Howl at the Loon (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 6)

by Susan C. Daffron

  At a break in the conversation during dessert, Robin clinked her glass a few times and stood up. She cleared her throat and waited for the chatter to subside. Finally, Nigel uttered an incredibly loud, jarring whistle and everyone was silent.

  Robin smiled at him. “Thanks. Everyone, I have to make a little announcement before you all get ready to go home. When you return to work next week, you’ll receive an evaluation form, so you can review this retreat and your experience. Darrell has asked me to tell you that he would like you to fill it out completely and honestly. I’ll probably see you tomorrow when you check out, but I hope you all have a safe trip back to Portland.” Robin sat down and breathed a sigh of relief. At last, her final official duty was complete.

  Emily said, “An evaluation? Does that mean we’re going to have to do this again?”

  Robin shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  Terri said, “We’d better not. I certainly never want a repeat of that stupid team-building stuff!”

  “I have an idea!” Nigel waved his hand. “What if we all say it’s great? Darrell will assume everything went off perfectly and he’ll decide everything is fine, right? We’re all a team and have had all the training we could possibly have. Everything is marvelous and we’re done forever!”

  Alec made a wry face. “Maybe. Or he’ll think it’s such a fantastic idea, he’ll turn it into an annual event.”

  “He wouldn’t do that. We’re already trained! What more could we learn?” Nigel said. “If we say we didn’t learn anything, we’ll have to do more training.”

  “Ugh.” Terri put her forehead on her palm. “I have got to find a new job.”

  Emily said, “I think Nigel is right. Let’s all agree to say the retreat was fine. Good, even.” She smiled at Alec. “With special kudos to Alec for fixing the sink in my room!”

  “And the broken drawer in mine.” Moira said, “Yes, three cheers for Alec!”

  A few more people mentioned other things Alec had fixed and Robin smiled at the uncomfortable look on his face. He got up and said, “It was no big deal. And now I need to finish packing. Safe travels everyone. I’ll see you back in Portland.”

  More people thanked him before he left the lodge. Robin nibbled around the edges of her cookie. How had he fixed all those things? And when had he? No wonder the complaints had died down.

  She got up, wished everyone a good night, and walked out into the darkness. A bark broke the stillness and Robin recognized it as a happy Leroy woof. Alec must have taken the dog for an evening outing. She walked down the path toward her cabin and looked up across the lake. The Milky Way was shining brightly, a band of sparkles across the huge blue-black expanse of sky, which made her perpetual worries about losing her job seem insignificant. Just one minuscule event affecting one tiny being in an enormous galaxy. If she had to get a new job and move, she’d figure something else out. She always did.

  Leroy bounded up to her with the rope in his mouth. Robin took the end of the rope. “Hi Leroy. You’re into this tug-of-war thing, aren’t you? If you let go, I can throw it for you.”

  Alec walked up. “If you say, ‘drop it,’ he will.”

  She looked down at the dog. “Leroy, drop it.”

  The dog released his lower jaw, and the rope plopped to the ground. Robin bent to pick it up and threw it down the path. Leroy bounded after it, snuffling along the ground in the area where the rope had landed.

  Robin said, “I’m guessing Leroy is going home with you.”

  “Yes. No one has called. The vet gave him a clean bill of health today. He’s all vaccinated and legal now. I just need to put his new rabies tag on his collar. She also recommended some food to help fatten him up a little.”

  “Make sure you get an ID tag, but get a permanent marker and write your phone number on his collar too.” Leroy bumped her leg with his nose and Robin threw the rope again. “I didn’t realize you were fixing half the lodge this week.”

  “It’s kind of falling apart. But it didn’t take much to repair the little annoying things people were complaining about.” He picked up the rope Leroy had dropped at his feet and threw it. “I don’t understand why Ernie doesn’t fix it up.”

  “Where did you find tools?”

  “I had them with me.”

  Robin gestured back toward the lodge as they walked. “Who brings tools to call-center training?”

  “They were in the Jeep, which I borrowed from my dad because I had to haul so much junk down here. My car is too small.”

  “What does your father do?”

  “For years he was an electrician, but now he manages part of the complex where I live.”

  Robin turned to throw the rope. “That’s great! Dad can be your dog walker.”

  “I don’t think so. I’ll ask him, but his arthritis is getting worse and I bet he’ll say no. That’s why he sold the business. All those years crawling around under houses in the mud is hard on your joints.”

  “I suppose so. I bet he’ll love Leroy though.”

  Alec grinned. “Yeah, and like you said, I can get a dog walker to come in and give Leroy some exercise during the day.”

  Robin stopped at the path that led to her side of the Pine Cone cabin and faced him. “Well, I guess I’ll see you back at work, assuming I still am employed after Darrell sees the reviews.”

  “I think you will be. You did a good job. I’ll vouch for you, if that’s what you want.” His gaze met hers and he stepped closer to her. Extremely close, so their legs were practically touching. “Is that what you want?”

  Robin stood mutely, staring into his eyes, which were an intense teal blue in the dim light. Unable to think of anything, she mumbled, “Um,” as he tilted his head to kiss her. The kiss was gentle at first, then increased in intensity as he pulled her closer. Electric thrills shot through her body and Robin threw her arms around his neck. It had been so long since she had been in a man’s arms. She’d been lonely for what seemed like forever. The contact was warm and intoxicating. One of the combs in her hair fell out and landed on the ground, but she didn’t care. It would be fine with her if he never let go.

  With a low groan, Alec stepped back, away from her. “I’m sorry. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, but I shouldn’t have. It was extremely unprofessional.”

  “Unprofessional? What do you mean unprofessional?” Robin said breathlessly. More like amazing. Hadn’t he noticed? It couldn’t just be her imagination. Could it? She put her hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath. “And you’re sorry? Are you frickin’ kidding me?”

  He picked up the comb and handed it to her. “We work together.”

  “Yes, I’m well aware of that. But I barely saw you before this week. You were a name on an email.”

  “I haven’t looked at an org chart lately, but technically, you probably work for me.”

  Robin glanced down at Leroy, who was sitting next to them with a concerned look on his face. “It’s okay, Leroy.” She looked at Alec again. Now that her heart rate and hormones had settled down a bit, her mental faculties were returning, along with a serious case of frustration-induced anger. “I promise I won’t sue you for harassment. Is that what you’re getting at?”

  “No. It’s just that getting involved with people from work isn’t a good idea.”

  “Son of a motherless goat! I don’t believe this. You’ve got a whole lot of nerve.” Robin jammed the comb back into her hair. “Fine. I can take a hint.” The sad lack of male company since she’d moved meant it had been a while since she’d been rejected too. As it turned out, the experience was even less fun than she remembered.

  Alec took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry. Drive safely, okay?”

  Robin shook her hand out of his and nodded, too infuriated to look at his face. She bent to give Leroy a goodbye pat. “Be good and have fun in your new home.”

  Robin slept fitfully, having spent most of the night reliving the kiss with Alec in her mind. What had ha
ppened? Yes, she hadn’t had a date since she’d moved to Portland, but she couldn’t have forgotten everything, could she? It hadn’t been that long. Finally, she gave up on sleep, figuring that for once, the cold shower in her cabin might be a good thing.

  She went to the front desk and collected all the keys as everyone checked out. The key to Pine Cone 2 was already on its hook, which wasn’t a surprise. She knew Alec and Leroy had left at the crack of dawn. She rolled the office chair across the floor. It was no longer rickety. Apparently, Alec had fixed the wobbly chair at some point too.

  After throwing the last suitcases into her car and writing a note to Ernie, she stood and stared out at the lake. It was a glorious morning, as if the sun were making up for its frequent absences during the last week. The air was vibrant and pine-scented. Taking one last deep breath, she got into her car and drove north toward Alpine Grove and Kat’s house.

  She slowed the car at the turn to the driveway. The creek was flowing through a large, shiny metal pipe that was covered with a lot of large rocks. A makeshift bridge had been constructed out of a number of long pieces of wood that traversed the rocks. Robin carefully drove across the bridge and down the long, muddy driveway to the house.

  As she parked her car, she glanced in her rearview mirror. Kat was walking down the front steps of the house with Emma. Robin rushed out of the car, crouched, and held out her hands. Kat dropped the leash and Emma ran into Robin’s arms. After getting many doggie kisses from Emma, Robin stood and picked up the leash. “Are you ready to go home, Em?” The dog danced around her with delight.

  Kat walked up to them and smiled. “I love a happy reunion.”

  Robin untangled herself from the leash. “Let me put her in the car.” After loading the dog into the backseat, she turned back to Kat and handed her a check. “I have a little cash-flow problem. It would be great if you could wait a week to deposit this. I put the date on the check. That’s when my next paycheck comes in. Otherwise this check might not clear. I’m getting reimbursed for my expenses on this trip, but I’m not sure how long that will take.”

  Kat looked down at the piece of paper. “All right.”

  “I’m so sorry. This is embarrassing. But moving to Portland cost a fortune. Sometimes I wish I’d never taken this job.”

  “Well, no job is forever. If you don’t like it, you can always do something else.”

  “I know, although I’m not sure what I’d do. I’m afraid I still haven’t figured out what I want to be when I grow up.”

  Kat grinned. “Join the club.”

  Robin gestured toward the forest. “But you seem so settled. And you’re doing the whole dog-boarding business and everything.”

  “In between panic attacks, yes. Starting a business is expensive.” She pointed at the house. “Fortunately, Joel and my friend Maria spend a lot of time talking me down from the ledge.”

  Robin laughed. “You’re lucky. I think the thing I miss most is just hanging out with my friends. Talking on the phone isn’t the same.”

  “I’m sure you’ll make new friends. I’m amazed how many people I’ve met since I moved here.”

  “It’s different in a small town, I think. I spend all day working and never meet anyone new. And most of the people I work with are women. At this rate, I may never go on a date again.”

  Kat grinned, “Don’t feel bad. My friend Maria is having the same problem here. She refers to Alpine Grove as a dating wasteland.”

  Robin said, “It’s a good thing I’m leaving then. I certainly have enough problems in that area as it is.” Being so egregiously rejected by Alec hadn’t exactly done much to build her confidence either.

  They said goodbye and Robin set out for home. Emma curled up in the backseat and settled in for the long ride. Robin was glad to have some time to think. What she’d said to Kat was true. Here she was, more than thirty years old, and she had never figured out a real career. It was just plain sad. In college, she’d majored in business and that had led to various boring jobs that mostly didn’t use her degree. It didn’t matter though, since it wasn’t like she was utterly enthralled with business or the classes she had taken. In high school, her friend Amanda had been a math whiz, so it was no surprise when she majored in math and went on to get her PhD. She had loved math and everything to do with numbers forever. Now she was teaching math and got to talk about what she loved every day.

  No one specific thing had ever interested Robin so much that she wanted to spend all day every day doing it. She was interested in lots of different things. Even though Robin liked science okay in school, she couldn’t imagine how scientists could stand talking about nothing except science all day. How could anyone stand it? Robin’s lack of specialized expertise was like the old saying—she was a Jacqueline of all trades and master of none.

  Everyone seemed to have a dream job in mind except her. What were you supposed to do if you didn’t know what your dream job was? Maybe something was wrong with her. All the career guides talked about combining your skills with your passion. But she wasn’t particularly passionate about anything. Robin was sort of good at a lot of things, but not really good at one specific thing.

  It had always been that way. Being average was so boring. Every time she read her alumni magazine, she got depressed. It seemed like all of her classmates were busily climbing the career ladder while she was still flailing around trying to get off the bottom rung. She couldn’t even pay for dog boarding. How pathetic was that?

  Everyone always said that Robin was great at dealing with people. That was her only definable skill, and she’d demonstrated it again by not killing Terri or anyone else at the retreat. But “able to put up with other people’s petty nonsense” wasn’t exactly something you could put on a resume.

  Robin’s experience with putting numbers into spreadsheet software was quantifiable, and it seemed like that was all the drones in human resources departments cared about. Most of the jobs she’d had bored her silly, and Eagle River was turning out to be no exception. How did those people in the magazines end up being vice-presidents at twenty-five? What secret did they have? Were they really so different? Maybe it was that elusive passion for something. Or more experimentation with new experiences. Robin could be like Grandma Moses and finally discover her true gift when she was in her seventies. Oh boy, only forty years to go.

  If nothing else, the retreat had been a good escape from her regular life. Even if it hadn’t been a vacation, she’d done a lot of different things and had new experiences. She’d solved problems and made things happen. And for once, she hadn’t been bored. Not even once. So that was definitely an improvement.

  Emma sat up in the backseat and stared out the window at the countryside flying by. Robin glanced in her rearview mirror and smiled at the contemplative look on the dog’s face. “Oh Em, I wish I didn’t have to go back to work. Maybe I should try to find another job. Again. Ugh, what are we going to do?”

  Emma wagged her tail enthusiastically, but didn’t seem to have any answers.

  Robin sighed. “Yeah, I have no clue either.”

  Kat walked in the front door, took off her coat, and went into the kitchen. Joel was sitting at the dining room table eating a sandwich. He had a number of purplish bruises on his forearms from various mishaps with wayward rocks during the Great Culvert Replacement Project. Kat’s body had been equally battered by the experience. It would be a relief once the load limits were removed from the roads. Then they could have a truck come out with a big load of rock that would fix the entrance to the driveway permanently, so they could get rid of the temporary bridge. Joel had suggested that they redo the entire driveway all the way up to the house at the same time. It was a reasonable, if expensive, suggestion, since dodging the sucking mud bogs and swampy craters had become virtually impossible.

  He put the sandwich down on the plate. “Is Emma gone?”

  “Yes. Emma and Robin were so happy to see each other—it was cute.” Kat flipped the check o
nto the table. “I can’t do anything with this yet though. Apparently Robin is having financial problems.”

  Joel sighed and rubbed his eyes with his fists. “Great.”

  “I know. I’ve got to be the world’s worst businesswoman. You know how Robin has that sweet sugary voice? It kind of makes you want to just nod and agree with anything she says. I just stood there like an idiot when she was talking about the money.”

  He scratched his chin. “Have you talked to Maria?”

  “Not lately. She called and left a message the other day while I was standing in the creek and dragging rocks around with you.”

  “Okay.”

  Kat sat down in the chair next to him. “Is this seriously bothering you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t see why. I called the people in Clark County, Nevada. No one with my name got a license to marry Ned.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t understand why you think I need to talk to Ned. Because I’d rather not.”

  “You know what didn’t happen. Don’t you want to know what did happen?”

  “Not really.”

  He looked at her. “I do. You don’t just abandon a woman in a bathroom in the middle of the desert for no reason.”

  “Well of course, you wouldn’t. But you’re not a loser. Trying to understand the inner workings of a loser’s mind…well, to be honest, I don’t think you can do it.”

  Joel shook his head. “It seems so wrong. I mean, he had to have stolen something. Or done something. You don’t run for no reason. If he wasn’t out to marry you, why go to Vegas? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Not everyone is as rational as you are. But Maria said she’d ask around and see if anyone knows where he is now. The guy was Sharon’s friend. I didn’t know her well, but Maria is still in touch.” Kat stood up, walked behind his chair, and started rubbing his shoulders. “I don’t see why you care.”

  Joel groaned and leaned his forehead on the table so Kat could reach more sore muscles. “I don’t know. It’s probably stupid, but it bugs me.”