The Lake

The basket in her hands was long and narrow, just the right size for a loaf of sourdough. It was woven of reedlike wooden strips, a deep brown instead of the straw color she was used to seeing. The top edge was neatly rimmed with heavier strips fastened into place by tiny nails. She didn’t know much about baskets, but this one did look a lot nicer than the ones her parents had at home. It would make a nice gift for Mom. “What does something like this cost?”

“Twelve dollars.”

Not exactly cheap.

She had to buy a basket from him, though. At least one.

“Look at the others before you make up your mind. The smaller ones, they don’t cost as much.” Bending over the boat, he lifted out one with a hooped handle. It looked like an Easter basket. “Something like this, it’s good for candy or nuts.” He nodded toward a picnic basket near the stern. It had double handles and the kind of lid that flaps up from hinges in the center. “That’s the most popular, that picnic basket there. It goes for twenty-five.”

It was identical to one owned by Mike and Jenny.

“Have you sold baskets to these people here?” she asked, nodding toward the cabin.

“Sure, I sold ’em some. There’s not much of anybody on the lake I haven’t sold some to.”

He looked into Leigh’s eyes.

She felt a low, pleasant tremor.

“You a relation?” he asked.

“I’m their niece. My name’s Leigh.”

“You were water-skiing Monday.”

She nodded.

“I saw you.”

A blush warmed her face. “I hope you didn’t see me fall down.”

“You had on a white swimming suit.” He looked at what she was wearing. “Not this one, but it was white like this one. There was more to it.”

“Oh.”

“This one here’s better.”

“Thanks.” She swallowed hard. “About these baskets. I’d like to buy this one.”

“I’m Charlie. Charlie Payne. That’s P-a-y-n-e, not like a hurt.”

“Nice to meet you, Charlie.”

“You said your name was Leigh. What’s your last name?”

“West. Like the direction.”

He nodded. He smiled. He had extremely white teeth.

“My money’s up in the cabin. Why don’t you come along and get out of the sun?”

He nodded.

Leigh turned away and started walking. She glanced back. He was following, but staying a distance behind her as if wary of getting too close. “Do you live on the lake?” she asked.

“Over at the other side.”

The eastern shore, where the only homes were those creepy-looking shacks.

And not many of them. Leigh had suspected that he came from there. Still, having it confirmed made him seem even more alien. He was from a different world, a place that seemed both mysterious and somewhat sinister.

She didn’t feel threatened, though. Nervous, excited, but not threatened.

She climbed the shaded path, the breeze cool on her damp skin. Though she didn’t look back again, she was certain that Charlie must be studying her. The feel of the fabric taut across her moving buttocks kept her aware that she was nearly naked.

Maybe he was getting turned on.

Or maybe his people didn’t dress this way and he found it offensive.

No, he’d said that he liked the bikini.

At the top of the slope, she followed an offshoot of the path to the cabin. Charlie’s footfalls stayed behind her. She climbed the wooden stairs, opened the screen door of the porch, and held it wide.

Charlie stopped.

“You coming?”

“I better wait here.”

She thought of her parents’ strict rule about not having boys in the house while they weren’t home. Well, this isn’t their house. Mike and Jenny had imposed no such restriction.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Nobody’s home.”

“Mom, she don’t want me going in folks’ places.”

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

His eyes narrowed.

He doesn’t trust me, Leigh thought, annoyed. “Suit yourself.” She turned away.

“Guess I can wait on the porch,” Charlie said.

She held the door open for him and watched him approach. He had brown, curly hair starting at his navel and spreading downward like a triangle to the waistband of his low jeans. Leigh stayed in the doorway while he climbed the stairs. He turned sideways to avoid touching her as he stepped by.

He looked around the porch.

Leigh gestured toward the swing suspended by chains from the ceiling. Obediently, he went over to it and sat down. The chains groaned and creaked quietly.

“Back in a second.”

Leigh carried the basket into her bedroom and tossed it onto the bed. With trembling fingers, she opened her shoulder bag and found her billfold. She took out a ten and two ones. Then she hurried into the kitchen. The lower shelves of the refrigerator were loaded with cans of soda and beer. She hesitated, then folded the bills, tucked them under the elastic at her hip, and took out two cans of beer.

She had swung the refrigerator door shut and started out of the kitchen before she changed her mind. Mike and Jenny might not approve of her serving beer to Charlie. On top of that, she didn’t want Charlie getting the wrong idea. So she put the beer away and took out cans of black cherry soda instead.