Page 18 of Lakesides and Longing

Blake didn’t take his eyes off of Paige. She moved easily into a standing position with her hands raised high above her head.

“That won’t happen.” Though he wouldn’t mind. He could never be in a real relationship with her. They were too different, and she’d sworn off relationships, but she was beautiful. There was no denying that.

“Why the Sam hill not? Do you think you’re too good for her?” Ida glared at him.

“Hardly. There are a lot of reasons. For one, I don’t believe that the pharmaceutical industry is the devil. I like modern medicine.”

“Oh phooey. Do you really think that Phil and I see eye to eye on things? We vote the opposite of one another in every election. I go to church on Sunday mornings, and he’s an atheist. But we couldn’t deny our chemistry, and neither can you two.”

She had a point, but there was more to it than that. Lukas trusted him here with her this summer and he wasn’t about to risk that.

“It’s more than that. Lukas would kill me.”

“I suppose you have a point there, but don’t let him ruin your chance for happiness. You two belong together.”

“No offense, Ida, but you don’t really know me.” He pursed his lips. She had no right to stick her nose into this.

She raised an eyebrow. Maybe that was uncalled for. Ida had managed to extract information out of him in the last five days. Phil and Paige spent a lot of time together, so that meant he and Ida just talked, and Ida liked stories. Blake had tons of them from his time overseas and traipsing through jungles. But she was also good at getting more nuanced information—like how his parents died and what it felt like when Debbie left him.

“I know enough,” she said.

He wasn’t sure that was true, but he wasn’t going to deny it either.

CHAPTER12

Paige put her hair up in a ponytail and bounced down the stairs. She’d been feeling better in the mornings though the nightmares persisted. Perhaps she would finish a picture today.

She stopped dead by the kitchen. Blake’s shirtless back was to her, and she appreciated a little too much the way his muscles moved. He shut the door and took a swig out of a Gatorade bottle. He’d been spending a lot of time in her yard and it actually looked decent for a change.

He spun around. “Oh, hey, I didn’t hear you.”

He smiled at her, and her stomach whooshed. She flushed. He was one of her brother’s best friends and not at all her type.

“Sorry. I was just going to grab a drink and head to my studio.” She needed to finish something. Anything. She was ready to get out of her dry spell.

He leaned against the counter, and she tried to not stare at him. “You’ve been in there every day this week.”

“So. I like what I do.” And she did, though it was frustrating at the moment. Something was off about every picture.

He smirked at her. “Finish anything?”

She scowled. “Not yet. Maybe today.” Though she doubted it. She couldn’t finish pictures that just weren’t right.

“Why don’t you come for a ride with me instead?”

“Where to?” If he tried to get her to go into town, she’d flat out refuse. She didn’t want to run into Avery and Abby or anyone else again. Though she wouldn’t mind if Blake tried to kiss her again. It’d been just over two weeks since he arrived, and she thought about that kiss daily.

She frowned. She couldn’t think like that.

“Ida mentioned Kitch-iti-kipi at breakfast. I thought it might be kind of fun to check out.”

“That’s a two-hour drive.” Being in the car for longer than a few minutes sent her nerves on edge. Plus, she didn’t want to be trapped in the car with him. They barely knew each other and it would be awkward. Though she loved Kitch-iti-kipi. She hadn’t been there in ages. She just wasn’t sure she’d want to go with him.

“So?”

She shrugged. “It’ll be an all-day thing.”

“Let’s pack a picnic and make a day of it. Come on, please. I don’t want to go by myself.”

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