Page 50 of Riding the High

“It’s … beautiful,” I whisper.

“Wait until you see the back,” he quips.

As we get out of the car and walk up the cobblestone walkway to the front door, Mabel stops behind me.

“Hi Papa,” she says like he’s sitting right there, and sure as shit, right there in the bush at the side of the porch, is the prettiest monarch, settled and calm, its wings barely moving as it perches right beside us.

Just as my skin breaks out in goosebumps, Cole leans down and whispers in my ear, “Told you, Vixen. Magic.”

The overwhelming sense of calm continues as we move through the house. There’s a center hall, with two bedrooms on one side of the house and two on the other. The whole place is made of wood, not unlike the cabins at Silver Pines, only much less rustic and more modern. The kitchen has clearly been renovated and boasts a huge center island with stone counters and stainless-steel appliances. The main living area is open-plan andfeatures floor-to-ceiling tinted windows to showcase the hot tub that sits on the back patio, and the lake behind. When my tour of the interior is complete, Cole and Mabel lead me outside to the back of the house, and a large flat yard with the greenest grass I’ve ever seen. Stone inlay leads through the center to a set of stairs which drop down fifty feet, providing access to a private beach with wisps of crab grass shooting up through the sand, and a weathered red dock complete with a little silver skiff boat. The water is clear and shallow to the end of the platform, and the sand is lined with beach glass and shells.

“Can we boat, Daddy?” Mabel asks.

“After we unpack,” Cole replies, ruffling her hair. “We can’t do everything at once.”

I feel my phone buzz in my pocket as he shows me around the rest of the yard, but decide to ignore it until I’m in the privacy of my room.

LIV

How’s the love den?

If you mean the cabin with Mabel, it’s beautiful.

LIV

And you’re there why? Because Cole needed a nanny on a trip he takes every year?

Because Mabel asked me in front of Cole to come and he agreed. And why would I turn down a free vacation?

LIV

Uh-huh.

Nothing is going on.

LIV

I’m onto you, Danforth.

Just … be careful. Okay?

This is Cole. Don’t forget.

How could I? It’s all I think about. Trust me.

LIV

Did you at least equip yourself for a weekend with a hot, probably shirtless, outdoorsy dad?

I pull out my spicy “why choose” novel I’m partway through and Mr. Always Ready, my favorite purple silicone wand that hits all the right spots. I snap a photo.

Armed and ready.

LIV

You dirty little slut.

A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

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