The Lake (The Lake Trilogy, Book 1) by AnnaLisa Grant Page A

how safe I feel. It’s a feeling I am getting reacquainted with, first with Luke and Claire, and now with Will.
    We linger in the moment longer than I anticipate. When we let go, Will steps back and looks at me for one intense second and abruptly says, “Ok! I’ll…see you in the morning then. Nine AM, and my goal is for you to have a better than nice time.” Stepping backward, he finds the porch steps and walks down to his car. I stand in the doorway and watch him make his way out of the circle driveway and onto the street. I sigh as I close the door behind me. Leaning against it for a moment I can’t help but smile. I did a lot of that tonight.

Chapter 7
 
    Will picks me up nine o’clock sharp. Instead of his Prius he has his mom’s Denali. It’s the same model as Luke’s, only in white. It seats seven so we’ll all be able to ride together. We pick the others up at their equally beautiful and huge homes in the neighborhood and get on the highway.
    I’m halfway turned around in the front seat most of the way there so I can talk with the girls. The rest of the time I’m taking in the exquisite beauty of our scenic drive. Caroline brought an extra pair of hiking boots for me so I won’t be stumbling on the trail in my sneakers. Since we’ll be in the car almost two hours, I decide to wait and put them on when we get there.
    The drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway is stunning. I can only imagine how striking it will be in the fall when the leaves change color. I’ve only seen that spectacle in books. It feels odd to now live in a place with four actual seasons. Where I’m from, we were good to get two distinguishable ones. Will must have noticed the awed look on my face and read my thoughts.
    “You should see it in October. There’s no green, only shades of red, orange, and gold,” he says.
    “It’s beautiful,” I say, not breaking my stare out the window. In my mind I compare the commercialized streets of Orlando to the peaceful nature of my current surroundings. There are no neon signs, no pink flamingo mascots. There is no one standing on a corner waving a sign for discount theme park tickets. No, with the exception of the asphalt, here there is only the perfection of what has been here since the beginning of time. I think about the time it has taken these trees to mature and become the steadfast pillars they are and wonder if nature thought it took too long, as I feel it is taking me too long to become comfortable in this bark of mine.
    We arrive at the gate into Grandfather Mountain right at eleven o’clock. Will failed to tell me that there is an admission fee. I tell him I’ll pay him back when he drops me off but he says I’m not allowed.
    “I would have brought money had you told me!” I protest.
    “It’s not a big deal. Consider it your ‘Welcome to North Carolina’ present.” He gives me the same you’re-not-going-to-win-this-debate look that Luke did, so I let it go. I have a feeling I need to learn that it’s pointless to argue points of chivalry with him. He makes me so nervous sometimes. I just need to calm down and go with the flow.
    Tyler taunts me and says that as part of my “initiation” I’ll have to cross the Mile High Bridge. It‘s funny because he says it like a dare. He has no idea that the prospect of being that high up is exhilarating for me. We climb the 50 steps to reach the bridge and I pause to take in the view.
    “I guess they don’t have this kind of view in Florida, huh?”  Gwen is right next to me taking in the vision as well.
    “Uh, no. We’ve got the ocean, which is pretty spectacular, but this is so different. Oh! Caroline’s boots! I left them in the car.” I turn around to look for Will so I can run down and grab the boots out of the car but Caroline stops me.
    “Don’t worry! I’ve got them!” she says.
    I swap out my shoes for the boots and put them in the backpack Tyler is wearing , along with a few bottles of water stashed in there