With a flash, the events of the night before came rushing back to her. That horrible dream that had replayed in her mind over and over until, mercifully, she had awakened. Michael joining her on the porch and being so caring and un-Michael-like. And then her running away from him like his very presence burned her. Had she been overreacting because of that dream? She shook her head resolutely. No, his actions in the past when it came to her spoke for themselves. Leaving Michael on the porch last night had been the best thing she could have done.

Having resolved the issue in her mind as best as she could right then, she returned to stretching out her limbs. A nagging thought at the back of her mind made itself fully felt as the sleep cleared from her brain. She realized she couldn’t remember what exactly had happened the night before after she, Liz, and Isabel had joined the guys on the porch. Had she fallen asleep out there? And if she had, how on earth had she gotten back to her room? She tried to recall the events of last night, but kept only drawing a blank. With a mental shrug, she decided she’d ask Liz or Isabel later. Right now, she was going to get her bathing suit, get some breakfast, and head down to the lake for a nice refreshing swim.

Maria changed into her bathing suit and a pair of cutoffs, then grabbed a towel from the linen closet and headed down the hallway. She walked into the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast before her swim and stopped short at the sight before her.

Michael stood at the stove scrambling eggs in a pan. He looked up as she entered and smiled. “Morning,” he greeted her. “Want some breakfast?”

Maria mentally shook herself and brushed past Michael to get a glass from the cabinet. “No. Thanks,” she said, not meeting his eye as she pulled the container of orange juice from the refrigerator. “I just wanted to grab a glass of juice before my swim.”

Michael was fully aware that she stood in front of him wearing only a bathing suit that hugged her body perfectly and the same pair of cutoffs she had worn that night at The Crash Down during that insane December heatwave. He forced himself to turn back to the stove, making a conscious effort not to stare at her. “Are you sure?” he asked her.

Maria again shook her head. “No. I’m fine. Really. I just, I’m, uh, not really hungry right now. Maybe after I swim.”

Michael hesitated, then spoke again. “Maria, are you all right? I mean, last night-“

“I’m fine,” Maria said quickly, cutting Michael off before he could finish his thought. She quickly downed her juice and put the glass into the sink. “I’m gonna go swim. See you later.” She picked her towel up from the counter and headed quickly out the front door of the cabin, leaving Michael to stare helplessly after her.

After a long, relaxing swim and some time spent lying on her towel by the lake’s shore, Maria gathered up her things and headed back up to the cabin. She figured that everyone else in the cabin ought to be awake by now, so she wouldn’t have to deal with Michael alone.

Maria walked in the front door and found Liz, Isabel, and Max lounging around in the living room. Isabel was sprawled in one of the easy chairs, flipping through the latest issue of Vogue, while Max and Liz were sitting together on the couch, idly clicking through the TV channels.

“Hey, Maria,” Liz said, looking up as Maria pulled the door closed behind her. “Have a good swim?”

Maria nodded. “What are you guys up to?”

“Michael’s making brunch in the kitchen,” Isabel said, never once looking up from her magazine. “I think Alex is helping.”

Maria glanced toward the kitchen. “Think I have time to shower before we eat?”

Max nodded. “They just started a little while ago. You should have plenty of time.”

“Not the way Maria showers,” Liz teased.

Maria stuck her tongue out at Liz before heading down the hallway to the girls’ room and their private bathroom.

Twenty minutes after Maria had disappeared into the girls’ bedroom, Michael and Alex appeared in the living room. “Brunch is served,” Alex said grandly, making a sweeping gesture with his arms to the kitchen.

Max, Liz, and Isabel rose from their seats at almost the same instant, quickly making their way to the kitchen. Michael and Alex had set the table for the six of them, and there were a variety of breakfast foods set out on the table. The teens took their seats at the table before Isabel noticed that Maria had not joined them yet. “Michael, can you go get Maria?” Isabel asked before he could take his seat.

Michael shot her an irritated look. “I don’t know where she is,” he said.

“She came back in about twenty minutes ago. She’s probably still back in our bedroom. Could you please just go tell her that brunch is ready? You’re the only one who’s not sitting down yet, and you’re closest to the door,” Isabel said as Michael opened his mouth to argue.

Michael glared at Isabel, then pushed his chair back in under the table and stalked out of the kitchen. The door to the girls’ bedroom was slightly ajar, and Michael knocked lightly on it. “Maria?” he called. He got no answer and after a moment pushed the door all the way open. A quick glance around the room showed him that there was no one in the room but him.

Before he could call out to Maria again, the door to his right swung open, and Maria walked out of the bathroom. She froze in the doorway at the sight of Michael standing only a few feet away from her in the bedroom as she stood before him wearing nothing but a skimpy towel. Michael found that he could not move. His throat constricted, making it difficult for him to draw a breath, and his eyes refused to move anywhere but over the smooth, perfect skin of the beautiful girl before him.

And then the moment between them was gone. In the kitchen Max, Isabel, Liz, and Alex heard the sound of Maria’s voice coming from the bedroom. And it did not sound happy. Moments later, Michael reappeared in the kitchen. He looked embarrassed and did not meet anyone’s gaze as he retook his seat at the table.

“So did you tell Maria?” Isabel asked sweetly.

Michael swallowed. “She just got out of the shower. She’ll be here in a few minutes.”

Liz’s eyes grew wide and Alex turned his head away to hide his laughter. Only Isabel made no attempt to hide her smile. *I knew this was a good plan,* she thought to herself triumphantly.

After an awkward brunch in which Michael did not say a word and Maria refused to even glance in his direction, the six teenagers cleaned up the kitchen, and then Isabel decided that they should all head down to the lake to swim.

The girls walked down the hallway to their room where Maria flopped down on her cot. “I’m gonna pass on the lake,” she said. “Been there, done that, and besides, I really feel like taking a nap.”

“Do you feel okay?” Liz asked her best friend as she pulled on her bathing suit, slightly concerned that Maria would choose napping over hanging out with her friends and sunbathing.

“I’m fine,” Maria said. “I’m just a little tired. Swimming always makes me tired, and I didn’t really sleep all that well last night,” she added, thinking of her nightmare.

“Okay,” Liz said. “If you’re sure.”

“Absolutely,” Maria insisted. “Now you two, go! Have fun making the boys drool over you in those bathing suits,” she added with a wicked gleam in her eye.