Deflect

“Whoa, hold on a second,” you laugh smoothly, holding up a hand and casually deflecting the sudden focus right back to your wife. “Before we turn this into a full interrogation about my mountain etiquette, let’s address the elephant on the patio.”

You step back slightly, sweeping an appreciative, amused gaze over Lauren’s fully clothed frame, from her linen shirt down to her dark shorts.

“What happened here, Lauren?” you tease, a slow, knowing smirk tugging at your lips. “I leave you alone for a few hours to manage the resort, and you go from holding court entirely unclad at the breakfast table this morning to standing here wrapped up?”

Chloe breaks into a bright, wicked laugh, resting her hands on her bare, curvy hips. “I was thinking the exact same thing!” Chloe chimes in, gesturing wildly toward Lauren’s outfit. “She was practically the poster child for nudism by sunset yesterday, and today she steps out onto the deck dressed for business lunch.”

Lauren’s cheeks flush a deep, gorgeous pink, but her blue eyes light up with an amused, effortless confidence. She shakes her head, letting out a soft, self-deprecating laugh as she gestures toward the open door of the lodge office.

“Look, I tried,” Lauren admits, her voice full of light humor. “After you three left for the trail, I went down to the cellar to finish checking the supply crates. But... doing inventory completely in the nude just felt wrong somehow! The cool draft down there alone was enough to make me scramble right back into my clothes.”

Elena lets out a low, smooth laugh, her dark eyes glittering with perceptive humor as she leans against the wooden patio railing.

“Work has a funny way of bringing back textiles, doesn’t it?” Elena says, her voice calm and completely unbothered.

“Exactly,” Lauren smiles, though her blue eyes shift away from Elena to settle back on you. A subtle, knowing spark glints in her expression. A quiet, unreadable look that lingers just a beat longer than usual.

“I told you the summit peak was special,” Lauren murmurs softly, looking up into your eyes.

Chloe stretches her arms over her head with a long, dramatic sigh, breaking the lingering tension on the patio with a wide, expressive grin.

“Okay, as much as I love standing around looking like a glorious mountain goddess, I am officially sticky,” Chloe says, rolling her shoulders and running a hand through her hair. “I desperately need a shower after that hike.”

Elena turns from the railing, her fluid, athletic frame catching the afternoon light as she nods in agreement. “A shower sounds incredible, though I have to admit...” She glances out across the sun-drenched pool deck and the endless wall of green pines surrounding the property. “It almost feels like a crime to go lock ourselves inside a dark bathroom when it’s this beautiful out. I wish you had an outdoor shower set up around here, Mark.”

You let out a brief laugh, gesturing with a tilt of your chin past the lodge deck.

“We actually do have one,” you explain smoothly, leaning back against the wooden patio table. “It’s tucked right around the side of the pool courtyard over by the stone wall. But just a heads-up, it was built strictly as a quick rinse station for guests to wash off trail dust before jumping into the pool. There’s no privacy stall, no curtain, and it’s completely wide open to the entire lower deck. But it does have hot water.”

Chloe lets out a bright, wicked laugh, her eyes sparkling with instant amusement as she looks over at Elena.

“Oh, no! A wide-open shower with no stall?” Chloe gasps with deliberate, theatrical horror, placing a hand over her chest. “Whatever shall two dedicated nudists do?”

Elena breaks into a smooth, knowing smile, resting a bare hand on her hip as she looks at you with effortless grace.

“I think we can manage to brave the exposure, host,” Elena says, her voice carrying a calm, teasing warmth. “Lead the way to the water.”