But now…
She shook her head. They were adults, and that night would always be a part of her. She needed to stop avoiding their past and learn to live with it.
Avery stared straight ahead and crossed the threshold.
Like their relationship, the Boathouse had deteriorated. No wonder the Coopers hadn’t been renting it. Sunbeams gleamed through the dirty windows of the quaint cabin, dust floating aimlessly through the light. They placed the bags on the desk beside the door.
Once Montressa no longer needed a working boathouse, Sam and Laurie had transformed it into a small cabin. That had happened about twenty years ago and to be fair, most of the work remained in good shape, but it could use an update. Avery took inventory. To the right of the desk, the same couch sat in front of the stone fireplace. A tiny bathroom and wet bar divided the back wall, and to the left stood the bed, its frame worn and chipped. Part of the Boathouse’s charm was that one could lie in bed and watch the lake. The entire wall facing the water had French doors that opened onto a small deck, and below it, the dock. It needed some paint and a thorough cleaning to clear out the musty smell.
“It looks exactly the same,” she gasped, trying not to reveal how self-conscious she’d become.
“I asked the Coopers to preserve it, given its historical significance,” Miles said.
“You what?” She finally looked at him. He shrugged with a half-smile. The gleam in his eye confirmed he meant it as a joke.
“Oh, Miles.” Her voice croaked. Sweat beaded on her forehead and upper lip.
Miles paused and searched her face. When she studied him in return, he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at his feet, perhaps a delayed realization at the unlocking of a time capsule. Avery’s stomach clenched.
“Do you need help, or should I go?” he asked.
Avery wanted to prove being here with him wasn’t a big deal. Plus, at six-two, his height might be helpful.
“I have a couple of things to check. Could you hold up a curtain for me?”
She peered inside the nearest bag. She could do this. He could help with one minor project, and they could both go on their way. No harm, no foul.
“Look, a gift from Mimi.” Miles pulled a giant box of condoms from one of the other bags. Of course, the universe pointed him to that bag.
The heat of embarrassment burned in her cheeks. Lily had desecrated Avery’s tidy list on the way to the airport, writingCONDOMS - MEGA BOXwith a Sharpie, in huge letters. She’d said Miles came up with the idea to make Montressa a sex positive resort, and Avery had fallen for it, resulting in another heated blush. And to be fair, it had been wonderful to hear Lily’s laugh.
“Lily put them on my list. I pinkie swear!” Avery lifted her pinkie finger and wriggled it.
Miles studied the gold box with a roaring black tiger on the label and quietly placed it on the dusty desk between them.
“No matter how we try, there seems to be no escaping this.” He fiddled with the sleeves of his Henley. “Should we talk about what happened in here?”
“I, um… Miles, I—”
She couldn’t understand why she could plan this whole discussion when she was by herself, but couldn’t articulate any of it whenever they were together. Maybe his deep woods aroma wiped her brain clean. She let out a ragged breath.
He touched her shoulder, and she flinched.
“I want you to know I don’t regret that night or any of our other ones,” he said. Miles’s eyes searched her face. He wanted an answer she couldn’t find the words for. On a topic she wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready to talk about.
“I don’t want you to regret it,” he said, taking another step closer.
She picked a loose thread off the folded duvet cover in her hand. He’d taken gentle care of her every time they’d slept together, but that first night he’d been especially respectful. She’d felt loved. Knowing how it ended, she’d go back and do it again. But she would never tell him that. At least not now.
“I just don’t understand what happened after that.” She shook her head.
“Truth is,” he said in a weakening voice. She straightened up and faced him. If he was finally going to apologize or give her a reason for his abrupt departure, she wanted to watch him say it, despite being on the verge of tears.
He didn’t finish. Miles Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed his words in one gulp. His eyes flicked to the door.
“Oh, you got in.”
Avery spun to find Wes by the door, toolbox in hand, taking inventory of the tiny cabin. His eyes landed on the box of condoms. He walked over and picked them up with his free hand.
