Page 3 of Come to Me

“He’s all registered, Mick,” her mother said as Micki handed him the second glass of water. “Can you show him around and to his cabin? I need to finish getting the cookies and drinks ready for afternoon snack.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Dr. Andres stood. “Where should I put this?” He lifted his glass.

Since it still had water in it, Micki said, “Keep it. I’ll bring it back up after I give you the tour and show you to your cabin.”

“I need to get my bags.”

She followed him out to his car. She wasn’t sure what to expect. In her experience, women packed more than they needed, and men less. But a man like Dr. Andres probably liked to have fresh clean clothes for every event. Especially for a six week stay.

He pulled out one large duffle from the back of the SUV, slinging it over his shoulder. She waited for him to pull out another, but he shut the back hatch.

“That’s it?”

“I figured I wouldn’t need much.” He frowned. “Do I?”

She laughed. He was the proverbial fish out of water. “Just swim trunks and shorts.”

“Swim trunks?”

She tried not to roll her eyes. “We have extras. Come on, let me show you around.” She led him back into the main office area. “This is where you can hang out with the other residents, and we serve morning breakfast. When it’s nice out, it’s not used much, but in thunderstorms or winter, it’s used a lot. We have books and games, but no TV.”

“I don’t watch much TV.”

She wanted to ask if he went to the opera, but she was afraid that would seem like she was buying into a cliché of rich New Yorkers.

“Back here on the deck is where we serve drinks…tea and lemonade, and cookies in the afternoon. We grill sometimes too. You’ll be here for the fourth of July. We throw a big bash for the locals to celebrate that.” She led him toward the railing near the steps. “Kincaid Lake is a twenty-five-acre lake. Big enough to spread out and have fun, but not big enough for ski boats or pontoons. We do have a fishing boat, as well as canoes, and kayaks. My goal is to get some paddle boards soon. Do you boat at all?”

He shook his head looking out over the lake. “I have friends who sail, but I don’t have a boat.” His gaze held on the lake.

She wondered if he’d ever been to one. “Pretty ain’t it?”

“Beautiful.”

She gave him a minute to admire the view and then motioned toward the stairs. “Let’s get a closer look.” She walked him down the path to the lake. “We have a main beach here. It’s the largest one, but we have two smaller ones.” She pointed in the direction of the other beaches. “We have a main dock just outside the swim area, plus two more docks, one of which is outside your cabin.” She pointed to where his cabin sat nestled in the trees. “It’s far enough away for privacy but close enough to the amenities or to the main building here if you need anything.”

“Are there other people here now?”

“We’ve got local newlyweds over in the honeymoon cabin. It’s on the other side from you, although I doubt that you’ll hear them. I’m wondering if I should check on them as I haven’t seen them since they checked in. Then again, it is their honeymoon.”

He didn’t react and she frowned. Except for the wistful expression when looking at the lake, Dr. Andres didn’t have much emotion.

“This path here will take you to your cabin. It’s clear but it doesn’t hurt to look out for snakes.”

“Snakes?” That did get an expression. She wasn’t sure if it was surprise or horror.

“We’re in nature, Dr. Andres. However, we haven’t had a snake bite here in…maybe two years. But those kids were poking the snake. It’s always best to leave snakes be.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She reached the cabin and unlocked the door for him, pushing it open. She motioned for him to enter.

“It’s air conditioned.” She pointed to the window unit. “I recommend keeping everything, including the drapes closed during the day to help keep it cool and not overwork the unit. You’ve got a kitchenette there, which we’ve stocked with a few things. If you want something else, there is an IGA up the road about six miles.”

“There still are independent grocery stores?”

“Yes.” She arched a brow. Did he think he’d entered a third-world country? “In the areas still left behind in modern America, we’ve got a few old mom and pop shops.”

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