Page 30 of A Vine Mess
But I’d be damned if I could find a single viable reason to stop myself from appreciating every single thing about him.
As though sensing my attention, he turned toward me, offering me a little smirk that did nothing to quell my body’s reaction to him. To avoid him seeing my face heat, I turned away, and I swore I heard a faint chuckle on the wind.
In truth, I had no idea what I was doing here.
Whatwewere doing.
I desperately wanted to find out.
We cruised past the shoreline of the island, and an old, weathered lighthouse came into view. The shoreline below it was heavily fortified with posts forming a break wall of sorts.
“That’s the East Channel Light,” Liam said, pointing at the structure. “It was once in danger of collapsing into the lake as the soil below it eroded, but a group of people constructed that seawall to save the structure. It’s not operational anymore, but it’s been fully restored and is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the area.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“You should see it in the fall!” Dori shouted over the wind. “With the colors in the hills behind it? It’s unlike anything else.”
I looked at Liam. “Maybe we’ll have to come back.”
“Whatever you want,” he said quickly.
The words were a caress, and inherently, I knew it was a promise he’d make good on if I asked. Why did that thrill meso much?
Eventually, after lapping around the entire perimeter, Dori puttered to a stop in a small bay, one side lined by rocky cliffs that sloped into a beach on the other side.
“This is Trout Bay,” Dori said when the engine noise died down. “It’s the larger of Grand Island’s two bays and a popular spot for cliff jumping, swimming, and pulling up the pontoon onto the beach for some socialization.”
I took in the shore, where the leaves on the trees were budding and the sand was almost blindingly light. I could easily imagine it filled with people, laughter, children squealing, good drinks, and good food.
I inhaled deeply yet again, branding the silence and peace on my memory.
“Do we want to paddle around here?” Liam asked.
I shook my head. “No. I want to see the actual rocks.”
Dori gave me a salute, flipped the controls, and revved the engine out of there.
“We can explore the island next time,” Liam said.
Next time.
Damn I liked the sound of that.
Dori once again stopped and dropped the anchor in open water probably a hundred yards off the cliff faces.
To be perfectly honest, I was terrified of being on such a large body of water in such a tiny vessel, but the surface was incredibly smooth, showing barely a ripple, waves gently lapping at the base of the rocks. Dori assured us these were perfect kayaking conditions, and I trusted her. Given her weathered face and relaxed but vigilant demeanor, I knew she’d been doing this a long timeand wouldn’t send us into any dangerous situations.
Plus, I had Liam nearby, and we wore lifejackets, so there was no reason to be afraid.
Once I got over the initial trembling in my hands as Marshall launched us off the boat, I marveled at how peaceful it was. The gentle sluicing of our paddles through the water, the birds cawing overhead, Dori’s voice as she explained how Pictured Rocks had formed. I tipped my face to the sun, letting it warm me right down to my core, making a silent promise to myself.
I wanted—no,needed—to be better.
And not as a human, though I thought we could all use work in that arena. I meant to be better to myself. I needed to stop letting the circumstances of my breakup and the things that had happened in the past control so much of my future.
“I should exercise more,” I said almost absently on the tail end of that train of thought, though I knew Liam could hear me.
“Why is that?” he asked, though his attention remained on the cliffs looming over us.
