Perfect Summer by Bethany Lopez
Faith
For the next few weeks, Mitch and I saw each other whenever we could.
Of course, that usually meant Hope was with us, or we met up for breakfast or lunch while Hope was in day camp. Now that school was out and summer was in full swing, the days were hot and long, and the night filled with humid air and fireflies.
We hadn’t spent any time alone, and it was getting increasingly difficult to keep my hands to myself.
I found myself thinking about him before I went to bed and first thing when I woke, and the thoughts were anything but PG. All I had to do was remember the way it was when we were together, but imagine Mitch as he was now … and I had a great imagination.
We were renting a boat on Baylor Lake today and taking Hope out, but in a few days the first barn dance of the summer was being held at the Faulkner Farm and I was determined that Mitch and I would finally get to spend the entire night together alone … with no interruptions.
We would go to the dance with Hope, but then my parents were going to take her home with them when they left, and I was going to go with Mitch back to his cabin. At least there I knew we’d be secluded and there would be no chance for anyone in my family to barge in on us.
And I’ll be packing my new lavender lingerie.
Mitch was totally oblivious to my plans, but I didn’t think he’d have any objections.
“Little bear, Mitch is here,” I called from the front door.
I’d been watching for him out the window, eager to see him and to get our day started. I loved water, especially Baylor Lake, and I hadn’t been since I’d been back, so I was probably more excited than even Hope, who’d never been out on a boat before.
“I’m coming,” Hope called, and I heard her little feet running down the hall.
She rounded the corner wearing her bathing suit and coverup with her backpack secured and her flip-flops flopping.
Just as she reached me, there was a knock on the door, and I opened it for Mitch.
He looked down at the bags I’d packed and said, “You know we’re only going out for the day, right?”
“I wanted to make sure we’d have everything we need so I planned for every possibility,” I told him, grabbing two bags and moving past him to put them in his truck.
I heard him ask Hope, “Does she always pack this much?” to which she replied, “Yup.”
I ignored them both, secure in the knowledge I was prepared.
Once everything was packed, I locked up and we all loaded up in the truck.
“You ladies ready?” Mitch asked, finding the Disney station on his XM radio for Hope.
“Yes!” Hope cried with enthusiasm.
“You bet,” I agreed.
Mitch drove out of town and toward the lake as we all sang Disney hits. The half-hour drive was a beautiful winding drive through the hills and by the time we arrived, Hope was starting to doze off.
When the truck pulled to a stop at the parking lot at the marina, I turned to Hope and said, “Honey, we’re here.”
Her eyes popped open, and she quickly started to unbuckle her seatbelt.
Her movements were quick but a little inaccurate since she was still half asleep, so it took her four tries before she was able to get the belt off.
I bit my lip to keep from smiling and got out to help her.
“I’ll go find out which boat is ours for the taking,” Mitch said, and I nodded in agreement.
Once he was back with the key and slip number, we started unloading the bags and Hope and I followed Mitch to the boat.
“Here she is,” he said, indicating the pontoon boat we’d decided to rent.
Sure, a speed boat would have been fun, but we figured for Hope’s first boating adventure, we’d go with the more relaxing and smooth-running pontoon.
Mitch held out his hand to help first Hope, and then me, onto the boat, before turning to go back to the truck to get the rest of the bags.
“Be right back.”
“Isn’t this great?” I asked Hope as she walked around the boat, taking it all in.
“Does it go fast?” she asked, sounding a little worried.
“No, not at all. I promise there’s nothing to be scared of. And look,” I said, lifting one of the seats. “We have these life jackets that we’ll wear the whole time. So it’s extra safe.”
I found the child’s-sized life jacket and put it on Hope, before finding one to fit me. Then, as Mitch was coming aboard with the rest of our things, I pulled out one I thought would fit him.
“Here, try this on,” I said once he’d put the bags down.
“Perfect,” he said as he secured the vest. “Shall we untie the ropes and be off?”
“Here, sweetheart, why don’t you sit here until we get the boat unsecured and get going,” I said, pointing to one of the bench seats under the awning.
Once we’d unraveled the ropes, I sat next to Hope and Mitch took the seat at the helm and started her up.
“So, what do you have in all of those bags anyway?” he asked as he pulled out of the slip.
“I’ve got lunch, snacks, water toys, sand toys, floats, sunscreen, a first aid kit, a change of clothes, towels, a blanket, and in the cooler there’s water and juice boxes … I think that’s it.”
“Wow, you really did think of everything,” Mitch said with an easy grin.
He looked so handsome with his hair blowing in the breeze and that relaxed expression on his face.
“I hope so,” I replied. “Of course, you don’t know what you’ve forgotten until you need it.”
I’d learned that the hard way over the years, which was probably true for most parents.
“I’ve got the perfect spot for us to stop and have lunch,” Mitch said. “If that works for you.”
“Lead the way,” I told him, then looked at Hope and asked, “Want to go lay on the loungers in the back?”
She nodded enthusiastically, so I grabbed the sunscreen and we moved to the back.
Once we were both protected, we laid out in the sun and enjoyed the spray of the lake as Mitch drove us to our lunch destination.
It was pure bliss.