Mav,” I said. “Let me know when you’ve arrived home. I want to know that you’re safe.”
He gave me a thumbs-up and drove away.
****
Later that evening, I dozed off while reading my book. My phone rang and, half asleep, I answered. It was Mav letting me know that he was safely back at the lodge. “I can tell that you’ve been sleeping, so I’ll make this short,” he said. “I miss you already. And please have a safe flight back to Texas and let me know when you arrive home.”
“Will do, Mav,” I responded, and we both ended the call.
****
I arrived safely back in Lantana, and for the next few weeks, Mav and I would talk on the phone when we were both available. He might be busy with the lodge business, or I might be busy with the store and working on my online business. Jade had hired another couple of people, so my time spent at the store was less now, and I was free to do more creating.
Still, my heart ached for him to physically be in the same room.
Today, about a month after I had returned home to Lantana, I sat in my apartment with the phone in my hand. Maverick was out on the lodge property, down by the river, and had called me for some company. The cell phone reception out there wasn’t the best, but it was enough. I could hear him, and he could hear me. Even if it was a little garbled at times.
“I’m glad to hear that the sales are picking up,” Maverick said. “Your journals are beautiful. I finally got mine in the mail. It looks even better in person than in the online images, which is a testament to how beautiful they are.”
“I’m getting great reviews and some have absolutely loved them and wanted more immediately, which has been nice,” I replied.
“And how about the purses?”
“They’re moving to, and I have plenty of stock, so I’m all right for now,” I replied. “Hold on… it sounds like you’re cutting out again.”
The call cut in the middle of that sentence, and I sighed in frustration. He simply texted me.
I think reception just cut us off. I’ll call when I’m back at the lodge. Sorry.