They climbed out of the pickup, shut the doors. Standing outside of the vehicle, the sheer immensity of these woods washed over Nick. Although his mother had said that they owned nine hundred acres, the forest felt much bigger than that, and seemed far more isolated than its physical location could logically explain. He didn’t hear any aircraft buzzing past overhead, couldn’t detect any distant sounds of vehicles. The primacy of undisturbed nature pressed on him like a tangible weight.
I’m just a city slicker, out of my element, Nick thought.
He glanced at Amiya. She had a wide-eyed expression as she looked around, and he supposed she shared his thoughts.
“Come on, y’all,” Grandpa Lee said.
Hands shoved in his overall pockets, Grandpa Lee picked his way ahead on a worn dirt path that twisted through the trees. Amiya followed behind him, and Nick brought up the rear.
Nick noted the density of the tree canopy; leaves obstructed most of the morning’s sunshine, casting the land around them into deep shadow. Amiya looked over her shoulder at where Grandpa Lee had parked the truck. Concern wrinkled her face.
“It seems like you could easily get lost out here,” she said.
“If you don’t know where you’re going,” Nick said. “I definitely wouldn’t want to get caught out here at night.”
“Just on ahead, kids,” Grandpa Lee said.
A few minutes later, they broke through the woods and came into a clearing. They had reached the shore of the lake. The lake itself, shimmering in the sunlight, spread across an area of several acres. Gulls swooped and dipped to skim the surface. Perhaps a dozen yards away, Nick saw a gaggle of geese wading into the water.
“Welcome to Westbrook Lake,” Grandpa Lee said. He ambled to a nearby tree stump and eased down onto it. He snatched a handkerchief out of his front pocket, pulled off his bucket cap hat, and mopped sweat off his bald head and face.
“This is beautiful,” Amiya said, hands on her hips as she swept her gaze back and forth. She glanced at Nick. “You used to come here as a kid?”
“During summers, yeah,” he said. “Grandpa would bring me here to fish.”
“Still plenty of fish in there, son,” Grandpa Lee said. He pulled his hat snug on his head again. “Should have brought your rod and reel. We can do that next time you come through—don’t wait ten years ’til your next visit.” He chuckled.
“Walk with me,” Amiya said, and grasped Nick’s fingers.
Hand in hand, they strolled along the grassy shore. Nick looked over his shoulder. Grandpa Lee stayed behind on the stump, gazing out at the water, immersed in private thoughts.
After they had walked a bit, Amiya turned around. She positioned Nick’s hands along the rise of her hips, slipped her arms around his neck, and pulled him forward into a soft, lingering kiss.
“This must mean you’ve forgiven me for my earlier transgression,” Nick said when their lips parted.
“Maybe.” She kissed him again, pressed her pelvis against his, and his body responded in kind. “It’s so gorgeous out here, it makes me feel . . .”
“Horny?” He grinned.
“Liberated.” She gestured toward the water. “Think about it. This lake, this land, has been here, untouched, for over a hundred years. It’s pristine.”
“Not quite pristine,” Nick said, and nodded at a spot behind her. “Check that out.”
About twenty feet away, in the mud at the edge of the lake, lay the eviscerated corpse of an animal about the size of a small dog. A dark haze of flies buzzed around the creature.
“What the heck is that?” Amiya wrinkled her nose.
“I think it’s a river otter. I don’t know what got ahold of it. A bear maybe?”
“There are bears out here?” She nervously scanned the shoreline and the woods beyond.
“I’ve never seen one, but probably. It could have been a coyote, too. We’ve got those in these parts.”
“Next thing you’ll be telling me that there are lions and tigers out here, too.” She took his hand. “Little wonder Grandpa Lee keeps a handgun and a rifle. Let’s get back.”
“Y’all kids have fun over there?” Grandpa Lee asked. “Thought I was gonna have to fetch you some hay to roll in.”
Amiya blushed, but Nick only smiled. “You know how it is, Grandpa.”
