The dock, where we kept the tour boats, was private and isolated in a quiet alcove, mostly hidden by trees. It was the perfect place to sit and have a few drinks while the town set off fireworks across the lake. There was nothing like watching the explosions of color over the green landscape, reflecting off the calm waters that seemed to stretch out forever. It truly was serene and something I enjoyed, but even that couldn’t crack the funk I’d fallen into.
The sun, so close to setting, left the sky resembling a canvas painted with varying strokes of oranges and pinks. There wasn’t a single cloud between the peaks of the mountains surrounding the reservoir, which looked more like glass than water—a true masterpiece.
I parked the cart next to the clearing just off the trail and made my way down the wooden slats in the packed earth toward the floating dock. Just before the covered boathouse was a “no trespassing” sign tacked to a slanted post. For whatever reason, I couldn’t pass it without knocking on it the way you would before walking into a room. It’d been a tradition—or superstition—of mine for as long as I could remember. So I lightly tapped the metal sign with a single knuckle and headed toward the end of the platform.
However, the sight of long blond hair slowed my steps and stole my attention. A woman—goddess, angel, whoever she was—sat at the end with her shoulder against the railing, one leg dangling off the side, her head tilted with her attention focused on something across the lake.
I hadn’t expected to see anyone down here, and it made me wonder if knocking on that sign all these years had finally paid off. Like I had somehow summoned her. I didn’t know every guest who’d checked in, but I was pretty sure I would’ve remembered this one, which made me wonder what she was doing here.
I prayed she was a local who’d wandered over to watch the show.
Not wanting to alarm her, I made my way to the end of the dock as quietly as I could. Confusion plagued me, though I wasn’t sure why; it made my heart beat faster and more profoundly. Maybe it was anxiety. Whatever it was, I’d never felt it before. My face heated, and my head felt as though it were expanding like a balloon. And without consciously taking a single step, I drew closer to her, akin to someone pulling a string.
She glanced up, bright eyes wide, mouth agape, a song of surprise hitching in her throat. It was enough to make me pause. I stopped mid-step and frantically pondered what my next move should be. Never in my life had I been frozen in place by a look, by a set of piercing eyes. I’d never questioned my next move based solely on a gasp.
Until now.
Until her.
My heartbeat spiked and then threatened to give out altogether. My dad always said I hid surprise well, but for the first time in my life, I doubted that theory, because I would bet that anyone watching this had to have noticed my stunned reaction. The only thing I could do was keep going and pray that I could pull this off without coming across as a psychopath.
I slowly finished making my way to her, never taking my eyes off the glowing angel that sat in front of me. She remained so still, reminding me of a porcelain statue. The first thing I noticed about her was her crystalline blue eyes, like pools of shallow water that begged for me to swim in. Her straight blond hair hung on either side of her face like a veil meant to conceal her beauty—but instead, the thick, light-colored locks enhanced it. I continued to let my gaze tour her features, memorizing them as if I were a blind man finally capable of seeing for the first time. Her slightly parted lips—either in awe or surprise—were full and perfect, a deep V decorating the top. She had a faint dimple in her chin, virtually unnoticeable, yet I found it to be glaringly obvious.
That one tiny dimple was familiar, as if I knew it’d be there.
Memorable, as if I’d somehow seen it before.
“Can I help you?” I asked, hoping my deep voice didn’t sound as menacing to her as it did to my own ears. At times, when I least expected it, that gravelly additive to