Nate swallowed a curse and sighed, slammed the lid on his irrational jealousy, and followed Dave to the boat, grabbing his ski vest on the way.
****
The skiing had distracted everyone from her paintings, thank goodness. Kay took advantage of that after her own ski run to hike her stuff over to her camp. The peace of her camp tempted her to linger, but she tidied her equipment away and returned to Spider Camp.
Silly how showing her work to friends could make her so nervous, considering how she earned a good portion of her living displaying her work at shows and talking to customers who were complete strangers, but normally no one saw her work until she had chosen the best of the best. Any pieces that didn’t meet her standards, she carefully filed away, never to be seen by the public.
Nate wanted her to go with him to Idaho. Was there any reason she shouldn’t, other than being chickenshit? They should spend more time together, and the City of Rocks had beautiful scenery.
What if she did go all the way to Oregon? Met his parents? Nate’s stories over the years drew a picture of family life that was as far from hers as could be. Instead of shouting their love and bile at each other, Nate’s parents actually liked each other. If she was going to tell him yes, she should meet them. Hadn’t she always wondered if his stories were all true? Now she had a chance to see for herself.
She calculated the traveling and visiting time frames. His parents lived in the northeastern part of Oregon. If she drove with Nate to the City of Rocks, what was going a little farther? The trip was doable within her calendar constraints. It would give her time and make Nate happy.
And there he was, striding out of the water toward her, wet body gleaming in the glaring sunlight, and shaking the water from his hair with full-hearted laughter that tripped up her thoughts and completely turned her on. Her body was sure of what she wanted.
Was she really going to do this? Say yes? Do a one-eighty on her sworn-to life plan?
Nate caught Kay and kissed her hard and hot, dripping cool water over her sun-warm skin. Intelligent thought abandoned her under the heady rush of lust.
Worry later, enjoy now
.
Yeah. Later. Tuning out the clapping and whistles, Kay tugged him back to her mouth. This was when everything was right, losing herself in the gentle assault of lips and mouth and tongue. When it was safe to just feel and feeling was all. Lips, soft and challenging. Wet heat and chill water. Breathing breath together. Remembering the rush and rightness of their first kiss, and second, and…
Remember that. That was good. This is good.
They pulled apart. Nate grinned and winked.
Her heart took a tentative leap free of the old, tethering doubts.
Remember this, this is good.
Skiing settled down to swimming, silliness and horseplay, followed by chatting and snacking. Mark was glued to Dave’s every word on skiing and boats, a convert in the making. Chuck and R.J. sat off to the side laughing it up with Pippa and April.
More laughter rose from one far corner of the beach where Christopher was off with Margie teaching her to cast. She was having the worst luck, tangling the line, Christopher and herself, but Christopher was a patient teacher and Margie beamed with enthusiasm.
After supper, Dave played DJ and set up the music, the songs this night a mix, the volume mellow. They sang “The Long Run” with the Eagles, “Love Me Truly” with Elvis, and “The Girl from Ipanema” with Astrud Gilberto.
Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” came on next, and April laughed with glee. “I love this song! You should turn the volume up. You play the music way too quiet.”
Dave folded his arms, his face implacable. “Nope, we keep the sound down here. We love our fun and music, but other folks come to the lake for the peace of the wilderness, and we don’t impose our noise on them.”
Olivia danced with Scott and Mark, and studiously ignored her husband as R.J. danced with April and Pippa. Dave claimed the seat beside Kay and lounged with his feet up and a beer in hand, and his guitar at his side. Nate danced with everyone; he even pulled Lloyd up, and the two men launched into a comic waltz of sorts, hamming it up to Barbra Streisand’s “Memories” and everyone’s laughter.
Nate’s not like the men in your family. He’s such a great guy.
A chill struck her. Yes, and that was what the women in her family had said about Anthony and Grant and Harper and Dad and Grandpop Bill and Grandpa Nash. Great guys. They work too hard. They don’t really mean it. They had a bad day. Excuses, excuses, and they all fell for the excuses every time. Married the bastards, stuck with the bastards, excused the bastards.
Don’t worry…
The advice annoyingly bopped through her mind.
Nate wanted to marry her. He loved her. How could she not worry?
Just because you swore you’d never marry doesn’t mean you can’t ever change your mind. Nate’s different. Yes, you said you were going to break the cycle, but this is another way besides staying single: marry a sane guy. He’s pretty sensible. A little goofy. It’s time to take a chance on love.
Be happy..
. She struggled to focus on that lovely doubt-free moment after their kiss earlier, but it slithered mockingly away.
He was still trying to completely change her life. She’d have to move to a place he picked, to a house he picked. She’d have to give up her things, her job, her friends, her house, and uproot herself to an alien land to suit his whim.
Alien? Oh, get a grip. It’s Oregon, for pity’s sake. It’s not like he’s picked Russia or something. Even better, it’s further away from Mother, Dad, Claire, and all the angst.
And Nate and you will never be like Dad and Mother. Nate never flirts to get a jealous rise out of you, to make a fight. The jealousy crap never comes up. You’re not whacked out of your head with passion and drama. Look, Nate says he loves you, and he doesn’t need to throw a temper tantrum or break anything when Dave kisses you. He knows Dave’s teasing. Dad or Anthony would have thrown a major fit. Nate doesn’t sulk when you laugh with Lloyd, dance with Scott, or chat with Mark. You’re friends. That is why you have a shot at making this work with Nate.
What if she trusted him only to find out she was wrong?
What if he’s the one and you cut him loose because you’re a coward? What if you trust him and find out love can prove true?
What if what you’re feeling right now with Nate is really love the way it should be?
Stop worrying. Be happy.
Nate and Dave were deep in quiet conversation and campfire building. A last slice of the fading sunset washed Nate in soft gold light, contrasting with the deepening twilight blues of the shadows. He was so beautiful. A giddy lightness rushed through Kay, and she broke out in a smile.
Dave winked at her, and nudged Nate. Nate pivoted, looking confused, his train of thought obviously broken, and Dave shoved him into motion.
Nate slipped his arm around her waist. “You look happy.”
“I am.” Confused, yes, but at the moment, mostly happy. Happy felt good.
Dave finished with the campfire, and the small driftwood blaze crackled merrily. He stood back, arms folded over his bare chest, eyeing the sparks, deep in thought, and then nodded to himself.
The scene of his thoughtful expression and the firelight flickering over his skin caught her and Nate at the same moment, because Nate swung around and caught up his camera, smoothly adjusting his settings on the move, and took several shots before Dave noticed.
Dave just shook his head and laughed. “A beautiful, sexy woman at your side and you’re taking pictures of me. You’re so weird, pal.”
“I need s’mores,” JoAnn announced. “The baby wants s’mores, too. Anyone else ready for dessert?”
Laughter bounced around the camp.
Soon the scent of toasted marshmallow and warm chocolate filled the camp.
JoAnn polished off her first with happy noises. “Oh, these are good. Flashing back to childhood here.”
Even the guys got into the treat, starting up a running challenge on the most perfectly toasted marshmallow and the most alien-blob-life-form toasting gone terribly wrong.
Kay bit into her s’more, and the gooey warm marshmallow and chocolate slid and squished between the crisp, crumbling graham crackers. Giggling as she caught the cracker crumbs, she took another bite of the sweet, messy treat.
S’mores were one of the good memories of childhood days at the lake. Dad choosing the right toasting sticks. Dad taking her burnt marshmallows and giving her his perfectly toasted ones, swearing with a straight face that the black marshmallows were the best and she didn’t know what she was missing.
But remembering the good times cracked open the door to the bad, as well…
Didn’t I tell you how to do that once already, Kay…No, damn it, not that way…If you can’t keep up, you should have stayed—
Slam that door. Focus on the positive. Focus on the now.
She swallowed hard, jammed the old pain down and away, and licked the sticky trailing strings of sugar from her lips. Focus on the now…She looked up, into Nate’s eyes full of rich warmth and amusement.
“Missed some.” Nate’s easy, seductive smile raised shivers through her. He leaned over and kissed the chocolate from her lips, sensuously tasting and grazing with teasing licks and bites. He laced one hand into her hair, cradling her head, keeping her close.
She slipped her hand to rest at his nape. Everything faded from her mind but Nate and chocolate and the deep, sweet kiss.
****
Hell of a great kiss, oh, yeah. Nate sank into the slow, hot rush. Kay’s mouth was sweet and soft, her unbraided hair rippled silk, and as her body relaxed against his, the fire and their friends faded from thought. He soaked it all in: the chocolate, the sugar, her breath feathering over his skin. The brush and sway of her body against his drove his blood south and left his head buzzing. Kissing Kay was the best sugar rush.
Applause and catcalls broke them apart from the kiss.
“Judges, I rate that one a perfect ten,” Patti called out, which prompted a scattering of teasing laughter and more silly scores.
“Nine point nine.”
“Are you kidding? Eleven and a half.”
“I think they better try it again, so we can be sure here. Coulda been a fluke.” Dave winked and skewered two marshmallows.
Kay blushed, and her smile came out of hiding.
Nate kissed her again, just because. This was one of those perfect moments in life where he felt like he could walk on water without the benefit of the ski rope. Every hour he was more in love with Kay than ever.
Please let the good vibes he was feeling from her mean his easy, low-pressure plan was paying off.
The music ended and s’mores finished led to sitting back with drinks and lazy conversation around the glimmering coals of the fire. Kay sat off to the side in a lighthearted conversation with Patti, Margie and JoAnn. He’d gotten corralled into a fishing conversation with Dave, R.J., Mark, and Lloyd. Yeah, R.J. knew his stuff, but Nate had heard more about bonefish and tarpon over the past two days than he ever wanted to know. R.J. had been flirting hard and heavy with April, Patti and Pippa all evening and left Olivia watching him make an ass of himself. The guy did not know when to turn it down, and talking fishing with the man was pretty much more of the same.
Nate felt for Olivia, who seemed nice enough on her own, but the Harpers’ unending conflict scraped on his nerves, and all day he’d caught Kay’s scattered flinches at the simmering tension between the couple. He was beyond fed up with their issues bothering Kay.
He hovered in the talk, biding his time to escape and snag her away.
“We were lucky this year Scott’s mom took the boys with such short notice. Brave woman.” Patti fake-shuddered and laughed.
“Your twins are sweethearts and you know it.” JoAnn smiled and caressed her belly.
“I love my boys to pieces, but Ryan and Sam can make the Energizer Bunny look like a slug. We needed this vacation.”
“Honestly, you should bring them next year. You said Scott’s teaching them to fish. They know how to swim. They’d have a blast.”
For so many years, these trips had been singles only. Now most of them had paired off. Were they seeing an end to the trips, as had almost happened this year, or just an inexorable metamorphosis into something different as his friends started bringing children?
For a moment he imagined their camp with children underfoot, all the laughter and excitement, and, yes, even the whining he remembered from camping with his two brothers and sister.
The picture was good.
And he wanted it with a fierceness that stunned him.
Time to take Kay fishing and work on making it happen. He hated to drag Kay away while she was enjoying herself. He wanted to get her away for just himself tonight on the boat, to relax, spend time together. No pressure. A little fishing. A little kissing…
At R.J.’s next hearty laugh, JoAnn gave the man a narrow-eyed stare and briskly clapped her hands. “So, who’s up for Monopoly? Kay?”