Page 26 of Anchored

His mouth twitches before he turns back around and keeps going up the trail. My legs start to burn almost as much as my lungs. Shit, even the tiny dog is hiking faster than me. We finally get to a clearing. Holt grinds to a halt and tries to hand me the water again. I’m panting so hard, bent over with my hands on my knees, I don’t even see the view. Holt has to come back over and help me upright, his arm around my waist and holding most of my weight. My legs cheer.

“Oh my God,” I finally breathe, seeing the entirety of Anchor Lake spread out before me. I can see all the shops dotting Main Street on the northeast side of the lake, along with houses and cabins and docks as far as the eye can see. Pine trees form a ring around the lake, creating a private feel that can’t be beat. The sun is just starting to set in the west, painting the whole town in golden tones.

“Stunning, isn’t it?” Holt asks reverently. I turn my head and see he’s looking at me, waiting for my answer.

“Worth the torture,” I agree.

He grins and holds me tighter around the waist. “You know, Macy would never go hiking with me when we lived in Atlanta. Said she preferred a gym, not just randomly heading out into nature. Something about the wilderness freaked her out. I felt the opposite. Being in nature always calmed me. Made me feel like I was part of something bigger and better. But maybe that’s just the ADHD talking.”

I want to say something witty and quote worthy to match the view and the moment, but all that comes out is vitriol. “Your ADHD is part of what makes you you. And Macy is a fucking idiot.”

Holt tosses his head back and laughs.

Maple’s Journal - Year 18

(14 years ago)

Graduation was today.

Mom said my dress was too short. Dad added helpfully that if I’d just applied myself a bit more, I could have been valedictorian. Toby told me not to get drunk at the graduation party tonight. As if I’d ever do that. My idea of a party is sipping a wine cooler by the lake with my small circle of friends and laughing over all the popular kids at school who peaked too soon.

Whether I wanted them to or not, the whole family showed up. Even Grandma Gracie. Gosh, I’ve missed her so much. She looked the same as usual, if a bit slower and a few more wrinkles added to her face. Dad seemed annoyed that he had to slow down for her while walking to the football field for the ceremony. I linked my arm through hers and proudly walked in with my favorite family member.

The actual ceremony was boring with a capital B! Jake Volsky flashed his bare chest painted Carolina blue. Candace tossed her hair so much she knocked off Dr. Randall’s hat when he tried to shake her hand. As for me, I grabbed my diploma and got the heck off the stage. Contrary to what Dad said, I was lucky to just graduate. I hate school!

The only bright side to an otherwise lame day was Grandma Gracie inviting me to her house again this summer. Dad cut her off and said I had a summer internship at his law office, but I have every intention of ditching that idea and heading to Anchor Lake. Grandma Gracie told Dad to shove his law tomes where the sun don’t shine. And that’s a direct quote!

You should have seen Dad’s face! Priceless!

I don’t know what my future holds, but it’s not endless days in pencil skirts poring over law books. And it’s not college with idiots like Jake Volsky who only got in because he can throw a football. I hope I figure it out soon though because Mom and Dad are breathing down my neck to choose a career like Toby did straight out of high school.

Grandma Gracie didn’t hassle me about my future though. She just slipped me a six-pack of Four Lokos as I headed out to my friend’s house for a chill graduation party and sleepover. God, I love her…

ChapterTen

Holt

The week passes quickly, Maple and I falling into a rhythm of work, Sunny Shores, and dinner at home, usually after a quick hike or weight workout. Maple doesn’t join me lifting weights, choosing yoga out on the dock instead. Somehow it’s easy to live with her. There are still some awkward moments, but mostly it’s just peaceful.

And nice to have someone there.

Come Friday, we decide to really live a little and stop to grab a nicer bottle of wine and marshmallows for roasting at the grocery store. Apparently every tourist in town for the summer had the same idea. The crowds start to get to me, but Maple just snakes her arm around my waist and snuggles in close. I’m not sure why, but having her near calms my brain. She’s like Adderall in human form. We make it out of the store with our items and my dignity intact.

“You’re trying yoga tonight and I’m not taking no for an answer!” Maple shoves the wine bottle on the kitchen counter out of the way and spins to face me.

She puts her hands on her hips in a flourish, which only makes her unbound boobs sway beneath her capped-sleeve top. Honestly, she could demand anything and I’d do it. The woman is fun, and pretty, and has the nicest pair of breasts I’ve ever seen in my life. Not that I’ve seen hers. I mean, not really. Just the outline of her nipples in those pajamas the first night here. She’s well-endowed and she doesn’t seem to own a bra, which I am one hundred percent okay with. Except when I’m lying in bed unable to sleep and sporting a permanent hard-on.

I hold my hands up and will my gaze to lift to her face. “Yes, ma’am. Meet you on the dock?”

Mookie runs around the yard like a canine possessed, then passes out in the doggie bed I brought outside for her. On the dock, I lay out both yoga mats I usually use for stretching after my weight workouts.

Maple smiles as she comes out of the cabin and sees us both waiting for her. I feel like a hero for simply saying yes to yoga instruction. That feeling quickly fades when we’re both on our mats and I’m about to die in the first fucking position she puts me in. She calls it down dog, but I call it “calves on fire.” She giggles from upside down, then barks at me to lift one leg. As if precariously balancing on three points of contact is a good idea when near a body of water. I grunt and her giggles amplify.

“Now to a pushup position and slowly lower to the mat.”

I can actually do that one, thanks to all the pushups I’ve done over the years. She calls for up dog next and I have to watch her do it before I follow. Her breasts jut into the air and her back bends impossibly backward. My chest is mostly pointing to the mat still. Maple gets up and stands over me, her bare feet straddling my hips. Layered gold chains circle her ankles, each more dainty than the next. One has a charm of an anchor dangling from it. Her hands close around my shoulders and she pulls me back further, intent on breaking my back in two.

“Arghh!” Sounds are coming out of me that I can’t control. “Bodies…aren’t…meant…to bend…this way!”

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