The Lake (The Lake Trilogy, Book 1) (11 page)

It isn’t a huge store, but the warm brown wood floors and white shelves draw me in and I feel right at home. After seeing my class schedule I think I better get a jump on the help I am certainly going to need in trigonometry
and chemistry. I’ve never been a member of the “nerdery”, but I’m also not one to wait until I’m utterly and completely lost before I ask for help. I pass the racks with Davidson College apparel and browse the aisles until I find the section that should hold math tutorials. After looking for a few minutes I find one book that I think might have what I’m looking for so I pick it up and begin flipping through the pages.

“Trig, huh? If you’ve got Professor Donavan be sure to bring him Cowtails and caramel crèmes; they’re his favorite,” a young man says. His Main Street Books nametag reads Marcus.

“Oh, I’m not a student at the college.” I say.

“So your idea of fun on a Thursday summer afternoon is brushing up on your trigonometry?” he quips.

“No. I just got my schedule for this year and if I don’t get a head start on this I’m going to be a senior next year, too,” I say trying to sound casual about my deficiencies.

“Well, you’re in luck. I’m a math major at Davidson. I’d be happy to help,” he says extending his hand. “I’m Marcus…Reynolds.”

“I’m Layla…Weston. It’s nice to meet you.” I shake his hand and smile. “That actually would be great. I’ve got enough to think about this year without having to go prematurely grey over math.”

“What are you talking about? This is your senior year – the time of your life!” Marcus is an enthusiastic guy and very down to earth. He’s my kind of people.

“Yeah, well…I just moved here and I’ll be going to
Pretentious High
,” I say.

“
You’re
a student a Heyward Washington Prep?” he says, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

“Yes. Is there a problem with that?” I don’t like the way he said it. It’s ok for me to mock the school with my friends, but I find Marcus’ remark insulting.

“Oh, uh, no. You just don’t strike me as the type to go there. First of all, you’re in
this
store looking at
academic
books. Second, well…you’re polite. Sorry, you threw me off.”

“I’ll…let it slide this time,” I smile, easing up. “So you could really tutor me?”

“Yeah, definitely. In fact, I’m on the list of tutors for your school through the college. Just sign up and put my name down. They’ll call me and get us connected.”

“Then I suppose I don’t need this book today,” I say putting it back on the shelf.

“I was just getting off work. Do you want to go next door and get a Coke, or something? It’ll save us the introduction time when we start tutoring.” Marcus says taking off his nametag.

“Sure. I was going there anyway to wait for my aunt,” I say.

We leave the bookstore and walk to the coffee shop next door. It’s the same place I first met Will and I blush a little as I remember the icy mess of his drink.

As we sit down at a table in the window I think about how lucky I am to have met Marcus. If he’s on the list of tutors for the school he’s certain to be a big help. They won’t let just anyone near their precious students.

“So exactly how terrified of trigonometry are you?” he asks.

“About as terrified as I am of chemistry. Both are honors classes. In fact, all of my classes are honors. English, Civics, even Spanish, I’m not worried about. But these two will be the death of me.”

“Well, I’ll be able to help with trig more than chemistry, but I’ll do my best to get you through both,” he says.

Marcus has dark brown hair and light green eyes.
He’s attractive by anyone’s standards. He’s tall, but not as tall as Will. Will seems to have become my benchmark, which really isn’t fair to Marcus, or any guy for that matter. It doesn’t really matter anyway. I’m buying my time until I graduate and I can go back to Florida. If things continue to go well with Luke and Claire, I’ll at least have family to visit for holidays, and friends to see while I’m here.

“That’s great. Have you tutored a lot of Heyward students?” He obviously has an opinion of them, so I wonder what his experience with them has been.

“Not a lot, but I’ve had enough experiences with their kind of people to know that I don’t need to have any more.
You
were a surprise.” He takes a sip of his drink. “Just be sure to be on guard. There are some people associated with that school who are like vultures. If you don’t protect yourself, they’ll eat you alive.”

Claire walks by and spots us in the window of the coffee shop as she comes in.

“Did you find what you were looking for? You haven’t been sitting here long, have you?” Claire asks.

“No, not long, just a few minutes. I found a book that I thought would help, but then I met Marcus. He works in the bookstore and goes to Davidson. He’s on the tutor list for Heyward. Marcus, this is my aunt
, Claire.” I say.

“It’s very nice to meet you Mrs. Weston,” Marcus says, standing to shake Claire’s hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Marcus. You’re smart to get a head start on this, Layla, especially since Luke and I will be zero help in trig or chemistry. I’m very glad Layla found you, Marcus. Do you want anything, Layla,” Claire asks as she moves to the counter.

“No thanks,” I say quickly.

“I’m glad she found me, too,” Marcus says. He smiles right at me and it occurs to me that he might actually be flirting. The possibility that Marcus could be interested in me isn’t nearly as preposterous as the idea that Will ever could be. I dismiss it still because I need Marcus’ help to get me through trig and I can’t cloud my interaction with him with the vain ideas of a silly schoolgirl.

Claire buys herself a drink and I join her at the door to leave. “It was nice to meet you, Marcus. You’re welcome at the house anytime for tutoring,” Claire says as she exits.

“Nice meeting you, too, Mrs. Weston,” Marcus says.

“I’ll fill out the tutor request when school starts. So…I guess I’ll see you soon,” I say.

“I look forward to it.” He raises his hand in a brief wave as I make my way through the door.

I spend the rest of the afternoon with my iPod and ear buds at the edge of the dock. Will has been giving me some Music 101 lessons
. Last week’s homework was to check out the classics like Miles Davis. We listened to a couple of them in the car to and from Grandfather Mountain and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. I’m bobbing my head up and down embarrassingly to the music when Will appears behind me, poking me in the shoulder.

“I hope that’s
old
music you’re listening to,” he says, startling me so much that I jump a little.

“Oh
, my gosh, Will! I almost fell in the water!” I jump up quickly and playfully punch him in the arm. I take a quick step back as I’ve startled myself with this behavior. It was the move of a girl completely comfortable and at ease with not only Will, but also herself. I’m shocked, and pleasantly surprised.
Could that really be me?
I ask myself.

“I already told you that I was here to rescue you.” He smiles that perfect smile and I realize that the answer to my question is
yes
. “So you checked out the school today. What’d ya think?”

“Gosh! Word travels fast around here. Well…it’s the nicest school I’ve ever
set foot in, and I understand it’ll be the best food I’ve ever eaten as well. I’m mostly looking forward to spending time in the library. It was spectacular.”

“Listen, I’ve got an errand to run for Luke. Do you want to come with me, along for the ride?”

“Sure, sounds fun.” It sounds like more than just fun. It’s a chance for me spend time with Will. It is a perfect opportunity in my quest to know him.

Will needs to get nails, screws,
and plywood – items that reveal nothing of my unmerited surprise – at the hardware store. While Will gets the things he needs, I look around the store and think of my dad. I’m obviously quiet and by the time we leave the store I haven’t said more than ten words.

“Hey, are you ok?” Will asks.

“Yeah. I was just remembering my dad. When I was a little girl I used to go to the hardware store with him. He was really handy and
always
had a project going. One of my favorite things was to help him, and by help I mean I kept him company while he worked. Being in there just…it reminded me of him.” Talking about my dad is hard, but easier since Luke has engaged me in such normal conversation about him, but as the words leave my mouth I realize that sharing my feelings with Will is surprisingly easy. He makes it that way. Everything in me wants to trust him. When I talk, he looks at me with unwavering attention. He fixes his eyes on me and I can see he’s listening. It’s comforting to be heard.

“That’s good. It’s important that you have those memories. It keeps him with you. I think that’s a special thing, Layla, and you should never lose it,” Will says
smiling softly, his voice smooth and reassuring.

We get back to the house and Will takes his purchases down to the basement. He and Luke emerge a few hours later as Claire and I are fixing dinner.

“Thanks for your work today, Will. You’ve got a good eye. I’m glad I’ve got you around to help me with this. I’ll see you tomorrow?” I’m still confused as to what the basement project has to do with me, but have to admit that I’m becoming curious to see what they’re doing down there.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Weston. I appreciate the opportunity. I really love the work.” He pauses before he hesitantly addresses me. “So…I
was
going to hang out with Tyler tonight, but…” As he stares at me I somehow feel like that’s my cue.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” I ask without knowing if it’s al
l right with Luke and Claire. “Is it ok with you?” I ask Claire, remedying my error. She smiles softly and nods and I turn to Will and wait for his reply.

“Yeah, that sounds great. Thank you,” he answers, smiling heavenly
. As he pulls out his phone and presumably texts Tyler that he won’t be meeting up with him, my heart leaps. Just as quickly as it leaped, it falls flat as I recall Will’s propensity for quick mood changes.  I could be on the receiving end of his smile all day, but I don’t know how much more of the swings I can take. After the night at the movies and then on the bridge, I have no clue where I stand with him. One minute he’s making a point to be with me, but in the next he’s doing everything he can to get away. Do I say something to him? Where is this in the rulebook of how to be friends with a guy? I don’t want him to go, so I decide to walk cautiously through the evening waiting for Will’s smiles to turn to frowns. For now I’m happy that Will is here. He could be anywhere else but right now he’s choosing to be here with me. I need him. I need his friendship. I’ll just have to be especially careful so I don’t give him any impression that I have the wrong idea about our friendship. I can’t lose him.

Claire and I make chicken divan and salad. It’s so fattening, but delicious. We decide that the salad balances it all out, though. During dinner I teasingly beg for clues as to what Will and Luke are doing in the basement, but get quickly shut down each time. I’m lowering my guard with Luke and Claire a little bit every day. They make it so easy to feel at home here. We ebb and flow together so well that it’s scary. It’s like we’ve known each other forever, which is a feeling I never expected to have with them. Will fits in perfectly with us, as well. His sense of humor is as twistedly funny as Luke’s and mine. I’ve discovered that is something Luke and my father
did
have in common. They both could make me laugh to the point of tears.

After dinner Will helps me with the dishes. Most of it went in the dishwasher, but Claire has a few pieces that need to be washed by hand so I wash and Will dries. The pot we cooked the chicken in is cumbersome and the water sloshes everywhere with each swish of the sponge. By the time we’re done the bottom half of my shirt is soaked. Will follows me upstairs to the loft and waits while I change.

“This room is amazing,” he says as I re-enter the loft, refreshed and dry with a new shirt. I’m surprised at his comment. I’ve always imagined his house being majestic and more impressive than ours.

“You haven’t been up here before?” I ask.

“No. I bet the view from here is almost as good as the one from the dock,” he says.

“Yeah, you get a better picture of the whole scene from here. This is my favorite spot in the house. It has the best view of the lake,” I say as I sit in my oversized chair.

“Really? I think I’ll have to judge that for myself.” He smiles and sits in the chair with me, squishing his body next to mine. I feel a rush of nervousness come over me and my body temperature begins to rise. “Hmm, you might have something there.” The moonlight is shining through the trees, which makes the scene very dramatic with the shades of dark blue and gray it casts on everything. “But I still think the view is better from the dock.”

“Oh, really? Well, I guess we’ll have to do a comparison tonight, then, won’t we?” I realize I’m flirting – something I don’t do well at all – and stop myself immediately. As much as I like him, Will is my friend and I don’t want to do anything to tarnish that. I don’t want to give the impression that I think there’s more going on here than there is. I’m having too much of a good time with him tonight to watch his smile fade again and have him disappear.