Southern Desire (Southern Heart 2)

“She’s great.”

“We think so.” Evan looks down at his wife and I can see how much he loves her from just that look alone. McKinley Chamberlin is one lucky girl.

“Okay, well, I guess I’m going to run home and change. I’ll see you all in a couple of hours.” I gather my things and head to my car. I’m nervous as hell, and I don’t know why I let them convince me to tag along.

The house is empty when I get home. Olivia is working tonight. I send her a quick text. I don’t know how late I will be out, but I don’t want her to worry. She does enough worrying about me as it is.

Me: Hey. Going to go swimming with McKinley, Evan, Lexi, and Aaron. Don’t know how late I will be.

Olivia: You do know they are going to be swimming in a pond, right?

Me: Har har. Yes. They told me. I don’t know if I’m going to actually swim.

Olivia: Ohh yeah, you get to see Aaron and Evan in nothing but swim trunks. It’s a sight to behold. Trust me. I’ve seen it over the years.

Olivia: Sneak me a picture!

Me: LOL! Ummm, no I won’t. This is my boss and her family remember?

Olivia: Meh. They’re my friends.

Me: Still. No pics, sorry.

Olivia: Damn. All right, have fun.

Me: Thanks

I dig through my dresser and pull out my bikini. It’s been well over a year since I’ve had it on. Just another sign that life has been passing me by. I quickly change, throw on a tank top and a pair of khaki shorts, and slide my feet into some flip-flops. I grab a towel, hair tie, blanket, and my sunglasses and toss them into a bag. I still have an hour and a half. Why the hell did I rush?

Grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, I see the roll of chocolate chip cookie dough I bought. Mom and I used to buy it all the time. We liked it because we could bake a few fresh cookies and save the rest of the dough for later. I passed it at the store and decided to grab it. I haven’t had those cookies since she passed.

Grabbing the dough and a cookie sheet, I get busy making dessert for this little adventure I’m about to embark on.

After finishing up at the store, I stop at the gas station and grab a couple of bags of ice for the coolers I loaded in the truck before I left. One for drinks and one for food. I couldn’t care less if they were in the same one; my sister, however, does. I don’t know how many times she’s insisted food and drinks be separated. Actually, I’m surprised she didn’t remind me about it. She probably would have, had she not been trying to convince Whitney to join us.

Whitney.

She’s gorgeous and you can just tell that she has no idea. The look on her face when we told her we were swimming in a pond was priceless. It’s going to be a blast watching her squirm as the city girl is introduced to the country.

When I make it back to the house, Evan and McKinley are already there. I wave from the truck and watch as my sister hands Walker to my mom. Evan scoops Lexi up and they walk toward me.

“I’ll drive,” I tell them. My sister peers through the window, making sure I have my car seat. She knows better. That’s been a permanent fixture since the day Lexi was born. “It’s there,” I tell her.

“Just making sure.”

I watch as Evan pulls her to him and kisses the top of her head. Lexi isn’t Kinley’s biological daughter, but she has been there since day one. She loves her no less than if she had given birth to her.

I look at the clock on the dash and see that it’s two minutes till the time we agreed to meet. I hope Whitney doesn’t back out. I’m looking forward to seeing her reaction to swimming in the pond.

“Whitney texted a few minutes ago and said she was five minutes away.” The sound of tires over gravel greets us. “Speak of the devil. Right on time.”

Whitney parks beside my truck. I watch as she climbs out and opens the back door. She pulls out two bags, throws one over her shoulder and holds the other, and shuts the door with her hip. “Hi,” she greets us. “I’m sorry I’m late. I had some extra time so I thought I would make some cookies.” She looks toward the ground as if she did something wrong.

“Tookies!” Lexi cheers, causing us all to laugh. My niece successfully killed what looked like a somber mood Whitney was in.

“All right you, let’s get loaded up.” Evan opens the door and hops inside, making quick work of placing Lex in her seat.

I watch as my sister gives Whitney a hug. They talk for a minute before both of them walk to the passenger side of my truck.

“I guess I’m your copilot,” Whitney says, climbing in.

“Shotgun,” I tell her. “You get to ride shotgun.” I can feel her gaze on me, but I don’t look. I keep my eyes on the dirt road in front of me. “You ready to swim?” I ask Lex, purposely avoiding Whitney. Although I have to admit I like her attention on me. She’s gorgeous; what man wouldn’t?

“Yes!”

“Well, I have a surprise for you when we get there.”

“Yay!” she cheers again.

Whitney chuckles beside me. I lose my resolve and look over at her. She’s now looking back at my niece, talking about how they both love surprises.

“I hab it now, Unca Awon?”

I look back at her in the rearview mirror. “You have to wait until we get to the pond.” Instead of a pout, she grins. Her personality is so much like my sister’s.

“Otay.”

The drive is short, only a couple miles back on the property. Dad and I built a gazebo with a built-in picnic table years ago. It’s gotten lots of use over the years.

“Wow, this place is incredible,” Whitney says as she takes it in for the first time.

I stop and look around, seeing it through her eyes. The pond is big, a couple of acres at least. The gazebo is large enough to guard family gatherings from the hot summer sun. We opted to build it on the edge of the pond and have the dock run out from there. The end of the dock has a large footprint. Plenty of room for the girls to soak up the sun and the guys to fish. I have a long list of memories from this place, but today, seeing it through her eyes, a fresh perspective, makes me appreciate it even more.