Sunlight on Cedar Creek, page 8
“I like regular water.”
“But white water’s more fun.” His jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered. “I didn’t think to ask if you know how to swim.”
“I do. I used to do laps at our health club in the city.”
He looked relieved, but his eyes hinted at lingering concern. “The thing is, I thought it might be fun to step just a little outside of our comfort zones.”
“I don’t know about your comfort zone, but I left mine a few miles back.”
He thought for a moment. “We should go home. We could go get some breakfast and find something to do. I screwed up. I was hoping… I thought this might… be good for us.”
For me. Zoey watched the other people arriving and going to check in. They were laughing. Everyone was having such fun, and they hadn’t even started rafting. She envied them. She would always be on the outside looking in unless she tried to meet Tyler halfway.
What am I afraid of? She was a strong swimmer. Of course, that had been in a pool with calm water. But she did know some basic lifesaving techniques. She had taken a class. She hadn’t finished it, but other than that, there was no reason she couldn’t sit in a raft.
Tyler put the key in the ignition, and Zoey surprised herself when she put her hand on his. “Come on. Let’s go white-water rafting.”
“No, you don’t have to do this.”
She lifted her chin. “I know. Come on. Let’s go.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Absolutely.” She almost believed herself.
Minutes later, they checked in and suited up in helmets and life jackets. They took a bus ride to the launching point, then they gathered around their guide with a handful of fellow rafters for a brief orientation. Their guide was extremely informative as he shared thorough safety instructions. Zoey hadn’t actually thought of how many things could go wrong. A lot, apparently. Falling out of the raft was normal. Expected, even.
Their guide finished with a less-than-encouraging “We’ve got the best safety record in the state.”
But what if they’re all terrible? Zoey turned to more positive thoughts. She envisioned the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan. It had seemed calm enough there. How bad can it be?
As a bonus, they would be rewarded with a picnic at the end of the journey, provided they brought their own food.
Tyler opened a jacket pocket to show her a sandwich. He winked. “There’s another one just like it in my other pocket.”
Zoey laughed. The guy came prepared.
The time came to climb into the raft. The thought flashed through her mind that she still had time to escape to the truck. She could wait there and read a book on her phone while Tyler went on without her. But she knew he would never leave her. He would stay behind with her, and she would feel guilty. The others were already heading for the raft and getting into the water. She looked at Tyler.
He must have sensed what she was thinking. “It’s not too late to leave.”
Just hearing those words calmed her. “No, I can do this.”
“Are you sure?”
She gave him her most confident “yes.”
Tyler smiled. “Then let’s do it.”
Soon enough, they were on their way down the river, heading into the foaming water. Zoey felt more alert than she’d ever been as she tracked the riverbank on either side and the raging water ahead. She clung to her paddle as they’d been taught, and she listened acutely to their guide for instructions.
As they bobbed and glided down the river, something strange happened. Zoey fell into the rhythm of responding to the flow of the river, paddling or not as the water and their guide dictated. She even grinned at Tyler during a calm stretch between rapids. She had never seen him look so happy.
Without warning, the guide shouted, “Get down!”
Zoey tried to brace herself on the rope handle, but her hand slipped.
Tyler reached for her hand, but when he let go of his rope, he was thrown from the raft.
Zoey panicked. Stop. There’s no time for that now. Tyler was nose up, toes up as they’d been taught, but the water carried him farther away.
Zoey extended the T-shaped paddle handle to him while those beside her waited at the ready to help Tyler onto the raft. He reached for the paddle but narrowly missed it. He rolled over and swam toward the raft.
She reached out with her paddle again and slipped. Someone grabbed her jacket from behind and pulled it back before she could fall overboard. Tyler swam closer. Zoey gritted her teeth and stretched her paddle into the rapids for the third time. Finally, he grabbed hold. Zoey dragged him closer until a guy beside her grabbed Tyler’s life jacket and pulled him up into the raft.
All Zoey wanted to do was throw her arms around Tyler and hold him, but there was no time. The guide was already shouting, “Forward paddle!”
The rest of the trip was a blur, except for a few moments when Zoey’s concerned looks at Tyler were met with a reassuring grin.
Back on dry land, Tyler took Zoey’s hands. “Are you okay?”
“Me? I’m fine. You’re the one who fell in.”
“And you saved me. I’m more concerned about you. Have I scarred you for life?”
“No. It was strange. When you fell overboard, I panicked, but I knew I had to do something. So I set my fear aside. It was still there, but you were more important. I had to help you.”
“Thank you.”
“You don't need to thank me. I just did what I had to.”
He grinned. “So you do care!”
Zoey blurted, “Yes. I didn’t know how much until I saw you in the water, and I was afraid I might lose you.”
Tyler drew her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead. “I don’t want to lose you either.” They gazed at each other, and time seemed to stop. Zoey wanted it to, but she also wanted it to keep going. She wanted him to kiss her. For an instant, she thought he might, but he sighed and took a step back.
His face brightened with the slightly mischievous expression she’d seen before when he wanted to ease tension. “I knew you’d keep me safe.”
“Did you? That makes one of us. What if I hadn’t?”
“I had a backup plan.”
“You had a backup plan for falling out of the raft?”
“Well, not so much of a plan, but I’ve been rafting before. I was on the swim team in high school, and I was a lifeguard every summer through college. I know my way around water.”
Zoey stared at him. “You are full of surprises.”
“Don’t get me wrong. Rapids are unpredictable and dangerous, so getting pulled back onto the raft was my first choice by far. But I kept an eye on the riverbank in case I needed to swim for it.”
Zoey wasn’t sure how to react. “That might have been some good info to share before you fell into the water and scared me to death.”
“But then I wouldn’t know how much you care.”
Zoey wondered if he knew how much that soft light in his eyes affected her. It put her at a disadvantage, so she decided to keep it to herself. But the satisfied glint in his eyes that followed revealed it was already too late. It must have been written on her face.
Taking her hand, he led her to an empty picnic table. Before sitting down, he paused. “Hold on. I just need to check something.” He reached into one pocket and pulled out a soggy sandwich. The bag dripped on the table. “I guess the watertight seal broke when I fell in. No problem. We can share the other one.” He pulled it out of his other pocket. It was surprisingly dry but entirely mangled. He winced.
Zoey laughed. “Let’s look for a restaurant on the way home.”
“Great idea.”
After lunch at a roadside stand, Tyler offered to make dinner that evening. He just needed to stop for some groceries, and then they could head over to his place.
Zoey reached back and touched her hair to confirm that it was indeed damp. “I really need a shower to wash off the river water.”
“Okay. I’ll drop you off on the way home, and you can come by when you’re ready.”
“Brilliant plan, except I don’t have a car.”
“Oh. Right.” He thought for a moment. “You can shower at my place.”
When she hesitated, he suppressed a smile. “It’s okay. There’s a lock on the bathroom door.”
“I didn’t think—that’s not… I…” She was hopelessly flustered.
“Let’s just stop at your place. You can take a quick shower, and then I’ll drive you to my place.”
She was clearly relieved. “Okay.”
When they arrived, Aunt Minnie was there to greet them. While Zoey cleaned up, Tyler shared the highlights of their afternoon.
When he finished, he glanced toward the hallway and lowered his voice. “It was risky, taking her rafting. But I think she’s okay about it.”
“It was a big stretch for her.”
“I know, and it nearly backfired. But I just had a hunch.”
Aunt Minnie peered at him. “Or maybe you’ve gotten to know her. Your instincts are good.”
“What instincts?” Zoey stood at the door to the kitchen with dry hair, fresh clothes, and a light in her eyes that was captivating.
“Ready?”
“I think so.”
Tyler stood. “Good. I’ll give Minnie a break from my odious company.”
Aunt Minnie laughed. “I don’t know about odious. But definitely—”
“Don’t say it.” Tyler interrupted. “Just let me go on believing you adore me as much as I adore you.”
Aunt Minnie’s eyes twinkled as she looked straight at Zoey. “Get out of here.”
The pair burst into laughter. Tyler gave Aunt Minnie a kiss on the cheek then left with Zoey.
10
Tyler set down the grocery bag, opened a bottle of Merlot, and poured two glasses. “Would you like the grand tour? It’s a quick one.”
Zoey took the glass he offered. “I’d love it. So far, it’s gorgeous.”
He frowned. “I think you meant manly.”
“It’s that too. I mean it. I love log cabins, and it’s definitely still got that rustic feel. But the finishes are clean and bold and remarkably tasteful.” Zoe frowned. “That didn’t come out right. I just didn’t know you had that side to you.”
“Really? So you basically had me pegged as a kind of ham-handed guy with dead animals and antlers on the wall, an ice chest in the corner, and a hardware-store bucket for a bathroom?”
She gave him an embarrassed smile because he was on the right track. But she surveyed the kitchen with its matching appliances and polished concrete counters and saw how wrong she had been.
Tyler narrowed his eyes.
She shrugged. “How do I know you don’t have an ice chest hidden in the pantry?”
“Good guess, but no pantry.”
“See? That’s what I get for assuming. Although I haven’t seen the bathroom yet.”
“By all means, follow me. You know, they make toilet seats that fit those hardware store buckets. This is a class operation here.”
He wasn’t serious. He couldn’t be serious. Tyler led her into a bathroom with an actual toilet, a slate walk-in shower, and a sleek soaker tub under the window.
Zoey gasped.
That glint was back in his eye. “Disappointed? I probably have a bucket leftover from the renovation.” He gestured toward the door. “I could go grab that for you.” He took a step toward the door.
Zoey grabbed his arm to stop him. “It’s stunning.”
He looked duly proud of his work.
Zoey shook her head. “It’s just… so impressive.”
They meandered back to the kitchen area, which was at one end of the great room. There was no bedroom, just a large, open space with a vaulted ceiling and an imposing stone fireplace on the opposite wall from the kitchen. A massive log bed rested against the wall to the left of the fireplace, and a thick rug defined a sitting area on the opposite side.
Zoey caught sight of the entire wall of windows to the right of the fireplace. “That must be spectacular in the daytime.”
Tyler nodded. “It’s a pretty nice view. I’m planning to build a large deck out there this summer, but I’m taking a break from DIY projects so I can focus on my plastering career.”
Zoey was enchanted—with the cabin and with how good it felt to be with Tyler. I would love living here. She nearly said it out loud but caught herself. She meant in a general sense, not with him. But that sparked a new train of thought. What would it be like to live here? That fluffy, quilt-covered bed looked inviting. She felt herself blush.
Tyler glanced toward the kitchen. “I’d better get cooking. I’m starving. Aren’t you?” He went to the counter and pulled items out of the grocery bag. “I hope spaghetti’s okay. It’s the only thing I know how to cook—that and sandwiches.”
“Spaghetti sounds great. Can I help?”
“How are you with salads?”
“I’m a genius at tearing lettuce.”
“Great! Make yourself at home.”
Zoey wanted to do just that. Along with an overwhelming attraction to Tyler, she felt comfortable with him. The underlying panic she’d grown to expect in dating situations was barely perceptible with him. He had a way of making her feel as though anything she did around him would be okay. He just liked her—the person she was when she let down her guard. She stole another glance at him as he browned the ground beef for the meat sauce.
He flashed her a roguish smile. “Hey, stop distracting me. This is a delicate process.”
She grinned and turned back to her salad preparations. Warmth filled her chest. She’d heard people talk about pinching themselves to make sure they weren’t dreaming. If she was asleep, she didn’t want to know. She would live in this dream.
Dinner was delicious, although food was hardly at the forefront of Zoey’s mind as they talked and laughed over dinner. Her life had had few perfect moments, but that was one she would always remember.
It was all Tyler could do not to kiss her. He’d become fixated on her scent, on the satiny sheen of her skin, and the way electricity seemed to arc between them when they drew within inches of touching. To say it differed from anything he had known was an understatement. But that made it more of a challenge to keep the pace slow.
He counted himself fortunate to have worked up from hand-holding to hugging. When he progressed to a kiss on the forehead then the cheek, he began to have doubts—not of his feelings for her but of his self-restraint. When he’d kissed her on the cheek, their lips had been inches apart. A slight move and his lips would meet hers.
At the end of the evening, he pulled into Minnie’s driveway to drop Zoey off. In one still, charged moment, he nearly did it—kissed her on the lips. But when they arrived at the door, the porch light came on.
“It’s just the motion sensor,” Zoey insisted.
Logic supported her explanation, but when he spied a sliver of light shining through a crack in the blinds, he couldn’t help thinking of Minnie.
God love her—she could be looking out for her niece, although that’s not Minnie’s style. But once the thought planted itself in his mind, he couldn’t get it out. So he hugged Zoey, wished her good night, and retreated to his truck.
So close. I came so close to kissing her.
Aside from a bit—no, a lot—of frustration, he was elated about his day with Zoey. She had actually fought through her anxiety out of fear for his safety. That was huge for her. It was huge for them. There was something between them that was special, but it was fragile. If he pushed her too quickly, he would lose her. He could not let that happen.
To that end, Tyler developed a theory. The more he saw her, the more comfortable she appeared. So all he had to do was make sure to touch base at least a few times a week—or, preferably, every day. The more he became part of her daily routine, the more likely she would be to give in to having an actual relationship. He was almost afraid to put it in words, but what he wanted more than that was a future with her.
At four in the morning, Tyler’s phone rang. He reached an arm out from under the covers and groped about the nightstand for his phone. He found it but dropped it on the rug. It survived and kept ringing. He almost wished it had died so he could pretend it had never rung and go back to sleep.
“H—” Nothing came out. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Hello?”
“Good morning!”
“Murph.” Tyler squinted and opened his eyes. “You know it’s, uh, late… or early.”
“Yeah, sorry. There’s a story in Washington we’d like you to cover.”
“Washington? Haven’t you got people there?”
“Yeah, but none as good as you.”
“Really?”
“No. But they’re all busy.”
“Thanks.”
“There’s a plane out of Albany at eight. Can you make it?”
“Yeah, I guess. There shouldn’t be much traffic when I get on the road at… ugh, four thirty.”
“Good. I’ll send you your e-ticket by the time you’re on the road.”
Tyler groaned internally. “Great. You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
“Pretty much. So you’ll do it?”
Tyler wanted so much to say no and go back to sleep. “Yeah, I’ll do it.”
He hung up. He might not need it yet, but he wanted the money. Murph was a friend but not so close a friend that he could blow off work opportunities without eventual consequences. If he said no enough times, Murph might stop calling. That was the trouble with the freelancing. If he wanted the money, he had to take the work when it came.
A half hour later, he pulled over to the side of the road in front of Minnie’s house. With one glance at his watch, he knew he couldn’t just knock on the door so early in the morning. It would scare Minnie to death, which wouldn’t bode well for his future with Zoey. Plan B, tossing stones at Zoey’s window, was unlikely to work as well as it did in the movies. She might call the police. He would have to use his one phone call to tell Murph he couldn’t make it. He shook his head and pulled back onto the road.
