Page 26 of Just Breathe

“You ok?” Aiden swam up to me.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I smiled. I wasn’t big on doing stuff like that, but it was actually fun.

“For a moment, I thought you were going to escape.” He ran his hand over his face to get the water off.

“So did I, but he was too fast.” I chuckled. “It was still worth it seeing him belly flop.”

“I heard that!” Nathan yelled from the edge of the water as he was getting out. His stomach was a little red, but that did nothing bad for all that solid muscle.

“I was hoping you did,” I yelled back, enjoying this playful side of him.

Aiden laughed. “Having fun?” He swam around me, making me think of a predator, one I definitely didn’t mind.

I blushed at my thought hoping that my face didn’t get too red. “I actually am. Thank you for bringing me here. I always forget how much I miss the outdoors until I come back here.”

“It’s one of our favorite hangouts. We haven’t done it in a while, so we should probably say thank you to you.” He stopped circling.

“Y’all seem like you have a lot of work,” I stated as I swam backwards towards the edge of the water.

“Yeah, it’s been hard not having workers consistently, too.” He followed me. “We definitely have a laborer shortage, and it also doesn’t help we are a little far from Monroe.”

“Is it always just you three?” I reached the water’s edge, and pulled myself out of the water.

“It’s mostly just Callum and me. I only get Nathan for the summers because he teaches at the local college.” He sat at the water’s edge with me.

“Nathan is a teacher?” I asked, trying not to sound shocked, taking a quick glance at him, trying to picture it.

“He’s actually a civil engineer, but being out here, there’s not a lot of demand for them.” He looked over at Nathan. “I think he misses it, but he enjoys being out here.” He said it like it was a big secret.

I think if he was my teacher, I wouldn’t miss one day. “I didn’t picture him as a teacher. Why doesn’t he work with you full time?”

“Nate is too smart to work with me all the time. I think it would make him go crazy. He’s also not the biggest fan of manual labor. He can usually do it for a few months before he needs something more stimulating. They have a decent engineering program at Monroe, and he gets to do some consulting on the side when cities around us need it.” He leaned his arm over his legs, making his arms look bigger.

“That’s amazing,” I said, trying not to ogle Aiden as well. Apparently, my brain thought it was ok to be checking out these men like they were prospects. “So, Callum works with you full time?”

“Yeah, he’s my jack of all trades. Callum has always been a hands-on guy, and he thrives best when he’s doing that.” Aiden looked up at the waterfall like he could see something up there. I looked around for Callum but didn’t see him right away.

“I think I’m going to get started on lunch. What do you think, guys?” Nathan walked behind us and sat down.

“Yeah, probably for the best,” Aiden said, looking up at the sky. “We don’t want to stay too long because there’s a possibility a storm might hit us.” He seemed like the guy who was always in charge, probably was like that when he was in the military.

“What are you making?” I asked, getting up with Nathan and following him to the fire that was crackling. I sat down close to it, enjoying the heat from it.

“Just some burgers. Nothing fancy. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget you were vegetarian,” he said, opened a bag, taking out a cast iron pan with a set of fancy knives and a cutting board.

Someone’s phone started ringing as I looked up to see Aiden searching his pockets and answering the phone. “I can help,” I offered.

Nathan gave me his signature small smile. “I got it. Go enjoy the waterfall. There’s a cool ledge just behind the waterfall. You can get to it on the left side, it’s a really awesome view. If I need any help, Aiden can help me.”

“Are you sure? I’m a pretty good sous chef,” I joked.

“I like to cook, its stress-relieving for me. Go! Enjoy the view from up there. It’s really peaceful,” he said, like he knew from experience.

“Ok fine, if you insist, I’m going to go find some peace and quiet.” I got up. “Just holler if you need help.”

“I will.” He pulled food out of the cooler before getting to work.

I felt a little guilty that I wasn’t helping. Thanks, patriarchy, for instilling in women that we had to help with domestic things. There was a small trail to climb to the left side, and I walked close to the cliff, making sure I didn’t accidentally fall off. The higher I climbed, the more nervous I was at falling. I was just not made to be an adrenaline junky. I got halfway up when I realized the trail forked off.

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