I rubbed my eyes and stretched. Flynn had suggested a bath, but I wasn’t wasting the water if I was going into the lake. I’d luxuriate in the jets afterward.
But that didn’t mean I had to sit around and wait for a guy, even if that guy was my dream man. I rubbed my wrist. When he’d grabbed it, adrenaline had flooded my veins. Lingering survival instincts. But his expression had been more panicked, nothing close to the rage I’d seen in my dad’s eyes.
I tucked my computer away. Yes, a walk was a good idea. Waiting for Flynn to get back before I did anything was something my mom would’ve done. Probably still did. I wouldn’t know, hadn’t talked to them for over twelve years, and didn’t want to.
Taking the stairs, I evaluated my outfit. I’d thrown the shorts back on and a pair of flip-flops, but I only planned a walk, not a hike. This should be fine. The yellow bat wings across my breasts lifted my mood. I would’ve never walked around home with just a swim top, but once Flynn had seen me in it, why bother to be embarrassed? Just because I never showed off my body didn’t mean I was ashamed of it. Clothes were a necessity. I’ never had the money for them to be fashionable.
I’d love to wear more clothing that would incite Flynn’s reaction. He’d always acted stunned around me, unsure of what to say or do, but today had been different. The look in his eye when I’d caught him staring at my breasts or my stomach…
I grinned. Day one of this vacation had started out awesome.
Warm air enveloped me as soon as I stepped outside. I toed along the stone path that ended at a narrow trail down to the lake.
A low laugh of delight escaped. A dock! Walk first, soak the toesies later.
Leaves rustled around me as a gentle breeze blew off the lake. The air cooled me off. In a couple of months, it’d be hot and muggy, but at the beginning of June, the wind was perfect.
A girl could get used to this. I closed my eyes and inhaled a slow breath. Stress rolled off me in waves as I imagined it dripping off my fingertips. How had I not realized how tense I’d been? For so many years. I couldn’t remember a time I hadn’t lived under a mountain of stress and anxiety. Meals were no longer an uncertain event, but I had to work hard to provide them and I only had myself to worry about.
Not true. I fretted terribly over my kids, both those in my class and the ones I tutored. Anxious thoughts plagued me constantly about being able to maintain the level of clients I needed for tutoring. I adored teaching, but my dream was to open my own business, one designed solely for one-on-one tutoring, and I wanted to fundraise and develop grants to make it affordable for all families.
I’d been so busy worrying about my hopes and dreams tanking—and watching where I stepped on the rough sandy shore with only my sandals—that when I looked up, I was already on another cabin’s property.
Oops. I turned around. Flynn’s cabin and even his dock weren’t visible from where I stood. On the way back, I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the sun. Spending my vacation worrying wasn’t going to help anything. I had to relax and table my thoughts for a few days, but my lifelong habit of planning for the future was more a survival instinct and harder to set aside.
A man’s voice drifted on the wind. I hoped I hadn’t intruded on another couple’s lake getaway.
I opened my eyes before I veered into the water. Flynn came jogging around the bend, his gait relaxed but his face tense.
“Tilly. Fuck, you scared me.” He stopped in front of me.
“Why in the world were you scared about me?” No one cared about me.
My throat grew thick as that statement echoed in my head. Sometimes, no matter how hard I tried to maintain my optimism, my true feelings emerged.
“I got back and the cabin was empty. You said you didn’t know how to swim but I couldn’t find you outside, either.” He glanced around. The water was to my right, trees to my left, and another plush cabin at my back. “What were you doing?”
He’d been worried about me. Best vacation ever. “I ran out of sugar and thought I’d ask these nice folks if they could loan me some.” I grinned and playfully punched him on the shoulder. “I was just going for a walk before I sat on the dock and hung my feet in. But now that you’re here, I can go wading.”
I continued on the path and he fell into step beside me. I peppered him with questions about what he’d bought, what I should cook with it if we could go fishing. He muttered that he didn’t have a boat and glowered at the path in front of us.
He went from relieved to sullen. Had I done something wrong? Had the sandwich worn off? Was he hangry now?
I brushed it off. The lake beckoned. I shed my sandals and shorts. Small rocks bit into my feet as I jumped and danced into the water.
“Oh my god, it’s cold,” I squealed but kept plowing in. Giggles escaped as the waves lapped higher on my legs, sending shivers rippling over my body. I threw my head back and laughed with pure delight.
The lake bottom wasn’t any more comfortable on my feet than the shore, but I managed to wobble around.
Flynn was staring at me, his hands shoved in his pockets, as still as a statue.
“Are you coming in?” I glided my hands around, letting cool water slide through my fingers. I was only halfway down the length of the dock, the water to the
