Page 7 of Lakeside Little
“Diego already promised me,” I said. “Besides, he kinda owes me.”
“Owes you?”
“I do?” he asked, his big eyes staring at me. “Oh, right. Yeah, Jack helped me catch a couple fish earlier. So, I do owe him. Did you know he could fish?”
Oliver looked horrified, his hands at his neckline as if clutching pearls. “I cannot imagine that at all. Were you forced into it?”
“No,” I said, unable to stop laughing. “My mom’s ex used to take me out fishing all the time when I was a teen.”
“Oh, him,” Oliver rolled his eyes. “Right. Well, I would’ve paid anything to see him fishing.”
I scoffed. “That is not happening again. I’m not going close to the water, unless I’m in a boat, in which case, I could be persuaded.” I looked to Diego, tying to gauge his reaction, hoping it was something that would look like he was going to ask me to go on a boat trip with him and fish. I’d mentioned it earlier, so it was still fresh in my mind.
Oliver shook his head slowly. “Mason has that small boat, you can borrow that.” Almost like he was reading my mind for the situation I was hoping to be put in with Diego.
“Really?” Diego asked. “Because I think I’d be able to catch more fish out in the middle of the lake.”
“Yeah, absolutely,” he said.
“Then I’ll be in touch,” Diego said.
“And we need to get back so I can have my doll house fixed and built,” I said. “Nory is getting antsy, and you know what she’s like when she’s antsy.” I sighed.
It wasn’t until we were back in Diego’s van that he let out another little laugh, holding a smirk. “I’m beginning to see the bigger appeal in this town,” he said. “And I need you to tell me what she’s like when she’s antsy.”
I stared at Nory; her hair not fully recovered from being dunked in the lake. I covered her ears with my thumb and finger around her head. “She’s a bit of a B-I-T-C-H,” I whispered.
“Can she not spell?” he asked. “I’d be afraid of her. She looks like a friend’s ex who put holes in his wheels.”
My eyes widened, still holding Nory’s head to keep her from hearing. “She did that already,” I said. “And of course she can spell, but I’m covering her ears anyway, so I don’t want her to come after me next.”
“If I didn’t know she was a doll, I might be scared for you.”
I giggled, hugging her to my chest. “She loves me really, and she’s the best doll, but don’t tell any of the others that. I do not want to deal with a civil war from my suitcase.”
Diego reached out, rubbing a thumb against the back of my hand. “Sorry, you had a bit of paint on you,” he said. “Sometimes that stuff can break people out in rashes. I didn’t want you getting sick.”
Reeling from the soft, warm touch on my hand, I internally squealed. The proximity to this man had me feeling certain things, but I didn’t want to stop feeling them. He could touch me again, if he wanted. I nearly verbally invited it but stopped myself. I’d only known him one whole day.
4. DIEGO
Finding Jack was in a way finding myself, it distracted me from the stress of being unemployed and not being able to catch a single fish without a little guidance, and usually, I was the one offering the guidance. It was all upside down; I should’ve been the one demonstrating my skills and showing off.
Before leaving town, we headed to the grocery store. I would’ve completely forgetting we needed to head there, and another way my head wasn’t screwed on properly right now. I was too distracted by the sweet lifeform in front of me, and I still couldn’t put my finger on him. Was he a little? Or did he just play with dolls because it was his job?
Once we got back to the cabins, I fixed the broken parts of the doll house easily with a little wood glue and sanding down some edges so parts could slot into the areas set out for them. This was my calling, maybe not fixing doll houses, but definitely fixing things, making things, but having my hands work with wood.
“You’re gonna need buckets of that moisturizing stuff,” Jack said, laying out plastic bags on the floor before dragging the doll house closer. “You wanna help me paint?” he asked. “You’re pretty quiet.”
“I might as well just come out with my questions,” I said, clearing my throat. “You’re gay, right?”
He burst into laughter. “Yeah, I thought that part was obvious, but if not then I need to work harder on it.” He snorted, head back as he giggled.
“Not the only question I had,” I said with a big smile. “The dolls and stuff, is that something you do as a—” Words bloated in my throat, unable to neither swallow them or spit them out. “As a—you know, a—”
Jack shook his head, looking at me with his big eyes. “You’re gonna have to be a bit more descriptive. ‘Cause I don’t know what you mean.”
“Maybe the terminology has changed since I was in any scene, but a little, you know, a submissive,” I said.
