Page 60 of The Write Track
“Don’t worry. We’ll work off the calories later, when we’re alone.”
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to get around the flirty way he looked at me. “Well, that sounds interesting.” It came off as prim and proper, but Nathan’s smile didn’t diminish. “What are we doing today?” he asked the others, placing his hand on the small of my back to guide me forward in line. Not once did he look at Preston, seemingly understanding that Preston was one of those people who would take no attention worse than negative attention.
“We were thinking of getting some writing in,” Bree said. “There are tables on the other side of the lake. Brody and I like to play footsies with one another when we’re writing.” She sent him a flirty look.
“Yes, that sounds like a great way to get your foot chewed off by an alligator or to be poisoned by a snake looking for warmth,” Nathan agreed dryly.
Bree gave him a horrified look. “Why would you put that idea in my head?”
“Because it’s in my head, so that means we all have to be haunted by it.”
“It’s the horror movies,” Brody said in a conspiratorial whisper. “They’ve fried his brain.”
Nathan gave his best friend a “don’t even go there” look. “I have a better idea. Than writing, I mean.”
“You realize we are writers and that we have to work occasionally, right?” Bree pressed.
Nathan rolled his eyes. “We need a day to decompress before we get to work.” He sounded like a perfectly reasonable guy who wasn’t trying to do something obnoxious. I knew better, though. Whatever this was, the goal was to irritate Preston.
“They have kayaks,” Nathan continued. “Why don’t we go out on the lake and have a relaxing float and then get to work after lunch?”
Brody arched an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I can kayak. How hard is it?”
“It’s not hard at all,” Bree replied. I could practically hear the gears in her mind working overtime as she tried to figure out Nathan’s plan. She even darted a look toward Preston before nodding. “I think kayaking sounds like a great idea,” she said finally.
Hayley made a derisive noise. “That sounds like working out. You know how I feel about working out.”
“You’re going,” Bree said finally. “We’re all going, and we’re all going to have a great time.”
15
FIFTEEN
My plan had involved the five of us—no matter how reluctant Hayley was—floating out to the middle of the lake and gossiping there for an hour, no doubt incurring glares from Preston as he sat on the shore and internally raged about losing the most amazing woman in the world. That was not quite how things worked out.
It seemed we weren’t the only authors who wanted to kayak. The others heard us planning and invited themselves. Since I didn’t care if others participated and we didn’t own the lake, there was no need to stop them. The outing turned into a big excursion, especially when Preston suggested he go with us and even lobbied the idea of taking Daisy with him in a tandem kayak.
In my estimation, double kayaks were akin to hellish torture. The Cenobites had nothing on trying to steer with another person working against you. Unfortunately, there was a single-kayak problem once everybody hopped on the author-floating train.
“The only way this works is if the two engaged couples also take double kayaks,” Preston said in his oiliest voice. I didn’tlook up but could feel his gaze on me. “You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”
Of course I had a problem with that. Steering a kayak with another person, especially on a lake instead of a river, was freaking painful. No offense to Bella, but she didn’t look all that athletic. She was tiny. She wouldn’t have a lot of muscle to offer. I was totally fine doing all the work, but she would try to help because that was her way. That’s where things would get ugly.
I wouldn’t let Preston think he’d won though.
“Sure,” I answered automatically. “I would like nothing better than to be with my Bellarino in a kayak for the next few hours. It will allow me to whisper sweet nothings into her ear at regular intervals.”
As if to prove it, I leaned closer to Bella. “Jason Voorhees is better than Michael Myers,” I said in a whisper that Preston couldn’t make out.
Bella burst out laughing then caught herself when Preston frowned. “We’ll be fine,” she assured Preston. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s difficult to steer a tandem kayak with two people,” he argued, handing her a paddle. “You have to be totally in tune with the other person to make it work.”
Bella made an exaggerated face. “Did I ever mention that my mother used to be part of a group that kayaked on the bay in witch outfits?” she asked out of the blue.
I stilled, surprised by not only her tone but also the story she was telling. “No,” I replied.
“I was actually talking to Preston.” Bella shot me an apologetic look. “He never wanted to hear stories about my mother.”
