10. STERLING
The morning air is crisp as I step onto my back deck. I take in the tranquil lake shimmering under the sunlight. It’s the most beautiful sight to wake up to. I bought this place a few years ago. Homes for sale on the lake are rare, so I had Emma’s friend Zoe keeping an eye out for me.
When this one popped up, she let me know immediately, and I put in an offer the next day. It’s not big, but it has a rustic charm that I love. The home is nestled among pine trees on either side, with a small yard leading to the water, but it was the view that sealed it for me.
The first time I came out here, it was like an invitation to serenity. The wooden planks of the deck are weathered from years of sun and wind, but they called to me just the same.
I’ll never forget the day I moved in. I was standing out here taking in the beautiful surroundings when a flock of geese flew overhead in a perfect v-formation. They honked and honked, their cries filling the sky, and I always considered that my welcome to the neighborhood. I knew I was home.
I got a call from Peter last night. He’s back from his honeymoon and wants to go fishing. When it comes to fishing, you never have to ask me twice. It’s one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday. So, after breakfast I’m going to meet him down at the marina where I keep my boat.
With the flurry of activity before his wedding, we haven’t spent much time together lately, so it will be great to catch up. What better way to do that than to spend the day on the lake?
It’s pretty quiet at the marina as I make my way down the dock to my boat, and Peter’s voice easily cuts through the silence. “Hey, Sterling!” he calls as he jogs my way.
You’d think his hands would be full of fishing gear and equipment. But that’s a running joke with the two of us and I’ve come to accept it. He calls and asks me to go fishing, but he doesn’t have a boat, a fishing pole, or a tackle box. He only brings himself. I provide the rest. But it’s worth it. He’s great company.
Now, he does grab us drinks from the store when he gets here, so I’ll give him credit for that. “What’s up Pete?” I give him a fist bump when he reaches me. “How was the honeymoon?”
He beams like a cat who swallowed a canary but doesn’t answer me.
“Ooookkkkkayyy. No words necessary, I guess,” I say.
He nods. “It was quite enjoyable. Thanks for asking.”
“Got it! Enough said.” I pat him on the shoulder, then move past to put some finishing touches on the preparations for the day. He heads off to grab us some snacks.
When he returns, I untie the rope holding us in place and gently push off from the dock. We begin drifting. The water laps against the hull with a soothing rhythm and soon we’re heading out to the open water.
The trees surrounding the lake are gently swaying and the silhouettes of the rolling hills in the distance frame the “take me away” environment I look forward to when I come out here.
Cedar Lake has been a mainstay in our town for generations. My great-great grandfather actually helped build the dam back in the day. I’ve heard stories about what physically demanding and labor-intensive work it was.
It would be nice if the people who put in that effort could see how much the lake means to everyone now. How it provides jobs and recreation and the way families create lasting memories out here. I know I have lots of them, particularly with my buddies.
As we continue cruising to find the perfect fishing spot, Peter asks, “So, what’s been keeping you busy lately?”
I hesitate for a moment, unsure of how much to share. Peter knows Emma and I are friends, but it’s been so long since just the two of us have hung out. I’m not exactly sure what he’ll think of that.
“Well, you know that old warehouse building downtown?”
He nods, “Sure.”
I chose my words carefully, “I’ve been thinking of buying it for a while and moving my practice over there. Now, I’m also considering adding a shelter to one of the wings.”
“Awesome, that’s a great idea! Doesn’t it need a lot of work, though?”
“Definitely, and that’s been part of the hold up. But then Emma had a suggestion to get it moving forward.”
His head snaps my direction. “Emma?”
Oops. I forgot about choosing my words carefully. I was not ready to bring her into this.
“Uh, yes,” I stammer. “We’ve been spending some time together since the wedding.”
Why does telling him that make me nervous? Emma and I are both adults.
Peter tilts his head, “Really. I didn’t know you two were close anymore. Thought you kind of drifted apart after high school.”
“Honestly, we did. I haven’t talked to her in a long time, but when she got dumped at your wedding—”
“What?” Peter yells at a decibel level that is not conducive to catching fish, not that he seems to care at the moment.
I take a deep breath, then start talking a mile a minute. “I forgot you didn’t know about that. Ok. Well, yea, there kind of was this thing. Emma’s boyfriend was a real downer at the wedding. I felt bad he wouldn’t dance with her.”
“So, I went over to try to make her smile and knocked into a waiter carrying some full wine glasses. They all fell over and most of the damage landed on Dean’s suit. Did I mention it was red wine? Not a good look. He was not amused. He told Emma he was done and left the reception. That about covers it.”
“Where was I?”
“You were off taking pictures with your new bride. Emma didn’t want you to know anyway. She didn’t want anything to interfere with your day.”
He rubs his hands together, likely considering my flurry of information.
“She left right after Dean, and I followed her out to the lake to check on her. That’s kind of how we reconnected.”
“Well, thank you for checking on her. I feel terrible it wasn’t me. I’m her brother. I should have been there for her.”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “You know Emma. She always thinks about other people first. There was no way she was going to let what happened to her take any spotlight off the happy couple.”
He smiles, “I know. You’re right. Good riddance. I never liked that guy anyway.”
“Totally agree. He was way too uptight. And he refused to do the Macarena with her, can you believe that? I would have done anything she—”
Note to mouth. Stop moving.
I recover before I set Peter’s radar off again by talking about Emma more than I should. “Anyway, now you’re fully caught up. How about we do some fishing?”
“Nice try, Sterling. I think I’m still missing some details from the week. How exactly did you go from that to Emma being part of some idea for a shelter?”
Man, I thought people were supposed to be quiet while they were fishing. But suddenly Peter is a chatterbox. I know him well enough to realize he’s not going to let me off the hook. So here goes nothing.
“Funny story, really.”
Peter moves closer to me and folds his arms across his chest. I don’t love his body language right now.
“I was working at the summer festival and saw Emma and her friends. Being the gentleman I am, I went over to say hello. While I was talking to Emma, a stray puppy got tangled in our feet.”
I am definitely not adding the part when I end up on the ground with his sister for the second time in a matter of days.
“We saw the dog was injured and decided to take it back to my clinic for treatment. That’s where we started talking about the need for a bigger shelter. I told her about buying the warehouse but not having the funds to renovate. She came back to my office the next day with an idea of how to get the town involved in raising the capital we need to make it happen. Now, you’re caught up.”
I’m glossing over the part about going to my parent’s house for dinner. Details of how many times we’ve been together this week are probably not going to be helpful at this point.
I flash him a big smile and hope we’re done talking now.
“So, what happens next?”
Okay. So clearly the bro chat is going to continue on forever.
“Emma says she’s going to extend her visit for the rest of the summer so we can work together on a few events.”
More smiling. This really isn’t my personality. He’s got to see through it.
“Just as a helpful friend, correct?” Peter”s eyebrows are doing some crazy stretches.
“Of course. She really loves dogs and is very excited about the whole thing.”
Peter asks a few more questions about the details of the events. As we continue our conversation, I can’t shake the unease in the back of my mind. Peter has no idea how I really feel about Emma.
In high school, I joked about getting his permission to ask her out once, just to see what his reaction would be. It was not good. I didn’t even get the full sentence out before he shot me down.
I don’t even know why exactly. I mean, I understand it could get awkward between us if things end badly with Emma. And I don’t have the greatest history with women, but with Emma it would be different. I know it would.
Being around her again made me realize I don’t want to miss out on what could be my last chance with her. Peter didn’t come right out and say it, but I can tell that Emma is still off-limits to me because she’s his sister.
While I understand his concerns, my feelings for Emma are already in motion. I don’t think I could stop them now even if I wanted to. And I don’t.
But none of that actually matters right now because even though I”m sure of how Ifeel, I don’t really know if she feels the same. I need to find out.