took in the scene.
There were geese coming in for a landing, gliding their graceful bodies low against the water. The early morning sun was casting a soft orange glow on the white mist floating on top of the ripples of the lake. We could hear the frogs calling to one another somewhere along the shoreline, as well as the crickets greeting the new morning. I took her hand, leading her down the path to the pier that jutted out on the lake, next to a sandy beach.
"This place is amazing!" Mollie said in a hushed voice as we watched the geese glide by, honking their morning greetings. She stood in front of me with her hands on her hips as she looked out over the smooth water.
"Yeah," I said, wrapping my arms around her waist and placing my chin on her shoulder. She leaned her head against my cheek. We stood watching the morning mist rise up off the lake. I was enjoying the feel of her against my body. She felt amazing in my arms, so perfect. I turned my head, lightly grazing my nose up and down her cheek. She smelled of sweet honey and I could only imagine how she tasted. She turned her face and her eyes met mine with an intense look. She shut her eyes, shaking her head and stepped out of my arms.
I sucked in a deep breath before turning and watching her walk down the pier back to the path. She was following it along to the small boathouse that was on the edge of the lake. I jogged to catch up with her as she paused to look at the quaint, weathered house.
"I used to come here all the time when I was younger," I said as I stood next to her looking at the house. She gave me a curious look and asked, "Really? I thought that Lacey hadn't lived here for that long."
"She hasn't," I grabbed her hand and held it as we walked the path back to the house. I loved how her hand fit perfectly in mine, Sophie's hand always felt too small. I smiled softly at her as I explained, "This house was my grandmother's, then Lacey inherited it. It's the place where her love of fashion grew. We used to spend our summers here and the room where Lacey has her studio was where my grandmother had a sewing room. Lacey used to sew all sorts of outfits and every year have a fashion show in the courtyard. She still does, in fact, it's held Labor Day weekend to introduce her Fall line."
"Oh," Mollie commented as we came through the trees, the main house in plain view. She let go of my hand and laughed at me over her shoulder as she took off, saying "Race you! Last one back cooks dinner tonight!"
Chuckling to myself, I counted to ten before racing after her. This was a race I wanted to win.
Mollie
I could hear Callen a step behind me as we came over the small hill to the guesthouse. I knew that I could push it hard if I needed to, but I wanted to him to think that he would win. I had been a cross-country runner all through high school so I knew how to conserve my energy until the last minute.
As he passed me, he smirked, "I want steak cooked medium well, a baked potato, and roasted carrots. Oh, and I want a chocolate cake for dessert."
I smiled, shaking my head at him and let him get a few feet in front of me. We were about fifteen yards from the house and I kicked it into high gear, flying past him. His jaw dropped as he watched me and I laughed, "Serves you right Mr. Cocky."
He recovered too late and stepped onto the front porch just five seconds after I did. I laughed, while trying to catch my breath, which is a very hard thing to do when I'm around him. I paced the porch and caught my breath as I cooled my body down from my hard run. Callen sat down on the porch swing, reaching for my hand and pulling me down next to him. He leaned against the back of the swing, spreading his arms out and asked, "How did you beat me?"
I shrugged, feeling my breathing return to normal as I replied, "I used to run cross-country in high school."
He gave me an impressed look. I reached up, pulling my hair out
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