Page 163 of Square Deal

He raised an eyebrow. “You barely made it down the stairs this morning.”

“They just need to get broken in.”

“Two words, Princess:flip flops.”

I snorted. “Never.”

Sunlight spilled through the groves of tupelo trees and sparkled across the water. Lily pads dotted the glassy river. It was magic. There was something so familiar about it, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Isaac?”

“Down here, Princess.”

I spun around to find Isaac sitting in a rowboat. “What on God’s green earth are you doing?”

He held out his hand. “Do you trust me?”

I hesitated but nodded.

“Then get in the boat.”

His nervous smile made the butterflies in my stomach go berserk.

I lowered one foot down and stepped precariously into the wobbly boat. Before I could put two feet on the bottom of the boat, a breeze caused it to rock. I fell hard on my ass, giggling.

“Shit!” Isaac jumped up. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” His hands were all over me, checking for injuries.

I blew a lock of hair out of my face and laughed. “Aye aye, Captain.”

I shimmied up onto the bench seat as Isaac pushed us away from the tree-lined shore. He expertly maneuvered the oars and guided the boat through the still water.

“You seem like you’ve done this a time or two,” I observed.

He chuckled. “A time or two. I was on the sailing team during my undergrad. Rowboats are child’s play.”

I tucked my ankles one behind the other and laid my hands in my lap.

This was a dream.It had to be.

He had taken off his suit jacket in the car. His rolled sleeves showcased his tan, corded forearms.

We rounded a bend in the glassy swamp, and Isaac’s smile grew. I turned my head to see what he was looking at.

Swans.

Hundreds of swans.

“Oh, Isaac,” I said, realizing why this place seemed familiar. “It’s just likeThe Notebook.”

Isaac chuckled. “The exact place.”

I clasped my hands over my mouth. “It’s beautiful.”

Like clockwork, the swans gracefully floated around the boat. “Want to feed them?” he asked, stilling the oars and handing me a small bag of brown pellets. “Just sprinkle a little in the water.”

I did my best flower girl impression, sprinkling swan feed onto the surface of the water. They swam closer and closer, bumping the tips of their beaks against the side of the boat.

Isaac chuckled. “Let me get a little,” he said, leaning over and taking a handful.

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