by Ginny Aiken
Despite countless marathon sessions with his business, he couldn’t ever remember being so tired, but this was a good tired. For two days they’d done nothing but walk and sightsee, and despite knowing how stiff he was going to be tomorrow, he knew he’d never regret it. He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath of the cool ocean air. A particularly cold gust caused them both to shiver, but he didn’t want to go inside. Without speaking, he gently rested his hands on Sharmane’s shoulders and guided her to stand with her back nestled into him so they could stand together for warmth. He kept one hand on her shoulder and covered her hand holding the railing with his.
She was so short he could comfortably rest his chin on the top of her head. She didn’t protest, and except for the odd strand of hair blowing up to tickle his face, nothing moved except the air around them and the gentle vibration and slight rocking of the moving ferry.
If he could make time stand still, this would be the moment. Already, he had to acknowledge how much he would miss her when their time together was up.
He had never been the sentimental type, but he was accumulating a host of souvenirs so that he would never forget this short week.
Deep down inside, he had to know that Sharmane would not easily forget him. He had more or less tagged along on her dream, but she had created his. He knew she had plenty of photos with him in them, but he wanted to be more than a fond reminder relegated to an old box of vacation memories. He wanted her to think of him often, because he knew he would think of her every day.
During the few minutes they had not been together at the gift shop at the Butchart Gardens, he’d bought the watch she’d been so enamored with.
The woman had elegant taste. When he paid for the watch, he confirmed what he suspected when she first looked at it. What she assumed were rhinestones adorning the watch were really diamonds. No doubt when she saw it out of the display case she would realize that, and knowing Sharmane, she would also question his ability to pay for it. As much as he battled with it, he knew that when their vacation was over his conscience would not let them separate without telling her who he really was. Once she knew, she wouldn’t question the expense. Also, once she knew, he doubted she would ever want to see him again because of his deceit.
Alex squeezed his eyes shut and pressed himself closer to Sharmane. He couldn’t lie to himself; he was deceiving her. He prayed God would forgive him, but he didn’t want to take the chance that when he told her the truth, everything would change. Sunday he would confess, but until then, as difficult as it was, he would continue to keep his secrets.
He knew she was starting to wonder what it was he was hiding, and so far he’d been able to circumvent her questions, but he didn’t know how long he would be able to keep it up and still remain credible.
He bowed his head and nuzzled his face into her hair, wondering if this would be the only time he’d be able to hold her like this, using the cold for an excuse. In not being completely honest with her, he was forfeiting his right to do what he most wanted, and that was to court her properly.
“Did you feel that? It’s starting to rain.”
Alex raised his head, and a drop of rain landed on his forehead. “It’s just a drop or two. It might stop.” He prayed for it to stop. He didn’t want the moment to be broken.
The drizzle increased. She moved, forcing him to release her. “It’s not. We’d better go inside.”
The mood inside was nothing like the early morning trip. Most people were sitting quietly, the outer decks on all levels were all but deserted, and with the exception of the noise of the ferry’s engine, all was quiet.
Sharmane sat in one of the padded seats beside the window, so Alex lowered himself beside her. It was good to get his weight off his feet, but he would have preferred to be outside in the cool air to stay alert.
“So where do you think we should go tomorrow?”
Alex fought to hold back a yawn. “Is there anything we can do that we won’t have to walk all day? I’m positive we walked twice as much today as we did yesterday.”
Her eyebrows scrunched, and she squeezed her lips together in such a way that her mouth tilted. “I don’t know. I doubt it. Let me think.” Her blond hair hung in a straggly mess around her face, and she swiped one hand through it to push it back.
He forced himself to look away. The urge to kiss her was almost overwhelming. Instead, he pressed himself into the soft seat, stretched his weary legs out in front of him, and draped one arm behind her along the back of the chair.
Outside, the rain increased to a steady drone. Every once in awhile, the wind splattered a gust of rain against the window. Inside the ferry’s sitting area, all was warm and dry.
“It’s probably going to rain all day, so we’ll have to pick something indoors.”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
“You’re probably all flowered out, so I guess you don’t want to go to Queen Elizabeth Park to see the conservatory where all the flowers are.”
“You got that right.”
If he couldn’t kiss her, then he had to touch her. Alex brushed his fingers along her shoulder, and when she didn’t seem to mind he pulled her just a little closer. She took him up on his hint and rested her head on his shoulder.
“What about the art gallery?”
There weren’t many places that attracted tourists where he would see some of the upper crust people he knew, but the art gallery would surely be one of them, and therefore, he refused to go there. “Nope. Too boring.”
“I guess going up the gondola and taking a hike on Grouse Mountain is out. You wouldn’t count the long drive as being inside, would you?”
He rested his head against the side of hers, smiling to himself at the softness of her hair. “Nope.”
“I have a coupon for skydiving at that place in Matsqui. You don’t have to walk, you just kind of fall.”
He let his eyes drift shut. “You’re joking, right?” he mumbled.
Sharmane chuckled. She had been joking, but she knew someone who had tried skydiving once. An instructor went down with the person to make sure the parachute opened properly and all went well. She didn’t really want to do such a dangerous thing, but she had to ask, just to see his reaction—which was exactly as she expected.
“Yes, I’m joking. Besides, I don’t think they do parachuting in the rain. We could go to the Vancouver Aquarium at Stanley Park. That’s indoors. But it means walking.”
“Uh-uh.”
Sharmane felt his head press into the top of hers a little more. She could see that he was tired, after all, for two days they had done nothing but walk, but she really couldn’t think of anything touristy that involved sitting. For a few minutes, she tried to think of something to do that didn’t involve too much walking.
“How about the Pacific Space Center? They have lots of features to sit for. I hear the laser show is great.”
She waited, but there was no response. Sharmane was about to lift her head when she heard Alex’s soft snore.
Chapter 5
Alex pocketed the tickets, led Sharmane to one of the rear cars, and stood behind her as she climbed the two stairs.
She turned her head back over her shoulder and smiled so sweetly he nearly stumbled. “I’ve never been on a real train. Taking the Royal Hudson was such a great idea!”
“It came to me in a moment of genius.”
She rolled her eyes and harrumphed, and they stepped into the car to select their seats. Alex motioned Sharmane to take the window seat, and they waited for all the passengers to board.
She was being so polite about it, but he still felt stupid about last night. The last thing he remembered was discussing suggestions for the remainder of their vacation, and the next thing he knew Sharmane was shaking him, saying that they were about to dock.
The hour-long drive between her house and his was taking its toll. In addition to the late hours, all the driving, the lack of sleep, and two days of solid walking, the motion
of the ferry had finished him off. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so embarrassed. But, Sharmane had been so gracious about it he felt another piece of his heart melting away in her grasp, and she didn’t even know it. He wished he could explain that because of the distance between her house and his, he’d only had four hours sleep that night, but he couldn’t without admitting that he lived in the exclusive British Properties area of West Vancouver.
He stared out the window as he spoke. “I’m really sorry about last night.” The words having been said, he returned his attention to her face.
“Don’t worry about it. I guess I’m used to more activity than you are. I do a lot of running around at work; it’s a very busy office, and I’m constantly doing errands and running back and forth to the stockroom all day.”
She looked him straight in the eye and he knew what she expected him to say. He cleared his throat. “I’m used to sitting a lot.”
She sighed, and her disappointment pierced his soul. Evading her questions was taking its toll; the guilt was getting to him, but there wasn’t any other way. When he did come clean, she would hate him for it. He couldn’t allow that to happen until he had spent all the time with her he could. After their excursion today, there were only three days left of their time together, but that was only if they counted Sunday, which he wasn’t sure she did.
The porter, dressed in a classic uniform, walked down the aisle checking tickets, and the train pulled out of the station at the reasonable time of ten a.m. Today, the sun had been up before he was. And also today, the only walking they would do would be for an hour in Squamish. After that, they would climb aboard the MV Britannia for a cruise returning to Vancouver’s Harbor Cruises Marina, where they would be bused back to the train station to collect the car and go home, unless they made other plans for the evening.
Sharmane patted her purse. “Did you bring your camera today? I brought extra film.”
He smiled, not wanting to think of how many rolls she’d already taken. “I’m going to leave all the photography up to you.”
Her return smile did strange things to his stomach, things that had nothing to do with the swaying of the train as it lumbered down the track.
“I’ve never been to Squamish before. I’ll bet they have a section of town specially made up for the tourists to have lunch. That will be so much fun. And I’m so excited about taking the cruise back. I don’t even care if it’s still raining.” She patted her purse again. “This time I brought my fold-up umbrella. I don’t want to get caught in the rain again.” She proceeded to dig a pile of brochures out of her purse and began to flip through them. “I got these while you were paying for the tickets. It says that King George rode the Royal Hudson number 2860 in 1939. It was restored in 1974, and now it’s the only antique steam engine in main line service in North America today.”
He looked down at her purse. He could never figure out the hidden depths of a woman’s purse, and he didn’t figure this was the time to find out. “This is a vacation, not a fact-finding mission. Can’t you just enjoy the ride?”
“But I am enjoying the ride.”
Alex couldn’t stop himself. He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Me, too.” Without letting go, he switched his attention to the mountain scenery on one side, and the Queen Charlotte Channel on the other as they rode toward the town of Squamish. The contrast between the mountain on one side and the water on the other would have made a marvelous picture. He let his mind wander to one day renting a helicopter with Sharmane and flying over the channel to get a picture of the old black train on the track on the mountainside in what was probably a breathtaking scenic shot.
Sharmane looked down at their joined hands and felt the heat creeping up her cheeks. He’d been more than clear that he didn’t want to let go, and she didn’t protest. She was enjoying more than just the ride.
Her original plans of driving around alone could in no way compare to what she was now experiencing. She’d never before felt so close to another person, most especially not a man. More than the simple pleasure of not being alone, it even went beyond sharing a good time with a friend. Sharmane in no way believed in love at first sight, but even knowing how short a time it had been since they met, she wondered if she could possibly be falling for a man she really didn’t know.
He was kind and gentle, generous to a fault; they shared many common interests, but other than basic personality traits, what she knew about him could fit in a thimble.
Considering the questionable condition of his car in comparison to the way it ran, she thought he could be a mechanic, but he admitted to sitting most of the time, and a mechanic wouldn’t do that. She suspected he wasn’t unemployed as she originally assumed, but still, she couldn’t be sure because every time she brought up anything even remotely hinting at what he did for a living, he very efficiently skirted the issue. Likewise, details of his home, including the location and if it was a small apartment or a castle fit for a king were also vague.
Another thing that confused her was that so far everything they had done was relatively inexpensive, as far as tourist spots went. However, she had sneaked a peek at the prices for the different packages for today’s excursion, and he had chosen the most expensive options, and then insisted that it was his treat, telling her in no uncertain terms that for once, she was not to argue.
The change in his demeanor had caught her off guard. She had seen a brief glimpse of it when he insisted she not pack a lunch before their excursion to Vancouver Island. But today at the train station, when she had actually started to argue with him, the change had shocked her. Instead of the carefree and gentle Alex she was used to, in an instant he became a man she didn’t want to cross, a man whose authority was not to be questioned. She wasn’t the only one to notice. Even the clerk at the ticket counter treated him differently than the other people buying tickets. But when he tucked his wallet into the pocket of his jeans and turned around, all was the same again, as if nothing had happened.
She didn’t understand it, and she didn’t know what to think. All she knew was that she’d never enjoyed herself so much.
“I think you wanted to discuss what we were going to do tomorrow and Saturday.”
Sharmane blinked, shaken out of her musings. “Uh, yes. The forecast is bright and sunny for both days.”
He smiled, and Sharmane’s foolish heart fluttered.
“How about something that’s supposed to be the ultimate in relaxing. Ever been fishing?”
“Fishing?”
He nodded. “You know. You sit in a boat in the middle of a lake, put a worm on a hook, toss it into the water, and pull out a fish.”
“I’ve never been fishing before. I don’t know what to do, and I don’t have a fishing rod or anything.”
“Me neither. But my brother and his son go fishing all the time. It sounds pretty easy, and they seem to have a good time. I can find out their favorite spot, and I’ll bet I could even borrow all their fishing equipment and their boat. It’s one of those six-seater types.”
Sharmane’s breath caught and her whole body stiffened. “Really? You can borrow a boat? A real boat? They wouldn’t mind?”
“Stan’s been telling me for years I should give it a try, so I think he’d welcome the opportunity to give it to me.”
“Wow … a boat …”
“It’s not a big deal. We’re going on a boat today for the return trip.”
She waved her free hand in the air, which also served to remind her that he was still holding onto her left hand. “That’s different. That’s a big cruise ship with a restaurant and hundreds of people on it, a whole crew and a captain and everything. I think it would be fun to go on a little boat, just the two of us.”
He patted her hand. “Then it’s settled. Today, we’ll be pampered, and tomorrow, we’ll be lazy.”
And they were pampered. They had a lovely brunch in the train’s parlor car and then returned to their seats to chat
while they enjoyed the beauty of the scenery on their trip through the mountains.
By the time the arrived at the Squamish station, the rain had stopped.
As soon as they left the passenger car, they walked alongside the train so Sharmane could take a few pictures of the grand old engine. Even though it wasn’t moving, steam still puffed out the smokestack. She made sure to take a picture of the front of the glossy black engine, highlighting the big shiny numbers.
During their leisurely stroll in Squamish, even though neither of them was hungry, they stopped at the cutest little bistro for coffee and dessert. As usual, they got lost in conversation, and again had to run all the way to where the MV Britannia was docked.
Once aboard, Sharmane imagined what it must have been like aboard the Titanic as they sailed along, the wind in her hair and the ocean breeze in her face, only she could always see the shore, and this boat wasn’t going to sink. Midafternoon, they had a meal of baked salmon unlike any Sharmane had ever experienced and then spent the rest of the trip on the outside deck.
As they neared Lion’s Bay, they passed the ferry coming out of the Horseshoe Bay terminal on its way to Nanaimo, and the people on both boats waved at each other in passing. While exploring the cruise ship, Sharmane discovered that while nowhere near the size of an ocean liner, the MV Britannia’s capacity was five hundred people, which she considered absolutely huge.
An air-conditioned tour bus returned them to the rail station, but rather than drive through rush hour traffic, Alex insisted on stopping for dinner. She was surprised that she could eat anything, considering all she’d eaten in the course of their day, but told herself that such a vacation could only happen once in a lifetime.
Too soon, they were standing on her doorstep. After Alex made sure there were no intruders inside, he stepped close to her and rested his fingers on her cheek, making Sharmane’s heartbeat quicken.