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“Don’t fall in,” Damon called after her. The twins exploded with grating laughs.
Maire wiped away the tears before they could freeze against her cheeks and carefully picked her way along an icy path through trees until the crackle of the bonfire and the derisive laughter faded away. Why had she even bothered to come? Because of Lina. She’d do anything for Lina, and what had her so-called best friend done? Laughed and teased right along with the rest of them. Resentment sizzled through her.
She was fun, Maire told herself as she moved along the sinuous trail that she figured would take her to the lake. Damon and the twins weren’t really going to throw her over the edge and normally she would have laughed right along with them until they set her down. And yes, she spent most of her time working on her projects and studying, but wasn’t that what college was for? She went out with friends occasionally, though she had to be cajoled. And she usually ended up having fun. But seeing Figgy after all these months of successfully avoiding her was what ruined the night. Figgy hated her and Maire honestly couldn’t understand why.
Maire had been to Tanglefoot Lake several times before, but never at night during January. Funny how seasons could change the landscape so completely. A few months earlier, she had tried to capture the cacophony of jewel-colored leaves that hung like a canopy overhead in a painting. Now all the maples, oaks, and quaking aspens were stripped and lonely. But still, it was peaceful here in the dark, surrounded by towering pine trees that looked velvety soft in the weak light from the stars. Next time she’d come out here by herself with her camera.
Maire, who had thought to dress sensibly in her warmest winter coat, boots, white hat, and matching mittens, found herself breathing heavily and sweating beneath all the layers. She pulled off her mittens and stuffed them into her pockets and found the flask. She took another long drink. The trail should have opened up to the lake by now.
Apprehension growing, Maire examined the trail in front of her more closely. Was this even a path or was it a game trail made by deer or maybe even a coyote? A rustle in the shadows caused her to stop short. She cocked her ear toward the sound and a shiver of fear ran through her. She hadn’t thought about wild animals. She turned to look in the direction she had come from. Should she go back to the bonfire? To the others? Somehow they seemed less appealing than facing a bobcat.
“Hey,” came a soft voice and Maire jumped. She peered into the dark as a figure came toward her. Tall, imposing.
“Who is it?” Maire asked, poised to run.
“It’s Samuel. You okay?” he asked.
“You scared me,” Maire said testily, not wanting him to know how badly he had startled her. “I’m fine,” she added and began walking again, trying to force herself not to weave back and forth. The whiskey had hit her harder than she thought it would.
“Where are you going?” Samuel asked, falling into step behind her on the narrow trail.
“I told you, to the lake,” Maire said.
“Well, you’re not going to get there going this way,” Samuel said with a chuckle.
“I’ll get there eventually,” Maire murmured.
“They’re being assholes,” Samuel said. “You just have to ignore them.”
“Easy for you to say. Shit,” Maire said glumly. The column of pine trees ended.
They had come to a road.
“Yeah,” Samuel said, “that is not the lake.” They looked out at the pavement, an icy ribbon in the starlight.
“It is not.” Maire let out a puff of air. “You know, I do know how to have fun. People say I’m a lot of fun.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Samuel said, trying not to crack a smile. “But to be fair, there’s not a lot of fun to be had in Iowa in the middle of winter.”
“That’s where you are wrong,” Maire said lightly. “We know how to have fun in all seasons. You just need to know where to look for it.”
“Well, it isn’t back there,” Samuel said, hooking a thumb toward the bluff.
“No, it is not,” Maire said. “How’d you end up here?” she asked. “Where are you from again?”
“A little bit of everywhere,” Samuel said. “My family moved around a lot. My dad was in the military. I got a scholarship to play lacrosse—” he shrugged “—and here I am.”
“Well, we’re happy to have you,” Maire said and inwardly kicked herself. She was so lame.
Samuel smiled like he didn’t think she was lame. “And I was joking earlier. I do like it here. Everyone is really nice.”
Maire gave him a skeptical look. “There are a few exceptions, I guess,” he added. They both laughed. “Well, we should probably get back,” Samuel said, reluctantly. “No lake here.”
Maire didn’t want to go back, not yet. She just wanted to stay right here, no matter how cold.
“Or,” Maire began slyly. The whiskey was still thrumming through her body, making her loose-limbed, reckless. “We could have some fun.”
THIRTEEN
