Crossroads

by Sasha Goldie

  "I've got that teenager on the front and we're only open for desserts and coffee right now. Everyone has been here eating anyway."

  "I'm sorry that our idea cost you business."

  "I'm not. We're not hurting that bad, and the money is going to help my family anyway. How could I complain?"

  "You're a good lady, Daisy." I took the box from her and threw it on the huge burn pile. "I think that's the last of it."

  We walked back to the front and looked around at the empty lot. The owners of the tables had come and taken them, and the grills were cooling beside the shop to be picked up the next day. The parking lot looked like a parking lot again.

  Carson held out his hand. "Friend, bring Corey to the brewery soon. We'll show him some Three Lakes’ hospitality."

  Corey turned from loading my now-empty coolers into my truck when he heard his name. "I don't drink, but I'd love to come anyway."

  "We've got non-alcoholic brews, or you can try my world-famous sweet tea. It's southern style." Carson puffed up as he mentioned his tea. He was so proud of it. He'd gone with his parents on a vacation to Tennessee the month before and had brought back a recipe for what he called Orange Sun Tea. He'd made everyone try it.

  "It is pretty good," I interjected.

  "Perfect," Corey said with a big smile. His whole face was transformed as he grinned at Carson. "I'd love to."

  I hoped he was sincere. If he wanted to go to Carson's, maybe he'd liked the townsfolk. Maybe he'd want to stay longer.

  Finally, we were able to hop into my truck and head toward Tyler's parents' house to grab the swim trunks. Daisy was just leaving as we pulled up.

  She met us at the end of the short driveway and handed Corey the trunks. "I checked with his mom, and these are his old ones. You just keep them."

  The trunks were bright green and looked brand new. "Those are old?" I asked.

  Daisy grinned. "You know Tyler. He shops more than anyone I've ever met."

  She wasn't wrong. Hopefully soon, he'd be out shopping again.

  "Sounds like everyone loves Tyler," Corey said as we pulled away.

  "That they do."

  8

  Corey

  After running into his house for his own trunks, Brady drove us way up into the mountains, the truck pulling hills like it was nothing. "Won't the water be cold?" I asked as I looked down at the river. The road wound back and forth, nearing the river then pulling away again as it meandered up the mountain.

  "Absolutely freezing. But you get used to it quickly. That's part of the reason we end up waiting until so late in the summer to swim. If you go as early as you could go to a pool, it's too cold to get in."

  I loved to swim, always had. It was hard to find the time or a good place in the city, though. John had hated to swim and wouldn't go around other people. As we turned onto a gravel road, I tried to remember a time we swam together, but couldn't bring one to mind. What a damn shame. It had been so long since I'd been in water bigger than a bathtub, I didn't know if I'd remember how to do it.

  "I didn't even think about swim shoes, but I did grab a couple of towels," Brady said as he parked the truck seemingly in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't even see the river anymore.

  "It's okay. We'll manage." I was so eager to hit the water, I would've gone naked. Brady hadn't turned on the air conditioning in the truck, which I appreciated. It kept us hot and would make the water feel that much better. Of course, the farther up the mountain we went, the cooler the air became.

  "We have to hike, but not far. This is the best swimming hole in the whole damn state, I promise you that. None of the tourists know about it, and it's sort of an unspoken rule that nobody local tells anyone about it."

  "You're telling me."

  He stopped short. "I suppose I am," he said with a chuckle before continuing on up the path. "You aren't exactly a tourist, though, are you?"

  I didn't reply, focused on where I was going and how his words made me feel. If I wasn't a tourist, what was I?

  The one thing I didn't want to be was a burden. "Why didn't you invite your friend Carson?" I asked.

  "He had to get back to the brewery. He's short-handed. Really needs to hire someone, but everyone that applies just isn't right."

  If I stuck around the small town and tried to put down some roots, it sure as hell wouldn't be by working at the local bar, no matter how they upscaled it by calling it a brewery. That was one temptation I didn't need. I'd told the kind barkeep that I'd love to visit, and that had been the truth. One night amongst the temptation I could handle with ease, but I didn't want to test my sobriety with a job at one.

  I stepped around a log and looked up, the woods suddenly breaking into a breathtaking waterfall, the sort of spot the main character of a movie ran toward, looking back at their potential killer, then fell smack down a ravine. Except gorgeous. "Holy shit," I whispered, looking around. "This is like paradise."

  "Isn't it amazing?" Brady started down a well-concealed path in the brush. "Follow me, or it might be easy to slip."

  He was cute, checking behind him every few steps, holding out his hand. A total gentleman. I found a spot I actually did feel a little hesitant to go down and took his offered assistance gladly, a spark of static electricity crackling between us. Or maybe it was me, reacting to how freaking hot it was that he was making sure I made it down the path okay.

  The next time he offered his hand, I took it again, even though I didn't really need it. His arm flexed as I leaned on him, enjoying the strength of his grip. I couldn't help but wonder what all he could do with his broad shoulders and masculine energy.

  By the time we reached the bottom of the relatively short walk, I was fighting to breathe normally. Not because it was strenuous, but because I wanted to wrap myself around Brady's body, and that would be totally inappropriate at this stage in the game.

  Wait. There was a game? We were staging? What was I thinking? John left me in the middle of nowhere and now I was thinking about game stages with hot Brady the Fox.

  Fuck me, who cared? I’ve got one life. No way I’m gonna waste it.

  Brady walked over to a particularly large, flat rock sticking out of the side of the water. He pulled off his shirt without any warning, looking out at the water. My mouth dropped. As the material slid up his body, his muscles were exposed slowly. His obliques looked cut from freaking stone.

  Wiping the mental drool from my mouth, I pulled my own shirt off, careful to keep my back to Brady. He had the trunks from Tyler on the rock beside him, so I walked over to get them.

  After such a sweaty day, I was ready to get in the water and rinse off. The waterfall flowed into the perfect plunge pool, a smaller branch snaking away, leaving the pool full and the prime location for swimming.

  Aware of how close I was to Brady's bare torso, I leaned around him without showing my back and grabbed the trunks. "I'll just go around here," I said as I valiantly tried not to look at his torso. I wanted to do a lot more than look at it, that was certain.

  The other side of the rock hid me from the waist down, so I slipped my sneakers and jeans off, throwing them up onto the rock. Looking up, I realized Brady was doing the same thing as we placed our pants on the same spot in the rock. If I stood on my tiptoes and looked down, I'd see everything Brady had to offer.

  I stepped back and resisted temptation. If our friendship led to that, I wanted it to be a natural progression, not my horniness forcing it.

  Nothing wrong with being horny, of course, but I was determined not to follow my bad habits and fall into bed as soon as I found a man attractive. Brady was different from the men that had drifted through my life and definitely different than John, the scumbag. Brady was real. He was honest and somehow pure. I wouldn't ruin it by seducing him too soon.

  Keeping my face down, I changed into the trunks and walked around the rock, ready to venture into the water finally.

  "Ah," I moaned. The rocks were painful on my feet. "You weren't kiddi
ng about the shoes."

  Brady stepped forward and held out a hand again. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe I forgot the shoes. It's the most essential part of the river experience. These rocks, even the big ones, are hard on the feet." He pulled me forward into the water.

  It lapped like ice at my feet. "Ahhh," I cried out. "It's freezing!"

  Laughing, Brady kept tugging me deeper into it. "I promise you'll get used to it. Wait till we get to the deeper part of the pool. The deeper spots are really cold. But the area behind the waterfall is the best."

  He kept talking as he gently tugged me forward. It was slow-moving since the rocks were slick with moss in spots and we had to keep our balance. Falling into the icy water would be a real shock to the system.

  We reached a sunny spot and paused, the water up to our thighs. If we got much deeper, it would reach the jewels. "I gotta say. I'm not looking forward to the next step."

  Brady, taller than me, wasn't in danger of the freezing water touching his most sensitive parts just yet. He looked at me, confused until I looked down at my crotch, just a few inches from the bubbling water. He burst out laughing when he realized what I'd meant. "Oh, yeah, that's the worst part. At this point, it's easiest to jump. Go whole hog."

  He did exactly as he said, turning toward the waterfall and diving forward into the shallow water, immersing his whole body. He launched back out of the water several feet away, and it came up to his stomach. It must've deepened rapidly. "Come on!"

  As he pushed backward, going a little closer to the waterfall, I inched forward until the water was so close to my balls it made them tingle in scared anticipation. I couldn't stand the thought of inching them in, so I screwed up my courage and did what he said, jumping forward face-first into the water.

  The shock to my system was surprisingly short-lived. I moved my arms under the water and kicked my feet, the cold water no match for my delight to be swimming again, finally. I rolled over onto my back, in another sunny spot, and enjoyed the feel of the hot sun on my chest and the cold water on my back.

  Wiping the water out of my eyes, I peered around for Brady but didn't see him. I righted my body, looking around. "Brady?" I asked quietly. Suddenly the peaceful, beautiful surroundings seemed spooky and threatening. "Where are you?"

  With a yell, Brady launched himself out from behind the waterfall, cannonballing into the pool in front of me with a childishly delighted expression on his face.

  He startled a girlish scream right out of me. Flipping around, I swam away from my new friend who was clearly on the hunt. He swam after me, laughing when he surfaced. Moving toward the waterfall, I swam under and climbed up the perfect rocks behind it. They formed stair steps as if someone had intentionally placed them in just the right spots for ease of climb.

  From the other side of the water, the rocks were invisible, but from behind, I could just see Brady moving around. He was swimming in a circle. His pure joy at playing in the water was refreshing. I hadn't been with a man in, well, ever that would let go and let himself appear to be anything less than a macho jerk. Image had been everything in the circles I'd run in. If you appeared weak at any moment, you'd lose status or some shit.

  Sitting on the rock, I watched him begin to do cartwheels in the deep water, coming closer to the waterfall. I wasn't sure, but he didn't seem to be intentionally moving toward me. Rising carefully to my feet, I waited for him to get in just the right spot, then jumped out with a yell the way he had, aiming myself for just beside him.

  Unfortunately, he moved the wrong way as I jumped, and placed himself exactly underneath me. My yell of triumph turned into a scream of terror. I was going to land right on top of him.

  Brady rolled over just in time, opening his arms as if to catch me. He had the biggest, goofiest grin on his face. I tried to position my body to be the least impactful, but it happened so fast I didn't get my arms out of the way.

  Brady moved faster than I did, though. He used my body to push him down in the water so I didn't hurt him as I hit. Unfortunately, I hurt me as I hit. A belly flop slap filled my ears as I sank into the water, the sting from the impact of the water on my stomach spreading across my abdomen. The shock to my system was worse than when I'd first jumped into the freezing cold water. I realized as I floated, eyes screwed shut, trying to process the pain, that the coldness of the water had stopped bothering me. I'd gotten used to it just like Brady had said.

  My body rose back to the top, face down, and gentle hands rolled me over. I let out my breath and moaned dramatically. "I died, didn't I?"

  Throwing my hands above my head, I stretched out and floated, Brady's arms under my back. "I died, and this is heaven, the land of perfect waterfalls and hot men to save me."

  Even in the water, I felt Brady stiffen at my careless words. I hadn't considered how he'd feel about being called hot. I felt so comfortable with him the words had flowed out. That was a new and pleasant feeling—being able to say whatever I wanted without worry that someone would blow up at me or be offended.

  "If this is heaven, I'm here with you," he said softly. I barely heard him over the roar of the fall. I cracked an eye and found him looking at my body with raw hunger on his face. My heart pounded, and holy shit, it was too much.

  Rolling over, I swam away but kept my head above water. "Hey, now. You're hot, but that doesn't mean I'm putting out. I hope that's not the purpose of this little expedition." I tried to throw a laugh in to lighten the words, but it came out all awkward. I turned away from him and rolled my eyes at my own ineptitude.

  "What are you talking about?" Brady asked. I looked at him as he treaded water and stared at me a few feet away. "I just thought we were having fun. I'm not trying to get in your pants, exactly."

  "Exactly?" I said with an eyebrow arch.

  "Well, I mean, I'm not saying I wouldn't want to be in your pants, so to speak." Apparently, it was his turn to be awkward. Holy fuck, the man was adorable. How was it possible for him to be so cute and sexy at once? "I mean, I would gladly, but that's not why we're here." He rubbed his hands across his face. "Corey, stop busting my chops." Uh-oh, he lost his awkwardness. It was real talk time. I nearly laughed. "I think you're fucking incredible, and yes, I'd fuck you in a heartbeat. But that's not why we're here. We're here because I enjoy your company, and I really wanted you to be able to have an afternoon without being worried about everything heavy going on in your life."

  Okay. I could handle that. "I know there's a major attraction here, but I'm a blip in your life, and the last thing you need is me gumming up the works. I’d just make everything complicated." And the last thing I needed was to start having feelings for this man that was so far the opposite of me, it was painful.

  His face closed off, to my chagrin. I hated ruining his playful mood, but he really didn't need to get attached. And neither did I, damn it. Life was already hard enough.

  9

  Brady

  The mood was ruined. We swam more, and both of us jumped off the rock behind the waterfall several more times. I could plainly see Corey didn't want to leave the water. "You like to swim," I said. No need to ask, it was obvious. "Have you never been to the river?" I asked. It was also obvious that this was his first time walking on river rock or swimming under a waterfall.

  "Nope, first time. My parents' neighborhood had a pool that I used all year—it was heated. And there were lakes in the area, but they get kinda yucky when everyone uses them constantly. The areas suitable for swimming were always jam-packed with locals. But we were too far away from the river." He jumped off the rock, and I still didn't know that much more about him, except that he had parents and had grown up away from the mountains. I sat down and watched him swim across the pool and back, contemplating the quirky man that had dropped so unexpectedly into my life. He kept swimming toward the shore. I jumped out from behind the waterfall and followed. Apparently, he was ready to head back.

  We toweled off and sat on the rock. "Putting regular shoes back on a
fter swimming here is a lesson in patience," I told Corey, ready to break the tension. "If you walk out of the water onto the sandy, rocky shore, you get all this on your feet." I held up my feet, covered in silt. "Then it'll dry on there. So you have to find a rock that you can reach the water from. Scooting over to the edge of the rock, I dipped my feet into the water and rinsed all the dirt off of them. "Then, you sit back and let them dry, or use your towel. I lay back on the rock, which baked in the late afternoon sun. "I prefer letting them air dry while I sit here and relax, myself. But if you'd like to head back, I can dry my feet and we can take off."

  Corey moved beside me and stuck his feet back into the water, swishing them around. "I'm in no hurry," he said, lying back on the rock and putting his hands under his head. "This is nice."

  "Mmm." After a few minutes, I found myself thinking about him, how he'd worked tirelessly all day without a single complaint. "You like to cook, eh?"

  For the first time, he talked without reservation over the sounds of the rushing water. The sun was getting low, but we still had some time before we had to head back. "Oh, yeah, I love it. Always have. I was the only boy in my playgroup that had three of those little kid ovens. The ones that cook brownies with a lightbulb?" He rolled his head toward me to make sure I knew what he was talking about. I nodded, encouraging him to go on. "Of course, I was the only boy in my playgroup that wanted to play doctor with the other boys, too."

  I burst out laughing. "I can just picture little blond you, perving on the other boys."

  "Aw, it wasn't so bad. They did the same thing to the girls. Kids are curious."

  He was so attractive as he opened up, finally finding something he didn't feel nervous about revealing about himself. "My dream," he continued, "is to open a restaurant, or manage a kitchen. I don't necessarily have to own it."