Thrill Lake

By Jessica Tang Von Harper

Amanda is forced to take spring semester off from college after she breaks her leg while rock-climbing. She reluctantly agrees to spend the time recovering at her father's new home in a development next to the gorgeous Lake Safira. The neighborhood consists of summer vacation homes, and the adventurous Amanda quickly realizes that most of the properties are empty in the spring. No need to sit around the house bored for three months - the whole empty neighborhood can be her personal playground and exhibitionism can provide the adrenalin rush she is craving. But Amanda has always had a problem with risky behavior... the more risks she takes, the more risks she wants to take. And the neighborhood isn't going to stay empty forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jessica Tang Von Harper
• Release date: May 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215074688

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Thrill Lake

By Jessica Tang Von Harper

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2020 by Jessica Tang Von Harper

All Rights Reserved

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All characters engaging in sexual activity in this work are 18 or older.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

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1

You’ll see a good view of it after this curve, Paul Ashton said, and Amanda Ashton, who had been slouching in the passenger seat, sat up and leaned forward. She gazed out the windshield, waiting for a break in the line of trees as the car rounded the curve.

The trees parted just as the car reached the top of the hill and Safira Lake appeared in front of them, a long streak of blue glittering in the sunlight. Beautiful, Amanda breathed. She had travelled across Europe, and had seen many beautiful landscapes, but she wasn’t the type to let her appreciation for natural beauty become jaded by experience.

Not bad, eh? Paul said with a grin. Lakewood Shores is over there on the left.

Amanda looked to the left and found the small neighborhood of large houses bordering the lake. A line of houses had backyards right on the lake, with small private docks. Aside from another development on the opposite side of the lake, the rest of the shore line was undeveloped. Yeah, it looks nice, she said. You’re not going to build the rest of the way around the lake, are you?

Not me, he said. I want to keep it exactly like it is. This is my little slice of tranquility.

They followed the road to where it forked. A sign pointed toward Lakewood Shores to the left and Deering Bay to the right. Paul turned left.

How far is it to town? Amanda asked. There’s no stores here, right?

Six miles, Paul said. Not so far by car.

Maybe I can work my way up to jogging there.

Don’t push yourself too hard, Paul warned. You don’t want to set your recovery back.

Amanda sighed. I won’t, Dad. She glanced down at her right leg, sheathed in a blue brace. In January, she had slipped while rock climbing in Costa Rica and the rope that was supposed to catch her didn’t hold. She fell fifty feet, breaking her leg in two places. She could still remember the sound her leg made when she hit the ground, that sickening pop. It would echo forever in her memory.

She had two surgeries, one in Costa Rica and a second back in the United States. Her broken bones were set and bound, and she had a tortuous five weeks of inactivity waiting for the bones to heal together. Afterwards, Amanda had dedicated herself to her rehabilitation. She just wasn’t the type of person who could sit in a bed for hours waiting for her leg to heal on its own. A month of persistence brought her to the point where she could walk with just a slight limp, but she wasn’t satisfied. She wouldn’t be satisfied until she was back to the shape she was in before the fall.

The injury had forced her to take a semester off from college, and she wasn’t expected back until September. Six months away, six months with nothing to do. Amanda was worried she would go crazy.

Paul drove up to a closed gate and waved at the guard who sat in the security booth. The guard waved back and pressed the button to open the gate. A few seconds later, they drove into Lakewood Shores.

Nice houses, Amanda observed as they drove through the quiet neighborhood. Big.

Luxury homes, Paul said. I was building for a certain kind of buyer.

A buyer like you? Amanda teased. Her father had been building housing developments his whole life, but this was the first time he’d actually built a home for himself in one of them. Her parents divorced when she was four, and she’d mostly lived with her mother and stepfather. Her relationship with her father was good, but she always thought of him as a nomad, never settling anywhere, moving from housing project to housing project. Now she was the nomad, a compulsive traveler, while he claimed to have finally found the place where he wanted to retire.

Safira Lake. She had to admit it was a beautiful location, nestled in a valley surrounded by redwoods. It would be her home for the next half a year. Her leg injury had put her life on pause; she had no job, no school; nothing to do except to continue her rehabilitation exercises and try to get herself to the same shape she was before the injury. Her father was happy to give her a place to stay. He had more bedrooms than he knew what to do with.

I have a forty-mile commute right now, Paul said. So that’s a drag. But it’s only until this thirty-six house development is finished. Less than a year. After that, I should be able to kick back for a while.

Amanda laughed. You kicking back? I’ll believe it when I see it.

He shrugged. We’ll see. He slowed and pointed down a street to their right. Amanda looked in that direction, and saw that the street ended at the lake. Over there, by the lake, that’s the community center. There’s a nice gym you can use. It has an Olympic-size pool.

Okay.

Just don’t push herself too hard.

I know, Dad. I won’t.

I have a big television, with the best cable that they offer. I also have the pick-up truck, which you can take out if you want. There are hiking trails all over. But same thing, don’t push yourself. Start off slow.

Dad! I know!

Here it is. Paul pulled into the driveway of a gorgeous ranch-style house with a beautifully landscaped front yard. The driveway made a half-circle loop back to the street, but it also led to a three-car garage on the left side of the house. He pressed a button and the garage door slid open. Amanda could see her father’s blue pick-up truck in the second spot in the garage.

They went through a door in the back of the garage that led into the main house. Paul gave Amanda a tour of the house, and he was clearly pleased at how impressed she was.

I love what you did with the windows, she said. All the natural light. And the way everything opens to the backyard. It feels like we’re in a garden.

Yeah, it has really relaxing energy. He led her down a hallway and opened a door. This is your bedroom.

Amanda peeked in. It looked like a generic guest room, with a comfortable bed and a dresser, but little in the way of decorations. She could see that she had her own bathroom.

You could pick one of the other bedrooms if you want, Paul said.

Amanda smiled and shook her head. Nope. This one’s perfect. She noticed a stairway at the other end of the hall, and pointed at it. What’s that? There’s a second story?

Only over part of the house. I have my office up there. Come and see why.

Amanda followed him up the stairs and into his office. He had a wood desk set up there, but it was completely empty. Amanda suspected her father hadn’t actually used the room as an office yet. The desk faced an enormous window that showed a beautiful view of the lake.

Nice, huh? Paul grinned.

Amazing, Amanda said. Thanks again for letting me stay with you.

Of course. You’re always welcome here. I meant it when I said that’s your room downstairs. It’s your room for as long as I live here, whenever you want to come stay in it. Paul admired the view of the lake for a moment, then turned away. Come on. I’ll bring your bags in. Let’s get you set up and comfortable.

***

The next morning, Amanda woke up early to have breakfast with her father before he left for work. Afterwards, she spent some time on her computer, answering e-mails, reaching out to friends, checking the news.

She opened the refrigerator, and found that Paul had completely filled it with new food. Amanda smiled as she picked out some deli meat to have for lunch. She imagined her father embarking on an epic grocery shopping trip before her arrival, buying everything she might possibly want. More than she could possibly eat; most of it would probably go to waste.

After lunch, she decided to walk to the community center and check out the gym. She would see what equipment they had, and maybe figure out a light workout she could do that would align with her rehabilitation. She changed into a sports bra and yoga pants, then gathered a few things to take with her, which she stowed in a small bag. She put her blonde hair into a ponytail. The sun was bright overhead as she stepped out of the house.

She followed the front path to the sidewalk, then turned right towards the entrance of the cul-de-sac. The sidewalk was perfect, completely level without any cracks. Amanda knew her father was a perfectionist. The street also looked perfect, and it was completely empty of cars, moving or otherwise. Maybe no one parked on the street because they all had such big garages.

Amanda stepped off the sidewalk and started walking in the street. The neighborhood was very quiet. Amanda looked up and down the street, searching for some sign that anybody else was around. All she saw were large, beautiful houses.

Did you sell all of these, Dad? she murmured. Or are some of them still empty? She would ask him later when he came home.

She took a left onto Franklin Street, the main street through the neighborhood. then a few blocks later, another left onto Harbor Drive, the street with the community center. The community center had a parking lot and Amanda could see one car parked there, a red Toyota. She walked to the entrance and pushed open the door.

She had to pause to let her eyes adjust to the inside light. She stood in a reception area, with plush chairs to the left and right. In front of her, a white counter divided the room, and behind the counter, a woman was watching TV. Amanda could only see the top half of the woman’s head. A door to the right presumably led into the community center.

Amanda stepped up the counter. The woman was focused on the movie playing on the TV, and didn’t seem to have noticed Amanda’s entrance. Amanda didn’t recognize the movie; something with a crazy car chase. The woman behind the counter looked like she was in her early twenties, maybe slightly older than Amanda herself. She had wavy dark hair that fell just past her shoulders. She was dressed in a yellow tank top and shorts.

Hey there! Amanda said, smiling. The woman jumped, startled, and blinked up at her.

Geez! Where the hell did you come from? The woman stared at her.

Um… I’m Amanda. I’m staying with my dad, a few streets over? Amanda leaned on the counter. He said I could come here and use the gym. Sorry, do I need a membership card or something?

The woman shook her head. No. No, you don’t need a card. She cracked a smile. Sorry. This time of year, I don’t really expect anyone to come in. Most days, I’m pretty much here by myself all day long.

Really? Amanda asked. No one uses the community center?

Not in February, not on a Tuesday. The woman picked up a remote and paused the movie. Most people bought these houses as summer vacation homes. They won’t start using them until closer to the summer months. Last year, I didn’t see people until early May. The woman stood. I’m Abby, by the way. I’m the day manager.

Hi, Abby. Nice to meet you. Amanda grinned. I thought it seemed quiet when I walked over here. You really don’t see anyone all day?

No, I haven’t seen anyone for weeks. Abby laughed. Makes you wonder why I’m here, right? They want someone watching this place, all year long, even if no one uses it.

Wow! That must be strange.

Easiest job ever. At least until summer. Abby stood up. I can show you around if you want. Obviously, I’m not doing anything else at the moment.

Okay. Amanda waited while Abby went through a door to the back, then a second later reappeared from the door to the right. Abby held the door open while Amanda walked in.

They stood in a brightly lit rectangular room with large windows. Amanda could see the swimming pool through the windows. The room had couches and vending machines. This is kind of a snack area, Abby said. She pointed at the other end of the room. Those doors lead to the locker rooms. You can see which is the women’s locker room and which is the men’s. Honestly, you could use the men’s locker room if you really wanted to. No one else is going to be here today.

Abby led the way to another door on the left wall. The gym is in here. They walked into a room filled with rows of exercise equipment and weight machines.

Wow. Dad was right! Amanda said. This is a really nice gym.

Abby chuckled. And it’s all yours. You can grab a towel if you need one from the shelf over there. When you’re done with the towel, toss it in the black bin in the corner. Or there’s another black bin in the locker room.

Okay. Amanda looked around. Well, I guess I don’t need the locker room. I’ll just start my workout.

All right. If you need me, you know where I am.

Enjoy your movie! Amanda called out as Abby left, which earned another chuckle.

Amanda chose an easy workout for her legs,