"Do you swim?" he asked, nodding toward the floating dock.
Victoria's smile was genuine as she moved toward the end of the pier. "Race you!" She pulled off her T-shirt in mid-run and dove neatly into the crisp, clear water. The coolness enveloped her skin and she remained under for several strokes, enjoying the feel of the cold water before cutting the surface. She extended her arms in a competent free-style and sliced through the water. She was an excellent swimmer and knew she could give Gabriel a run for his money. As she pulled herself up, a hand reached down to help pull her out the rest of the way, followed by a laughing, dripping Gabriel.
"How did you ...?" she said. "You must be part fish!"
"Too slow!" he said, laughing as she struggled to catch her breath. "Okay, I confess, I'm captain of the Windsor Swim Team."
Victoria's laughter echoed across the water. It was wonderful to feel so at ease and relaxed with someone she had just met. She lay back.
"So where are you from? You didn't get that skin color from living in Maine, right?" Gabriel asked.
"Not so much." She grinned. "I get my permanent tan from my mother's side of the family, Persian ancestry I think. I lived in New York for most of my childhood and then I moved to Millinocket with my aunt when I was nine."
"Well, I'm glad you did," he said. Victoria blushed.
"It's so beautiful here," she said looking around, awed by the natural beauty of the lake with its thick wooded shores and pristine waters. "I mean New York is great but there's just nothing like this anywhere else, you know? This is perfection."
"Spent my whole life in the city, but since I've been here for three years, I can't imagine being anywhere else. I know exactly what you mean when you say that it's perfection."
They lay in companionable silence, watching the sun slide slowly behind the horizon. The air was still warm, and it was starting to get quiet as the voices on the far shore faded. Victoria never felt more at peace than at that moment. She turned on her side toward Gabriel, and realized that he was looking at her intently.
"What?" she asked, "do I have something on my face?"
"No." Gabriel smiled. "I was wondering about something." He hesitated for a second. "I was wondering how someone like you ends up hanging out with Charla, the chatterbox, and my social leper of a sister. I mean, how does that happen? Was there a sign that said 'sign up here to commit social suicide' when you enrolled? Did they pay you?" He kept a straight face but Victoria was laughing by the time he got to the end.
"Charla's, well, Charla. I like listening to her talk, because I don't have to," Victoria said. "And your sister is not a social leper." She hesitated. "I like Angie."
Gabriel burst out laughing. "You know, if you hadn't choked on the 'like' part of that, I could have actually fallen for it!" He grinned at her chagrin. "Don't worry, she can be a little ... abrasive. Let's just say that we don't get along that well even though we are related." Gabriel got to his feet, and pulled Victoria up beside him. "Okay, if I give you a five stroke head-start, you think you can put up a better show than you did last time getting out here?"
"You're on!" Victoria swam for all she was worth toward the shore. She almost swallowed a mouthful of water when she saw Gabriel's lithe form coming up beside her. He was a powerful swimmer and something about the way he moved in the water seemed effortless. Breathless, they waded up the pebbly shore toward Charla and Angie who were sitting on a picnic table with two other friends.
"I think we can call that one a tie!" she said.
He gave her an incredulous look. "Maybe I'll give you that one, new girl, as a gesture of goodwill, but that was no tie." He grinned mischievously as he threw one arm across her shoulders. "We'll have to have a rematch one of these days."
Victoria noticed Charla's eyes narrow, and brushed Gabriel's arm off hurriedly by pretending to grab a towel. He didn't pay any attention and sauntered over to Angie, ruffling her hair. Her face, if possible, got even tighter and angrier, and she flinched from his touch as if he had slapped her. Victoria frowned, puzzled at her reaction. Gabriel said something to her, laughed his deep laugh and walked away. Angie's face looked like she was going to explode, throw up, or do both.