Chapter 3

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The next day I wake up early and throw on a light blue bikini along with a cute pair of white jean cutoff shorts. I appraise myself in the mirror before I throw a pale purple tank top on over my bathing suit. I don't want to worry about tan lines if we're out for a while, which I'm hoping will be the case. I take a little extra time brushing my hair up in a ponytail instead of just using my hands to do it. I brush my teeth and then give myself one last look before I run to the kitchen to put some food together. When I open the refrigerator, I find an insulated collapsible bag with a note attached.

"Briann,

I packed you some food for breakfast and lunch, just in case you're gone for a while. There's enough for you to share and it should fit perfectly in your kayak. Have fun and don't worry about me, I'm meeting a friend before lunch and I have some errands to do. I'll see you for dinner.

Love you, Grandma

P.S. Don't forget your water and sunscreen!!"

I can't help but smile. I had so much fun talking to Grandma last night. As we were chatting, I told her about his dad's job and she realized she'd already met Christian's mom at the local market the other day. I'm sure that's part of the reason she's not so worried. I grab my things and head outside.

When I reach the dock I put my things in the front of my kayak and pull it over to the ramp. I walk down the dock and peer down the lake and see him already paddling towards me. I feel my heart pound against my chest and my body starts to tingle with nerves, traveling from my heart all the way to my fingers and toes. He looks towards our house and sees me, lifting his hand in greeting. I do the same, feeling my tingles turn into a heated blush. I'm glad he's not close enough to really see me. I stride back to the ramp concentrating on not tripping over the old wooden planks and looking like a fool again.

I throw on my lifejacket as I wade into the water. I step into my kayak taking a deep breath and slowly blowing it out as I settle. I start to paddle away from the dock without looking and startle at the sound of his deep voice, "Good morning."

I look up at him with a shy smile, "Hi."

"I guess this means you're ready," he grins. "Would you like to lead the way?" I nod and we make our way along the shore, paddling together. We both remain pretty quiet, paddling and taking in the houses, the landscape and the animals either just waking up or heading to their homes to sleep for the day. Christian spots a bald eagle flying from its nest in a tree at least sixty feet tall! It's incredible to watch it spread it's wings and then fly down near the lake, searching for food, before snapping a fish right out of the water. Honestly, we have to stay pretty close to the edges of the lake to see any of that.

We make our way out into the middle of the lake, seeing the shades of green of the mostly pine trees surrounding us, with only a few lighter patches where more trees have been taken down for homes. It's always incredibly quiet and peaceful in the mornings, except for maybe the soft calls of the loons and the jumping of some fish here and there.

After a while, Christian points to one of the little islands in the middle of the lake. The whole thing was probably 25 feet across. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry, how about eating some breakfast over there?" he suggests. I again nod my head in agreement.

We paddle over to the island and he jumped out pulling both his kayak and mine with me in it up to the shore. He turns to me and smiles, holding out his hand to help me out. I grin and take his hand, my heart rate speeding up instantly. "Thank you."

We both remove our life jackets and toss them in our boats before grabbing our bags. He glances at my bag and starts laughing. "Wow, you like to eat a lot huh?" he jokes.

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