CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
They were up at the crack of dawn, loading their overnight bags into the back of Clay’s truck. He watched her come out of the condo, locking the front door behind and couldn’t help but stare as she walked toward the truck. Her beauty captivated him, her smile causing his heart to skip a beat.
“I think that’s it,” she said, looking up into his face. Smiling, she reached up and pushed his hair over his ear, the mere touch of her fingertips sending a jolt of electricity to his groin.
“You packed a bathing suit I hope.”
“Yes. I packed two, just in case.”
“Just in case what?”
“I don’t know. Just in case I can’t make up my mind which one to wear?”
He laughed out loud and opened the passenger door. She climbed in, wearing the familiar frayed jean shorts he loved and flip-flops, her white V-neck tee dipping down to the sensitive area between her perky breasts. For a moment, he was transported back to the night before when he had nuzzled that exact spot under the spray of water in the shower.
“You ready?” she asked, bursting his bubble. A little crease formed above her brow as she watched him with a look of perplexity.
“Yes! I was born ready!”
Driving north toward the Blue Ridge Mountains, they enjoyed each other’s company, talking the entire way. Traffic was minimal, the morning light, amazing. Lake Burton was in the northeast corner of the state of Georgia in Rabun County. As they drove through the quaint little town of Helen, Clay pointed out the quirky chalets in the mountain town, telling Katie they’d be stopping at a local grocery where they could pick up sustenance for their day and night on the lake. Betty’s Country Store was a southern establishment from days gone by. They walked hand in hand through a small courtyard filled with benches and rocking chairs beneath the cool shade trees.
“I feel like we’re going back in time,” Katie grinned excitedly.
Clay opened the screened door that whined on creaky hinges. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” he replied, palming her back as they entered.
The store was chock-full of everything you could imagine, the décor displaying items from long ago. Vintage antique bookshelves held an assortment of jams, jellies, marinades, and chutney. Giant barrels held nuts and candy with aluminum scoops hanging on the sides. Rusted, metal advertising signs were nailed up on the walls, hawking everything from cigarettes to motor oil and above some of the food cases were displays of old Nehi and Double Cola soda bottles. The distinct aroma of good coffee and cinnamon floated through the air in the magical environment. Katie told him she felt like a kid in in the proverbial candy store.
She clung to his arm as he carried a small, red plastic basket to put their portions in. He pointed out two ribeye steaks iced down behind the glass front of the meat counter and watched as the old man on duty wrapped them efficiently in brown paper, marking the price with a black pen. A large rack of local wine conveniently located next to the meat section caught Katie’s eye, and she insisted they buy a bottle of “Fat Boy” whose label was a comical rendering of a huge hog, making her giggle out loud. Clay had the deli-guy make a couple of sandwiches they could eat later on the dock as Katie investigated the bakery section. She came back with a beautiful cake in her arms, beaming from ear-to-ear.
“Please tell me you like carrot cake.” Her doe eyes looked at him expectantly.
“If that’s Betty’s famous carrot cake, you betcha!”
They left the quaint little store, stopping at the ice vending machine where Clay picked up a two-pound bag of ice to put in the cooler in the back of his truck. The entire shopping experience was playful and romantic, his yearning to spend more simple moments with the girl of his dreams on the forefront of his mind.
Back on the road, Clay described the lake house he had bought for his parents. Secluded from the big wave and boat action of the main part of Lake Burton, the home was tucked away in a tiny cove surrounded by the natural beauty of the forest. He was excited to lay in the giant hammock on the stone patio that overlooked the two-stall boathouse, and he couldn’t wait to see the wind blow through her hair as he took her for a boat ride at sunset.
“It’s been called one of the prettiest lakes in Georgia,” he said, looking over at her. She had slipped off her flip-flops, and her pink toes were resting on the dash in front of her.
“I’ve only been to Lake Lanier.”
“Well, this isn’t Lake Lanier. Some of the houses on the lake will blow your mind—lots of celebrities have homes out here. Do you know who Alan Jackson is?”
She looked over at him and nodded. “Yeah. He’s the country guy who sang about the Chattahoochee River, right?”
Clay chuckled. “That’s right. His place is up for sale. He’s asking six million or something close to that.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. Some of these homes look like castles. I can’t wait to show you.”
By the time they wound their way through the narrow country roads in the middle of nowhere to get to the Watkins house, the sun was high in the sky, the temperature sizzling. Clay watched Katie’s reaction as she got out of the truck, her face displaying pleasure as she scanned the two-story, red brick structure with huge windows overlooking the lake. Clay had a moment of melancholy as he turned the key in the front door lock, remembering the first time he showed his parents the house he had bought just for them.
Daddy, this is a gift for you and Mama. I know you always wanted a home of your own. Well… now you have one.
“It’s so beautiful out here, Clay.” Katie tilted her neck, squinting up into the dappled light shining through the leaves of the mature trees. The sounds of birds chirping happily and wind rustling branches was prevalent.
Clay smiled and pushed open the front door. She gasped audibly and scurried inside, looking up at the soaring ceilings with massive exposed beams in the great room. He quickly strode across the room to the wall of windows and pulled the curtains open, revealing the beautiful shoreline of the lake twenty feet below. She stood gazing down at the rippling water as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
“I bought it for the view. I thought Big Daddy would like to sit in that rocking chair sippin’ on his sweet tea taking it all in.”
“Did he?” she asked, looking up into his face.
He nodded wistfully. “For a short time, anyway…”
***
There was no one on the lake. It was, after all, a Monday. All the weekenders had gone back to work in the suburbs leaving the expansive 2,775-acre reservoir all to themselves. Katie lazily floated in a hot pink inner tube, leaning her head back on the plastic, allowing the sun to penetrate her exposed skin. The water was cold, but refreshing in the late-September southern heat, her fingers conducting a silent symphony, running back and forth across the lake surface.
“You need another beer, baby?”
She looked up at the dock shading her eyes with her hand and smiled at Clay sitting on the edge with his feet in the water, a rod and reel in his hands. He wore colorful board shorts and dark Ray-Bans, his tanned, bare chest glistening with beads of sweat. His smile melted her heart.
“Sure. If you’ll bring it out and kiss me,” she teased.
His lips turned upward into an immediate smile, and his arm muscles bulged as he hoisted himself up. He leaned the fishing reel against the boathouse and took off his sunglasses before pulling two ice-cold cans of beer out of the small Styrofoam cooler sitting in the shade. Taking three giant steps, he leaped into the water right beside her sending a wave up and over the inner tube, dousing her. She shrieked, inhaling quickly as the tube flipped over. When she came to the surface sputtering, Clay was swimming next to her, laughing, water dripping from his face and hair.
“Oh my god, Clay! It’s freezing!” She clung to his warmth, wrapping her bare legs around his waist.
Gripping the two cans of beer in one hand, he swung his other arm over the inner tube holding her steady. She wiped her hand across her soaking wet face and shivered, trying to come to grips with the cold water.
“Get back in the tube. Your lips are turning blue,” he chuckled.
She struggled to lift herself up and felt his hand splayed on her bottom helping to push her into the center of the circle. The hot sun felt good beating down on her goose-pimpled flesh as she started to thaw.
“Is it always this cold?” Her teeth were starting to chatter.
“Oh, yeah. Feels great on a hot summer day. Here.” He handed her the can of beer.
They both flicked the tabs and clinked cans before drinking. Clay rested his chin on the edge of the tube bobbing up and down in the water. She reached her free arm around his neck and played with the back of his shaggy, wet hair.
“This is the life, huh?” He grinned up at her.
“I’ll say.” Taking another pull of beer, she looked up into the sky, noticing the long contrails left in the wake of an airplane. Absent-mindedly, she wondered where they might be headed. Were the people on that plane as happy as she was? Were they going somewhere exotic? Maybe a honeymoon in Paris or Italy or a business trip to Chicago? She blushed, noticing Clay watching her intently.
“What were you thinking about just then?” he asked, lifting the wet can to his lips.
She shook her head. “I don’t know. When I see a plane in the sky, I automatically wonder where they’re headed. It’s something I’ve always done since I was a kid.”
“Hmmm.” Clay squinted up into the sky. “I like that. So where do you think that plane is going?”
Looking up again, she pursed her lips. “I’m gonna say… New York.”
He nodded. “That’s a possibility. It’s headed north.” Taking a big gulp of beer, he paused before running his finger up the string that tied her bikini behind her neck. He tugged on it until it loosened. “Where do you think this is headed?” he asked, his eyes following the string he had just untied as it slipped into the water, floating on the surface.
Katie shivered, feeling the fabric loosen around her breasts and pull away slowly by the up and down motion of the gentle waves. She was exposed, her nipples pebbling in the heated breeze while a familiar fluttering started between her legs. Her chest was rising and falling as she lay there, allowing Clay to stare at her nakedness.
“I want to be with you, Clay,” she said boldly.
He quickly looked from her chest to her eyes and nodded. “I want to be with you too. So bad.”
She offered him a slight smile before reaching around her back and tugging on the lower string of her bathing suit. When the tie released, she tossed the bikini top to the dock. Clay slowly shook his head and breathed in through his nose.
“You have no idea how gorgeous you are with the sun shining down on you like that. I sure hope the neighbors aren’t watching.”
Katie sucked in a surprised breath and crossed her arms in front of her exposed chest. The sudden movement caused her to teeter precariously before the inner tube flipped her over again. She felt a steady hand grab the inside of her arm and pull her up to the surface. Sputtering and laughing at the same time, she wiped her face pushing her hair out of the way.
“Neighbors? Are you serious, Clay?”
He was laughing right along with her and grabbed her beer can that was floating upside down in the lake water and tossed it to the dock. “Come here.”
The water felt like velvet sliding across her bare chest as she swam the short distance between them. They were nose to nose, bobbing up and down in the lake.
“Put your arms around my neck,” he insisted with a low, sexy voice. The droplets on his eyelashes sparkled in the hot sun.
She wrapped her arms around him, the heat from his chest penetrating her exposed skin and the movement of the water causing her nipples to rub up and down against his flesh. They looked at each other before he leaned in and gently kissed her, his mouth cool and hoppy from the beer. They were wrapped up in the moment—their bodies tangled together beneath the surface, their emotions circling overhead like a plane, ready to land. It was real and pure. Katie’s senses were on overload as she tried to come to grips with the blatant truth that shocked her like the cold water of the lake. She was falling in love with him.