ChapterOne
My legs quiver like Jell-O as I clamber over the last boulder on the east side of Eagle Lake, and my boyfriend Eric reaches for my hand to help me up.His sandy blond hair is slicked back at the roots with sweat, which shouldn’t be attractive.But for some reason he looks hot, all sweaty and disheveled.He’s not wearing his shirt, and the close proximity to his muscled chest ignites dirty thoughts of sneaking off behind a boulder and having my way with him.
He squeezes my hand and I glance up.His mouth twists.“Naughty.”
“What?”My expression is all innocence, but he knows me.Later, I plan to investigate those muscles with my tongue.That is, if things go well.We’re going through a dry patch I hope to remedy with his trip here.
I glance back, searching for Genevieve.Where the heck is she?We’ll be up here all day if she doesn’t hurry it up.
It’s our first hike in Lake Tahoe since our arrival a few days ago, but Gen should be in better shape than this.She’s a runner and athletic, whereas I avoid the gym like I’m allergic to spandex.
I should probably cut her some slack.The altitude in Lake Tahoe is higher than what she’s used to, the air thinner.But I won’t, because her reactions are hilarious when I don’t.
Finally, I spot her.She’s just now cresting the stones before the lake.“Light a fire under it, Gen!”
She glances up and swipes her forehead, her chest rising and falling with each deep gulp of air.Her lips pinch and I think her nostrils flare.She crosses her arms and glares.
I smile back.
Instead of moving toward me, though, Gen drops her arms to her sides and takes an unsteady step in the direction of the water.She crouches among the large rocks and I can’t see her anymore.A stone flies from her direction into the lake, sending out tiny waves.
I might razz my best friend, but she can hold her own.Taking a break when she knows I want her to hurry her ass up, a case in point.
This could be a while.
I turn and meander toward Eric, who’s now several feet ahead.The small alpine lake providing a perfect backdrop for his masculine beauty.I stop for a moment, taking in the sexy picture, and consider all the things I want to achieve this summer.
My goal in returning to my hometown is to immerse Gen in Lake Tahoe and lift her spirits, hopefully in the form of a cute summer fling.Gen just discovered—brutally, embarrassingly—that the guy she dated during our last year of college had a girlfriend back home.The bastard showed up with the other girl at the local bar during our last week of school.
Gen didn’t cry or drunk-dial him like any self-respecting twenty-one-year-old would; she went quiet, which is worse.He broke her heart, and I worry he broke her trust in men along with it.
The only positive is that she never has to see the A-hole again.We’re done with college, and thanks to my Tahoe connections, I’ve secured us jobs at a casino for the summer before grad school.
Graduate school.I squeeze my middle and take a deep breath.For some reason, every time I think about the future, my gut wrenches to the side.
Tahoe is the perfect place to get Gen’s mind off the A-hole and for us to spend quality time together before we go our separate ways in the fall.And maybe it’s the perfect place for me to get my head on straight.Because I need to be excited for what’s ahead.Right now, the idea of law school makes me itchy.
Eric stops at a swath of gravel and yanks off his backpack.He lays out towels and I make my way over.I sit and pull up my knees below my chin, arms wrapped around my shins, trying to not think about the future.
Several minutes pass, and there’s still no sign of Gen.Is she really that tired from the hike?
I glance over my shoulder.I can’t see her, and the water where she crouched is still as glass.
My pulse flutters.It’s been too long.
Rocking forward, I push to my feet.“Gen!”
She stands several yards away and raises her hand, ambling toward me like she’s on a Sunday drive.
I slump back to my spot and Eric steps beside me, his tall figure casting a shadow.“Serves you right for teasing her.”The sound of crunching comes from above, and crumbs rain down into my lap.
I flick off a few with my thumb and forefinger.“Tarzan, you want to take your chow somewhere else?”
“Sorry,” he mumbles, granola sticking to his lips.
I shake my head and smile.“I forgot to mention, my work schedule at the casino will be Tuesday through Saturday.”
We’ve only been here a few days, but Gen and I start work next week and I’m mildly nervous about the counting element of my job as a dealer.Which makes me sound mentally challenged.I’m not—I just seriously suck at easy math.I can write a ten-page essay on the women’s movement post industrialization in under an hour, dissect a frog, or explain Keynesian economics, but ask me to add numbers together on the fly, and my brain blows a fuse.I tend to overprocess the simple concepts.
