He gazed into my eyes for a few seconds before smiling. “We both know you’re lying, but just know that I’m here if you need me. I won’t ask you again.” Then clapping his hands together he announced, “Okay, let’s eat.”
It really was a great meal, definitely better than my frozen meal would have been. Afterward, we sat outside watching the water with a glass of wine. The only sounds were the waves crashing against the dock, the bugs hitting the porch light, and the sound of frogs croaking in the distance. No sirens, car alarms, or anyone yelling on the street. I could definitely get used to country living.
“You did not!” I cried, surprised at what he had just told me.
“Yes I did.”
“You did not moon your teacher in high school.”
He swallowed his wine then laughed. “I did.”
“But why?”
“Because he yelled at Sam.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. You mooned your teacher because he yelled at your friend? I don’t buy it.”
“Well, that, and maybe I was bored. There’s not a whole lot to keep kids entertained in a town this size.”
“You did it because you were bored?” He nodded. “Teenage boys are so dumb.”
“It’s true, they are. But come on, you had to have done some dumb things yourself when you were a teenager.”
I thought back to my teenage years, trying to remember doing anything stupid. “Not that I can think of.”
“You never blew off school to go shopping or something else girlie?”
I rested my glass on my knee as I thought some more. “Nope.”
His face was full of shock. “You never got drunk at a party and woke up in somebody’s doghouse?”
“That happened to you?” I asked, laughing.
His eyes creased as he grinned. “No, that happened to Sam. One night, we were at a party, he was getting kind of drunk. One minute he was there, the next he wasn’t. I looked for him most of the night, scared out of my mind. I was sitting on his porch the next day, sure that he was dead, when I saw him walking over from the Hendersons’ back yard. He said he woke up in their doghouse, and had no idea how he got there.”
I laughed and laughed. That was about the funniest story I had ever heard. God, it felt good.
He nudged my elbow, shaking me. My wine sloshed in my glass. “There’s got to be one thing, something impulsive?”
“No, I drank in high school, but never really got that drunk. And I was always home by my curfew.”
He looked shocked and disappointed, and then he grinned, his eyes full of mischief. “Have you ever gone skinny dipping with a near stranger?”
I laughed as he looked at the water, then back at me wiggling his eyebrows. “No, I’ve never been skinny dipping before.”
His jaw dropped. “You haven’t. Well, that settles it then.” He stood up, peeling his shirt off over his head, exposing a smooth sculpted chest that I had to pry my eyes away from.
“What are you doing?” Was that panic or excitement that I was feeling?
“We’re going skinny dipping. Don’t worry, I won’t look. I’ll shut the lights off and turn around while you take your clothes off, as long as you don’t peek at me.”
“I am not going skinny dipping.” My voice was shrill. “First of all, I hardly know you and the water will be freezing.”
“No, don’t think about it. Just do it, one impulsive act once in your lifetime.” Now he was pulling his socks and shoes off. “It’ll be liberating.” He was about to undo the button on his jeans.
“Will you stop taking your clothes off? We don’t even have towels.” Okay, it was panic. My heart was in my throat, and I know I sounded slightly hysterical.
“It wouldn’t be impulsive if we had towels.”
He flicked the light off before walking toward the water, tugging at his jeans. He was about to pull at his boxers when I turned around. Then I heard a splash behind me.
“Come on, the water is so refreshing.”
Nothing in my life had prepared me for this. I was miles away from home, in a town I didn’t know, and now I was about to go skinny-dipping with a stranger. For some reason, when I laid it all out like that, the panic turned to excitement. I was not Abby Watson an abuse victim from Renwood, New York, who didn’t have an impulsive bone in her body. I was Anna Smith, and I could be whatever I wanted to be, and right now that was impulsive.
“Fine, but turn around.” I watched as he turned, facing the cottage across the lake. I hoped no one was home and looking over here. I stripped quickly then ran into the water before I changed my mind. It was freezing, but fun. I didn’t realize how free it felt to be naked in the water. I walked up beside him making sure everything was covered, and that it was dark enough, so he couldn’t see through the water. “So?” he asked, as I stood a couple feet from him.
“It’s awesome, but just keep your distance.” My teeth chattered, making my words almost inaudible.
His arms spread out pushing through the water. “Why, are you ashamed of your body? Because you shouldn’t be, it’s very sexy.” He winked, and damn it, I blushed. I really didn’t want to.
“How would you know that?”
“Well, I did see quite a bit of it when you answered the door the morning after we met.”
Oh right, he saw me in a tank top and undies. So much had happened since then, that it seemed like a long time ago. I felt myself blush again at the memory, which was ridiculous considering I was naked in a lake with someone I hardly knew. This was so not me. Debbie would be proud.
We waded through the water for a few more minutes, until Noah said, “Okay, that was fun, now let’s get the hell out of here, it’s freezing.” His teeth were chattering, his lips blue.
I was ducked down, up to my neck, trying to keep warm. The water was cold, but the spring crisp air touching my wet skin was like ice. “What? Are you kidding, after all that talk about how I should be more impulsive and daring?”
He nodded, stepping closer. “We did it, and now it’s cold, so I’m getting out. We’ll wait a few weeks before we do this again, then it will be much warmer. The point is you threw caution to the wind, and did something you wouldn’t normally do. I’m proud of you.”
It was strange that his words created a warm glow inside me. Why would I care if he was proud? I hardly knew him. “Thank you. But let’s go. You’re right, I’m cold. Turn around.” When he did, I raced up the beach, tugging my shirt on quickly. It covered me enough that I told him he could come out. I was pulling my pants on facing the cottage.
“Don’t peek. But if you do, remember the water is freezing.”
Understanding what he meant, I started to laugh as I struggled with my jeans against my wet skin. I didn’t peek, but I heard a zipper just before I managed mine. He was much faster at this.
I left shortly after, going home and running a hot bath to warm up. Lying in the tub, I realized how much fun I had with him. I didn’t think I had ever talked and enjoyed myself with a man before. I liked Nick before he turned abusive, but we never really talked like I did with Noah. I had been reluctant to become attached to anyone. I had only been here a short time and already, I had two friends. My mind told me to end both of those friendships now, but my heart, the part of me that missed my family so much, told me to embrace this new life that I had found, and be happy. I deserved it, didn’t I? Now that I had decided to listen to my heart, I realized how lucky I was to know that in my new life I could not only be safe, but happy.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Mable’s
I worked on my book the following morning for a few hours. I wanted to get the first draft done by the end of the week. And when I had it finished I was going to find away to send it to Debbie without Nick finding me. How, I had no Idea, but I would think of something.
The diner was full when I arrived; only a few tables were open. Most of the faces were familiar from the picnic Sunday, but no names came to
mind. The white-tiled floor had cracks snaking through many of the squares. The walls were red with accents of white knicknacks and pictures placed all over the area. The smell of butter and meat wafted around the large room. A happy pop song floated out of hidden speakers as I looked about for Kathy.
She was in a booth at the back waving at me. I found my way over, passing a man with bushy eyebrows and a long narrow nose. His hair was as black as ink and he was watching me. His companion was a short stout woman with short curly hair the color of wheat. She turned to see what he was looking at, and when she saw me walking past them she narrowed her eyes at him and hit their table with a thud to get his attention. I quickened my steps, thankful when I made it without any issues with the people behind me. “Hi,” I said as I slipped into the booth across from her.
“You’re just in time, I just sat down.” She handed me a menu. “So what do you want?”
I glanced down at the booklet in front of me. It was about six pages long, and as far as I could see, besides fries, salads, and burgers, the main meals were pies. “You’re the expert. What do you recommend?”
She was dressed in a crisp white blouse. Her red hair was up in a short pony tail and her green eyes sparkled as she spoke. “Well, Mable’s is famous for two things.” She held up one finger, her nails painted a bright pink. “Her coffee.” She held up another. “And her pies, any kind of pie. You should try the chicken, you won’t regret it.”
With my elbow on the table, I leaned my head on my hand, reading the short blurb about the homemade chicken pot pie. It did sound good. “A chicken pie, I’ve never had one before.”
She grinned, yanking my menu out of my fingers and tossing it behind her on the bar. It smacked on to the black and white Formica. “Then you’re in for a treat.”
“All right, that’s what I’ll have.” I placed my purse on the cushioned bench next to me.
“I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into the kitchen to place our orders. As soon as she was gone, the man with the black bushy eyebrows arrived. He placed a pen and a white napkin on the table. “Can I have your autograph?” His voice was deep and gravelly.
My stomach dropped. People didn’t usually ask that of me. Yes, when news of the movie coming out hit the media, my face was on a couple shows, but since it opened, it became more about the actors, and I was thankfully forgotten. I never in a million years expected this request from someone in such a small town. “I...I’m sorry, I think you’re confused.” I blinked up at him. “Why would you want my autograph?”
He smiled, his bushy eyebrows creased. “You’re the author of the Harlow Hill's books, aren’t you?” he asked.
Relief set in with a wave. I had actually been mistaken for that author before. Besides sharing the same color of hair, we both wrote children’s books. Her books were made into a series of well known movies while only one of mine had been. “I’m sorry, sir, but you have the wrong girl. My name is Anna.”
His face fell, disappointment shining from his dark eyes. “Oh. I’m sorry to have bothered you.” He slunk away just as Kathy returned with our meals. She glanced curiously at the man and then slipped back into the booth.
“That was fast,” I observed as she placed my plate in front of me, hoping she wouldn’t ask about my visitor.
She didn’t. “Well, when you work here, you get certain perks. Besides, I only have half an hour so they rush mine.”
I took a bite of the pie and was surprised. She was right, it was amazing. I could taste carrots, peas, onions, and chicken, of course, all mixed in thick, flavorful gravy. The crust was buttery and extremely flaky. “Mmm, this is really good.”
“I told you,” she said with a wink. She took a bite of her pie and closed her eyes, savoring the taste. “Now that I’ve got you here, tell me how things are going with you. How do you like Shimmer Lake?” There was a big smile on her face, and a glint in her eye, so I was guessing she wanted to know about Noah. I’d have to set her straight about that.
“I love it here. I’m from a big city so I’m surprised that it’s so quiet and relaxing and no one seems to be in a rush.”
She nodded, running her fork through her pie, leaving lines in the mixture. “Yeah, it is pretty great here. You know, you’d think growing up in such a small town, I’d want to get away to a bigger place like a lot of the kids I went to school with, but I never did.”
I forced down a gulp of my drink. She had brought me a Coke. I had forgotten to order a beverage and I didn’t have the heart to tell her I didn’t really like soda. My preferred drink was iced tea, or flavored water. “I was thinking of going to Martin sometime. I wouldn’t mind a shopping day. You interested?” Although I really did love it here, I missed the stores you found in a city.
She swallowed her bite that she had scooped up, and took a sip of her Coke. “Okay, but just so you know, in the future you never have to ask, just tell me when and where.”
A woman with really long black hair pulled back, and dressed identically to Kathy, rushed by, carrying a tray of food, the smell of ginger floating with her.
I smiled, happy to have found a shopping companion. It wasn’t often I wanted to go, but when I did, I liked company. “Great, I’ll let you know.”
“But the question I asked you earlier wasn’t really about Shimmer Lake, but more about Noah.”
The ice in my drink jingled against the glass as I swirled it. “I know, but we’re just friends, and that’s all it can ever be.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not interested in dating right now and probably won’t be for a long time.”
Her mouth was wide open in shock as she stared at me. “Oh, come on, you never know. And you and Noah are so great together.”
“We met a month ago and we’re just starting to get along. How can you know that?”
She shrugged, leaning back in the leather booth. “I just do, there’s an attraction between you two. Even I can feel it.” She tucked a small lock of hair, the only piece that was loose, behind her ear.
I tried to ignore what she said, because I disagreed. I didn’t feel an attraction. Yes, he was good looking, but that was as far as it went. Having said that, I had to admit that there was a connection. I felt so comfortable around him; he was the kind of guy that you could talk about anything with. “Seriously, Kathy, I’m not interested, and I don’t think Noah is either. He told me about Becca. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want anything more than friendship.”
Her lips pressed together, her face taking on a defiant expression. “You’re right, he doesn’t, but you both need to be happy.”
“People can be happy without a relationship. I for one am happier than I’ve been in over a year. We’ve only just met and already I value Noah’s friendship, he’s a really great guy. He’s fun to be with and he seems to really care about his friends. He’s cocky and a bit pushy, but it’s all part of the package. I really like him, and I wouldn’t want to ruin our friendship before it’s even begun.”
Her eyebrows rose, and a grin spread across her pale pink lips. “You like him.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “As a friend. I had a good time yesterday with him, but that’s it.”
“Whatever you say,” she said, taking a bite of her meal.
I rolled my eyes, and went back to my delicious chicken pie.
Over the next month, I threw myself into my writing. Now that I was inspired, I didn’t want to stop. Kathy came over a few times and we sat around drinking wine and talking about Chicago, which I didn’t know much about. When she visited, she’d tell me about her and Sam. She loved being married, but enjoyed having time away to herself. She said my place was her escape hatch.
Noah was busy with his order and only came up for air to cook me dinner on the weekends.
Each time I went over, he thought of something spontaneous we could do. Of course it had to be something I’d never done. One night when I told him I had never played a drinking game, he insisted we do a
shot every time the word car was mentioned in a movie he made me watch.
I was hungover the next day; it was surprising the amount of times the word was said. Of course it didn’t matter to him if I was feeling sick; he asked me if I had ever jumped off of a cliff into the water. I answered him honestly even though I wanted to lie.
He took me across the lake in his boat and talked me into jumping off of a very high rock. Despite my queasy stomach, it felt amazing, like I was truly flying. I was happy I did it—but I’d never do it again. Thankfully, the water had warmed up some since the skinny-dipping incident.
We went riding every Sunday, and I was really getting the hang of it. Cindy only made one appearance. We saw her getting out of her car, but once she spotted me she high-tailed it into the house. Noah turned to me and said that he owed me big time. I let him think that, but truthfully I needed him as much as he needed me. He made me feel safe and protected. Somehow, Noah had brought me back to a time before Nick. A time where I wasn’t scared, and I was determined to hold onto that feeling as if it were a life raft. The time we spent together almost made me forget my problems. He stayed true to his word, and never mentioned my secret. Which made me enjoy his company even more.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Uncomfortable
I had a great summer with Noah and Kathy. I stayed away from Sam as much as possible, but it was hard, considering my friends were his best friend and wife.
Noah was just as busy with his work as was I at finishing my book. But on the weekends we would go over to Kathy’s or they would come to Noah’s. On those nights the boys would go swimming, while we watched from the deck. Sometimes the men would join them, talking us into the water, which usually ended up with one of us being thrown off the dock. We weren’t sure why we fell for it every time.
Kathy was becoming one of the best friends I had ever had. Almost as close as Debbie and I. Actually I saw Kathy more than I did Debbie. We had been both busy and never seemed to have much time for each other, but here in Shimmer Lake we had nothing but time. One night as the sun set in the sky, Kathy and I sat on Noah’s deck sipping wine. The men were in the water throwing the boys and laughing hysterically.
Finding Abigail Page 20