Page 45 of Love Like Lightning

Once she settles into her seat, I close the door gently and jog around to the driver's side. Buckling up, I throw the car into drive and head out.

“I thought we could go check out the lake. It’s kind of our namesake, and it’s going to be nice, at least for the next couple of hours.”

“Sounds good.”

The radio is playing some old 2000s throwback, and we lapse into an easy silence as I drive us down to the lake. I decide to park on the back end, where it’s usually quieter.

Gia follows me onto the trail loop that will take us around the lake. We could walk the whole thing if we wanted to get in a few miles, but there’s also a nice spot where we can stop and double back.

“So this is Ever Lake, huh?” she asks, eyes drawn to the still waters of the lake.

You can see the snow up on the mountains in the distance, and the ground is still hard despite the sunny day. The beauty of Colorado is that even if it were to snow this afternoon, as long as it’s sunny tomorrow—which is always likely—the snow would melt pretty quickly as long as the temperature cooperated.

“It is. It’s always beautiful, but it’s amazing in the summer. Hot, wildflowers everywhere, everyone kayaking or paddleboarding.”

A couple walking a German Shepherd passes us with a hello from them and some excitement from the dog.

“That sounds great. I’ve always wanted to try paddleboarding.”

“Do you think you’ll be here in the summer? I never asked how long you’d be up here.” I’m secretly hoping she’s about to tell me she’s going to be here for six months. Or longer.

“I’ll probably be here until May at the earliest. Sometimes things take longer, and I could be here for the summer.” She turns toward me, her smile telling me that she wouldn’t mind that one bit.

“So what exactly are you doing work-wise?” I realize I haven’t asked her the specifics about why exactly she’s in Ever Lake. Not that I need them. I’m just glad that she is here in Ever Lake.

“Oh, you know.”

It’s a total non-answer.

She continues walking, pulling her eyes from me to the lake again. “Tell me how things went with your new employee.”

I almost push her for a real answer, but I’ve lived long enough with my sister to know when a woman doesn’t want to talk about something. Who am I to make her explain her job to me?

“Great. It’s a done deal. She starts Monday, and I’m going to have her kind of shadow me for a couple of weeks, maybe longer, if necessary, then my books are going to open up a bit.”

As we walk, we gradually gravitate toward each other. Our arms brush, and for a moment it feels like she’s reaching a hand out to me, but in the next second she’s moved further away.

“That’s amazing. You must be ecstatic.” She turns her head toward me, unleashing the full force of her smile. With the angle of the sun in the sky and the way the wind is blowing, she looks like she’s stepped straight out of a movie scene.

Her cheeks are slightly pink from the cold, and her eyes are bright and happy. She’s so damn beautiful.

“I am, yeah. I’ve worked really hard for this.” I steer her down a path that breaks away from the main loop. We cut in even closer to the lake as we make our way to my favorite spot. It’s a little gazebo that’s set right at the edge of the lake. Luck is on my side, and we’re the only two people here, at least for the time being. “This is one of my favorite places in Ever Lake.”

“The lake?” she asks, walking right up to look out onto the water.

“No. Well, yes, but I meant this little gazebo. It’s got the best view.” I don’t worry about explaining because she can see what I mean.

From the gazebo, we can see the whole lake and the mountains set behind it. It’s just one of several picturesque places in our little town, but this one’s by far my favorite.

After a few minutes of quiet, I inch a little closer to Gia and bump my hip gently against her side. She looks up at me with a small, serene smile. The moment is not ever really a moment at all, but it feels like it could be. If I just leaned down and kissed her.

But that would mean completely ignoring the boundary she’s placed between us, so I do one better.

“So, tell me about growing up in Boston.”

19

Gianna

---