“Oh yeah?”
“I wanted to say thanks for everything you’re doing for me, so I spent some time this morning adding Lake Steamy to the modern world.”
Chase turns, a furry eyebrow raised. “What does that mean?”
“Online,” I clarify. “I listed all the businesses on a bunch of tourism sites, prettied up the town’s web presence, that kind of thing. It might not seem like a big deal, but you really can’t bring in the tourist dollars without it. And the only photos that were coming up were faded old shots of the lake and Moosey Fest, so I took the liberty of adding some of Meg’s nature shots and tagging them with the location. They’re true works of art.”
“Huh,” Chase says. “You did all that for the town?”
“Not really,” I answer honestly. “I did all that for you. I know you wish there were more vacationers passing through, and it’s probably too late to make you rich enough to keep your lake house, but even a bit of extra cash flow will help, right?”
Chase turns his gaze toward the trail. “Wow,” he says, almost robotically. “That’s really nice of you, Cubby. Thanks.”
“Is that okay?” I ask, thrown by his tone. “I know you’re not the most online guy, but you still want the business, don’t you?”
“Sure, sure!” he says quickly, then chuckles and shakes his head. “I guess I’m just old-fashioned, thinking the tourists will come by word of mouth. Really, though, thanks. It’s so nice of you to think of me.”
My thighs are burning as we head up a steeper hill, and I decide to ignore the hesitancy in his voice. It’s probably just my own insecurity I’m battling, and he is thanking me, after all.
“How about you?” Chase asks. “Any breakthroughs with your videos?”
“I did have some flirty comments piling up on the first one.”
“Strangers flirt with you in the comments?”
“I thought they were, but after clicking on their profiles, I’m pretty sure they’re just Russian bots.”
“Oh,” Chase replies, relief in his voice. “I guess that’s too bad.”
I shrug. “I’ll take any compliments I can get at this point, even from Comrade MrSam8078492.”
We step through a rocky part of the path, and Chase gently grabs my elbow, steadying me as the heavy weight of the backpack teeters to the side. His grip on my arm is nice, grounding and reassuring, although a stubborn part of my brain really wishes I could just skip and pirouette my way up the hill as though unencumbered.
“Well, I, for one, can’t keep my eyes off you,” Chase says, pausing. “If that helps.”
I relax. “It definitely doesn’t hurt.”
Meg and Sully disappear around a bend in the path. Chase takes a deep gulp from his water bottle, then hands it to me. The cool water is refreshing, just what I needed, and when I hand the bottle back, I rise up on my toes to give Chase a kiss.
Our lips meet. His mouth closes over mine, and his musky scent fills my nose. Chase’s hand lands on my side, steadying me, and the world goes still around us as we kiss deeper and longer.
Maybe Meg’s right. Maybe I am falling in love with him because how could I not fall in love with a man like Chase?
I always imagined that love would be the kind of thing you’re supposed to halt your life for, throwing everything else aside to make sure you and your person end up together forever.
But even if this is love, I don’t know what I could do to make it work. Chase is everything I want to be: self-sufficient and practically built of integrity and strength. I thought I was coming to Lake Steamy for the summer to grow into a person more like that myself, but instead, I’m fumbling along, doubting every step.
Chase is who I want to be with, but could he really want to be with me?
He traces his hand over my cheek, running his fingers down to my beard. “Ready to keep on?”
I hitch my backpack on my shoulders and summon a smile. “Lead the way.”
