Page 46 of Housekeeping

“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.