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I dragged myself out of bed and jumped in the shower.
While getting dressed, I decided to act like that kiss had not happened last night. I’m sure that for both of us, it was the “let-down,” you might call it after so much adrenaline pumping through us this past week to get everything accomplished.
I went upstairs and found Maverick in the kitchen. On his way back from the airport, he had stopped and picked up some coffee and muffins for us both.
“Care for a coffee and a muffin?” he asked.
“Sounds perfect,” I replied and sat down at the table with him.
“It’s supposed to be pretty cool today compared to how hot it’s been this past week. Maybe we could take a dip in the hot tub?” Mav suggested. He seemed “normal”. No hint of our kiss last night.
“Let me finish my coffee and muffin then I’ll change into my swimsuit,” I said.
Once finished with my breakfast, I went back downstairs to put on my black one-piece with yellow and white flowers all over it. It had a sweetheart neckline, and I liked the way it cinched my waist—or appeared to, anyway. I wasn’t the biggest fan of bikinis because of how much they exposed, but a one-piece was just fine.
For some reason, as I pulled my sheer coverup over my shoulders, I was silently glad that only Maverick was here to enjoy the hot tub with me. I walked back upstairs and found that he was already outside. He wore a pair of maroon swim trunks and no shirt. He was decently built, with some visible muscles. I had felt those when we danced. But I needed to forget all that. A long-distance relationship would never work.
As I opened the door to the patio, Mav looked up. His eyes traveled from my face to the cover-up and then to the swimsuit. Then, almost as quickly as they had found the swimsuit, they went back to my face.
“That looks good on you, Maria. I think the flowers suit you,” he said.
“Thank you.”
I took off my cover-up and put it on one of the chairs before getting into the hot tub. Maverick had done the smart thing and pulled two towels out for us to use, which I appreciated.
“Also, thank you for getting the towels. I never would have thought of that,” I said as he got in.
“Well, if we want to get wet, I don’t want to track it into the house,” he said. “But I must admit, after our discussion last night, I’m curious about Lantana. What’s it like? Must be pretty good for you to want to live the rest of your life there.”
I smiled a little. At least he didn’t mention the kiss. If he wanted to talk about Lantana, then that’s what we’d talk about.
“Well, it’s a quiet town. Relatively small, too,” I said. “Kind of like Eagle Falls. We might have done a lot in Boise, but Eagle Falls is much more my speed. I like the feel of a small town, the way that it feels almost lazy on some days and expects nothing of you, but when there’s an event going on, everyone and their uncle comes out to make sure it goes right.”
“Sounds a bit like Waterfront,” Maverick said. “We’re always busy in the summer because that’s tourist season – or hunting season, depending on who you ask. But when the winter comes, it’s white, quiet, and beautiful. I’ve never seen such snowfall outside of Waterfront. Even in other parts of Idaho.”
“What kind of snowfall would that be, Maverick?”
I couldn’t help myself from being curious. He spoke of Waterfront in much the same way I spoke of Lantana: reverently as if there was nothing that the town could do wrong for him. What could he find in another area of Idaho that Eagle Falls and Boise didn’t offer?
“Untouched,” he replied without hesitation. “The snow sits untouched by anyone for days. We prefer to dig out the parking lots and the streets, but we’ll leave as much untouched as possible on the sidewalks and the grass. The area needs the water if we’re going to continue to have such a fertile hunting ground.” He shrugged. “And the stuff in the mountains? Unless you’re in a cabin up there, you don’t touch it.”
“How far is Waterfront from here, anyway?” I raised an eyebrow. “And where is it?”
“It’s up by Coeur d’Alene. About a seven- or eight-hour drive from here, depending on how often you stop and the weather,” he said. “It took me about seven and a half hours to do the drive, and that was with minimal stops but lots of traffic around the other cities from rush hour.” He shrugged again.
“I see…and how did you end up in Waterfront?” I inquired.
“After high school, I joined the military and ended up in Afghanistan. Saw some rough situations but made some great friends. When I returned and checked out of the military, I wanted peace and quiet. One of my army buddies invited me to join him for some fishing at this lodge in Waterfront. I fell in love with the place, talked to the owner and he hired me on the spot. Then Luke took over the place and started making some great changes – and pretty much put me in charge. I love it there. You would too.”
I sat there in the hot tub, mesmerized by his simple story. “That certainly tells me more about you,” I said.
“So, when do you take off tomorrow again?” he asked.
Maverick changed the topic. I frowned.
“My flight leaves at noon, but as long as I’m there by ten at the latest, I should be good,” I said. “Maybe nine-thirty. I imagine you were planning on leaving earlier than that since you have a long drive ahead of you?”
“Yeah. I was thinking we need to be out the door on the way to the airport by eight,” he shared. “But… we wouldn’t have to be so rushed if you moved here to Idaho.”
