Page 8 of Lakesides and Longing

She pushed open the door to a room with a huge four-poster bed and wide windows with a great view of the lake.

“There’s a bathroom through there. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of room.”

He would. It was a nice room, with a large king bed and a comfy sitting area. “Thank you. But you didn’t tell me what you do.”

“Oh, I’m an artist.”

Of course she was. Anyone with a house like this would be.

He dropped his stuff on his bed and his phone buzzed.

When do we get to see you?The text from Anna wasn’t a surprise. She was one of his best friends though they only talked once every couple of months. He planned on spending some time with her while in Mackinac, but now he was stuck here.

He didn’t want to tell her though because he was afraid that she would take it the wrong way. She was always pushing him to find a new woman, and this would be too good of a setup.

I decided to stay up here for a bit and explore. I’ll come back for the fourth.

Blake! That’s not fair. You were supposed to stay here.

I’m sorry. I’ll see you in a few weeks.

* * *

Tria bounceddown the stairs in front of him. She hadn’t left his side. She traveled well, but most of the places they stayed were apartments or townhouses, places she could easily keep an eye on him. Here, she’d lost him a couple of times and howled like mad until he called for her. Since then, she’d stayed right by him. He should’ve kept Dio here to babysit her.

After Paige showed him to his room, she disappeared, and so he decided to explore the rest of the house on his own. Almost every room had a stunning view of either the lake or forest. Outside he found a deck with chairs and a pool in its own little house with windows all around. He supposed it probably never got warm enough here to swim outdoors.

After he’d seen most of the house, he found another door that led to a basement.

He made it to the bottom of the stairs and was shocked to find a fully outfitted gym with a nice weight machine, an elliptical, and a barbell set. Dust covered the weights, so he’d have to wipe them down. And maybe find some oil in case the equipment hadn’t been lubricated in a while. He’d find some at the store and set to fixing it up tonight, and then he could be back to morning workouts tomorrow.

He still didn’t know what to make of Paige. She seemed nice enough, if not a little odd. But he wasn’t sure if they would ever become friends or if they would always have an awkwardness between them. He hoped things would become easier. Otherwise, this would be a long summer. Maybe he needed to stop judging her opinions, but he couldn’t help himself.

Who decided someone’s character based on the day they were born? That was utterly ridiculous.

He tested out some of the equipment and then headed upstairs and into the kitchen. Paige stood there in a t-shirt and leggings. He didn’t know who decided leggings were pants, but the entire male race owed them a debt of gratitude.

“Gym good?” she asked.

“Yeah. Your husband must’ve been quite a gym rat.”

She shrugged. “Not at first. He only decided he needed to buff up a few years after we were married.”

“You must’ve appreciated that.”

“Not really. I liked him better when he was skinnier.” Her hands gripped tighter on the mug she held.

Blake almost asked why, but then thought better of it. He didn’t want her to relive painful memories.

CHAPTER6

Paige retreated to her art room. She wasn’t being a good host, but she couldn’t get those thoughts about her craziness out of her head. Plus, she didn’t like having anyone else in her domain. Once upon a time, she loved hosting huge gatherings and having friends visit, but that all died when Emery did.

She closed her eyes and took three deep breaths like her therapist told her to, but it didn’t work. She was out of Kava Kava, or she’d be downing the stuff right now. She made a mental note to order it this afternoon.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it up. Her group chat with her artist friends was blowing up. Those three ladies were her best friends, but she barely talked to them anymore. She did watch the chat though. Today they were talking about the upcoming retreat that she hadn’t been to since Emery died.

She wasn’t going this year either.

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