I hike my bike on my shoulder and jog down the steps to the sand, resting it up against a cement block that was once a part of a pier. Mira’s still at the top of the stairs, staring out.
“You coming?”
She climbs down and approaches my side, gaze flickering back to the sunset. “It’s pretty.”
I brush her long, dark hair over her shoulder. Her hat hugs the top of her head, leaving her hair to frame her face. She is so beautiful. “Come on.” I grab her hand and pull her up the beach.
Mira doesn’t recoil from my touch or try to ease away, and for some reason that makes me happy. We arrive at the large rock where I like to stare out at the lake, and I let go of her hand. We are not a couple. This is not a date. But it’s nice.
Mira and I sit there long after the sun has set, until it’s so dark, I realize we had better get back. The road is well lit, but I don’t want to take a chance riding with Mira on my lap in the dark and competing for road space with cars.
I stand, and without a word, Mira does too. We make it all the way back to the cabin in total silence. It should be awkward, but it isn’t. I lock my bike in the backyard, and meet her inside.
She looks up shyly. “Thanks. That was nice.”
“You’re welcome. Any time you want to ride my lap, just let me know.”
She shakes her head. “You had to go there,” she says, but she’s smiling.
My lips twitch. “You know who you’re dealing with.”
Her smile fades. “Do I?”
I swallow. “Better get back to work.” I head for the dining table.
“Work?” she says. “Is that what you’ve been doing over there?”
I scan the textbooks and journal articles I’ve been researching. I needed something to keep me busy once I arrived in Lake Tahoe, but the small project I started has taken on a life of its own. “Yeah, I guess I have. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since I began teaching. Never had the time before, but now…”
“Now you do, except you’re working at Blue and that must take time away from it.”
It’s true. I haven’t been able to put as many hours into my project since I started working at Blue, but my job as a security guard is temporary. Soon Mira will move out and it won’t matter if I spend a few hours less on my project. It will still be there waiting for me when she’s gone.
“Eh, I needed a break from it. This way, I come home and I’m excited to dig in. No big deal.”
There’s a pause, then, “Thank you, Tyler. For getting the job at Blue.” She walks into her room and closes the door.
I stare off for several minutes, wondering what the fuck I’m really doing with her, with my life.
Chapter Twenty-One
Mira
“Jaeger, will you blend more Bullfrogs? The girls and I are almost out, and yours taste so much better than mine,” Cali says to her boyfriend.
We’re at Jaeger’s place, hanging out on his dock in the afternoon sun. The weather is uncharacteristically warm for this time of year, and we’re taking advantage of it in our bathing suits, drinks in hand. Jaeger recently built the dock, and it’s pretty awesome, with custom benches and cushioned lounge chairs. Oh, and it’s huge. There are eight of us now that Nessa has arrived, and we’re sprawled out everywhere.
I worried when Gen invited me. Zach and Lewis are like brothers, but I hardly know Cali and Jaeger, even though I’m staying at Cali’s place. The last time I saw them all, I’d just had the crap beaten out of me. Not my shining moment. And then there’s Tyler. Strangely, I feel more comfortable around Tyler. The only way I can credit it is our forced living arrangement, and the truce we seem to have formed. We must be getting used to each other…but that’s not right either, because I definitely don’t feel relaxed around him. I’m hyperaware of him.
“Sure, babe,” Jaeger tells Cali. He sets down his beer and stands, stretching his arms above his head.
“Wait for it…Wait for it,” Cali whispers to me and Gen as she studies her boyfriend.
Gen rolls her eyes and shakes her head at me, as if Cali has lost her mind.
No idea what’s going on. My Bullfrog is full, and so is Cali’s as far as I can tell.
Cali stares as her boyfriend walks to the stones leading up the shore. His place overlooks the lake, but it’s a hike to get there. Jaeger begins climbing the couple hundred feet to his house.
