but we will be back tomorrow for some more shopping,” Sylvia said, nudging me with her shoulder.
“Can you stop by the shop when you’re done tomorrow?” he asked.
“Of course. Actually Maribel will have a friend in town to keep her company. Would you like to go to dinner with me and Dylan tomorrow?” she asked while shouldering the large cloth bag Johnny had put her items in.
“That would be wonderful, truly wonderful.” He turned to me. “Gold and coral, right?” he asked.
“Uh… yeah,” I said, shrugging. “Everything that you make is beautiful though.”
“All right,” he said with a grin that, accompanied with the beard and ignoring the Harley logo on his bandana, made him look like Santa Claus. “See you tomorrow, Sylvia!”
When we were back at the lake house, my hopes of a quick portrait were dashed as it took Sylvia the whole day to mix up just one color. She had shown me how to mix pigment, linseed oil, and some iridescent powder that reflected light like glitter—but more subtly—to make the paint. It would have been something I thoroughly enjoyed had the time-consuming procedure not meant the realization of exactly how long she would take to complete it. I huffed and stood from the patio chair I was in and walked to the railing of the deck that hung over the lake. The sun was still in the sky, but it was starting to get low on the horizon. Our house was built in a horseshoe shaped inlet and there were a few houses that ringed us, the most visible of which was the farthest from us that was built half on top of the lake. Movement on that home’s deck caught my eye.
A figure stepped up to the railing and paused; the setting sun was directly behind the person and cast him in a dark silhouette. The size and shape of the figure was distinctly male, and as the stranger tore off his shirt, I wished I had a pair of binoculars handy. His shoulders were wide and cut down in a deep V to his small waist. In one swift jump, the man was standing on the railing. I had never seen anyone move like that and had expected him to loose balance and fall, but both his feet stayed planted on the wooden railing. His head scanned the horizon and he put his hands up as if he meant to dive into the lake. The lake wasn’t all that deep around the shoreline so he couldn’t be jumping in, unless he didn’t know.
As his knees bent, I called out to him, “Don’t!”
His head whipped toward me just as he sprung off of the wood. The water swallowed him up without even a splash. I waited for the person to surface, and when he didn’t, I ran down the steps leading to our dock. The water was choppy, so the dock rocked and swayed underneath me as I surveyed the water. What an idiot! Who just jumps off of a deck without knowing how deep the water is? I kicked off my shoes and threw off my shirt. Just as I was about to dive in to go rescue the stunt man neighbor, someone surfaced right in front of me, making me scream. He flipped his dark hair back, sending small droplets of water raining down all around us. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming, and I didn’t want to wake up. Because even though it shouldn’t, happiness shot through me.
“Jaron?” I stuttered.
He bobbed up and down in the current with a smile on his face. Drops of water ran from his hair, cutting trails down his sharp face and thick neck, ending where his muscular chest met the water. I shook my head and cursed myself for noticing his body.
“So you’re the concerned neighbor, huh?” he asked in amusement. “Looks like you were about to come in after me. I should have pretended to be drowning.” He pointed up at me.
I looked down and realized my shirt was off. “Oh my God.” Luckily I was wearing a bra, but it didn’t make me any less mortified. I bent down and picked up my shirt and ran back down the dock.
“Wait! Maribel,” he called out to me.
I pulled my t-shirt on and turned back to him, glad of the ten yards I had put between
“Can you stop by the shop when you’re done tomorrow?” he asked.
“Of course. Actually Maribel will have a friend in town to keep her company. Would you like to go to dinner with me and Dylan tomorrow?” she asked while shouldering the large cloth bag Johnny had put her items in.
“That would be wonderful, truly wonderful.” He turned to me. “Gold and coral, right?” he asked.
“Uh… yeah,” I said, shrugging. “Everything that you make is beautiful though.”
“All right,” he said with a grin that, accompanied with the beard and ignoring the Harley logo on his bandana, made him look like Santa Claus. “See you tomorrow, Sylvia!”
When we were back at the lake house, my hopes of a quick portrait were dashed as it took Sylvia the whole day to mix up just one color. She had shown me how to mix pigment, linseed oil, and some iridescent powder that reflected light like glitter—but more subtly—to make the paint. It would have been something I thoroughly enjoyed had the time-consuming procedure not meant the realization of exactly how long she would take to complete it. I huffed and stood from the patio chair I was in and walked to the railing of the deck that hung over the lake. The sun was still in the sky, but it was starting to get low on the horizon. Our house was built in a horseshoe shaped inlet and there were a few houses that ringed us, the most visible of which was the farthest from us that was built half on top of the lake. Movement on that home’s deck caught my eye.
A figure stepped up to the railing and paused; the setting sun was directly behind the person and cast him in a dark silhouette. The size and shape of the figure was distinctly male, and as the stranger tore off his shirt, I wished I had a pair of binoculars handy. His shoulders were wide and cut down in a deep V to his small waist. In one swift jump, the man was standing on the railing. I had never seen anyone move like that and had expected him to loose balance and fall, but both his feet stayed planted on the wooden railing. His head scanned the horizon and he put his hands up as if he meant to dive into the lake. The lake wasn’t all that deep around the shoreline so he couldn’t be jumping in, unless he didn’t know.
As his knees bent, I called out to him, “Don’t!”
His head whipped toward me just as he sprung off of the wood. The water swallowed him up without even a splash. I waited for the person to surface, and when he didn’t, I ran down the steps leading to our dock. The water was choppy, so the dock rocked and swayed underneath me as I surveyed the water. What an idiot! Who just jumps off of a deck without knowing how deep the water is? I kicked off my shoes and threw off my shirt. Just as I was about to dive in to go rescue the stunt man neighbor, someone surfaced right in front of me, making me scream. He flipped his dark hair back, sending small droplets of water raining down all around us. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming, and I didn’t want to wake up. Because even though it shouldn’t, happiness shot through me.
“Jaron?” I stuttered.
He bobbed up and down in the current with a smile on his face. Drops of water ran from his hair, cutting trails down his sharp face and thick neck, ending where his muscular chest met the water. I shook my head and cursed myself for noticing his body.
“So you’re the concerned neighbor, huh?” he asked in amusement. “Looks like you were about to come in after me. I should have pretended to be drowning.” He pointed up at me.
I looked down and realized my shirt was off. “Oh my God.” Luckily I was wearing a bra, but it didn’t make me any less mortified. I bent down and picked up my shirt and ran back down the dock.
“Wait! Maribel,” he called out to me.
I pulled my t-shirt on and turned back to him, glad of the ten yards I had put between
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