Lucan closed his eyes for a beat. “Atlas.”
“What? It’s endearing. Women love effort.” Atlas turned back to me. “Hey, so we’re doing a thing tonight. Quad barbecue at Zarek’s. You should come.”
I looked at Lucan, and he exhaled slowly through his nose. “I apologize for him. He was supposed to drop off the kayaks and leave.”
Atlas scoffed. “I’m leaving right now. I wanted to extend the invitation personally because last time you came to dinner, you seemed like you had a good time.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. The earnestness on his face was so genuine it bordered on absurd.
“I’ll see how I feel.” I tucked my water bottle under my arm.
Atlas’s eyes lit up, and he pointed both index fingers at me. “That’s absolutely a yes. I’m going to get extra buns.”
“It’s not a yes.”
“Everyone has to eat.” He walked backward toward the trail, still pointing. “Lucan, she’s coming. Get the good chairs out.”
Lucan dragged a hand down his face. “Goodbye, Atlas.”
“Six o’clock!” Atlas called over his shoulder. He turned and jogged up the trail, disappearing into the trees with a whistle that blended in with the birds.
The quiet settled around us again. The lake lapped softly at the sand, and somewhere across the water, a bird let out a long, descending call.
“Is he always like that?”
Lucan let out a breath that carried the weight of knowing someone for a very long time. “Every single day of my life.”
A laugh escaped before I could stop it. Lucan’s expression shifted, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and that warmth in my chest flared again.
I cleared my throat and nodded toward the kayaks. “Should I throw myself in the lake now and save us the suspense?”
Lucan’s grin faltered. He tilted his head, studying me with the slow, dawning suspicion of a man who might have made an incorrect assumption. “You have done this before, right?”
“Does watching six video tutorials and mentally rehearsing in my head while lying in bed count?”
His eyebrows climbed. “Liz.”
“I panicked when I suggested it, and then I was too committed to back out.” I lifted my chin, faking my confidence. “I’m a quick learner when properly motivated by the fear of public humiliation.”
He stared at me for a full three seconds. Then he turned and grabbed a life jacket from one of the kayaks. He shook it open and held it up by the shoulders, waiting for me to step forward.
“It’s going to be fun.” He lifted the jacket higher. “I’ll walk you through everything. Can’t blame me if you get wet though.”
Every rational thought evaporated. My brain, the traitorous, sleep-deprived, hormonally chaotic organ that it was, took those words and sprinted in a direction that had nothing to do with water. Heat flooded my face so fast I felt it in my ears.
I stepped forward and turned around, sliding my arms through the openings. His knuckles brushed my shoulders as he settled the jacket into place, and the brief contact sent a ripple down my spine.
“Okay?” His voice came from right behind me, low and close.
“Yep.” The word came out an octave too high. I busied myself with the front buckles, my fingers fumbling over the clips. “Totally fine. Just excited about the water. The water. That I will be sitting on top of.”
I needed to stop talking immediately.
Chapter 18
Lucan
Ishould have been a gentleman and stepped back, given her space, and let the moment pass like a decent human being.
