Page 24 of The Lake House (Southern Charm #2)

Chapter Twenty-Four

It was good to get away. The renovations on the clinic had been underway for a whole month, and Matilda was utterly exhausted.

Tired to her core. She’d never been this tired in her life.

And today, there were subcontractors on site, working on the electrical and the tiling.

She’d only be in the way if she were there.

Since it was a Saturday, September was almost over, and the weather was turning cooler, she and Ryan had decided to drive to northern Georgia and hike at Wildcat Creek in the Smoky Mountains.

It was early morning, and she yawned as they pulled away from the gas station where they’d purchased a red-hot (a flaky biscuit filled with a spicy sausage) and a cup of coffee each.

The red-hots were delicious, although it seemed obvious they weren’t healthy.

But Ryan loved them, and he’d brought her around to his way of thinking.

She wasn’t sure anything purchased from a gas station could be good for a person to eat, but she was gradually becoming more Americanised with each passing day.

And red-hots were something she had given up resisting.

With a sip of hot coffee, she took a bite of biscuit and let her eyes drift shut as she fought back the sleep that she so desperately needed.

“I’m so glad we’re getting away today. I could sleep all day, but having a break is almost as good.”

“You deserve it. I only wish I could whisk you away for a nice long vacation. But the timing…”

“The timing is terrible, the sentiment is wonderful. I’ll look forward to that when the clinic is up and running smoothly.”

He glanced over at her with an arched eyebrow. “And how long will that take?”

She groaned. “I have no idea. But we can imagine ourselves lying on the beach in Hawaii as a motivation to keep going.”

“I like it,” he replied with a grin.

It took just over two and a half hours to drive from Covington to Greer County in South Carolina.

They stopped in Greenville for a bathroom break, then headed into the Smoky Mountains.

They parked in a lot on one side of the road, then crossed over to the trail.

It was a pretty trail, and it’d been a long time since Matilda had been hiking out in nature.

The area was wooded with yellow poplar, red maple, aspen and pine.

Pine needles, dead leaves, sticks and other foliage carpeted the forest floor.

The trail wound around the clear creek, up and over hills and around rocky outcroppings.

They set out at a brisk pace. Matilda felt joyful as the cool, clean air filled her lungs and the sounds of traffic faded into nothing.

Instead, all they could hear were the sounds of the forest and the quiet stillness of nature all about them.

It was peaceful. And it was exactly what she needed.

As they walked, she started to think about her life and the swift direction change she’d made in the past year.

There was a pang of homesickness and a little sadness over missing her family and home.

She’d been living in the USA now for over a year, and she never expected to be gone for that long.

Soon, she’d experience her second Thanksgiving and Christmas season.

She loved it—the cold weather, colourful leaves and holiday spirit.

It was her favourite time of year. But she had a lot of work to do before then.

“I’ve always wanted to do the Appalachian Trail,” Ryan said suddenly.

“What’s that?”

“It’s close to here. And if you take the trail, you can walk for six months all the way up to Maine.”

“To Maine?” she asked, eyes wide. “That’s a long walk.”

“I’d love to do the whole thing. It’s always been a dream of mine.”

“Maybe we can do it together one day.”

He stopped walking and turned to look at her. “You’d walk for six months with a backpack carrying everything?”

She shrugged. “Sure. I’ve done backpacking before. Not for that long, of course. But it sounds like an adventure.”

He laughed. “You’re full of surprises.”

Hours later, they were done and seated on Ryan’s truck’s tailgate at the car park.

Matilda felt good. Revitalised. Her body was fatigued, but her mind was fresh.

They drank some water and changed shoes, since both pairs of boots were coated in mud.

Then they climbed into the truck to drive to one of Ryan’s favourite restaurants that he’d promised to take her to for a late lunch.

The Dillard House was a stone restaurant set on the side of a mountain overlooking a valley.

Curved windows displayed large timber tables surrounded by glowing golden lamplight.

It was a magical place that immediately put Matilda at ease.

Now that she’d cooled from her walk, she found herself shivering as she made her way into the restaurant.

But inside, it was immediately warm with a fire glowing in the hearth on one wall.

It was midafternoon, and many of the tables were filled with people finishing up their meals while they sipped after-lunch cocktails, wine or coffee.

Conversations hummed, interspersed with gales of laughter.

Some diners were dressed up. Others wore their hiking gear, much like Ryan and Matilda.

The general atmosphere was one of fun and conviviality.

The scents that filled the air were to die for.

“I’m starving,” Matilda said, even as her stomach growled.

“Good, because there’s going to be a lot of food.” Ryan guided her to a table with his palm on her back.

When the waitress walked past them, Matilda raised a hand, but she didn’t see her.

“What will you get?” Matilda asked as she lowered her hand and tapped her fingers on the tabletop. Her stomach was clenching with hunger, and she wasn’t sure how long she could manage to wait for the food before she passed out.

“They have a set menu,” he replied. “It’s family style — they bring out the dishes and place them on the table. You serve yourself what you want.”

“Oh, wow. That’s awesome.”

Soon they were able to order. She asked for sweet tea and some bread rolls to get them to started. At least it might tide her over until the main meal arrived.

When the bread rolls arrived at their table, she hungrily slathered one with honeyed butter and took a huge bite. Ryan laughed at her.

“I guess I should’ve packed snacks for you.”

She swallowed her mouthful. “You know I have to eat frequently.”

He laughed again. “I’ll remember that. Speaking of eating, my parents want to have us over for a meal.”

“I guess that’s fair enough, considering we haven’t seen much of them since the wedding.

” Although, she was nervous at the prospect.

She’d met them briefly before and got the impression that they were a force to be reckoned with.

They were high energy, confident and outspoken.

She wasn’t entirely sure that they liked her.

She couldn’t much blame them, considering she’d married their son for a green card.

They couldn’t know that the two of them were also in love, since they hadn’t even admitted that to themselves at the time.

“They invited us to lunch on Saturday.”

Her breath caught in her throat. That was awfully soon, but she had to face his family at some point, even if they did make her nervous. She wanted to get to know them. She hoped they’d grow to love her, but it might take some time.

The food arrived quickly. Southern-fried chicken, country ham, squash casserole, corn on the cob, coleslaw, calico salad, corn bread, and more. It filled up the round timber table and left Matilda’s mouth watering.

“Let’s eat,” Ryan said, reaching for the chicken as Matilda excitedly began to fill her plate.

Matilda wondered what a Merritt family gathering would be like.

She marvelled at how strange it was to be married to a man whose family she barely knew.

She and Ryan had done things the wrong way around.

She knew that now. But she never could’ve predicted they’d fall in love and want to stay married.

If she could do it over, she’d have met the family first and had a real wedding.

But there was no going back. And now she’d have to attend Ryan’s family BBQ with a big smile on her face and hope they wouldn’t hold it against her.