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Ray nodded and frowned. "They'll be here in an hour or so, I think. Helen was going to aim for mid-morning, definitely before lunch when it gets too hot."
Mason sighed. "Well, I guess we'll get to fishing then. Let me get Caroline settled first."
He grabbed their bags and cooler and took them to shore, finding a nice, flat spot away from the water. She was still chatting with Will, so he just sprayed sunscreen on and grabbed a pole.
He would wait for Lucy. He'd wait for her for as long it took. He let the line fly and thought of all the things he needed to say.
Chapter 48
Lucy grabbed her bag and headed to Helen's house, and they put together a picnic lunch. Then they drove to the river where they were to meet Ray and Will.
They found the launching spot and parked. Last summer, Ray had bought Helen a fancy new canoe and painted Pearl on the side of it. It sat tied up in the water already.
She helped Helen load the picnic baskets into the canoe and had Helen get in first. Lucy untied them and hopped in. Together, they used their oars to get off the sand bar and into the open river.
The current was lazy. It was the smallest part of the river, which is why the town had been named Crimson Creek. They paddled on the almost still water, and Lucy leaned her head back.
The sun felt good, and some of the tension and confusion within her melted. She wasn't sure what her talk with Mason would bring, but today was a good day. Her dad was safely behind bars, and she wouldn't have to worry about him showing up out of the blue anymore.
She hadn't even realized how much she worried about that until today. On some level, she'd always been nervous that he'd show up, rip her out of school, and force a new town, new friends, new everything on her again.
It might be another reason she hadn't dated in college. She'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole time.
She and Helen rounded the bend in the river and saw two canoes on the shore at Ray's favorite, secluded fishing spot. They rowed gently over. Ray and Will stood in the shallows, casting down river.
Her eyes settled on the other two figures on the shore. Mason waded through the water from where a canoe was tied to a tree. Wearing only shorts, his muscles rippled in the sun.
Her breathing went ragged as she stared. She hadn't had much chance to get a good look at him last night. It had been a dark alley, then she'd been in shock.
But he looked fitter than he had in Hawaii, and he could've been an arm porn model then. Now he had clearly defined abs and appeared even bigger.
They floated closer and rounded the other canoe. Lucy frowned. The brunette from the restaurant last night lay sunbathing on a towel on the sand. She wore a red string bikini that showed more skin than she'd ever seen in real life. The woman was curvy in all the right places, and Lucy settled a hand on her stomach. She hunched her shoulders, self-conscious and glad she'd worn the baggy tank top over her bikini.
Mason walked toward the woman and handed over a bottle of water and sunscreen. The woman said something, then turned to offer him her back. Mason lathered her up, and Lucy gasped.
Who was this woman? What the hell was he doing?
They floated closer, and Mason watched them, even as his hands were on the other woman. They both had on sunglasses, but she knew that prickle of awareness that was his stare.
She turned her head and tilted her chin up as they ran aground on the sand. Her chest was tight at seeing him so familiar with another woman, but she was strong and tough.
She held the canoe steady while Helen got out first. Then she stood and wobbled, grabbing the edge.
Suddenly, Mason's hands were on her elbow, and he helped her out. Her breath caught in her throat at his touch. Once her feet were safely in the water, she froze as his hands slid down her arms in a gentle caress that gave her goosebumps.
She murmured, "Thanks."
Looking up at him, all the love that she'd held on to like a lifeline for all these months came crashing down around her. She was breathless as he took her fingers in his.
No, she couldn't do this yet. She stepped out of his hands, feeling the loss.
But she couldn't get too used to his touch, not unless they turned this into something real. She couldn't let him touch her or she'd be lost. They had to talk first.
The cold water flowed around her knees, and she grabbed one of the picnic baskets.
Helen grabbed the other and said brightly, "Mason, you made it! We weren't sure you'd be able to make it today. Can you secure the canoe? This is lovely, I'm so glad to see—oh, hello. Who might you be?" Helen frowned as the woman stood on her towel and stepped toward them.
Lucy followed Helen to the sandy area where the woman stood in the shallower water. The woman smiled nervously and waved to the basket.
