Read Online Perfectly Able by Suzannah Daniels - Free Book Online

let out a shriek as it wobbled dangerously. I reached out to steady her, but she evaded my grasp as we both toppled into the water.
    The numbing shock of freezing water assaulted me as I was submerged beneath the black, glassy surface. When I got my bearings, I rose to the top, taking a breath as I shivered in response to the lake’s late-night chill.
    “Ava?”
    She broke the surface of the water, sputtering and coughing.
    I swam to her . “Are you okay?”
    She coughed again . “I’m fine. Just got a little water down the wrong pipe. Remind me the next time I decide to flop out of a canoe to close my mouth first.”
    Luckily, the canoe hadn’t capsized, and I checked to make sure the paddles were still inside .
    “So much for being spontaneous,” she grumbled to herself.
    I smiled into the darkness. “I don’t know. Getting dumped in the lake is pretty spontaneous, don’t you think?  I, for one, didn’t see it coming.”
    “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I put too much of my weight on the left side of my body, and well, on an unstable surface like the bottom of a canoe and with no foot to help me regain my balance….”
    I chuckled . “Don’t sweat it. I needed a good dousing, anyway. Some chick was getting me all hot and bothered.”
    “ Was she now?”
    “Indeed she was.”
    There was an awkward moment of silence.
    “ I’ll hold the other side of the canoe while you climb in,” I said, paddling to the opposite side. I grabbed the edge with both hands. “Ready?”
    “Yes.” Ava climbed over the side easily and used her weight to our advantage as I climbed in on the other end.
    “This has definitely been a memorable canoe ride,” I said, as the cool night air licked my skin.
    “I’m sorry,” she said again , her voice sounding jagged as she spoke around the chills that racked her body.
    “You’re freezing. Grab your paddle and let’s get you back to the cabin. And there’s no need to apologize.”
    We quickly paddled back to the shore . For someone who had never been in a canoe, Ava paddled effortlessly, working in perfect unison with my strokes. I admired her athleticism, and I had the feeling that she was the kind of girl who could hang with me no matter what sport or activity I was doing.
    When we arrived back at shore, Ava worked her way to the grass, while I tugged the canoe onto land . She waited patiently for me to finish, and then I scooped her in my arms.
    “Oh, my gosh!  Your hands are so warm,” she said. “How is that possible?”
    I grinned as she turned her body into my chest, soaking up my warmth. “ Someone started a fire back on the canoe. You don’t know anything about that, do you?”
    “When I was imagining that moment, it didn’t turn out quite like this,” she said softly.
    I laughed. “Now you know why I’m not very spontaneous. I like everything to go according to plan.”
    “ This wasn’t how I imagined it,” she said softly, “but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like how it turned out.”
    I looked down at her then, stopping just in front of the deck steps. “You like getting dunked in a cold lake?”
    “Surprisingly, yes. This whole evening is a happy memory that I’ll never forget. I figure the more happy memories I have, the less room there is in my head for bad ones.”
    “Holding on to a bad memory can make the happy ones shine that much brighter,” I countered.
    “I’ve never thought about it that way,” she said, as I climbed the stairs to the deck. “I’ll pick one to hold on to, and I’ll let the rest go.”
    I paused before setting her on the chaise lounge, my arms still wrapped firmly around her body.
    “Do you have a bad memory that you’re holding on to?” she whispered.
    Her question punched me in the gut . I never spoke of the circumstances surrounding the one bad memory that I refused to release. I swallowed hard. “Yes.”
    “Would you share it with me?” she asked.
    I released her, gently holding her upper