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“Erick...this is...” Romantic. Breathtaking. Everything she could have wished for and more.
“You said you wanted to have lake sex. Not easy to do in November in Oregon. But this is the next best thing, right? A bedroom right on the lake?”
“Next best thing? This is the best thing. I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“Why not?”
“Well, you’re only my fake boyfriend for the week. And—”
“And you’re an amazing woman who helped my daughter find some purpose in her life. And you’re incredibly beautiful, and I’m having the time of my life with you this week. And if you don’t know why a man takes a beautiful woman to a cabin on the lake, then I’m not going to tell you.”
“You’re trying to get me into bed. It’s working.”
“Then why aren’t you in bed?”
“That,” she said, pointing at his chest, “is a very good question. But I have a very good answer.”
“What’s your very good answer?” he asked as he pulled her into a tight embrace.
“You haven’t put me there yet.”
“You know what?” he asked.
“What?”
He picked her up off her feet and started to carry her to the bed.
“That is a very good answer.”
9
ERICK WOULD HAVE patted himself on the back for how well this plan was working out. They’d been at the lake cabin all of five minutes and not only was Clover ready to jump into bed, she was happy. God, that smile of hers... If it were a plant it would be a sunflower. Sunflower? Really? He was turning into Mother Nature’s handmaiden. Better than being a drone, right?
“Wait,” Clover said. “I forgot something. Put me down.”
“Did you leave something at the house?” he asked.
“No, I have it here. I just have to go, um, do something. Do you mind?”
“You’re about to have sex with me. Do you think I mind? I wouldn’t mind if you stomped on my foot, set the bed on fire and threw me into the lake as long as we got naked after.”
She smiled and kissed his cheek. “You have weird sexual fantasies. Put me down. I’ll be right back.”
He put her down, reluctantly but quickly. She grabbed her overnight bag and raced up the stairs with it. While she was gone doing whatever lady thing she needed to do—shave something or brush something or put perfume on something—he pulled back the covers on the bed and lit the two oil lamps Joey had told him were stored under the kitchen sink.
Man, he was going to owe Chris and Joey for eternity for letting them use this place for free for a couple days. A house like this would rent for four or five hundred a night, easy, during peak season. In addition to the bed in the front room, there were two bedrooms upstairs. The kitchen was exposed brick with stainless-steel appliances but the rest of the house had all the rustic charm one would want from a lake house. Distressed pine floors, carved stair railings, woven rugs and cedar paneling. The chandelier really pulled it all together. From the outside, it looked like a standard crystal light fixture one might find in a hotel lobby. Once inside, however, it revealed its secret. The crystals were actually mason jars of all sizes with LED lights threaded through them. It was a masterpiece of rustic folk art. Steffensen did good work. Just the woodwork alone turned Erick on. Put Clover in that big beautiful bed and he was a goner. An absolute goner. No doubt he loved his daughter more than life itself, but if this was the sort of stuff that happened when she left town, then the first day of college could not come fast enough.
Erick turned off all the lights but the two oil lamps he set on either side of the bed. He stripped out of his clothes and slid between the covers, propped up on thick down pillows to watch absolutely nothing happening out on the lake but the wind on the water. Clover seemed to think that sound was talking to her. Maybe it was talking to him, too, because it seemed a voice whispered in his ear, “Watch out...you’re going to fall in love with this woman if you aren’t careful...”
Stupid voice. Did it think he didn’t know that already? He’d been fighting off a crush on Clover ever since Ruthie went to work for her. Since that kiss yesterday, he’d stopped fighting
and let himself feel everything he’d been trying not to feel for Clover for the past year. Instead of ignoring her quiet loveliness, her full lips, her long hair that he’d told himself wouldn’t look as good down as he imagined it would, he gave himself full permission to enjoy every glance at her, every kiss, every strand of that sun-colored hair so soft in his fingers. He’d convinced himself she wasn’t interested in him because of the wall of professional reserve she’d put up around herself. She’d never once flirted with him during his many trips to the nursery to drop off or pick up Ruthie. Now he knew the reasons for her reserve and could only feel supremely flattered she’d let those walls down with him. And damn, it was beautiful behind those walls. He could live there.
As much as he wanted to tell her that, something held him back. He’d been Clover’s first real lover. While he was flattered by that, even a little moved, he also couldn’t shake the idea that she would probably prefer to take things slowly with him. What woman wanted to commit herself to the very first guy she slept with? He’d lost his virginity in high school and had two serious girlfriends by the time he met Ruthie’s mother, got her pregnant—a happy accident—and had Ruthie. Wouldn’t Clover want to explore her options, date around, enjoy her newfound sexual confidence a little bit before committing to a serious relationship? Probably. He would in her shoes.
The other voice in his head sounded suspiciously like Ruthie’s and that voice was telling him that he should let Clover take the lead, let her decide what sort of relationship she wanted. That was a fair point. He’d leave it to Clover, then. If she told him she wanted to keep seeing him, then he’d tell her how crazy about her he was. If he told her today, she might feel pressured to commit before she was ready and that’s the last thing he wanted her to do. Bad enough she had her entire family trying to force her to get married and have kids. He wasn’t about to add to the chorus of voices nagging her about her personal life.
Therefore, it was decided. For Clover’s sake he’d keep his runaway feelings to himself for the time being. He’d enjoy this week with Clover and give her the best nights of her life if he could. If they only had the one week together, it was better than nothing. If it was the beginning of something real, even better. Much, much better.
