Page 28 of Take Me (Cherry Blossom Lake #5)

Mason

I t’s two days before Jake and Cassidy’s wedding, which means nine more to go until Peter and Lucy get hitched.

Instead of folding place cards or arranging flowers, Luce and I are doing what any normal brother and sister would do in the days before one twin pledges eternal devotion to their soulmate.

“You’re sure this is the best time to teach Scrumpy to swim?” My sister sounds dubious as I trudge through the water.

“Yep.”

“How far are you going?”

“A few more feet.” I slosh into the lake, wishing I’d had the foresight to wear my fly-fishing waders. This water’s not warm in the winter. “We need it deep enough that he can’t just walk out here.”

“You’re aware that your dog has three-inch legs?”

“It’s shallow right here.” Which is why I picked this spot, hoping less depth would mean warmer water. That may not be true, though I’m the dumbass wearing sandals and shorts in the dead of winter.

“Is it muddy?”

“Very.” Soupy muck squishes between my toes.

Lucy stands watching from shore, holding the end of Scrumpy’s polka-dot leash. Both of them stare like this is a drunk dare they didn’t think I’d accept.

“Got the steak?” Lucy calls from the edge of the water.

“In my pocket.” Naturally.

“Speaking of stupid ideas?—”

“Were we?”

She looks at my dog. “Maybe his legs are too short for physical activity.”

“They’re not too short.” I slosh a bit farther, just past my knees at this point. “He runs circles around me when we jog on the beach.”

“Maybe he just can’t swim.”

“Annabelle says all dogs can swim.” I sought out her veterinary advice after my first failed attempts at teaching Scrumpy to keep himself afloat. “If he’s gonna go standup paddleboarding with me by summer, I need to make sure he can do it.”

“Can’t you just get him one of those doggy life vests?”

“He has one. It’s got a shark fin on top.”

“Of course it does.”

Scrumpy barks twice as I wade a bit deeper, grateful the sun keeps my top half warm.

Unseasonal sunbursts are one thing I love about living here.

It’s rainy right now in Salem and Portland, but Cherry Blossom Lake will hit sixty today.

I know that doesn’t sound warm, but trust me, it’s toasty for the Oregon Coast.

“Speaking of Annabelle?—”

“We were?” I pivot to face my sister and dog.

“You said, and I quote, ‘Annabelle says all dogs can swim.’ Ergo, you introduced the subject of the woman who broke your heart but gave you a dog.”

“In hindsight, it seems like a fair trade.” Scrumpy barks as I take a step back, not liking that I’m getting farther away. That’s how this plan is meant to work. I’ll summon my dog, and he’ll swim out to join me like the good, faithful boy he’s become.

Fishing a hand in my pocket, I pull out the Ziploc baggie filled with doggie-sized bites of top sirloin.

“Mmmm…” I peel open the bag and wave it around in the breeze. “Smell that, buddy? That can be all yours.”

My dog wags his tail and yips sharply.

Lucy untangles his leash from a shrub. “You want me to let him go now?”

“Not yet.” I fish his favorite tennis ball out of my other pocket, holding it up to show him. “Gotta get him good and excited.”

Scrumpy barks again, licking his chops as he surveys the bounty I’m holding. This is definitely going to work.

“Speaking of big life changes?—”

“Were we?”

Lucy ignores me and continues. “I’ve been wondering how you’re handling the fact that Annabelle moved in with Neil.”

“Why would I care where she lives?”

She doesn’t dignify that with a reply. Just stands on the shore with a judgmental stare while I wave my leftovers and a drool-matted ball.

“Fine,” I mutter. “It surprised me at first, but it’s cool.”

“For reals?”

“Yeah, for reals.” It’s none of my business where she sleeps. “Kinda helps that Erika moved in with me.”

“Hmmm.” My sister sounds skeptical. “Seems like you’re taking the fake-dating thing kinda far.”

“It’s just practical.” Even I hear how silly that sounds.

“I heard about what happened when you and Erika went to her house to grab her stuff. How you walked in on her dad getting busy with Ruby Brooks.”

Scrumpy yips while eyeing the tennis ball, his tongue lolling off to the side. I toss the ball high and catch it, keeping him nice and excited.

“Is it true?” Lucy asks, and I sigh.

“Yeah, it’s true.” And more graphic than Luce might imagine. “We walked in on Greg Gentry balls deep in Zoe and Cassidy’s mother.”

“Ooof.” Lucy winces. “There’s a Hallmark occasion for you.”

“I mean, they’re both consenting adults.” I toss the ball again, and Scrumpy scrambles to get off his leash. “How did you hear about it, anyway?”

Lucy shrugs. “Ruby told Zoe and Cass. I guess after it happened, she knew word would get out, so she sat them down and explained.”

“There’s a mother/daughter talk I’ll bet nobody wanted to have.”

“Apparently she’s been dating Greg for almost a year.”

“No kidding?” That’s a surprise. I could tell when we walked in on her father that Erika didn’t have a clue her dad was even dating. “Why didn’t Ruby want her daughters to know?”

“She has a history of making poor choices with men. She didn’t want Zoe and Cass to worry she might be repeating the pattern. Especially with both daughters up to their eyeballs in wedding plans.”

“But Greg’s a great guy.” I’m happy for him, honestly. Pretty sure Erika will be as well, once she gets over the shock.

“You’re right, Greg’s amazing. But Ruby’s past relationships weren’t, so she felt like keeping things secret until she knew for sure this would bloom from attraction to something more stable.”

“Makes sense, I guess.” I’m starting to shiver with lake water lapping my thighs. “Anyway, it’s fine now. Erika’s gonna stay with me while her roof gets repaired. When we’re done pretending to be madly in love, she’ll move back in with her dad, and everything will go back to normal.”

There’s an ache in my chest as I say it, but it’s just from the cold. Scrumpy barks and tugs at his leash. Licking his chops, he stares at the steak. “You can let him go now, Luce.”

“Speaking of unhealthy patterns?—”

“We were?”

“What are you doing with Erika?”

“What do you mean, what am I doing with Erika?”

“I mean, you started out fake dating so people wouldn’t feel sorry for you. Which makes total sense. But it seems like it’s escalated.”

“How do you mean?”

My twin rolls her eyes. “Making out in the parking lot at the kombucha shop? Sharing a honeymoon cabin? Pawing each other at karaoke night, then announcing you’re leaving to bang?

And now she’s moved in with you.” Lucy folds her arms, whipping Scrumpy’s leash through the water. “Want me to keep going?”

“Not really. I’d like you to let go of my dog so I can?—”

“All I’m saying,” she continues, like I’m not out here freezing my balls off, “is that it’s na?ve to think you’re in control of this. I know you, Mason—you fall hard and fast, and things tend to snowball in your love life.”

“Speaking of snowballs, it’s cold out here.” I do a not-so-covert crotch grab for emphasis. “Can we get going with the swimming?”

“I just want you to be mindful of the pattern here. You’re impulsive, she’s vulnerable?—”

“She’s vulnerable?” It’s my turn to sidetrack our swimming lesson. “Erika’s tough as nails. She kicked my ass at leg wrestling last night.” Granted, she did it by taking her clothes off, distracting me so thoroughly I forgot we were competing.

“Be that as it may, she’s just broken up with a guy she dated for ten years. The guy she thought she’d marry. And you were head over heels for Annabelle. You’re both in a vulnerable state.”

“Can you get to the point soon?

“Fine.” She looks at me kindly, still holding my dog’s leash. “Be careful. With your heart, with hers—these things have a way of getting out of control.”

“Says the woman who’s marrying her former sworn enemy.”

“I rest my case.”

“Thank God.” I’m not sure I followed all that, but I can’t feel my legs below the knees. “Can we please try the Scrumpy experiment now?”

Hearing his name, my trusty dog barks. “Here, boy!” I shake the bag of steak, hoping my sister gets the hint and unhooks his leash. “Come on, Scrumpy. Swim to me, buddy—let’s go!”

I whistle and wave the ball as Lucy leans down to unhook the leash. My dog wags his tail, cocking his head as I call out his name. “Come, Scrumpy! You can do it—swim, boy. Come! Right here, little guy—you’ve got this.”

Still wagging his tail, he sprints to a shrub at the edge of the shore. Lifting his leg, he pees for a lifetime, then trots off to sniff at a tree in the opposite direction. Ignoring my shouts, he stands there inspecting a pale patch of grass.

“He’s completely ignoring me.”

“Yep.” Lucy watches him water the side of a trash can. “Guess steak and a toy weren’t motive enough.”

“I knew I should have found a cute female horgi to hold.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to swim,” she muses.

“You can lead a horgi to water, but you can’t make him dog paddle.”

“Guess we’ll try again some other time.”

Sighing, I trudge out of the water. “Here’s hoping Jake’s wedding goes better than that did.”

My twin gives a chuckle as Scrumpy trots down the shoreline, lifting his leg on somebody’s upturned canoe. “As long as Jake gets down the aisle without lifting his leg to pee on a pew, I think we’re just fine.”

Hazel swings by that evening, holding six shopping bags bulging with the contents of the entire women’s department of Saks Fifth Avenue.

“Do we even have a Saks Fifth Avenue in Oregon?” I hold open the door and reach down to take two of the heaviest looking bags. “Jesus, what’s in here, bricks?”

“Yes, bricks.” My cousin sets two bags by my couch as Erika comes in behind her, still dressed in her Spencer-King Auto uniform. “Since you’ve proven yourself to be reckless in your pursuit of hastily disrobing your girlfriend, brick-based clothing seemed like a sturdier option.”

“Very funny.” I’m hoping she’s not really pissed. It’s sometimes hard to tell with Hazel. “Do I get to stay and watch the fashion parade?”