Page 79 of Sunset Catchers

“I’m not judging you. I wouldn’t.” I bob my head. I thought so, but it’s still a relief to hear it. “And for the record, Winnie, you could never ruin anything by existing. Pretty sure the earth exhaled with relief when you were born.”

I give him a soft, weak smile that comes straight from behind my ribs.

“Wow. I didn’t know you could wield such pretty words.”

“Only for you, Win. Pretty words for a pretty girl.”

My ears are on fire.

He squeezes my nape once, then let’s go.

We spend our day driving from one place to the other, filling Levi’s trunk with pretty stuff to decorate the cottages; a set of dishes with blue flowers, an array of pillows, and some quirky artwork.

All these discarded things wanted anew.

19

It’s a lake. On a mountain,” Levi says while pointing to the expanse of glimmering water we’re admiring from a wooden walkway.

“Huh. It sure is,” I agree, then ask; “But how”?

“How what?” he says perplexed.

“How is there a lake on a mountain?”

Levi gets this excited glint in his eyes as he proceeds to explain the making of this lake that’s atop a mountain, using words like doline and sinkholes and gosh—Nature, you know. I still don’t get much of its complexities.

I only know he’s done with his explanation once I notice his mouth, where my gaze has been stuck like hair on glossed lips, has stopped moving. He is awaiting, with trepidation, for my commentary.

“You’re a total nerd,” is what I come up with.

A sheepish grin breaks on his face.

“Yeah,” he confesses. “I read a lot of science-fiction stories, so a lot of research on natural disasters usually ensues.” Made-up imaginings of a younger Levi pouring over scientific books swirl in my mind. Levi, guessing at my thoughts as always, rolls his eyes. I follow as he leads me down the wooden path until we’re standing at the small stretch of pebbled ground bordering the lake.

There, he lays a plaid blanket for us to sit on. And we do, sit on it, side by side, with a pink box of handmade tarts between the two of us.

This is another one of Levi’s favorite spot in Prince Edward County. Before coming here, he drove us to a pink shed where you could buy homemade tarts from an old lady wearing a warm smile. I was sold as soon as I’d spotted the pink folded sign advertising homemade butter tarts from the side of the road.

I take a sip of my iced coffee and watch on as Levi opens the box of tarts, leaving me to take my pick first. A raisin butter tart is my choice.

“This is really good!” Levi bobs his head in agreement.

“I’m glad you think so,” he says after he’s done swallowing his bite of pecan tart.

We spend the next moment in comfortable silence, while we each finish our own tart and sip the last dregs of coffee from our Sip&Cin go-to cups. The late morning sun is surprisingly balmy today. I take off my sweater to leave my exposed arms to soak up some vitamin D.

“So, this is one of your favorite places around here?”, I ask Levi, breaking the silence.

“Sort of,” he starts. “I just think it’s one of those places you should see if you come to the area. But it’s more about the tarts for me.” I laugh at that. I’m definitely enjoying the tarts more, too. Even if the view is really pretty, with the sun shining down on this lake on a mountain turning its water a lively shade of blue and the surrounding foliage bright green.

“What do you think of PEC, so far?”

“It’s different from what I’m used to.”

“You’re a city girl,” he states.

“To my core,” I confirm with a sigh. “I’ve just always lived in a busy city, so that’s the pace I’m used to. But I don’t know; it’s been nice to slow down. My brain has no choice but to follow.”