Prologue
Meredith Francis searched the grassy area next to the lake, hoping and praying he would be here tonight. It was the last party of the summer before their senior year, and she’d promised herself that she’d get brave enough to tell Cruz Chadwick that she thought of him as much more than a friend. Nervous sweat trickled down her back. Most girls at Mystical Lake High thought the sun rose and set on Stetson Stillwater’s face, the “hot cowboy.” Stetson was a nice guy and super good-looking, but it was all Cruz for Meredith. Cruz was hilarious, kind, brave, and made her insides flip whenever he smiled at her.
Her eyes landed on him, and she let out a sigh. He was on the private dock of their friend Hope Greenwood’s cabin. Hope, Stetson, Zane Naylor, and several others in the group were cheering him on as Cruz did a handstand, and then walked the length of the dock on his hands. His lean arm muscles flexed, and his shirt inched up, giving a tantalizing view of his defined abdomen. Meredith fanned her face as she watched from across the grassy area with a slightly open mouth.
He reached the end of the dock and did several pushups with his feet straight up in the air, his body straight and strong. Meredith held her breath, hoping he wouldn’t fall off the end of the dock into the cold water.
Cruz finished with a flair, pushing lithely back onto his feet, and then immediately performing a forward flip before punching both hands in the air. Cruz was a natural performer and athlete, some might say a show-off, but Meredith would let him show off for her any day.
He pushed his wavy hair away from his face and immediately turned to Zane, a boy their age who had always struggled socially and was placed in special needs classes at school. Cruz had been Zane’s champion for years, and his compassion, where most boys their age either ignored or belittled Zane, made her love Cruz even more.
Her mouth turned down as she saw Hope ease in to talk to Cruz as well. Did Cruz like their peppy blonde friend? She was a cheerleader, daughter of the sheriff who was a great guy, and everybody liked her. Meredith preferred staying in the shadows, baking and creating ice cream flavors for her dreams of opening an ice cream shop in town. Everyone was kind to Meredith, and her parents had taught and encouraged her to be social and friendly, even if it was hard. As the daughter of the preacher and the only black girl in a predominantly white and Hispanic community, teenagers either treated her as a novelty or as if they were unsure if they would say the wrong thing and offend her. She didn’t think she was easily offended, but she’d found it was easier to stay out of the spotlight. She tried to watch for those who looked as if they needed a friend and talk to them.
Meredith backed around a crowd of sophomores as Cruz strutted off the dock giving friends high fives or fist bumps. He was the center of any occasion, their quarterback, and the hero of their high school, at least in her mind.
When she saw him going around the side of the house toward the dark forested area, she followed. It got dark quickly with the tall house and trees blocking the lights from the party in the backyard. Meredith crept through the thick trees, certain Cruz had gone this way and praying this was finally her chance to get him alone and talk to him. She dodged a tree instinctively and then ran into the branches of another, crying out in surprise. It was pitch black in here. She’d never find Cruz.
Arms came around her. Strong arms. Perfect arms. Cruz. She couldn’t make out anything besides a rough outline in the deep dark of the forest, but she’d know him anywhere. Immediately she was safe, happy, and flying higher than a 747.
“Hey,” he said in a husky whisper. “You came.”
Then he pulled her in tight and kissed her. Wow, did he kiss her. Meredith’s arms wrapped around his broad back, and she let out a whimper of pleasure. She felt Cruz smile against her lips, and then he deepened the kiss. The pleasure receptors in her mouth went nuts as she clung desperately to him and returned the kiss with all the passion she had stored for this man. Meredith had kissed a few boys, but nothing had ever felt like this. She wasn’t surprised. Cruz was one of a kind, and of course, his kiss would light her up from the inside out.
He pulled back slightly and muttered, “Wow. I … You … Oh, man.” Then he was kissing her again. It was so sweet that the ever-confident Cruz was disconcerted, but all Meredith could concentrate on was his kiss. She felt like she was floating. His lips exerted just the right amount of pressure to be tender yet passionate, and his strong body surrounding her would protect her and love her.
“Cruz! Cruz!” Insistent yells penetrated their forest sanctuary, and Cruz broke away from her.
He chuckled easily and happily. “We’ll continue this later.”
“Okay,” she murmured, certain every one of her dreams had come true. She hadn’t even had to say something to him, and Cruz had instinctively known she wanted to be with him. He’d felt the same as her all this time. No more worrying if they were “only friends.”
He took her hand and started leading her back toward the party. Meredith didn’t want this magical moment to end, but Cruz Chadwick had kissed her, was holding her hand, and was leading her—shy, daughter-of-the-preacher Meredith Francis, back to the party.
“Wow, Hope,” he murmured. “I never would’ve guessed you could kiss like—”
Meredith ripped her hand free and backed away from him. Hope? He thought she was Hope? The horror of realization rolled through her. Of course, he hadn’t willingly kissed his quiet friend Meredith, but smiley, popular Hope. She turned and ran blindly through the dark forest. Luckily, she didn’t slam into a tree, and luckily, Cruz didn’t follow her. If he saw it was Meredith who he’d kissed, would he be embarrassed or happy? Most likely embarrassed. They’d been friends since childhood, but now she could see that he would never see her differently.
She finally saw light ahead and ran for the front of the house, down the driveway, and to the road that circled the large lake that was the centerpiece of their mountain valley.
She’d come with her friend Kristen, but she’d text her later. Her house was only a mile and a half away, and running home sounded preferable to seeing Cruz in the illumination of the backyard lights, knowing that he’d thought he was meeting and kissing Hope. Her romantic illusions and dreams crumbled. Cruz would never think of her as anything but a friend.
Cruz stood stunned as Hope ripped her hand from his and ran off. He’d been so shocked and delighted by the way it had felt to kiss her that he was living in a fog. For the past couple of years, he’d realized he was in love with his friend, Meredith Francis, but she was so far out of his league. Out of the league of anyone he knew. He would never dare to presume she would give a wannabe show-off like him a chance.
Stetson had confided in Cruz earlier today that Hope was into him. Hope was a pretty blonde with a cute smile and a bubbly personality. He liked her, but no one could compare to Meredith for him. Meredith with her innocent, sweet smile, those big dark eyes that just drew him in, not to mention her fit body, long, dark curls, and smooth, brown skin. She was perfect to him. Meredith was light, class, beauty, and quiet confidence rolled into one. She was destined for greatness beyond this valley. Maybe someday Cruz would prove himself worthy of her, but it was a lot to hope for. He faked self-assurance around his peers while his mom belittled him behind closed doors every chance she got. Cruz prayed the phrase “fake it till you make it” would prove prophetic for him and his dreams and goals. He was definitely a fake, but luckily, nobody but his mother seemed to know it.