32. Sarah

32

SARAH

I woke up before Bri the next morning, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead before saying goodbye and heading back to my house.

There was work to be done on the lakehouse and much to my disappointment, our date couldn't last forever. Bri insisted I take one of her flannels since our clothes never made it into the wash the night before.

But I knew deep down that she wanted to mark her territory… just a little bit.

I went downstairs, said goodbye to Oakkie with a soft pet and a little kiss between his ears. The drive home felt like a dream, honestly I wasn't even sure that I had woken up. At least not until I pulled into my driveway.

Slinging my backpack over my shoulders, I headed toward the porch.

But my forehead wrinkled. What is that?

Sitting neatly in front of my door, a black box with a pristine gold ribbon waited for me. Only one person would have left something like this. A blush rose in my cheeks as I bent down to grab the box.

I unlocked the front door and rushed inside. Checking the clock above the stove, I realized I had a little over an hour before I needed to be at the lake house.

But I couldn't go see Vic without seeing exactly what she had gotten me.

So I set the box on the counter, tossing my bag on the ground next to the island.

Biting my lip, I tugged at the end of the ribbon. With little resistance, it came undone, falling off the box like an elegant dress to the floor. My finger worked its way around the edge of the box, pulling off the lid.

Even the box felt expensive, the slick black paper shimmering as it moved.

Inside, a red notecard sat on top of black tissue paper. My heart was racing in my chest, nervous at what my other lover could have to say in such a mysterious way.

I flipped open the note. It read:

Sarah,

I thought you might need a replacement

for the pair I stole the other night. Hopefully,

this will suffice. I hope to see how it fits soon.

V.

God. Even her note was sexy. I read it in her low, sultry voice.

Now, I knew what was inside.

I peeled open the paper with a delicate hand and shook my head as I saw the red mesh. Pulling the piece from the tissue paper nest, I held it up. It was an intricate teddy, one with a deep, low v-neck to show my cleavage. My fingers explored the fabric, rubbing the fabric that would lay over my center. It parted under the friction, creating easy access for Vic.

Dirty dog. I bit my lip at the thought of what she might do with me in it.

It almost looked custom made, like Vic had paid someone to make her exactly what she envisioned. I was tempted to put it on now but I didn't have time for that.

Instead, I ran upstairs and dug through my drawers to find a plain blouse and some simple jeans. Shimmying my body into the tight jeans, I cuffed the bottom and slipped my shirt on.

I walked across the primary bedroom to my en suite bathroom, brushing through my messy hair and tossy it up into a loose bun.

As I walked back downstairs, I raised my eyebrows. The house was oddly clean – the result of Jason having the kids for the week. I let out a sigh, enjoying the silence and knowing the sweeties would be home again in a few days.

I locked up and headed back to my car. Somehow, I managed to get out of the house on time. With any luck, I'd be just on time to meet up with Victoria. I turned on the minivan and got driving.

A quick fifteen minutes later and I was pulling into my spot between Robin's truck and Vic's Porsche. Near the dock, another truck was parked.

I squinted at it, trying to read the decal on the door. But before I could, a familiar figure approached me from the front flower beds.

"Hi, Sarah!" Her chirper voice was enough to make anyone smile.

"Hey, Leah. You and Daryl hard at work?" I shook her hand and peeked behind her.

With a shrug, Leah put her hands on her hips. "We're getting there. We want to make sure our design matches what you have inside so we've been asking for access to your vision boards."

I nodded. "I can send those over for you. There's some stuff we've even picked out in those folders too."

"That would be great." Leah's shoulders dropped with relief.

An old holler came from behind us. "Hon, are you bothering Sarah? I told you we'd figure it out."

Leah rolled her eyes at her lover. "Well, it's a good thing I asked. She's just going to send it over, no more guesswork."

Just as the two were about to start playfully bickering, the front door of the lake house swung open. Victoria stepped out and leaned against the new deck railing, a smile taking over her serious face.

I had to stop myself from blushing, not wanting to give us away to anyone else in this very small town. Instead, I waved. "Morning, Vic." I turned back to Leah and Darly and gave both of them a squeeze on the shoulders. "I'll send you both the plans once I'm back at my office."

Before they could argue with me, I brushed past them and toward the porch. Vic watched me closely as I climbed the fresh steps. The stain hadn't been applied yet. If my guess was right, Robin was waiting until the interior work was finished before sanding down the decking and applying its final coat.

"Hey." I looked at Vic once I was on her level. My hand craved to grab hers, to let our fingers intertwine. But Daryl and Leah lingered behind us.

Vic put her arm around my waist, guiding me inside. "It's good to see you. I missed you."

My eyebrow lifted. "Oh, did you?"

"Of course." She pushed open the door for me and let me enter first.

"Wow." My jaw dropped as I stepped inside. I'd only been away from the house for a couple days and so much had changed already. The foyer was painted the deep royal blue I had suggested. It was a return to the original Victorian style of the house's interior. There was something grand about bold color, something I knew Vic was desperate to recreate.

Vic nodded. "I said the same thing. You did a fantastic job." She kept walking through the entryway toward the living room. Most of the rooms were just awaiting a fresh sanding on the floors. "Follow me." She held her hand out behind her body for me to grab.

I reached out, holding her hand in mind as she led me upstairs. At the top of the staircase, Vic guided me into the primary bedroom. Just a week ago, the sheetrock had been hung. Now, the walls were primed for paint.

The room was bright and massive. The original hardwood floors popped under the fresh interior.

"This looks great. You'll have quite the view in the mornings." I shook my head as I approached the bay windows with a lake view.

Vic came up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her chin on my shoulder. "Maybe you can see it yourself."

This time, I couldn't stop the flush from taking over my cheeks. I turned my head just enough to meet her eyes. "Maybe I will."

We stood like that for a moment, taking in the view together. A vision of what our future would be like flashed in my mind. Returning from a luxurious trip to this quiet oasis just to lounge in bed for a few days.

Our breath synced as we watched the gentle ebb and flow of the lake's waves.

Vic sighed and guided me toward the bathroom. "But what I really wanted was to show you how this bathroom is shaping up."

"Oh, please."

The door was closed, prepared for a grand reveal. Vic wrapped her hand around the knob and pushed the door open.

My jaw dropped. "Holy shit."