by Kinney Scott
“Hi, I’m Natalie Journey, Kelsey’s friend from Seattle.” She said with an easy smile lighting up her face. Ed pulled in Natalie for a quick friendly hug.
Kent warned, with a smile, “Now Ed, you can’t steal my girl!”
“Too late” Ed laughed, ‘’Nice to meet you Natalie, aren’t you Pete’s granddaughter? I used to fish with Pete when he visited Ashwood.”
“Yes, Kelsey and I met through Elsa.”
“I was sorry to hear about Pete’s passing, he was a good friend. No better guy to have along on a fishing trip. What a perfect last day he had, spending it on a boat floating on The Sound.”
Other older men in the group nodded in agreement. Natalie had grown used to this response, their almost envious reaction to ending life well. It actually brought her comfort, now that she was beginning to understand.
“Grandpa Pete had pictures of his trips to Ashwood. When I go through those again, I will be happy to put names to the faces. I’m so glad to meet all of you,” she finished.
Kelsey’s Dad asked Kent, “Will you and Natalie run up to the kitchen and get some large platters to put the burgers on? They need to come off the grill and I didn’t bring enough down here.”
“Sure no problem,” they made their way quickly back to the house. He knew the house as well as his own, and located the platters quickly, adding heavy foil and tongs to the pile.
A flurry of activity began as potato salads, slaw and beans landed on long picnic tables, along with burger toppings of every variety. Jars of home canned pickles, tomato, onion, and fresh cucumber relish stretched across the table on the lawn below the deck. Kelsey scurried into the kitchen grabbing Nate to help her bring out more serving spoons, and another stack of paper plates.
“How often do gatherings like this happen here?” Natalie asked.
“About two or three times a summer. Our neighbors on the lake show up for the summer picnics, if they can make it, but not so much in winter. Some lock up their lake cabins before the deep snow hits.”
Natalie, absorbing the sense of belonging, had the first pangs of loss. She always longed for this kind of connection. Grandpa Pete had knit into her heart a deep sense of unconditional love. Witnessing this tight community, she wondering if she could find it here as well.
After the tables were filled to overflowing, Dale blew an ear ringing whistle that called the clan to dinner. Lines formed as plates strained under the weight of burgers, hot dogs, salads, melon, and corn on the cob. Scattering to tables, lawn chairs, and blankets on the lawn, groups formed to consume the feast.
Music floated through the air, reverberating off the lake. Laughter mixed with steady conversation and the whisper of a breeze through the cottonwood trees.
Relaxing on a blanket, Kelsey stretched to make room for one more slice of melon. “Mom wanted me to extend an invitation to you. Anytime you want a home cooked meal and some company she would like you to feel welcome at the lake. Obviously if you came up here you could stay in my old room, so you wouldn’t have to drive all the way back to town”
“I’d like that. Does she have my cell number so she can reach me?”
Kent added, “Let me know if you plan to visit. Maybe I could catch a ride with you. I often drive up to invite myself over for some of the best pie in the state
After the meal, Kent and Kelsey were recruited to head up a baseball game. Three girls, who appeared to be around thirteen, asked Natalie to join their game of croquet. She spent the late afternoon giggling with them about boys, clothes, and bands she barely recognized, but it was great. Even if she suddenly felt old at twenty-three.
Another loud whistle from Kelsey’s Dad signaled that the homemade ice cream was ready. “How can I find room for any more food?” Nate groaned.
The fresh strawberry pie had been Kent’s first choice, followed by home churned vanilla ice cream topped with peaches. Now Kelsey wanted Kent to try a melt in your mouth brownie. “No more Kels, I’ve got a food baby as it is.” He said as he patted the slight rise on his gut.
“I plan to sneak some of these brownies home, they are to die for,” Natalie moaned as she snuck one more bite.
“Want to know the best part about these parties? Leftovers for days. Delicious food filling our refrigerator.” Kelsey high fived Natalie, looking forward to the multi-day feast.
Families with younger kids were the first to head home. Followed by older folks who just didn’t like to drive after dark. A few neighbors lived close by and walked home along a path that circled the lake. Two or three took their boats to get back to their cabins. Dale lit the campfire at the pit down by the lake as stars began to appear in the deepening purple twilight.
Natalie, flanked by Kels and Kent, warmed her legs by the fire while Kent twirled a marshmallow on a long stick, toasting it carefully. “Damn,” he muttered as it blazed. He brought it close to his face blowing it out. Kent pulled the blackened marshmallow off the stick, intending to toss it in the fire. Before he could release it, Nate grabbed his hand rescuing the confection.
“I like the burnt ones,” Nate said as she held the marshmallow to cool. She placed the sticky confection on her tongue. “Yummy. That was perfect.” Kent imagined himself licking what was left of the marshmallow off her fingers. His shorts tightened, arousal heading south. He distracted himself for a moment, allowing time to regain control by fishing another marshmallow out of the bag then stabbed it a little forcefully with the stick.
Kelsey’s phone vibrated in her pocket. After answering it, she immediately handed it over to Natalie, “who would be giving me a call on your cell?”
“Seth.”
Puzzled she asked “Hi Seth, didn’t I give you my number?” After a pause she added, “I hadn’t thought about the signal up here.” Standing, she walked away from the fire into the shadow of the evening to talk with a little more privacy. Kent could hear her animated laugh trilling, and longed to hear Nate’s lilting voice respond to him precisely that way.
“So Nate and Seth, it’s the real deal?” Kent asked Kelsey.
“Surprises the hell out of me too.” She shrugged, giving up any responsibility for her friend’s choice in men.
“I don’t like it,” he frowned.
“Not our decision. I’m worried about her too, but, either way she is only here temporarily. End of summer, she moves on. Maybe it’s for the best. Seth has never been the kind of guy to get too attached.”
“Still, it pisses me off. What if he hurts her?”
“Kent, you can’t guarantee that she would have been safe with you.”
“I guess I didn’t see this coming. I’m not sure I can just hang around Ashwood and watch Seth make his moves on her all summer. I would like to get out of town for a while. Hey Kels, are there any spots left for guides on the Deschutes trip? I need to get some distance.”
“What about your job at Whitewater Homes?”
“Seth just might be relieved if I disappear for a couple weeks. I didn’t say anything before. This bruise on my jaw, I asked for it, and Seth delivered.”
“Shit, I figured you got hit by a board while windsurfing. Well, if you want to take a break, we always have a spot for the most experienced river guide around.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Early Monday morning Seth began prioritizing his projects for the work week. Opening up his email, he found a short note from Kent at the top of his messages. It had arrived at about two this morning. After reading the brief note, Seth mumbled, “Didn’t know you were that spineless. Couldn’t even talk to me face to face?”
His office was a large space separated off the workroom floor at the corner of the large old mill building. Heavy old growth timber beams towered high above his growing construction business.
At the opposite end of the complex, a portion of the mill was still in operation, providing lumber for the area as well as the tiny homes he built. Three other buildings sat vacant, waiting for someone to see potential in the large industrial s
pace.
“Maybe it’s best to give him a couple of weeks to cool off.” Seth mumbled, as he sent a quick note back. He let Kent know his job would be waiting for him, as long as he didn’t plan to take leave for more than a month. Kent, one of the most respected river rafting guides in the area, took a few weeks off here and there each summer. Seth understood the itch. Kent had a drive to push himself against the elements, but that drive also translated into a hot temper from time to time.
In various stages of completion, three projects begged his attention. A modern cabin would be hauled up to Osprey Lake to sit on a permanent foundation once the finishing details were completed. Adding a deck would take few additional days.
At the opposite end of his build spectrum, his crew had just begun a small sixteen foot mobile tiny home with a curved aerodynamic roof. Portability motivated the owner, as he had the itch to move as the seasons changed. Keeping the home light and easy to maintain directed every choice of this modern sleek structure.
Natalie’s home challenged Seth to try something new. He had built food trucks several times before. The boom of this market in Portland had been, and continued to be, one of his primary moneymakers. Housing a compact commercial kitchen was difficult to blend with comfortable livability. Adding a window for customers put his design skills to the test, because he wanted Natalie to feel cozy in her home.
Natalie’s long wish list had arrived by e-mail a few weeks ago. Reviewing that again, he checked off boxes in his mind, easy to move, reasonably self-contained, a spot to stow her camera gear, plenty of storage for the business, a lofted bedroom and one indulgence, a rooftop deck.
Her home build was still barely beyond the drawing board. Normally that might make Seth nervous, but having this particular client hanging around, while checking on his progress, now offered certain positive benefits.
Seth jotted notes for each project. Losing Kent for a couple weeks might slow work marginally. His finish carpenter, Carlos, a gifted artisan in his forties, liked to work alone. Carlos found that the intricate cabinets and cubby holes were often better imagined in quiet solitude. To Carlos, each tiny build was a unique puzzle.
The large door rumbled as Rick rolled the metal monster open, flooding the interior of the huge shop with sunlight. Momentarily blinded, Seth could see only the outline of Rick’s silhouette against the glare.
Rick turned round, talking to somebody outside, who must have just arrived. When her curves appeared in black outline, Seth held his breath for a moment. He both relished and resented the unchecked response his body had to Natalie.
“Seth, come on out!” he yelled, “Our little latte is here.”
“Little latte?” Natalie laughed, a little confused.
Rick explained, “. We were joking about your small coffee shop on wheels and the name sort of stuck. I thought it was catchy.”
“I like it!” she smiled up at the muscular man as he towered over her, and considered using the name permanently.
“Nate, I hope you will be around a lot during the project,” Rick said holding her gaze a little longer than necessary.
Seth stepped in, pulling Natalie away from Rick. A not so subtle possession of her personal space. “Actually Natalie plans to help out with the work on her home. We will be a little shorthanded for a while. I just got a message from Kent that he is taking a two week guiding trip on the Deschutes.”
“With Kelsey?” Nate asked, shocked by the change of plans.
“Yeah, Kent wants to get out on the river. He will be back once he’s worked it out of his system.”
“Strange, Kelsey didn’t say anything to me this morning, and I think she was headed into town to pick up supplies for the trip. Come to think of it, Kent didn’t say anything yesterday up at the lake.”
Rick grumbled, “Typical Kent.
“It’s cool, Rick, if we get behind I’ve got a couple of guys I know who would be happy to have some temp work.”
“Whatever. How about I finish up the work on the curved roof? Unless you have something else in mind,” he said, walking toward the back of the shop to gather his tools.
“That’s exactly what I had in mind. Just let me know if you need an extra set of hands.”
Seth led Natalie to his office. The partitioned area in the corner of the shop looked over the work floor through a large dusty window. Sketches for her home covered the top of an ancient drafting table. Stepping up to the table, Natalie beamed. She could now finally visualize proof of her passage from her past to her future.
Feeling the need to touch Natalie, Seth moved behind her. The heat of his firm thighs and chest molded to her rounded butt and sleek curve of her back.
For a moment, she leaned into him, but then pulled slightly away. “Seth, everything about you calls to me. But when we are here at your business, I’d like to keep things professional, especially around your employees.”
He put a few feet between them, “Professional, right. No problem”, but after hours you are mine, his traitorous mind screamed.
Morning passed quickly, researching commercial espresso equipment, coffee grinders, and a larger than usual refrigerator. As she planned the layout of the kitchen. Seth realized he had underestimated the space for goods that she needed to stock to run her business day to day. As she struggled with this dilemma, she wondered about possible solutions aloud, “I guess I could sleep on the floor and the cups and lids can have my bed.”
“Don’t worry, Natalie. Carlos finds space where there is none. Why don’t you come up with a detailed list of supplies you need? It will give Carlos an idea about the layout for the storage space. If we underestimate you really could be bunking with coffee beans.”
Her stomach growled. Natalie took that as a sign to move on. “I’m going to run home. If Kelsey is around I plan to spend time with her tonight before she takes off for the next few weeks.”
“Do you want to grab lunch first? You’ve gotta eat.” Seth needed to get her alone.
“Unfortunately,” she shook her head, “I will take a raincheck on that, Kelsey and I have a ton of leftovers from Sunday Brunch waiting to be eaten. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kent was there too. If they are leaving on this trip together, they are bound to drive to Oregon in the same truck. Would you like to come along?”
Seth considered going, if only to run interference with Kent, but reconsidered. “Not today. I need to touch base with my crew on a few projects. I will see you tomorrow. Let me walk you out to your truck.”
Once they crossed the threshold of the shop into the warm summer sunlight, Seth placed his hand on the small of her back, directing her to the far side of her truck. Using the vehicle as a shield from view, he bent his head to press his lips to hers while murmuring against her slightly opened mouth. “Natalie, I’ve needed this all morning.” Her tongue flicked along his bottom lip, increasing the level of want passing between them. Seth laced his fingers through her hair, heating the contact.
Each kiss left her wanting more. Each caress doubled the longing for his touch. Seth smiled against her lips as she sighed, then he pulled away. Staring into her bright blue eyes for a moment, as Natalie gained control of her scrambled senses.
Finally, she whispered, “I want to thank you for all we accomplished together today. I am finally able to visualize my future. You don’t know how much I need this to jump start my life.” Then he planted one last kiss before she climbed into her truck.
***
“That’s the last of the gear. We just need to add the coolers. Tomorrow morning we can leave at first light.” Kent slammed the rear door of his SUV closed.
Tightening the straps that secured her kayak to the top of his car, Kelsey added, “That’s the butt-crack of dawn. I’m not drinking much tonight at The Northside. I don’t want to feel like crap tomorrow. How did Seth take your sudden change of plans? You didn’t get fired from your construction job did you?”
“He didn’t say too much in his e-mail…If anything he wil
l be glad to have the work on Nate’s house slow down so he can tap that all summer.”
“Shut up, asshole, Natalie doesn’t deserve that. Jealousy doesn’t look good on you.”
“Sorry, Kels. Getting out of town will help my shitty attitude.”
Nate’s truck sent a cloud of dust into the air as she pulled up next to Kent’s SUV. Checking out the pile of gear attached to the vehicle she gasped, then laughed. “Looks like I missed all the fun. All you need is a gun turret on the roof and you will be ready for the zombie apocalypse.”
“Damn. It’s bolted to my other car,” Kent said tossing an arm around Nate as she gave him a hug.
“Hey Nate, do you mind if Kent crashes on the couch here tonight? Kelsey asked.
“After we get dinner at Northside.” Kent added, “That way we can get on the road before dawn.”
“Sounds like a great idea, but I won’t guarantee to see you off that early.”
All three headed back inside, when Kelsey suggested, “Why don’t we raid the refrigerator for lunch and then we can hang out for a while?”
In the backyard, a feast of leftovers made for a quick lunch. Kelsey scooped up another bit of potato salad, “Nate, I ran into Amanda in town. She’s a landscape photographer and thought you might like to spend an afternoon hiking with her sometime next week.” Kelsey pulled out her phone, “I’ve got her number if you want to add her to your contact list.”
“Really? I would love to take some shots of local landscapes. Amanda will know all the hidden gems around here.” Natalie added the contact information and sent a quick text Letting Amanda know she was interested in joining her on a hike.
Almost immediately, she heard from Seth’s sister, and a tentative day was set.
Kels wrapped up a few details, satisfied that Nate was making friends in the community.
Kent hung out with Nate to kill time before dinner, still drawn to know her better. “What do you miss most about Seattle?”