Page 4 of Lakesides and Longing

An enormous spiral staircase with a treelike banister greeted them, and sculptures of trees and vines came out of the walls and sprawled along the ceilings. There was even a rock pond with koi in the hallway, surrounded by an indoor garden full of various herbs. Right off the bat, he could pick out fennel and chamomile as well as oregano, sage, and even dandelions.

Again, not his style, but he appreciated the artistry. On a shelf he spotted a diffuser in the shape of a large crystal.

They entered the kitchen, and it was more of the same. All curves and lines with funky natural art and crystals everywhere. Blake was drawn to the windows in the back that overlooked lake Michigan. The house sat up high on a bluff, and sunlight bounced off the lake.

Lukas frowned in the kitchen. “Blake, can you grab Tess something to drink? I want to find my sister.”

Blake opened the fridge and furrowed his brow. There wasn’t a single fresh item in there, which didn’t jive with the impression he’d gotten of this woman from her house. He expected all-natural organic everything.

But there were no fruits, vegetables, yogurt, or cheese. Nothing that could go bad. But lots of condiments lined the shelves.

“She’s got Gatorade, juice boxes, or soy milk.”

Tess made a face. “Soy milk? Yuck. Gatorade is fine.”

Tess sank onto one of the uncomfortable-looking bar stools and patted her belly. “I should’ve stayed home. I’m not up for these long drives right now.”

“I can imagine. Can I get you anything else?” He’d always imagined himself one day having a pregnant wife to take care of. He’d hoped that woman would be Debbie, but now he had to rethink that plan. He and Debbie always said they were going to have two kids and four dogs.

“I’m famished. I would love some ice cream if she’s got it.” Blake had never had siblings. He’d always imagined if he did, they would be the type of family that would feel right at home in any of their houses. The kind of homes where you could raid the ice cream without asking.

“I’m on it.”

Except he wasn’t. The freezer was completely empty save a few ice trays.

“No ice cream. Nothing frozen at all actually.”

Tess creased her eyebrows. “This isn’t like Paige. I mean, she was never a healthy eater, but she always had ice cream in her freezer. It’s her favorite snack.”

Blake stuck his head in the pantry. It was decently stocked. “Want some cookies? She’s got loads of those.”

“Sure.”

Blake grabbed a package of Oreos and Tess attacked them.

Lukas came back into the kitchen, shaking his head. A voice followed him, but it was hard to tell what she was saying.

A girl entered. She was probably in her mid-twenties but looked younger. That was most likely due to her slight frame, but also because she didn’t have on a stitch of makeup, and her curly brown hair was in tangles all over her head. She wore nothing but an oversized men’s shirt that fell off of one shoulder and hung just past her thighs. The soft leaf-green button-down was rolled up at the sleeves and unbuttoned just enough that her cleavage peaked out.

It was dead sexy, and Blake forced his eyes up. He could not think about Lukas’s sister that way. Though, this wasn’t much better. He could easily get lost in her stormy green eyes.

“I don’t need you always rescuing me.” She stared daggers at Lukas and didn’t even acknowledge Tess or Blake.

Lukas towered over her, his face going red. “You don’t? I think you do. You can’t live out here by yourself. It’s not healthy and what are you going to do if someone breaks in again.”

She propped a hand on her hip. “It was just a dumb kid. I’m fine. I consulted the cards after the sheriff left and pulled the high priestess. I’m fine.”

Blake pulled out a few cookies and resisted the urge to tell her that Tarot cards were fake. “What kid?” he asked, wanting to keep the conversation grounded.

Paige jerked her head around. “Who are you?”

Lukas nodded toward him. “Paige, meet Blake, one of my frat buddies.”

She gave him a stiff nod. “What’s your dog’s name?”

“Tria.”

Paige’s lips’ twitched. “Lukas beat you, huh? How?”

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