by Diana Ryan
He was sweet. Picking me up when I was down. I smiled through my tears.
He kissed the side of my head this time and then pulled back slightly. “Ava, you’re a great teacher. I’ve seen it in action. You can’t give up now. Hundreds of future school children will miss out.”
I laughed gently. “Thanks, Nolan.” I turned my head to meet Nolan’s eyes. They emanated sincere concern. My heart melted. He really cared about me.
“Anyway, I guess there’s not much I can do about it now. I’ll just have to really focus when school starts again in the fall.”
Nolan caught the last tear with his thumb before it could drip down my cheek. “You’re exactly right,” he said.
I looked around. There were two cabins on the right side of the fire and four on the left. Each cabin had olive green siding and a red roof and was basically the size of my parents’ living room. The large, two-story, white house stood on the corner of the lot. It looked like it had seen better days. There were a few old trees scattered throughout the lawn between the two rows of cabins, and there was a gravel driveway running up the left side of the property.
“Which one is yours?”
“Right here.” He pointed to the second cabin on the right side. “You want the grand tour?” He stood up and offered a hand.
Two crooked and wooden steps stood in front of a ragged screen door. As he led me through the door, I noticed a jacket hanging from a bright blue boat cleat screwed into the wall. We took a sharp turn to the left and were instantly in the space used as the living room, dining room, and bedroom. A small, hunter green, obviously used loveseat was pushed up against the window in the front wall. At the window on the opposite wall was a twin bed. Behind the wall by the front door was a tiny three-piece bathroom, and on the other side of the wall hosting his bed was a kitchen just as tiny as the bathroom. The overall feeling was definitely old, but it was clean and smelled faintly like cologne I had smelled once before.
“I’m trying to read your face, but I can’t tell what you’re thinking. Is it that bad?” Nolan kicked a lone sock out of sight under the bed.
“No, no, it’s very quaint. It’s perfect for your summer home.” I said sincerely. He smiled and leaned in to kiss me on the forehead, then moved his mouth deliciously close to my ear and whispered, “I’ve missed you.”
Nolan grabbed my hands and interlaced our fingers, twisting our arms up so he could hold my hands close to his quickly beating heart. He kissed my forehead again, and then let go of my hands so he could wrap his arms around my waist. The gap between us slowly closed as he pulled me in until our bodies touched. He buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath. It sounded like he said, “Mmmmm,” quietly, but I couldn’t be sure. Nolan rubbed his hands across the top of my back. There was something so satisfying about being held by Nolan. I felt so safe, so comfortable.
I had missed him, too. But how could this be? I had only met the guy a few weeks ago, but somehow I felt like I had been dating him for several months.
The side of my head snuggled right up into his shoulder, and I gently closed my eyes, allowing the feelings of peace and happiness to fill my heart.
As if there was music playing in his head, Nolan began to sway us back and forth like we were slow dancing. It was very sweet and gentle...and then a gargle from my stomach broke the whole serenity of our dance.
He pulled away, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Sorry, that was my stomach,” I smiled at him sheepishly. “I hope you had dinner plans for us.”
“Of course I do.” He grabbed his wallet and car keys off the table by his bed and led me by the hand out the door.
Outside his cabin was a silver car that looked very fast and very cool. I don’t know how I missed it when we were outside before. Like the gentleman that I knew him to be, Nolan walked over to the passenger side door, unlocked it, and opened it for me. I slid onto a very comfortable beige leather seat. The fancy control panel caught my eye while Nolan shut my door and walked around to the driver’s side. It had some type of sophisticated computer in the place where my Oldsmobile had only a radio. I gently moved my fingers over the dials and wondered where he got the money for such a fancy car. Nolan hadn’t entered the car yet—he was standing outside his door texting someone. I hoped it was his mom and not some old girlfriend.
He finally pulled open the door and sat down. “It’s no Cutlass, but I hope it’ll do.”
“Yes, I suppose I can handle it,” I teased.
He set the keys on a spot near the console and then pushed a button that I could only assume was the ignition since the car hummed to life, and he smoothly pulled out of the driveway. I knew nothing about cars, but I was totally impressed.
“I say let’s take your car whenever we go out.” I moved my hand over the console and placed my palm on his arm.
“So you’d like to go out with me more?” He moved his arm so his hand could hold mine in his.
“I don’t know what it is, but I feel very comfortable with you. I really enjoy your company.” The cutest smile slid across his lips. “So where are we going?” I said, not taking my eyes off his.
Nolan took me out to one of my favorite restaurants—High Rock Cafe. A classmate of mine from high school had studied in culinary school, and then a friend and he were able to open a two-story restaurant in a prime location on Broadway in the downtown area of the Dells.
We had plenty of conversation at dinner exploring each other’s history. He shared with me information about his family, high school experiences, and past relationships. I did the same, but left out most of the info about Aaron, especially the drama involved with that relationship. Besides, I had plenty of stories to share from high school. Almost three hours flashed by and we didn’t even notice the restaurant had cleared out. Our waitress finally hinted that we’d have to leave soon since they were closing.
We decided to take a little walk around and check out some of the shops that lined the main drag downtown. A four-lane bridge crossed over the river near the power dam and then under the railroad bridge that was still in use. Taking this former bridge was the only way to get to the downtown shopping area. Following the road past the bridge in the opposite direction for a few miles would run you straight into the town of Lake Delton. Along this road, you could see all the major water parks, go-kart tracks, mini-golf courses, and about fifty hotels. This road wasn’t very pedestrian friendly, though, so most of the shops and bars were in the downtown area on Broadway.
We walked all the way through the crowded sidewalks and down to the train bridge where we stopped to rest on a bench near the old Upper Dells dock building. This cream-colored, two-story building was original to the turn of the century when the boat tours were one of the few attractions in the Dells. It was big and beautiful and oozed tradition and history in my mind. I looked up at the humongous train bridge over our heads. “Did you know this bridge is the main reason the town of Wisconsin Dells was settled?”
“Once a tour guide, always a tour guide,” Nolan teased. I gave him a playful slap on the leg, and he said, “Okay, okay, go on with it. I’d love to know some more Dells history!”
“In the mid-1800s, a town called Newport sat several miles down the river from this point. In 1855, construction of a new railroad from Milwaukee to La Crosse was being planned to pass through the little town. The people of Newport knew the railroad’s passing would bring considerable wealth with new shops and factories. The men of Newport who owned land the railroad company desired jacked up their prices, looking to make a profit, but the railroad company saw through these men’s high prices and decided to build the railroad upriver about three miles at this exact site we sit at today. Knowing that a railroad would bring them wealth, the people of Newport packed up their things and moved their town to the site of the railroad, leaving the city of Newport a ghost town almost overnight. Old newspaper articles say entire houses were moved over the frozen river, pulled by mules. All that’s left of th
e lost city of Newport is a few stone pillars on the riverfront. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Interesting.”
I was sure he was only humoring me. Did anyone besides me think this stuff was incredibly neat? I went on purely to torture him. If he humored me more, then perhaps he was a keeper.
“You’re a very good teacher, you know. You make things that are boring sound interesting. I could sit here and listen to you all night long. I mean it!” He winked and put a hand on my knee. A pleasant chill ran down my spine. So he was either a keeper or very good at buttering me up.
“Well, I’d be happy to sit with you until 12:30. I know you are out on your own, but I have a curfew, you know.”
“Ah yes, 12:30. Don’t worry—I told you parents love me. Do you know why?”
“Um, because of your undeniable wit and charm?”
He didn’t expect that and laughed adorably. “No! Although that does make a lot of sense. Parents love me because I’m always respectful of the curfew.”
“Ah, the curfew. Right.”
“You will be home not a tick past 12:30, young lady! What time is it now, anyway?” Nolan pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed the button on the side. “Midnight already? Man, I’m going to hate to bring you back so soon.” Then he leaned over and kissed the side of my head, right above my ear.
I felt the same way. I stood up from the bench and said, “Well, mister, we better get walking back to the car.” He stood up and grabbed my hand in agreement. We happily walked hand in hand all the way back to the parking lot.
“What time do you have to work tomorrow?” I asked along the way.
“Tomorrow...” He was thinking. “I have tomorrow off. I almost forgot.”
“You do? So do I, actually!” Come on, Nolan, take the hint. I wanted so badly to spend the whole day with him.
We had returned to his car and I leaned my lower back near the bumper, while Nolan stood in front of me. I looked up at the clear sky filled with tiny sparkling stars and a half moon shining down on us from space—another beautiful night in the Dells. Nolan surprised me by picking me up by the hips and setting me down on the trunk of his fancy car.
“Really...you have tomorrow off?” he asked. I let my knees fall out and invited him to fill in the space with his body. I rested my arms on his shoulders and he wrapped his arms behind my waist. “Do you have any plans with the family?”
“No. I have nothing planned for tomorrow.” I ran my fingers through the hair on the back of his head. “Do you?” Our lips were almost touching, and I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead he said, “I do now. I’ll pick you up in the morning around ten,” and then he leaned in, gently rubbing his lips on mine. He reached up and stroked the side of my face with his warm hand. His body inched closer and closer until I could feel his broad chest on mine.
“Oh, Ava,” he breathed. Then he wrapped his lips tightly around mine, knowing how to make me fall undone.
It was a good thing I was already sitting, or my legs may have given out on me. I let the kiss continue, but too soon my head fought with my heart. “I have to get back,” I murmured through the kiss, not wanting to stop.
“One more minute,” he whispered back, still kissing me sweetly.
I wanted to never stop. I wanted to stay right there in the parking lot under an umbrella of summer stars forever.
Oh, what this man does to me.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning I woke up early, the kiss replaying over and over in my head. I was anxious for the day’s activities, although Nolan wouldn’t tell me what we were doing, only to be ready by ten. I took a shower, cleaned up my bedroom, and then headed downstairs to see what my parents were up to.
My father had taken a day off from work and was reading what looked like a very old scrapbook. My mother was at the stove frying eggs. I sat down on the couch next to my dad.
“What are you reading?” I looked over at the book.
“Haven’t I ever shown you this before? It’s been on our shelf in the living room for ages, and now I’m just getting around to looking closely at it. It’s a family document scrapbook. I’m interested in researching our family’s history. Your grandfather spent much of his short life interviewing family members, reading family documents, and visiting graveyards to try to trace our roots back as far as he could. He collected the items in this book before he died. I’m trying to honor his memory and continue on his quest.”
“That’s really cool, Dad,” I told him as he turned the pages.
“Your grandfather was able to go back one hundred years to your great-great grandfather Arthur Gardner. I figure with today’s technology, I could go back another hundred!”
I watched as Dad turned the pages in the old book. I spotted a picture of a man and a woman holding a tiny baby in front of an old farmhouse.
“Who is that?”
“That’d be Edna and Arthur Gardner. Edna is holding your great-grandfather, Robert. They lived on the outskirts of the Dells in the early 1900s. I think Robert was born in the latter part of 1913.”
I looked closer at the old black and white photo and noticed something in the window of the house. It looked like the blue rock I found a few years ago in the basement and is now sitting on the bookshelf in my bedroom. I always thought that rock was something my parents found on one of their vacations abroad, but now that I thought about it, both rocks looked an awfully lot like the strange blue rock I almost tumbled down the hill to gather.
My father noticed me studying the picture and interrupted my train of thought. “It was unusual for families to get their photo taken in front of their own homes. Most people had to go to the photographer’s studio. In this case, H.H. Bennett was probably one of the only photographers in the Dells at the time, and his studio was downtown.” He flipped the photo over to look for markings on the back but didn’t find anything. Then he went back to studying the front of the picture, presumably looking for hints. “What’s this in the window?”
“Oh, I think that’s that blue rock. I’ve been wondering, Dad, what is the story on that?”
“Well, you know, I’m not exactly sure myself. Your mother and I found it in a box of junk at your Grandma’s house several winters ago. She must have packed it up when we moved her into the nursing home and the box has sat all closed up in the cellar of our basement for many years. I took it because I remember looking at it as a kid. It was on the mantle above the fireplace for many years, until one day my mother took it down and boxed it up.”
“I found it in our basement, and now it’s up in my room on my bookshelf.”
“It’s in your room?” He looked startled, and I heard my mom drop a dish in the sink.
“Oh, sorry, Dad. I guess I should have asked first. Do you want me to put in back in the basement?”
“No, no. You won’t be here much longer before you have to go back to school anyway.” He went back to flipping through the book.
I wondered what that meant. Obviously the rock had sentimental value to my father. I had taken it up to college with me this past year, as a memento of home, but now I would have to remember to put it back in the basement instead of taking it with me back to school.
Back to school.
I hadn’t mentioned my academic failures to my parents yet. I was legally an adult, and old enough to make my own decisions about my life, but somehow I still felt like a child under my parents’ rule. They would be disappointed when I told them about my academic probation, that was for sure. Maybe they didn’t have to know. At least not yet.
I looked over at my dad, still paging through the scrapbook and taking notes. I was so proud of my father. He was always a goal-orientated person and never a quitter. I was sure he wouldn’t stop until he traced our family line at least a hundred years further than my grandfather had.
I couldn’t quit, either. I had to do better next semester.
“Good luck, Dad.” I said. “Let me know if I can do anything
to help.” I kissed him on the forehead and walked into the kitchen to say good morning to my mother.
“How was your date last night?” she asked.
“It was good, Mom. I really like Nolan.” I picked up a piece of toast and began to butter it.
She poured a glass of orange juice and handed it to me. “Nolan seems like a very nice young man.”
“Thanks, Mom. I think so too.” I took a bite of toast, chewing for a few seconds before I continued. “I’m going to spend the day with him. You don’t think it’s too soon, do you?” I knew not a lot of people were able to have an open relationship with their mother, but I was happy that I felt comfortable talking with her about my love life.
“If it feels right, then it’s not too soon.” She took a drink of juice from her own cup. “You have a good head on your shoulders, Ava. I’m not at all concerned that you are jumping into anything before you are ready.” She scooped up some eggs with her fork and poked them in the air at me. “But with that said, make sure you aren’t jumping into anything before you are ready, if you know what I mean.”
I knew exactly what she meant.
Later I sat on the couch in the front living room pretending to read the paper. I was really stealing glances out the front window at Animal Island. Nolan’s car wasn’t parked outside of his cabin. I wondered where he was and if the clock could move a bit faster so ten o’clock could roll around.
I tried to busy myself with the newspaper until I noticed Nolan’s car pull up in front of the house. I jumped up, grabbed my bag, and yelled to my parents that I was heading out.
Nolan was out of the car and coming up the walkway when I met him. He kissed me quick on the lips and said “Good morning, beautiful.”
“It was a long night without you,” I said flirtatiously.
“I agree. But at least we have the whole day to spend with each other.”
I smiled at him, and then he turned and we got inside the fancy silver car. “Where are we off to this morning?” I inquired while I buckled my seatbelt.