Page 7 of Riverside Reverie

“She speaks from experience,” a guy standing to Theo’s left said with a slight chuckle. He had approached while we were talking, and he gave me a welcoming smile. “When Jasmine joined us for the first time, she didn’t know how to set up a tent. Now, she’s a pro.”

“Thanks for the reminder. Lux, this is Desmond,” Jasmine said as I smiled back at him.

Desmond was a little shorter than Theo, with a thicker build than him. He had dark brown eyes, brown hair and a thick, kept beard. His nose was a little large for his face, but it suited him. He shook my hand too, his eyes flitting back to Jasmine for a moment before returning to me.

“It’s good to meet you,” I told them both.

The couple that had been loading their canoe on the beach when we walked up approached us, their orange canoe half on the shore, packed and ready to go. As they walked, the guy reached out to hold her hand. He was tall and lean, with strawberry blond hair and light blue, smiling eyes.

She was a head and a half shorter; a tiny, slender little thing with dark wavy hair that reached below her shoulders. Her eyes were warm pools of hazel, and her smile was illuminating and friendly.

“Lux, this is Zoey and Kai!” Jasmine explained, grinning as her friends swarmed me.

Kai nodded in greeting, lifting his free hand to wave. Zoey smiled warmly at me. “Hey! It’s so nice to meet you!”

“You too,” I replied, smiling at the warmth and ease behind the group. They all appeared to welcome my crashing of their camping trip with open arms.

“Where are Rhiannon and Baz?” Jasmine asked, peering around the launch. I realized two were missing from her original count.

“They’re already at the campsite,” Desmond answered. “They got here yesterday, so they were able to secure the best one.”

“Ok, great. You’ll meet those two soon,” she assured me. “I guess that leaves Talia, over there, in the kayak,” she added, gesturing to the girl in the kayak.

“Hey!” Talia called out and waved when she heard her name, the friendly smile still in place on her lips. She was covered in tattoos, and her pixie cut was edgy, somehow. I waved back, returning her smiling. Talia had an infectious smile that evoked one in response.

I’d felt Theo’s eyes on me the entire time Jasmine had been making introductions. I stole a glance, to see if he really was looking. When our eyes connected, my body thrummed in a way it never had before.

It was disorienting.

Turning my head, I fixed Jasmine with a telling look. “Don’t we still have to go pay for our permits?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Jasmine replied. “Do you want to go pay while I get the canoe in the water?”

I wasn’t satisfied with this suggestion. I’d been hoping to pin Jasmine down and find out what my wicked friend was up to. I sincerely hoped that it wasn’t a matchmaking attempt, but the way she had watched while Theo introduced himself had me questioning her intent with this trip. Plus, the odd things she’d said about how much I was going to enjoy this trip.

If it was a misguided matchmaking attempt, I had to nip that in the bud before Jasmine could run with it.

While my belief in love hadn’t died, I was reluctant to jump into anything new. It was the first time I’d been single in years, and I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant for me yet. I wanted the time to figure it out, though.

There were enough changes on my horizon as it was. I had begun the process of job hunting, and that would mean a move. I couldn’t be picky about where, either. I needed a job sooner rather than later, and my own place.

But Jasmine had a solution for that, too—and she’d already laid down the groundwork. I looked at her suspiciously.

“Yeah, sure,” I said, smiling lightly at the people I’d just met to mask the wariness I felt before I turned around and started walking.

“Don’t forget to take down the license plate number! They’ll need that inside,” Jasmine told me. I backtracked to take a picture of Jasmine’s plate before walking toward the store alone.

When I was a few steps away from the wooden porch, I glanced back over my shoulder, making the briefest eye contact with Theo. Butterflies took flight in the depths of my stomach, swarms of them—all in response to his arresting smile.

I forced myself forward, worrying every silly little school-girl emotion he’d made me feel had been reflected clear as day on my face. It was the curse of the redhead—our emotions and reactions were so easily displayed on our faces.

My footfalls echoed on the old wooden planks as I climbed the porch steps leading to the store. I walked through the open door and paused inside of it, taking in my surroundings. To my right was a long counter with the cash register, and to the left was rows of shelves filled with all kinds of supplies. Dry foods, snacks, cases of water bottles, tarps and anything else one might need.

It was like a genuine general store from the frontier days—with newer products, mind you. I couldn’t help but take my time, soaking it in. I loved places like this; places that felt like you were in another time completely.

I headed towards the counter, and the woman behind it smiled at me as I approached.

“Just parking, or are you camping?” she asked.

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