Distraction (Westbrook Series Book 1) (17 page)

I can't help but admire his boldness and confidence. Even in the face of rejection, he was willing to put himself out there again, and offer me his hand. I wish I had that kind of blind determination.
Hell, I'd settle on having just a tenth of the clarity he seems to always have
.

Right now, my mind is as muddy as the slippery surface below us. Not only am I unsure about where exactly we are headed, but also, I am utterly confused about where we currently are. The sad truth is that none of it has anything to do with this mysterious, surprise location.

Just when I am about to release his hand, because I think to myself that
I've got this
, and I think can stand on my own, my left ankle wobbles. When I try to pick it up, my foot sinks deeper into the mud. I try again to pull my foot out of the mud, but it doesn't budge. I grip Trevor's hand so tightly that I almost pull him down to the ground with me.

"Stuck?" he asks. Clearly, he is fighting back his
I told you so
smile.

I nod nervously. I know I shouldn't be embarrassed, especially since he warned me that this might happen, but I am. My face is probably matching this punch-colored, fleece blanket that I have tucked under my arm.

After making sure I am steady enough to stand alone, Trevor releases my hand slowly. He grabs a stick and starts poking it down into the mud where my foot is. After digging underneath the sole for a bit, he drops the stick, and reclaims my hand.

"Alright, start pulling your foot again. I think I was able to loosen up the mud around it, but make sure you hold onto me."

I tug at my foot with a bit too much force, and it causes us both to tumble forward. We nearly fall flat on our faces in the mud, but luckily, Trevor is able to steady us both before we could fall all the way down.

For the second time today, Trevor's strong arms are wrapped securely around me, and I would be lying if I said I didn't like it. He holds me tightly, with my body pressed against his chest a little longer than he needs to, making me wonder if he feels the same way. I know I should be pulling away, but I don't. Instead, I savor the way it feels, as the electric shocks pulse through my body. Finally, he loosens his grip, and starts pulling us along again.

True to his word, the mud path clears just a few steps ahead of where I got stuck, and we are once again on dry ground. I can see an opening ahead, and possibly even some water.

Trevor drops my hand and walks ahead through the clearing. He turns around to face me. "
Ta Da
," he sings while fanning his arms out like a game show host. "We're here."

He is standing there, grinning like a fool, with the red-orange glow of the sun and its reflection against the still, glass lake behind him. I can't decide what is more breathtaking. Him standing before me, smiling at me with pride, or the view of the sun melting into various shades of pink, gold, and orange over the beautiful, clear water. I suppose it's really the combination of the two that is making me suddenly feel overwhelmed. I take a deep breath.

"
Wow
. Where
are
we?" I ask in my breathless, awe-struck voice.

It's almost too beautiful for me to even attempt to describe. Surrounding the small body of water is lush vegetation in every shade of green that you could possibly imagine. Sprinkled in throughout, is a light mix of white, lavender, and pale pink wild flowers.

Trevor is still standing there with the same stupid grin on his face, as he carefully studies my reaction.
Why in the world he is watching me, when he could be looking at this amazing landscape, is beyond me
. I can't help but smile like a fool myself, because it's the only reasonable reaction to such raw beauty. We are standing here in the middle of this secret, untouched, natural slice of heaven, and everything else seems to melt away.

I drop the blanket down onto the grass, and run to the edge of the lake. I have a thick coat of mud all the way up past my ankles. You can't even tell that my shoes were once grey. I do my best to kick them off, without muddying up my hands and the rest of myself.

I find an old, crooked tree branch that juts out over the water, providing the perfect little seat for me to prop myself up on. I am sitting on it as if it were a swing. I slowly dip my toes in, and let the warm water cleanse my muddy feet. A pool of brown radiates in circles around my ankles amidst the otherwise crystal-clear lake water surrounding them.

Trevor kicks his own shoes off, and hoists himself up so he can join me on the branch. "I see you found my favorite spot. So, what do you think?" he asks, while studying my expression.

"It's absolutely amazing. I didn't even know there was such a thing as clear lake water." My feet are already clean, and the evidence that they were ever mud-ridden has vanished. It's as if the lake swallowed the mud right up. The water is so clear that I can see my clean, happy, wiggling toes perfectly, even though they are completely submerged.

"It's not really a lake. My dad told me it's actually a rare type of natural spring. That is why the water is so clean." Trevor is playfully kicking my bare foot, as he skips rocks across the water. He has this expression on his face that I haven't seen before. He seems completely calm, relaxed, and at peace.

I sure hope he doesn't notice how often I've been sneaking quick glances at him. I can't help it, though. There is just something that seems different about him here. I love how the corners of his lips are just slightly upturned. You can just barely see the subtle indentations where his dimples are hiding beneath his brown, slightly stubbly cheeks.

"It's really nice at night, too," he says smoothly. He is half squinting those amazing green eyes through his thick, dark eyelashes, as he dreamily gazes across the water. His eyes seem so bright and happy. It's as if they are smiling the rest of the way for his lips.

Of all the different Trevors I've seen so far this weekend, this one is definitely my favorite. I don't really want to think about the other sides of Trevor. I don't want to think about Sam, or about Avery, either. In fact, I don't want to think about anyone else right now. I just want to be here right now and live in this moment. More than anything, I wish I could just press pause.

"Look, Patterson. It's a full moon." He points to the pale ivory outline that is almost blending right into the hazy blue sky.

I wish his arm were wrapped around me, so I could rest my head on his shoulder right now. This is not the kind of thing a friend should be thinking about, but I don't want to beat myself up for it. Not yet anyway. I want to remember exactly what it feels like to be here right now.

What I really don't want to forget is the way it feels to be alone here with just
him
. It's as if the rest of the world and our lives back home no longer exist. I love the way it tickles just enough to make me wiggle, every time his toes brush up against mine under the water. Or, how his irresistible dimples pull in, and his eyes immediately light up every time they find mine. I have this sudden urge to reach out and grab his hand, but I don't. Instead, I tuck my hand safely under my leg, and take a deep breath.

We don't say anything for a while, but it's not an uncomfortable silence. It's the kind of calm, quiet easiness that two people can share when they are comfortable enough with each other to simply enjoy it. I've never felt this relaxed with a guy before. We are swaying our feet back and forth in the water, as we watch the sun melt from an orange, gold, and pink fiery ball until it is nothing but a faint red glowing line that barely hovers above the water's edge. When the last of the gold disappears, it's as if the moment has evaporated along with it.

It is so quiet now that I can hear Trevor softly breathing, in between the sound of an occasional splash of water from our swaying feet. The steady, chirping sound of the crickets almost lulls me to sleep. My eyelids feel like they have tiny weights attached to them, making it nearly impossible to keep them open. I have to shake my head and blink a few times in order to wake myself up.

"Are you hungry?" Trevor asks, splashing my leg lightly with his foot, to get my attention.

"Yes. I am
definitely
hungry."

We both stand up and carefully slide down off of the branch. I can barely see our mud-caked shoes. I have no doubt that they are completely destroyed. I don't even want to put them back on, now that my feet are clean again.

"Go ahead and sit down on the blanket. I'm going to rinse off our shoes. I think it's hot enough out here. They should dry most of the way before we leave." He scoops up our shoes, and skips down to where we were sitting by the water.

"Thanks, Trevor." I walk across the grass, my bare, wet feet picking up random pieces of loose grass and gravel, along the way. I smooth out the blanket and sit down. The sky is turning fast. I don't even want to think about what trotting through the mud, back to the car in the dark, will be like.

It's not long before Trevor is sitting down next to me on the blanket. Between the lingering red glow from the sunset, and the bright moonlight, we have just enough light to see our food. Trevor starts opening containers. He made us sandwiches, potato salad, and even a fruit salad. He hands me a ceramic plate, a stainless steel fork, and a blue and white gingham cloth napkin.

"Fancy picnic basket, Maddox. I'm impressed."

He chuckles lightly and shrugs. "Yeah, well don't be. I borrowed it from my mom."

When he stabs two wire stakes with weird cylinder-shaped tops down into the ground, I cock my head to the side, wondering what on earth those things could be. I must have a strange look on my face because Trevor looks at me, shakes his head, and starts laughing. To answer my curiosity, he pulls two wine glasses out of the basket, and carefully places them inside each of the wire stakes.

He snatches a bottle of wine out of the basket and easily uncorks it, as if he's done it a thousand times before. He pours the burgundy liquid into the two glasses effortlessly, and places the wine bottle back in the basket.

This has to be the most romantic non-
date
, date that I have ever been on. Everything Trevor does just oozes with class and confidence. He hands me a wine glass, and we clink ours together.

"To new friendships, new homes, and new places." He nods his head over to the water when he says
new places
.

"To old friendships made
new
," I correct him, as my lips curl into a flirtatious smile. I say the word
new
as if it means more than it should.
What am I doing?
His eyebrows arch, as if he is as surprised by my suggestion as I am. I want to say to him, "That makes two of us, buddy."

Instead, I change the subject. "So, how did you find this place? You've only been here, what, a week
tops?
" I ask curiously, as I sip my wine.

I am surprised by how smooth it goes down. I've only had red wine one other time, and it was dry, bitter, and downright awful. This is different, though. It's smooth, and it has just the right balance of sweetness mixed with . . . I'm not going to even pretend to understand wine. What I
do
know is that I really like it.

"My parents used to take Sasha and me here when we were little. It was kind of our secret family get away. We don't really tell people about it much. It's better that way. We want to keep it exactly how it is. If people find out about this place, it will become a tourist destination faster than you can blink an eye."

"I'm just surprised that all these years later, nobody else has found it."

"Well, it
is
private property."

I sit up, nearly spilling my wine all over the blanket. "Trevor, are we trespassing?" I ask nervously.

"You are so funny, Patterson. Just
relax
, would you?" I look at him doubtfully. "My uncle owns it.
Geeze
. You
really
are a spaz, aren't you?"

I slap his arm lightly. "You could have told me that right away, you know. Here I am, thinking we might be hunted down by some
crazy
landowner with a rifle."

He laughs as he falls back, tucking his arms behind his head. He stares up at the sky with that same half-dazed expression that he had on his face earlier.

"It's so quiet and serene. It was always my favorite place to go as a kid. It's every bit as beautiful now, as I remember it being. I was a little worried it would be . . . I don't know . . . changed. I mean, it's been three years since I was last here."

"Yeah, but do you really think your uncle would have done anything to it?" I ask.

"You never really know with him. He has plenty of money, but is always looking to make more. I don't think he'd even blink an eye before selling it, if given the right offer."

"Not a sentimental kind of guy?"

"Not even sort of."

"So, why are you sharing this with
me
, if it's your secret family get away?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I guess I figured you'd appreciate it the same way I do." He pauses and looks at me for a moment thoughtfully. A sexy, knowing smile sneaks on his face, making my heart flutter. "Now, I know that I was right. I mean, I
know
that you
do
. You don't even have to say it. I can just
tell
. I see it in your eyes."