Cubby
After a red-eye flightand a long drive from the airport, I get back to the mountains right after dawn. I should be exhausted. A rational person would head straight home and sleep before trying anything else.
But no one has ever accused me of being rational, which is why I steer the car straight toward the back roads, cruising the familiar hills leading to Chase’s cabin.
I feel like I’m soaring. I unlocked my future in Los Angeles, and by the end of the afternoon pool party, I found a way to fix every impossible problem and contradiction that’s been tripping me up all summer. Finally, I know not just what I want, but how I’m actually going to get it.
Except that none of that will really be true, not until I tell Chase.
But he’s not at his cabin, and not at the store for some early work either. As expected, his truck is at the lake house, but the lights are all off, and only Max answers when I pound on the door.
Then I notice that his canoe is gone.
I hurry back to my summer home, not even stopping to go inside and splash water on my face. Instead, I hop right into the pink paddleboat, kick off from shore, and go hunting.
“You can’t hide from me now,” I mumble, kicking my legs as the sun rises above the mountains and clouds roll across the water. “I know all your favorite fishing spots.”
Halfway across the lake, I spot Chase through the fog, floating around a bend in the shore. He’s rowing away from me, in the direction of town, and I start pumping my legs faster to catch up.
Guilt starts swirling through me. I insisted all summer that I was going to leave, and I know that hurt Chase. Despite how earnest and good he’s been, I haven’t exactly made this easy on him. But I’m done with all that now. I’m ready to be his, really his, and my muscles burn as I pedal as fast as I can, racing to tell him that I’ll stay.
“Chase!” I yelp, huffing and puffing as I get closer. He doesn’t hear me, though, and I groan when he starts rowing toward the main street of Lake Steamy.
“Fucking hell,” I grumble, pedaling like my life depends on it. “Chase! Chase!”
He rows up to the docks, totally oblivious to me. Just seeing him from a distance, warm, tingly feelings fill my chest. I recognize his way of moving, how he holds his strength in his shoulders.
It feels like coming home.
“Chase!” I yell as loud as I can, beelining for the docks. My lungs are burning, I’m sweating, and my voice erupts through the peaceful morning, but I don’t care who I wake up.
“Chase!” I yell again, and finally, he turns. One hand on the dock to steady himself, still standing in the boat, he faces me. I’m too far away to see his expression, but somehow, just the slight change in his posture tells me everything.
Fireworks explode in my brain. I remember that the lake is shallow here, and I jump out of the paddleboat, throwing myself toward him. The cool water hits me like a shock, but I don’t slow down. I push through, swimming and running toward him, repeating his name.
“Cubby?”
Chase lets go of the dock and jumps into the lake. He takes off with broad strokes, headed straight toward me, and when I pull my head out from the water, he’s there.
“Cubby,” he says, pulling me into his arms. We’re soaking wet, and I’m sputtering, but it doesn’t matter. Chase lifts me, holding me to his chest. “Cubby, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
I wrap my arms around his broad neck and pull myself up to kiss him. “I’m better than I’ve ever been.”
His face softens with a smile. He’s amused by me, I can see it in his eyes, and it feels so good, I just keep kissing his face.
He laughs, kissing me back as my feet float in the water. “What’s going on?” he asks again. “I didn’t think I’d see you so soon.”
“I got an offer,” I say excitedly. “A contract!”
Chase’s expression changes, tightening with concern. “Oh. You’re going to make the video in LA.”
“No,” I say quickly. “I mean yes, I found work, but I’m not going to make the video with Jules.” I loosen my grip around his neck enough to sink to the bottom of the lake, the water lapping above my waist. “I want to stay here.”
Chase blinks. “Here? In Lake Steamy?”
“Here with you.”
Chase’s lips part. His dark beard is damp, and his hands stay on my arms, stroking me. “I thought you couldn’t stay here. I thought you needed to be in the city for your career.”
