Free Cabin by the Lake by Desiree Douglas

moment, having fun, as carefree as she had been as a child, playing and laughing with abandon. She didn’t care that her hair had come loose and was hanging in damp strands around her face, or that she was splattered with muddy water. It was really the first time in a long while that she completely forgot about the world around her and was simply caught up in ridiculous fun.
    She punched him on the arm when he accidentally squirted her with the hose, and he pretended to be shocked, chasing her as she screamed laughter. When he caught up with her, he grabbed her arm, causing them both to fall in a tangle of arms and legs. The air was suddenly charged with electricity as they found themselves face to face. The laughter was gone and time stood still. For a moment they stared into each other’s eyes.
    She didn’t know where things would have gone if Vivian had not shown up, the dog barking at her arrival. She had the feeling that she had been very close to being kissed. That would have been a very big mistake! Thank goodness her aunt appeared in a timely manner from around a curve by the lake. As Mike helped her up and she brushed herself off, she saw that Vivian was not alone.
    There was a man with her.
    And they were holding hands.

Chapter 6
    Vivian sat on the pier, enjoying some much needed alone time. She wasn’t used to being around people much anymore, and for the past few days she felt surrounded by people, not to mention the dog. They should name it, she thought vaguely, reaching down to scratch its back. And then this afternoon, Dugger Vines had shown up out of the blue to deliver a small package. He could have left it in the mailbox, as usual, but this time he knocked on the door to deliver it in person.
    She was glad to see him; he had kept his distance since his wife, Carol, and Todd died within two months of each other. Aside from a passing wave of the hand, they hadn’t been in touch. He stood on the porch, aimlessly chit-chatting, until she asked if he’d like a cup of coffee. He eagerly accepted, and they sat in the kitchen and talked while she put the roast on to cook. Then one thing led to another and she found herself taking a walk around the lake with him.
    Dugger and Carol had been part of the old gang in school. Before she and Todd became exclusive, Vivian had actually dated Dugger a few times. There had even been a little joke about them back in the day: Vivian and Dugger Vines could never marry, because she’d be Vi Vines and people would think she stuttered! She smiled now at the memory.
    Dugger and Carol eventually married and he had been their postman all these years. She and Todd had spent many occasions with the Vines, playing Rook on Friday nights and fishing in the lake on Saturday mornings. Dugger lost Carol after she suffered a stroke, just before Todd’s death, and Vivian had been deeply saddened by the loss of her friend, but they hadn’t shared the pain of loss.
    During their walk, she discovered that they had a lot to talk about. It was easy conversation, like slipping into a favorite pair of comfortable slippers. At one point Dugger stumbled over a tree root and she grabbed his arm for support. He laughed at his clumsiness, took hold of her hand, and they walked along, hand in hand, as if that was a natural thing for them to do.
    And it had felt natural, until she’d felt so guilty being caught holding his hand.
    Vivian had married Todd a year out of high school, and he landed an entry-level job with Georgia Power. They moved into a tiny apartment above The Corner Store, where many young couples before them had started out their married lives. The Corner Store was an icon in the community—a convenience store before Seven-Elevens dotted the nation—useful in giving directions to anywhere in town: “You drive till you see The Corner Store, turn left, and we’re the fifth house on the right.” It was torn down thirty years ago to make way for the new Piggly-Wiggly.
    That little