Avery dropped his pinky and kissed him with lips that felt warmer than the sun. He’d wished for that kiss on every birthday candle, found penny, and errant eyelash for the last ten years. Fears aside, he knew he wanted to be with her forever. He needed to figure out how to get himself there.
As he walked to the dock, the only thought running through his mind was not to mess anything up. Not this time. Not ever.
Chapter Seventeen
Avery
June 26
The last four days had felt like eight and despite the relatively quiet evening at the front desk, Avery was slightly jittery. Miles had been without a cell phone somewhere in the woods of Minnesota, and she hadn’t been able to stop her mind from analyzing the time they’d spent together. In some ways, they had picked up where they left off that summer. He’d been leaving her donuts again, sometimes with quotations or poems attached. They’d shared kisses when he put the Mail Jeep in reverse and looped his arm behind her headrest. Miles had started teasing her about hoarding half his clothes.
But there were differences too. This was not the hasty, inexperienced Miles Magrum from ten years ago. The new Miles Magrum knew where to go and what to do with her body. He paid attention to her cues, responded to her moans, and took his time coaxing the euphoria outof her, sometimes twice, sometimes in sync with his own. When it was over, he’d stay in her embrace or hold her as she rested with her head in the nook below his shoulder. Lying in bed with Miles reminded Avery of lazing on a screened porch during a summer rain.
A little bit like earth, a little bit like water, a lot like heaven.
But summers came and went on the lake. When she’d joined his FaceTime with Hayes and Anna Catherine the previous week, Avery detected a glimmer of fear or regret in Miles’s expression. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something seemed off.
She checked her text messages. Nothing.
Montressa had been open for ten days. Enough time for issues to surface with the front desk staff, who were all college students. The double-booked cabin was easily fixed since they had vacancies. Two staff members hadn’t shown up for shifts one morning, one spent too much time chatting with other staff, and one always let the phone go to voicemail. Every minor issue had resulted in finger-pointing.
Guests hadn’t noticed the discord, but the staff needed to work together once the busiest weeks of summer kicked off on the Fourth of July. Backing each other up mattered when the resort turned busy. In an effort to help the team bond, Avery had sent them on a sunset seaplane ride. She’d stayed behind and taken desk duty so everyone could go, and the quiet night left plenty of time to think about Miles.
He’d be back from Minnesota tomorrow, and she knew what he’d want to do. He’d picked up a new ski boat the day before he left and hadn’t had time to take it out on the water. It sat moored at his dock. Tomorrow was her day off and she was excited to water-ski, cruise the lake, and have a picnic. Maybe he’d let her drive it. It didn’t matter what they did, as long as they did it together.
Avery scrolled through her text messages. Still nothing. The week of no contact was eating at her. The camp wrapped up this afternoon, and she’d assumed he’d text her the second he got his phone back. That’swhat boyfriends did. Him further prolonging of a week of no contact made her question his devotion.
This wasn’t a summer fling. Or was it? She wanted commitment, but she didn’t know what he wanted. He’d mentioned wanting a relationship in the Boathouse. But he’d frowned when she suggested taking him to see the house she grew up in or visiting him in the City, both of which seemed like a natural progression.
When wild blueberry season drifted into pumpkin-spice-latte season, their lives would change. Canoe commutes would be replaced by long drives. Miles would go back to his glitzy parties, finishing his master’s degree, and working on his bereavement camp. He might want something more casual to go along with his busy lifestyle.
Avery would start her MBA at Dartmouth—another thing she was unsure about. Given how little her first semester classes interested her, she’d begun doubting whether pursuing an MBA made sense. It felt redundant to get the degree when she’d already successfully run a business. But withdrawing meant casting herself adrift, which ran counter to her need to get things done. She didn’t want confusion; she wanted a plan.
Instead of connecting with her future classmates online, she’d started exploring other career options. Maybe the Peppered Page’s new owners could help her find a job in a creative field. Late one night, on a whim, she’d researched interior decorator certification and textile classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. It had been fun reimagining the Boathouse and helping Miles with his house, and she seemed to have an eye for it. Textile design was a natural progression for watercolorists.
While the MBA felt more and more unsuitable with each passing day, she didn’t want to move to Manhattan just for him. Part of his rationale for breaking up with her that summer had been that commitment made no sense if they lived apart. Living in the same city would testwhether Miles wanted her in his every day, but she wasn’t willing to go that far for something casual. She’d kept all of these thoughts to herself to avoid pressuring him into a serious relationship he wasn’t expecting—or didn’t want.
The closer it got to the late shift’s arrival, the more time slowed. The last three taps to her phone had read 11:27. She noticed her reflection in the dark window. Mimi used to say at night, windows showed where you were, not where you could go. And maybe she needed to focus on the present and stop thinking about a future she couldn’t predict. If they clarified where they stood now, they’d have a path forward, one that would avoid a repeat of what happened that summer. Three more minutes and she could get a good night’s sleep, so she’d be ready to talk when Miles came back tomorrow.
Finally, the clock on her phone moved to 11:30 and the late-night shift arrived. Ten minutes later, she entered the loft and tossed her phone on the bed. A text message chimed as it hit the quilt.
Miles:Surprise :) I’m home early. Meet me at the ski dock.15 minutes
Avery smiled. They could talk about their relationship tomorrow. For now, she missed his hands, his mouth, his warm weight blanketing her. She’d fall asleep with her head nestled in the nook of his bare shoulder, listening to his heartbeat. She answered with a thumbs-up, threw together a small bag with her overnight necessities, and headed to the dock.
Miles’s new ski boat crossed the water so quietly, she wondered if he was paddling it. She expected the loud whirr of the motor, not a gentle purr.
“Hey,” he said in the soft, sultry voice she could have sworn he used only for her.
“Hey, how are you?” Avery bounced on her feet, eager to climb aboard.
He tossed a rope around a pylon and pulled the boat closer and helped her down. Once she stepped inside the boat, he held the rope in one hand, wrapped the other arm around her, and they shared a long, lingering I-missed-you kiss.
“Mmm. Much better now.” he mumbled between chocolate-laced kisses. “How are you?”
“I missed you too,” she whispered. “Did you just have chocolate milk?”
“Count Chocula. It turns regular milk into chocolate milk. Like magic.”
