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I made a few more pieces while we sunbathed on the lake. I got bored sitting in calm water, and cruised them around the lake. With the wind in my hair, I felt energized and recharged. Like the sun had charged me up like it did my crystals.
After a couple of hours on the boat, I brought us back to shore, and we parted ways. I lugged my stuff to the car and then walked back down onto the sandy man-made lake. I picked seashells as I strolled down the shoreline. The lake here wasn’t a typical beach, but some shells washed ashore, and I liked to collect them. Maybe I should start making jewelry with the shells in addition to my crystals.
I pocketed the shells and forced myself to stop procrastinating about going back to the cabin. I had to face Felix, eventually. When I got back to the cabin, I spied him out on the dock. He stood with his shirt off in front of a canvas with a paint palette in one hand. I wasn’t expecting that.
I dropped my stuff inside and grabbed us two Mac Daddy beers. I loved my hoppy IPAs, but Nolan did an awesome job with the hefeweizen. I laughed every time I looked at the artwork. Felix really captured Nolan’s lumberjack essence with an illustration of him wearing a red plaid shirt while he held Norah in his arms. It fit the beer name perfectly.
I walked down to the dock, and Felix smiled at me when I handed him the beer. “Thanks.”
I cocked my head as I studied the landscape painting he was working on. He was painting the lake in front of him, and it was fantastic. He was an amazing designer, so I wasn’t surprised. I just didn’t know he was also a talented painter.
I sat on the dock and dipped my feet into the water. “I didn’t know you were a painter. It’s amazing.”
“Thanks. This beer’s so good.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I like it, and I’m an IPA girl.”
“Ugh! IPAs are like the pumpkin spice latte for beer drinkers. Ya basic!”
“Am not!”
He set his paints down and sat on the dock next to me. I splashed him with my feet.
“Brat,” he teased.
I felt heat rush up my cheeks at the memory of last night. He liked when I was a brat.
I held up the beer bottle and admired the label. “The artwork’s perfect.”
He studied his beer bottle and shrugged. “Not that hard to do. Nolan already exudes that whole hot lumbersexual thing.”
I stared at him for what felt like forever.
“What?” he asked.
“You think Nolan’s hot?”
He shrugged. “Still bi, Gemma!”
“I know that! Didn’t see Nolan as your type.”
He shrugged. “I call it like I see it.”
Hmm, that was interesting.
He sighed. “Can we talk about last night?”
I shook my head.
“I’m sorry, Gemma. For everything. For standing you up and for leaving before you woke up. I’m not sorry for what we did together, though. We both enjoyed that. But I know I’ve been a dick to you.”
I nodded. That was all true. I sipped my beer and kicked my feet in the water. I took my seashells out of my pocket and rubbed one between my fingers.
“Is there a reason?” I finally asked.
He took a big gulp of his beer. “What?”
“It’s not because something’s wrong with me, right?”
