Without missing a beat, I replied, “You.”
The silence was so palpable we could have heard a pin drop.
“Nate,” she whispered just as little feet pounded down the stairs.
My daughters joined us for breakfast and ruined our moment together. I preferred when we ate at the small table in the kitchen instead of the dining room. It felt too formal in there.
When we finished, the girls asked to go see more of the town. I didn’t remember much from my time here almost twenty years ago, since my memories were tied up in Sunny Brook Farms, but Alex offered to show us some of her favorite spots. One being a watering hole at the far end of town.
Alex offered to help the girls pack up a bag with snacks and lunch after they got dressed, and I reminded them to bring their swimsuits before I hopped in the shower. I rarely lingered in my sweat for that length of time, but I wasn’t about to turn down the meal she made for me.
When I rejoined the group, our host had a backpack filled with food and another bag with swimsuits and towels. I shoved my own rumpled trunks into it to join theirs, and that’s when I noticed Alex braided her hair so that it fell in two pigtails over her shoulders and repeated the design on the twins. They all looked adorable.
When we made it outside, there was an argument about riding in Alex’s truck, but I overruled based on seating. Even though we weren’t in the city, I wasn’t taking a chance with the girls not being in booster seats.
Finally, we were off with Alex in the driver seat of my SUV as we headed toward town. The girls were excited about the adventure, but I was intrigued to learn more about the woman beside me.
Chapter Fifteen – Alex
On the trek to the watering hole, which was nothing more than a small lake that had a natural spring supplying the water, I showed the girls all the places I liked in town. I pointed out the two-screen movie theater, the library, and the studio where I took dance classes. They were both very interested in the last one.
As we moved away from downtown, I showed them the new school that housed kindergarten through twelfth grade. It was built about five years ago, and students began attending a year later. Aspen had been one of the last classes in the old school.
Farther down the side road, I pointed out the first school ever built in Ashfield, which was nothing more than a single-room cabin, and then indicated the school I attended. They built the original part in 1902, and when I went there, there were two wings, one on either side, that separated elementary school ages from the middle and high school kids.
Someone recently converted it into apartments.
The road eventually changed from pavement to a rocky dirt path. I worried Nate was going to have a meltdown as the SUV rocked and swayed with each divot and pothole we crossed. I apologized at least six times, and he said it was fine through gritted teeth.
I wondered if he’d make me pay for it later. The anticipation of what might happen at bedtime was almost too much to bear. I did my best to hide the heat that bloomed across my chest and cheeks. I peeked at Nate, and he had an all-knowing grin on his face. It was clear I hadn’t done a good enough job.
The path ended just before the tree line at the base of the mountain, and I pulled the SUV over to the side. Someone maintained the entrance and created a parking lot of sorts. Landscaping timbers lined a large rectangle on three sides, showing a place to park.
“Are you guys ready?” I asked as I turned off the vehicle with the push of a button. It was a change from the key-and-clutch combo I used for my truck.
Nate and I jumped out and moved to the back to let the girls out of their seats. Molly asked Nate a billion questions, while Eloise’s eyes scanned around the area as she let me carry her.
“Where’s the water?” the quieter twin asked me.
“Oh. We have to walk a little bit, but it’s not too far.”
“Hmm. Okay.”
“When we get there, you’ll find a really pretty willow tree with branches that just barely hang in the water. I used to hide underneath its cover when I was little. My grandma used to say that was where the fairies lived.”
“Wow. I want to see the fairies,” Eloise breathed with excitement. She scurried out of my arms and settled on the ground by my feet.
Nate and Molly joined us a second later. He carried both bags, and after settling the one with the swimsuits on my back, we started the short hike to the lake.
As expected, Molly and Eloise chattered the entire time, which meant Nate and I didn’t need to add anything to the conversation. I was trying my hardest to keep my mind off the fact that he wanted to talk today.
“There it is,” I said as we surfaced through the trees. Around the lake, there was a wide expanse of open field, almost as if Mother Nature placed the trees as a natural fence. A small waterfall from the mountain fed into the lake, keeping the water chillier than anywhere else in town. It felt great in the summer under the humid and hot blanket of the sun.
“Wow!” exclaimed Nate, his voice filled with astonishment.
Brushing past him, I headed toward the beach area. “Not what you expected, huh?”
“Not in the slightest,” he commented, trailing after me.
