“Yeah,” Meg answers, smiling, then lowers her glasses. “But we were working on one of Cubby’s movies.”
I flare my nostrils at her as Chase turns back to the freezer. “I told you,” I explain to him. “I’m making online content.”
Chase looks up and arches a furry eyebrow. “Nature documentaries?” he repeats.
I hesitate. “Vlogging. It’s more like a video diary or a reality series.” I gesture to myself. “City boy learning about the mountain life. Trying stuff out for the first time, documenting my experience, that kind of thing.”
I swallow. It’s true; that is a big part of what I’ll be doing on my channel. I’m not lying to him, just not giving the whole truth—that the other part includes lots of discussion about rimming.
Behind her sunglasses, I know Meg’s giving me a look.
But perfect Chase doesn’t have a problem with my answer. He just sticks his sexy arms out and offers us our ice-cream cones. “That’s cool.”
“It is cool,” I agree as I take the cone, then quickly change the subject. “You rent boats out here?”
“Yeah, want to try one?” He gestures with his thumb to a sign by the register. “That’s the rates. Bottom two boats aren’t here anymore, and the second from the top is out for repairs. Everything else is available.”
I look over the list. It’s incredibly cheap, like twenty bucks a day for a canoe. “Amazing. Maybe we could even rent one long-term.” I glance at Meg. “Summer transportation? Save on gas?”
Chase grunts. It’s like this surprisedurhsound that starts in a deep rumble and tilts sweetly up.
I lick my ice cream, the sweet flavor and cool, creamy texture pure heaven after the hike. “What’s that, Chase?”
He rubs the back of his head. The counter is between us, and I want to lean forward and flirt with him properly, but I’m pretty sure the guy is straight, so even after all my big talk, I’m not planning to make a bold move.
Unless he gives me more of a hint that he’s into it…
“There’s a pedaler, actually,” he says. “A little two-seater, but you can get around with just one person too.”
Meg and I exchange a glance. “A pedaler?” she asks.
“People call them paddleboats, but they use pedals like a bike, not oars.” He shrugs. “No one ever rents it out anymore. I’ll give it to you cheap for the summer, if you want.”
“Yes,” I say before Meg can bring up our budget. “Sold!”
Meg attacks her ice cream with a fat lick, then shrugs. “Sounds good to me. You pedal the boat home, Cubby. I got the car.”
I blink. “What?”
“Sure,” Chase says with a nod. “I can walk you down to the dock now.”
