Page 65 of Wish You Were Mine

“You okay?” Asher called back to me.

“Fine,” I said, catching Bailey’s eye and grinning. She walked alongside me, also carrying a bag, although hers was smaller. Asher was carrying our lunch as well as a towel and change of clothes for each of us.

“Has he been like this all week?” Bailey asked.

“Yeah.” I peeked up at him, but I didn’t think he’d be able to hear us when we were speaking so softly. “I kind of like it.”

She smirked. “Of course you do. The man of your dreams is doting on you. If it were me, I’d have him hand feeding me grapes off a platter.”

“No, you wouldn’t.” I laughed. “You’re far too nice for that.”

She glanced behind us, and I wondered if she was searching for Max. She seemed to have an instinctive awareness of him whenever he was nearby.She rubbed her upper arms, which were exposed by the strappy tank top she wore. “It’s a bit cold today, isn’t it?”

“The water will be freezing.” I supposed the whole point of a midwinter dip into a mountain lake was the fact it would be cold, but I seemed to forget that right up until this point in the midwinter dip every year, always having to convince myself to strip into my swimsuit and jump into the tarn.

“You managing all right, Summer?” Max called up, as if he’d sensed Bailey looking for him and assumed it was me.

“Seriously, I’m fine,” I exclaimed. “A little sore, but nothing to worry about.”

Bailey pursed her lips. “I’m more concerned about Nate, actually. He looks like he’s ready to fall asleep on his feet.”

“I’m not surprised,” I murmured back. “Babies must be a lot of work. It’s a pity Grace couldn’t come today.”

It would be a while before she was up to much in the way of exercise.

“I think she was looking forward to having a quiet house for a while,” Bailey said.

“You’re probably right.”

My family might have been driving Grace crazy. I knew she loved us all, and that everyone meant well with their visits and offers to help, but it must be a lot for someone who’d never had much family growing up.

We crested the top of the hill and passed out of the forest and onto the tussocks. From here, it wasn’t much farther. Sure enough, a few minutes later, we arrived at the tarn. Several picnic blankets had already been laid around the shore, with groups clustered on a few of them and others empty—their occupants presumably exploring the area.

I followed Asher around the side of the tarn. He slid his backpack off his shoulders, unzipped it, and pulled out a fleece blanket, which he laid on the ground. He dropped his bag on one edge.

“How long until the dip?” I asked as the family gathered around.

Nate checked his watch. “Ten minutes. Better get undressed. I’ll be doing the safety briefing soon.”

He hoisted the foldable chair he’d carried up and took it over to the edge of the water, along with a megaphone. Apparently, using the old-fashioned megaphone was easier than lugging up more expensive modern equipment. Or so he claimed. I suspected he just didn’t want to learn new things.

Asher unzipped his backpack and passed me a bottle of sunscreen. I took it and reluctantly stripped off my tank top to reveal the emerald green bikini beneath. I enjoyed the flare of heat in Asher’s eyes as I pulled my shorts off over my shoes—no plans to walk around in bare feet. Tussock was prickly.

Bailey dropped her bag beside the blanket and undressed too. She’d opted for a one piece swimsuit that looked demure in the front, but when she turned, the swimsuit plunged to just above the top of her bum, showing off miles of sleek back.

“Looking fierce,” I said, high-fiving her.

Sometimes I forgot how much of a fitness fanatic my best friend was. Years as a competitive gymnast had honed her body, and although she no longer competed, she went to the gym most days of the week and her hours of hard work paid off.

“You too.” She glanced at Asher behind me and winked. “I reckon you need someone to fix up the sunscreen on your back, right?”

I grinned. “You know what, I think I do.” I turned. “Ash, can you give me a hand?”

His eyes widened, and for a moment, he looked like a startled deer. “I’m sure Bailey can—”

But Bailey was already shaking her head. “I haven’t sunscreened at all yet, and we’re going to get started soon.”

Asher glanced between us, then with a wry twist of his lips, took the sunscreen. “Turn around.”

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