Page 25 of The Summer I Stayed
We stay like that for a moment, me holding her close, peppering her with kisses in our secluded spot by the lake. Then we finally decide to rejoin the festivities. Maggie goes off with Caroline and Lila. They walk through the stalls. I meet with Tom, and we follow behind them at a distance.
The sight of Maggie enjoying the festival fills me with joy, or maybe that’s just the lingering affects her kisses have on me. I’ll have to test that theory some more. But her laughter spreads warmth better than any summer sun. She occasionally turns to share a private smile with me. Each time sets my heart racing.
“Jake Hollis in love. I never thought I’d see the day,” Tom teases.
“Quiet, Tom,” I grumble, playfully swinging at him.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile so much. And I’ve known you since we were kids.”
I shoot him a side-look but don’t respond. How could I? He’s right. I don’t think I’ve smiled so much in years asI have with Maggie in just this short time. My heart feels light and carefree for the first time in a long time.
Maybe this is what it feels like to fall in love. To let someone in and allow myself to feel again. My last girlfriend was in high school. We were young, and while yes, I really liked her and thought one day maybe it would be forever, it did not feel like this. This is more intense, profound, and a little scary. But it feels real. And so right.
Chapter Fourteen
Maggie
After the unforgettable Summer Festival, Jake and I dive headfirst into finishing the lake house (with many kissing breaks). It’s surreal how far this house has come since the day I first arrived here. Every inch of this place is touched by our hands, turning it into the cozy, beautiful lake house it is today. Finally, one afternoon, we step back to admire our work.
“You did it,” Jake says into my ear, his arms wrapped around me.
I rest my head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart against my ear—a rhythm that’s become as comforting and familiar as the lapping waves on the lake shore.
“We did it,” I correct him. “I couldn’t have done this without you. And not just because you fixed my house, but because you helped heal me, too.”
He pulls me closer, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. “You helped me too, Maggie,” he admits softly. “Youhelped me feel again…to want to share my life with someone. I gave up on love until you came along.”
My heart swells at his words. It wasn’t just a renovation project or a fresh start for me—it was for Jake too. The night of the festival was dreamy. Him confessing his feelings and that first kiss sent me to the moon. And we’ve been inseparable since. Every morning, he brings me coffee and we have breakfast on the porch overlooking the lake, and every night, he steals a few moments (and kisses) under the stars by the water.
“You know,” I say dreamily, turning in his arms to face him. “Life here is beginning to feel like a dream come true.”
“Just beginning?” he teases with a smirk, the one reserved just for me.
I laugh, swatting his shoulder playfully. “Oh, hush, you know what I mean.”
He chuckles, one that I seem to hear more every day. His eyes hold a softness that sends a warmth flooding through me. “I do. And for what it’s worth, I feel it too.”
Epilogue
Maggie
A November chill nips at my cheeks as I open the door for Tom to come in. Laughter mingles with the crackling fireplace as Gemma and Edna spill childhood tales about Jake while Caroline and Lila laugh along. Matthew and his fiancée, Beth, are around here somewhere. Tom saunters in, his charismatic smile instantly charming the group, mainly Caroline.
“Did they tell you the time Jake fell into the lake trying to impress a girl?” Tom starts, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Hey!” Jake calls out in protest from the kitchen. “That was not my fault. The dock was slippery.”
“And yet, I walked on it just fine,” Tom says, causing a round of laughter.
Alison arrives, her bright smile warming my heart as she rushes to wrap me in her arms. Fresh from school for Thanksgiving break, which she’s spending here, she’seager to see all the progress and finally meet Jake in person. We video call her as much as her busy schedule allows.
Matthew walks inside the house with Beth on his arm. Her eyes sparkle brighter than her engagement ring.
“It’s cold out there. What were y’all doing?”
They glance at each other. “We, uh,” Beth starts.
It dawns on me what exactly they were doing. The same thing happened after Matthew earned his Summit Pro Tour card. They told us they had a “meeting,” which is young people’s slang for kissing. Oh, these two kids—young and in love. We can’t wait for their wedding next fall. It seems so far away, but Matthew travels so much during the year, they decided to wait.
