Chapter 11

11

STERLING

" T he others will be here in a couple hours," Eric said as he parked in front of a small cabin on the shore of the lake. The water rippled in the light breeze, catching the midday sunlight like shimmering silver. Waves lapped gently at the wooden pier beneath a clear blue sky.

Peace settled over me. I loved city living, but it couldn't offer wide open spaces like this. The buildings huddled shoulder to shoulder like the people crowding the sidewalks. It was usually exciting but being out in the middle of nowhere made it clear how stifled I'd been feeling. I felt like I could breathe again.

The area was heavily wooded and we hadn't seen another dwelling for miles. We had the area to ourselves and there was a small creek nearby Eric claimed had good fishing. I couldn't imagine catching anything, but the idea of sitting by a creek with my friends sounded just fine to me.

With the surprise of finding out that Jake, Rachel, and also Daphne would be joining us, I hadn't expected to feel any peace at all, but as I drank in the cabin with a firepit in front overlooking the lake and a hammock stretched between two trees outside, I couldn't deny there was something in my soul that just felt lighter.

I grinned as I climbed out of his truck. "This place is heaven."

Eric chuckled, following me out and grabbing his duffel from the back of the truck. "Let's see how you feel after sleeping on the couch. Daphne and I will take the loft and there's only one bedroom, so Jake and Rachel will have that."

I picked up my bag and followed him around the truck to the front of the cabin. The hammock swayed seductively in the mild breeze. The trees it hung between were large and it seemed sturdy enough. The fire pit was close enough to feel it without becoming rotisserie chicken overnight.

I jerked my head at it. "I might actually just sleep in that hammock. The fresh air will be good for me."

He nodded and unlocked the double doors that led to the small living area inside. "You're welcome to sleep wherever. Just don't come crying to me if you wake up with icicles on your balls."

I laughed. "It's not even cold out yet. And I could use some quality time with mother nature."

"Don't worry. We'll get you a little sun, vampire."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not that pale."

"Of course not," he said, grinning. "I just hope you brought your sun block, Count Dracula."

"You know, now that you mention it, I've been avoiding food with garlic." I slapped my hand to my neck. "Quick, let's find a mirror."

We both laughed and Eric clapped me on the back. "It's good to see you again, man," he said.

"You too," I said, nodding. "Thank you for inviting me out here."

"Of course."

Already, I was feeling a little more centered, being surrounded by nothing but nature and friends. The only sounds were the rustle of the leaves, the water, and some birds chirping nearby. It was like I could feel the tension bleeding out of me with every breath I exhaled.

Eric glanced at me, a smirk on his lips as he opened the door. "Guess you can't take the country out of the man, after all."

I rolled my eyes at him. "There's still a little bit of small town left in here."

"I think you're still completely small town deep down inside," he joked, waving a hand to motion for me to follow him in. "There's a perfectly good couch in here, yet you're talking about sleeping outside under the stars. Big shot Manhattan investors don't do that."

"Really?" I shot back. "What is it you think they do, then?"

He shrugged, eyes crinkled with laughter at the corners as he led me through the living area to the open-concept kitchenette. "I don't know for sure, but I'm assuming they look for the nearest five-star hotel and ask for a suite with a view. I don't think any of your people would sleep out here on a hammock."

"They're not that bad," I joked. "It wouldn't have to be a suite. A deluxe room with a hot tub on the balcony would do just fine."

He chuckled. "Did you bring those beers?"

I nodded, slinging the duffel off my shoulder and pulling out a couple six-packs. "There's more in the cooler in the truck. I brought some other stuff too."

"Cool," he said, picking up the beer and adding it to the drinks he'd already put in the fridge. Working together, we fetched the rest of the stuff from the truck and carried it inside, stocking the fridge with beer, meat, and water. Then we cracked open a drink as we started sorting through the fishing supplies.

"We should head to the creek and see if we can catch something before the others get here," Eric suggested once his rod was ready. "What do you think?"

"I think that sounds like a plan." I picked up a little tub of bait and adjusted my grip on the fishing rod I was borrowing from him. "Let's do it. If Jake is still as good as I remember, he's going to catch everything once he gets here. We need a head start."

"It's just luck," Eric grumbled, doubling back to the fridge to get a couple more beers before we headed out.

I stepped back into the sunshine outside and inhaled a deep breath of air. Closing my eyes for just a moment, I relished the simple experience and appreciated it more than I ever had before. There was just something about being outdoors like this that couldn't be replicated.

Certainly not on my regular running trails in the city. A few trees did not constitute a forest.

When I opened my eyes again, Eric was watching me with a grin but he didn't give me any shit about it. Instead, he led me down a dirt path heading away from the cabin, ground crunching under our feet as we walked around the lake to the fishing creek.

The scent of damp earth wafted in the air and the birdsong intensified as we got closer to the gurgling water running through the trees. When we arrived at its bank, we set our things down in the shade along the edge of the woods and silently worked at putting hooks on our lines.

Once that was done, we strode to the water and cast in. The sound of the lines reeling out zipped through the air. For the first time in weeks, I finally felt centered as I stood there, wrapped in the sounds of nature with my best friend.

Eric's line suddenly started whirring and he whooped, shooting a beaming, smug grin at me. "Told you Jake wasn't going to get them all. Just call me the fish master."

The line tugged in his hands and he lost balance. He dropped the rod and his arms pinwheeled out as he tried to stay upright. Landing with a splash in the shallow water, he sputtered and grabbed for his rod, but when he finally managed to sit up and start reeling again, there was nothing on the end of the line.

I laughed, doubling over and leaving him to struggle with getting up in the muddy water and getting out by himself.

"You see that?" I called. "It's called karma."

"Karma?" he echoed laughingly. "For what?"

"For poking fun at me for wanting to sleep in the hammock," I said. "Nature is taking a jab at you on my behalf."

"Is that right?" he asked, an evil glint in his eyes as finally got to his feet and shook off the water.

I watched him carefully, knowing him too well to let him out of my sight right then. "Yeah, that's right."

"How about this? Is this also nature?" Bending over, he scooped water into his palms and splashed it at me. I turned to avoid it. Taking advantage of my distraction, he charged and managed to grab hold of me. He pulled me into the icy water with him, getting a grip on my shoulders and trying to dunk me before I'd even wrapped my head around what was happening.

Surprised by how naturally it all came back, I remembered us horsing around in the water like this back in the day, and I went under, ducking back to grab his ankle when he tried coming after me. He barked with laughter as I jerked him down.

When he surfaced, he put up his hands. "Peace?" he asked.

I nodded. "Sure, man. Ready to try fishing again, fish master, or should we head back?"

"We're already in the water. We might as well swim a bit and then bake for a while before we head back. We've got time."

"Fair enough." The water was too crisp to be nice, but it was refreshing.

Eric and I floated around for a while, soaking in the scenery. Eventually we climbed out, wrung out our shirts, and moved into the sun to dry off while we cast our lines back into the water. Later on, we headed back to the cabin empty-handed, but despite our lack of a catch, I still felt better than I had in years.

As we trudged back up the path to the fire pit, I realized the others had arrived. My muscles tensed, my eyes immediately starting to search for Daphne.

I didn't see her, but it was like the air was somehow different now. She was here. Somewhere.

Jake waved at us, looking happy and relaxed even as he juggled more bags than any three people could possibly need for a weekend.

"Did you guys go swimming or fishing?" he called as he paused in the doorway, shoulders shaking with silent laughter as if he knew what had happened despite not having been there.

Eric shrugged. "Both. Who said it had to be one or the other? Where are the girls?"

"Rachel's gone to have a nap and Daphne said she'd get started on dinner." Jake walked in and took their things inside with him, calling at us over his shoulder. "Have you shown Sterling the new boat yet?"

"Not yet," Eric replied easily, dropping his fishing tackle outside before following our friend in. "You want to come check it out? I'm still not sure about that knock in the engine."

"Yeah, I'll be right there," he said. "Let me just bring Rachel's bags to her."

It turned out that most of what he'd been hauling belonged to his wife. Daphne had a single bag that he left at the base of the stairs leading up to the loft, and the rest of the luggage, he took into the bedroom with him.

Something strange happened to my insides when I finally saw her. She was standing in the little kitchenette when I walked in, her chestnut locks pulled into a messy bun on top of her head and her beautiful blue eyes free of any makeup.

She wore an off-shoulder, long-sleeved shirt with a pair of jeans and those same sneakers she always seemed to be wearing on her feet. No jewelry and no frills and yet the sight of her sorting through ingredients to make a salad took my breath away.

My footsteps nearly faltered, but at the last moment, I caught myself, schooling my features just as she looked up and flashed me a smile. "Hey. You don't have any allergies I need to be aware of, right?"

"Nope."

"We're going to check out Eric's new boat real quick," Jake said as he emerged from the bedroom. "Want to walk with us, North?"

"No, I'm okay," I said, surprising even myself. "I think I'll grab a quick shower and help Daphne with dinner. I'll take a look at the boat tomorrow."

Jake shrugged and cracked open a beer while he waited for Eric at the firepit. He came downstairs from the loft just a few seconds later, having donned dry clothes before he went back out.

"Are you sure?" Eric said. "Daphne doesn't mind us popping out. We'll be back soon enough to do the heavy lifting with the grilling."

She stuck her tongue out at her brother, those eyes sparkling with the same sharp wit I'd seen from her earlier. "The heavy lifting, huh? What's so heavy about tossing a few sausages on a fire? Mankind has been doing it for centuries, big brother. Go, play with your toys. I'll be fine here."

Eric laughed and shrugged at me when I strode to the kitchen instead of the door. "We'll be back soon."

As I watched my friends stroll down the path outside, I wondered why the hell I'd opted to stay behind. Ever since I'd arrived, I'd been doing everything in my power to steer clear of this girl and to drive her as far away from me as humanly possible, but now, we were crammed together in the tiny kitchenette, and I caught whiffs of her rich, buttery scent on every inhale.

It was maddening. Intoxicating. Yet, while I easily could've followed after Jake and Eric instead, I didn't. I simply turned to her and smiled. "I'm going to go grab that shower before I get pond scum all over the food, but when I'm done, be ready to put me to work."