Chapter 3
Floyd
The lake's cool water pushes against me as I take my last lap around. Peeking up at the surface, I see the June sun dancing on the stillness of the water. It's now been over a year since I made this change, and every day I feel more and more grateful that I did.
Taking a U-turn to head back to the cabin, I immediately spot a rainbow trout moseying past me with a couple of its buddies nearby.
The June sun cuts through the surface of the water and dances off its silvery green back with its dark lateral stripe running down it.
He seems oblivious to me, and I continue on my way, speeding up as I make my way home.
The morning June air hits my skin as I step out of the water.
Walking toward my back porch, the air warms my bare skin as the water drips down my chest to my swim trunks.
When I reach the deck, I grab the beach towel I tossed over the chair's back and start squeezing the water from my long, silver hair.
After rubbing my face and chest dry, I hear my phone buzz on the table and look to see that it's my sister calling, so I press the speakerphone button to answer.
"Hey, Florence. How goes it?"
"You just swam, didn't you?" She says, with obvious envy in her voice.
"I sure did. I'm drying off right now. Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Everything's fine. I was just calling to bitch to you about the LovLogic date I went on last night."
"I'm amazed you're still putting up with that app," I say, slumping down on a chair and letting the sun do its job.
"What can I say? I'm a romantic at heart," she quips.
"Just like when we were younger," I say, unable to hold in my snort.
"Hey, so were you back then!"
"Yeah. Well, that was before I got divorced at 28," I grumble.
"That was over twenty years ago!"
"Well, whatever. It helped me grow up quickly."
"And then you became married to your job."
"Hey! There's nothing wrong with that. I had a great relationship with my students."
"I know. You are an amazing teacher, but you're also an amazing man, Floyd. Don't you think you'd like to share it with someone?"
"Well, unless a woman is just going to drop in my lap here on the mountain, I'm not sure how easy it is to date up here," I mumble, staring at the lake.
"You could always try LovLogic," my sister says with a hint of amusement in her voice.
I burst out laughing.
"Hell no to that. I'd rather eat a bowl full of broken glass. But hey, if a woman falls into my lap, I promise I'll ask her out on a date, though. How about that, sis?" I say, making her guffaw.
"Alright. Fine. Deal," Florence says with a chuckle.
After a quick shower and lunch, I head over to Summit Market to grab some nonperishables to restock my pantry.
The owner, Brandt, gives me a friendly wave when I step through the automated doors.
I weave my way to the back corner of the store where he stocks the soups and beans.
Filling my arms full of cans, I immediately regret not grabbing a basket.
Balancing an armful of tin cans, I make my way toward the front when the automated doors ping open and a curvy woman suddenly rushes in, straight into me, causing my cans to fall into the aisle.
"I'm so sorry!" the woman says, immediately falling to her knees as she attempts to grab the cans rolling away toward the shelves.
I open my mouth to tell her accidents happen, but realize she is still talking nonstop.
"I can't believe my shitty luck! Frick, I'm so sorry! I totally wasn't looking. I was trying to hide from my great aunt."
I attempt to comment, but the curvy woman with the wild auburn hair keeps talking a mile-a-minute.
"Dammit, I just wasn't expecting to see her already. I was hoping I could get settled into my rental and get my head straight on my shoulders, and now she's out there in the parking lot. I don't even know if she saw me."
The woman peers up at me with her dark brown eyes, her lovely face flushed.
"Seriously, I'm just so sorry! I'm here for a wedding, and she expects me to have a boyfriend with me, and I don't. And I'm not looking forward to being scolded like a child because of that," she says, standing to her feet and handing me several cans of soup.
"Wait, I'm sorry. What? She's going to scold you for not having a boyfriend at a wedding?" I repeat, stupidly.
The woman gives me a small smile, causing my heart to race behind my ribs at the sight of her coffee-colored, warm eyes.
"Yeah. I know. It's ridiculous," she says, shaking her head with a soft laugh.
"It's the twenty-first century. Hell, yes, it's ridiculous!"
A loud laugh tumbles out of her full lips.
"It sure the hell is ridiculous!"
We stare at each other for a moment, my palms sweating. As I get lost in her eyes, I hear the automated doors ding, and a woman's shrill voice call out, "Lexi, I thought that was you."
The auburn-haired beauty gives me an apologetic smile before turning toward the elderly woman stepping into Summit Market. I watch for a moment, then realize I'm being a bit of a creeper and walk over to the front counter, placing the cans on its surface.
Brandt straightens them out as he looks over my shoulder at the elderly woman chewing out the beautiful stunner who is apparently called Lexi. Her disrespectful tone gets under my skin. I catch Brandt's eye and he also seems put out as well.
"What the fuck?" the shop owner mutters.
I give him a quick nod and grumble, "I can't just stand here."
Spinning on my heel, I take several strides toward the old woman chewing out Lexi. When I get closer, I can hear her shrill voice say, "You told me there would be a boyfriend at the wedding! I let my friends know! Are you saying that I'm going to be embarrassed by you yet again?"
Lexi opens her mouth to respond, but her great aunt cuts her off and continues chewing her out. I walk up directly behind the aunt and clear my throat. The woman turns to me, her heated gaze landing on my chest. As her eyes make their way up to meet mine, her annoyance turns to confusion.
"May I help you?" She says with a sniff.
I hold out my hand and say, "You must be Lexi's aunt. I'm Floyd."