My nerves started to get the better of me as I threw the knitting aside. It was mostly done. All that was left was the bottom of the hat, then I could add it to the new pile. Usually, I would use my day off to knit and watch some TV because I only ever got the one day off a week.

It was half an hour past noon, but I figured it was enough time. I got up and packed my things away. I hesitated a little in my room, not sure if I was supposed to take anything with me. In the end, I picked one of my small purses and put in some money, my cards, and my phone. Then I left the apartment.

I took the walk plenty of times, usually every day when going to work unless it got too cold out, but today the distance felt especially great. I practically jogged most of the way there and stopped a way off from the hotel to catch my breath. I looked down at myself, feeling a bit self-conscious. This was probably the dressiest I’d ever looked near the hotel, in a pencil skirt that tied at the waist and went down just a bit above the knees, and a white blouse with a black polka dot collar, with frills down the front.

What if someone I worked with saw me?

It probably won’t happen, I tried to psych myself up. Most of them have time off too, or they’d be working. So there was no reason why they should see me, right?

I couldn’t steer clear of all the staff.

“Jessi lives here,” I said aloud to myself, a little surprised I’d forgotten this fact. Jessi had been given a small room at the hotel that she’d stayed at. It wasn’t a consideration that was given to just anyone, and it cut quite a bit out of her salary every month to stay there, but her place was at least better looking than mine.

If anyone asked, I could just say I was visiting my friend. She’d back me up.

With a deep breath, I walked into the hotel. I kept my head down, fingers holding tight to the straps of my purse. I was so tense, feeling like I might be stopped on the way, but no one stopped me when I got to the elevator. It was one of the few times that I wasn’t using the staff elevators, and even as I breathed a sigh of relief when the doors closed, leaving me alone, I couldn’t help but still be anxious.

When the doors opened on the right floor, I practically ran to Mason’s door, then hesitated some more before knocking on it. He only took a moment to answer the door though, grinning when he saw it was me there.

“Hey. I almost thought you wouldn’t make it.”

I frowned. “I’m not that late, am I?”

“Nah. I just had a visitor I wasn’t expecting, so I got a little impatient waiting for you to get here.”

I froze, then peeked around him. “Visitor…?”

“Don’t worry, he’s gone and he won’t be coming back. Give me a minute, and we’ll head out.”

He left the door open as he walked further into the room, and I took it to mean I could wait inside. I stayed right by the door after I closed it behind me. He only took a minute, coming back while pulling on his coat.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked as he let us out of the room. “I thought you were going to make me something?”

I was a little anxious walking around the hotel with Mason, in case anyone else saw. His big frame stuck pretty close to my side, so I hoped most people would just be looking at him and ignore that I was right there. He had that kind of presence.

“I didn’t say I was going to cook you anything. At this point, it would be fairer if you cooked me a meal first.” He arched an eyebrow at me, and I felt my face flush.

Right. I’d forgotten that he’d cooked for me three times already. I just didn’t think anything I could make could be up to his standards.

“So, what are we doing now?”

“Right now, I’m taking you out to eat. It’ll be a surprise where. I thought we could both benefit from a day spent outside.”

I didn’t say any more and followed after him. We made our way outside the hotel, stopping at his car. He opened the door for me, then walked around to his seat. He put on some music for the ride, and I hummed along to the songs I knew as we spent the time mostly silent. I was curious about where exactly it was we were going.

By the time we got there, passing a post that let me know I wasn’t wrong in my thinking, I was gaping.

“Mooresville? To a restaurant on Lake Norman?”

The lake was a huge one, and manmade from what I knew, created by Duke Power to supply energy to North Carolina. It was still used for the same reason, but the artificial waterline had created a boom in lake-front properties and shops catering to an upmarket crowd. The lake was also used for water sports like sailing, and even had a few showboats for dinner and entertainment on the water.

I’d heard of it ever since I got to North Carolina, and I’d always been curious about it, but never enough to make my way there. Especially since the shores were now polluted with lake houses that were pretty much McMansions for the rich. I’d heard there was a public shore where people could go and admire the sights, but I’d never had enough courage to go there.

Mason, of course, didn’t take us to the public area. He took a turn somewhere, and I noticed how much closer we were getting to those expensive looking houses.

“Your house isn’t out here, is it?” I asked.

“Of course not,” he retorted. “Dad wanted the family mansion to be further inland, so it is. We do have a small house out here though,” he admitted.

I shot him an incredulous look because there weren’t any houses in the vicinity that I would exactly call ‘small.’

“Is that where we’re going?”

“Nah. The family only visits there occasionally, but Dad would still know if any of us stayed over there on our own. We won’t be going anywhere near the house.”

As he spoke, he took another road that led us closer to the lake.

“Isn’t it a little strange? I mean, your house is less than forty-five minutes from this lake, so why on earth would you still have another one in the same area?”

He shrugged. “You’d have to ask my Dad to answer that question, I never really bothered to ask him.”

“As if that would ever happen,” I said with a snort.

The car eventually came to a stop and Mason got out. I scrambled to follow after him, and he led us even closer to the lake. I wondered if we were going to have a shore side picnic or something, but then we reached the docks, and I was gaping again when I saw where we were going.

“Is that a yacht?”

“Yeah,” Mason said, glancing at me over the shoulder. “It’s the family’s sailing yacht. I mean, technically it’s Dad’s, but anyone can use it whenever it’s free because he’s rarely ever on it. I have lunch waiting for us onboard.”

My steps slowed, but I still followed after him as he made his way to the expensive looking boat. Was this the reason they had another house by the lake? Was it necessary, just for them to dock their yacht there? I didn’t think so…

“What are you doing?” Mason called, making me jump. “You’re lagging behind, Laura. Come on.”

I was feeling a little overwhelmed, being close to something that probably cost more than I could ever earn in my lifetime. Then again, just about everything surrounding Mason made me think that way. Still, seeing him standing there, holding his hand out to me, it lessened the need to run just a little. I picked up speed, then slid my hand into his, and we walked together to the yacht.

Getting on it was an adventure on its own. Mason had to help me, and I was scared of falling the entire time. I couldn’t swim, so large bodies of water tended to scare me.

“I hope you don’t get seasick,” Mason said.

“I... don’t know,” I answered truthfully.

“Then we’ll just have to find out.”

With that, he set us out, starting the yacht’s engine and steering us a little further into the lake, but not too far. The shore at least looked close enough to swim to, even if it looked like it would be a long swim. There were plenty of life vests on the boat too, so I could breathe. The swaying of the boat was disorienting at first, but I quickly grew used to it. I’d probably feel a little queasy by the time we got back.

Mason expertly handled the boat, letting the sails do the work after a while, and steered us into a quiet cove, where I could see the orange of the dirt on the shore. He set the anchor and turned back to me with a smile.

“Come over here,” Mason called out to me once more.

He was giving me his hand, and again, I took it. He led us around the outside of the cabin, to the back of the boat. I gasped when I saw a table fully set like something from a restaurant—with an expensive tablecloth, silverware, and food—covered by an umbrella so there’d be some shade.

“I didn’t make it this time, but I hope you still like the food,” Mason was saying, as he led me forward then pulled a chair out for me. “I hope I got everything we need here, but if there’s something you want, you can ask me. There’s some wine, and some snacks below and I thought we could hang out here for the rest of the day. Just us, where nobody could get to us.”

So, we ate, soaked in some sun, and lazed around on the deck. Later, we had some of the wine and cheese snacks, and it was all very pleasant and sweet.

As great as it all was, I couldn’t help feeling a little down, wondering if he’d change. And after going through such a luxurious afternoon, by the time we were on our way back, I wondered if I even wanted him to change, and that was probably a dangerous thought to have.