I grab the sandwiches and close the refrigerator door. Hands full, I turn to place all of our goodies on the counter next to the cooler, but when I see what’s already beside it, I almost drop everything to the floor. There’s no way.
Next to the cooler, is an apple pie with the sugar and cinnamon on the top just like his mother used to make. “Mrs. Morgan?” I say to myself, half expecting her to pop her head around the corner. I notice a piece of paper lying by the pie. In Blake’s handwriting it reads:
Smiling, I cut two pieces of pie for us and place them in the plastic container that he laid out. I grab the thermos of milk, put the sandwiches and drinks in the cooler as well, and zip it closed. Throwing it over my shoulder, I make my way to the front door.
Walking out onto the porch, I close the door behind me and smile. Blake is leaning against my Suburban, waiting for me. He looks amused when I approach him.
“I found the pie,” I say, removing the cooler from my shoulder and handing it to him. Taking it from my grasp, he grins back at me. “How’d you remember I loved that pie? And how’d you remember I love grape drinks? Seriously Blake, it’s been so many years.”
He moves his body closer to mine and looks me directly in the eyes. “Well…the pie was for me. I’m just sharing it with you. And it’s kind of hard not to remember the grape drinks. You would always end up with a purple mustache after you’d drink them. I’d laugh at you behind your back for hours,” he adds with a chuckle.
I involuntarily move my hand to cover my mouth. “What? No way, Blake. No one gets a mustache from drinking a grape sports drink. You’re totally making that up.”
“Whatever you say, Alex. I’m the one who had to look at it,” he says, giving me a wink. He turns to open the passenger door and motions for me to get in. “Come on, mustache.”
I shove his shoulder as hard as I can in annoyance and climb in the truck. Before he closes the door, he puts his arm up above my head, and leans his whole body forward so that he’s actually inside with me. My whole entire body begins to vibrate and my heart pounds against my chest. The breath in my throat catches when he leans a little further, his face right in front of mine.
“Okay fine – you got me. I did make that up.” He pauses for a brief second.
“I actually made the pie for you.” He shoots me a sexy grin, withdraws his body and closes my door.
After Blake backs the boat into the water, I drive my Suburban up the ramp and park it. I grab the cooler and trudge to the boat dock where he’s waiting for me. I pause for a brief second to take in the lake and its surroundings. I let my body sway with the movement of the water. I can feel it under my feet as it rocks the dock from side to side. I breathe the lake air into my lungs and listen to the sound of the water hitting the rocks on the side. I sigh out loud.
God, I’ve missed this.
I scoot my feet to the edge where Blake is waiting for me and attempt to step into the boat. But as soon as I lift my foot, a huge wave knocks the dock and with the weight of the cooler, I lose my balance. I decide it’s safer to just drop straight to my bottom than to land in the lake, so I do just that. I fall backwards and brace myself by throwing my arms behind me. Once I’ve successfully landed, I look up to see Blake staring at me with his mouth open and his eyes widened with surprise. I lie back on the dock and belt out a laugh. I can’t help it. I lift my head to glance back at Blake. Although he’s managed to cover his mouth, his eyes are still huge, which makes me laugh even harder. I look up into the sky and try to gain my composure.
“If it wasn’t nine-thirty in the morning, I’d be worried that you’re drunk!” Blake shouts from the boat. “What is that? The second time you’ve had balance issues this morning?”
I giggle while I bring myself back to my feet. I dust off my bottom and the back of my tank top. “Maybe it would’ve been better for me to have a few drinks this morning. It couldn’t get any worse, that’s for sure.” I grab the strap to the cooler that luckily landed right side up so there’s no damage to its contents. Hoisting it on my shoulder, I feel another huge wave knock the dock and I tip a little to the side.
“Get me off of here! I’m getting a complex!” I fight to regain my balance once again, and scoot closer towards Blake. He’s moved the boat as close to the dock as he can. Another big wave crashes into the dock. “Ahh! Help me, Blake!” I yell.
Blake leans forward as far as he can and reaches for me. I hand him the cooler. Throwing it to the side, he shouts though his laughter, “Not the cooler, Alex, you!” He grabs my hands and pulls me so hard, he loses his balance and falls backward into the boat, bringing me with him. I land flush with his body, my arms against his chest, his arms curved around my body. Blake squeezes me tightly and I can feel his entire body shaking from laughter. Giggling along with him, I finally raise my head off of his chest. “Well, that was interesting,” I remark as my laughter dies down. Looking at his face, I realize the intimate position our bodies are in right now. I watch the smile on his lips disappear and I’m pretty sure he just noticed it as well. I slowly move my eyes to his. I hold his stare because there’s something in his eyes calling to me. I want to lose myself in them. To give in, completely lose control, and stay like this forever.
Okay… I need to get my body off of his ASAP.
I put my hands on both sides of him to push my body off of his. When I get to my feet, I offer him my hand to help him up. He takes it and I force all of my weight backwards to offset his pull. Standing up, he looks me right in the eye. “Yeah, that was very interesting.”
We definitely need a subject change.
I clear my throat and I smooth out the wrinkles in my clothes. Looking over to the cooler, I shake my head in disapproval. “Well, I hope my piece of pie is still edible.”
Blake gives me a slight apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. I just wanted to get you in the boat. You weren’t doing so hot up there.”
“Yeah, well, I guess I’m a little out of practice.” I walk over and turn the cooler to its rightful position. “Okay, now that I’m successfully in the boat, let’s go catch some fish.”
I deposit myself into the seat next to the driver’s and prop my feet up onto the side of the boat. “Come on captain. Put this baby in gear!”
Blake takes his seat behind the wheel. “You might want to hold on to your cap. I plan on letting her spread her wings.”
I pull the cap lower on my head making it snug as possible. Blake puts the boat in reverse and soon after we’re coasting out of the “no wake zone”. When we pass the final buoy, he opens her up and we race across the lake. The speed is exhilarating. I lean my head back and allow myself to enjoy it. I feel the breeze all around me. My hair is whipping crazily as the wind blows it whichever way it wants. I breathe in every smell around me; the water, the air, the fish, the trees…it feels good, like home.
We drive around for a bit before slowing. Making our way into a cove, I immediately let out a gasp and cover my mouth in surprise. He responds with a shy smile and a shrug of his shoulders. “I thought you’d like it.”
I can’t believe he remembered this place. This is our cove. We used to haul all of our stuff down the hill and fish off of the bank. It was a trek, hiking through the trails with our tackle boxes and fishing poles, but it was always worth it.
I inhale deeply as my eyes survey the beauty surrounding me. There are willow trees, whose leaves dance just barely on the surface of the water, and a number of wisteria trees with beautiful purple blooms layering the bank all around us. The scent makes my heart swell.
Turning off the engine, we drift until we find our spot. I’d forgotten how serene it was here. The water was always so smooth; there were hardly ever any ripples on the surface. The only sound was the water just barely running into the bank. When I was younger, I would come to this very place anytime I needed to get away. It was the perfect haven. Evidently it still is.