Page 96 of Coram House

I look out at the view. The sun hovers over the Adirondacks in the distance, as if balanced on the peaks. Beyond the point, the lake is a flat open field of white.

“Are we going out there?” I ask.

“Yup,” says Xander. “But not past that island.” He points to a tiny smudge in the distance. “Reports this morning said open water a couple miles offshore.”

I check the faces of the crew, to see if they’re alarmed by any of this, but no one seems to be. “Ready?” Xander asks.

I nod, surprised at the thrill of anticipation. Then, we start to slide.Xander and a crew member run alongside the boat, pushing until we catch the wind. Then Xander hops in—much more gracefully than I did—and it’s just the two of us.

The boat picks up speed until we’re flying. It’s amazing to be moving this fast with nothing but the wind and the slice of the boat gliding over the ice. I imagine Bill’s lake monster, woken from its winter sleep, green scales trapped beneath the ice, teeth scraping against the hard surface in its hunger to catch us. But we glide right over.

When I turn back to Xander, he’s grinning at me. “Look,” he shouts. I do, just as we round the point, out of the bay and onto the open ice. Coram House stands on the hill, sun glinting off the windows so it looks like it’s on fire. The sky right above us is clear, but dark puffy clouds loom to the north. The promised storm on its way. We fly along in silence. The only people in the world.

“This is amazing,” I shout over the wind. “Is it always like this?”

I point out at the ice, the mountains, the sky.

“Nope,” he yells back. “Must be for you.”

I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling. The freezing wind stings my cheeks. The sky blazes orange. The speed clears my mind. It feels like we could keep gliding forever, fast and freezing, straight into the sunset.

When we get back to the dock I’m not sure if it’s been minutes or hours, but I’ve never been so cold. My arms and legs jerk like a poorly coordinated puppet as I climb out of the boat. The clouds have taken over the sky, eating the sunset. The dock is empty, the others probably sitting in front of that enormous fireplace by now.

“I got this if you want to head up,” says one of the sunglassed crew. “She looks half frozen.”

Distantly, I resent being talked about like I’m not here. But he’s not wrong. I do feel frozen.

“All right. Thanks, Dan.”

Xander takes my hand as we climb the steep, icy slope. The smell of woodsmoke drifts on the air. My ears ring in the quiet now that we’re not tearing across the ice. Xander stops at a landing cut into the earth, a small stone bench tucked under the pines. It’s probably a lovely place to rest in the summer. Today the stone is a cold slab.

“So,” Xander says, turning to take in the lake behind us. “What did you think?”

“Of the sailing?” My speech comes out slurred. “It was—it felt like flying.”

He smiles. “When you’re out on the ice with no one else around—it’s like the closest I ever get to feeling free.”

Before I can reply, he kisses me. His lips are warm, but my face is so cold I barely feel it. He leans back and looks at me. “You’re really cold, aren’t you?” He rubs my arms.

I nod, grateful that I don’t need to say anything else.

He takes my hand again. “Come on, let’s go up,” he says. “They’ll have a fire going.”

I let him pull me the rest of the way.

When we reach the house, Xander flings open the door and leads me into the great room. The two women lay in a tangle on the sofa. Orange flames leap and crackle in the huge stone fireplace. The man gazes into the flames, one arm resting on the mantel as if posing for a portrait.

“Jesus, Xand,” he says. “Shut the door, would you? It’s freezing.”

He speaks like someone used to owning the attention of every room he walks into. He comes toward me, hand outstretched. “We haven’t officially met. I’m Bill.”

Another Bill. Just what I need.

“And that’s Evvy and Nat.” He gestures toward the women on the couch. One of them, Nat, I think, lifts her glass to me.

“Nice to meet you,” I say. My cheeks tingle as they defrost.

“Let’s get you a drink,” says Bill. “The rest of us are having cognac.”

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