Page 17 of It Started at the Lake

“Eat up. We’ll head out as soon as you’re ready.”

I salute him, shoving a massive bite of waffle into my mouth. Chewing is difficult with how much food I shoveled in, but I manage to swallow it. Continuing this impolite and gross way of eating, I lick my fingers when I’m done. “Compliments, Chef. Breakfast was delicious. What should I wear?”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. And a swimsuit is fine. We’ll get wetsuits from the boathouse before heading out. This early in the morning, it’s a bit cold to be without one.”

“I know how to get to the backyard from my room.” And that’s about it. “Should we meet there in twenty minutes?”

“Yep. Don’t forget sunblock.”

“I won’t.”

I only get lost once on the way back to my bedroom. Changing quickly, I use the facilities, slather SPF all over my exposed skin, then head down to the back patio. Bennett’s sitting in a lounge chair, staring out at the lake. The waves are barely there, making the top look glossy. A cool nip in the air makes me shiver. “I’m ready,” I say, interrupting Bennett’s trance.

He hops up. “Perfect. Let’s go.”

“How did you sleep?” I ask as we head to the boathouse located right by the shore.

“My mattress here isn’t as comfortable as the one back home. It takes a slight adjustment each summer, but eventually I get used to it. How about you?”

“This mattress is a trillion times better than the one at our apartment. I slept like it’s the week after finals.”

Bennett shoots me a big smile. “Good. I’m glad you got the rest you needed.”

At the boathouse, Bennett opens the door to the top floor. Bins line the left side of the room with labels on each one. Life vests, wetsuits, and snorkeling gear are by one another. To the right, paddles, innertubes, and sand toys rest on the shelves. A staircase leads to the bottom floor. From the glimpse I catch, a motorboat, paddle board, and other watercraft are stored down there.

Bennett passes me a wetsuit. “Here, this one should fit.”

Taking it from him, I slide a leg in. I try to pull it up my thigh, but it’s like hand-rolling sausage into its casing. “Is there a trick to this?” I ask, attempting to get my other leg in.

“Not really. These are awful, but necessary.”

Yeah, well, my insides are being squeezed like a squishy stress ball between fingers. I haven’t thought of myself as overweight since I was a freshman, but wrangling myself into a wetsuit is bringing out a whole slew of insecurities. I’m like a popped can of biscuits over here. Good thing Bennett’s currently struggling to get himself trapped into one of these rubber suckers and isn’t paying attention to me.

Pulling the last bit over my shoulder, I zip myself up. “Jeez, that’s a workout.”

“I know. If it wasn’t so cold, I’d skip using one.”

If he gave me the option beforehand, I might have chosen to freeze over the torture of the neoprene.

Bennett leads the way down the stairs. He passes me a different kind of paddle than the one hanging on the wall upstairs. “One-person kayak or two?”

I shrug. “What do you suggest?”

“Are you nervous? If you are, we should go together for your first time.”

I’m uneasy, but not necessarily nervous. I probably could handle myself. At least, I think I could. But if Bennett is offering the opportunity to be with him, I’ll take it. Yes, because he’s freaking gorgeous, but also because he’s done this before. Chances are, if something goes wrong, he’ll be able to rescue me.

“Two-person it is,” I say, pointing to the teal and gray kayak hanging on the lowest brackets of the wall.

Together, we get the boat down and walk it to the water. We get to knee height in the lake (and holy cow, the water is like ice) when Bennett tells me to climb aboard the front. I situate myself, my knees slightly bent, my feet angled toward the sky.

“I’m getting in,” Bennett warns. The boat rocks side to side as the big muscular guy behind me settles in.

Grasping the edges, I hold on tight. Though if the kayak tips over, holding on won’t save me.

“Are you okay?”

Considerate-Bennett from the hot tub is back. And I appreciate his simple yet sweet gestures more than he realizes. “Yeah,” I say, nodding, feeling more confident because of the man behind me.

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