by Davis, SJ
“Do you always walk so fast?” she panted.
“We’ll take it a little slower, today,” he said, solicitously. “Come. First I’ll show you the path around the pond.”
Taking a right, he led her down the camp road. Within fifty yards, it became little more than a deer run through the woods. “I walk this trail almost every day. It goes around the lake and ends at my cabin. There are several footpaths that branch from it leading to the logging roads. Step softly, and keep your voice down. Along this stretch of the pond is where we’ll see your moose.”
A mile later, they reached a section of the lake that was shallow and covered by water lilies. Fifteen feet from shore, a big cow stood chest deep in the water, her mouth working as she dipped her head and emerged with a mouthful of weed. Her calf was farther along, closer to the bank and pawing at the ripples. Lena stood frozen in place as Odin placed a finger to his lips and took her hand, leading her closer. At the edge of the pond he crouched low, motioning for her to do the same. She squatted next to him and watched the two graze, keenly aware of the touch of his fingers against her palm.
“She’s so big,” she whispered.
“You should see the bull. She’s tiny compared to her mate.”
She inched forward, stopped short by a squeeze from his hand. “Don’t go any closer, Selene. She may be beautiful, but she’s also large…and very protective of her baby.”
Once again, Lena was distracted by the touch of his fingers. When he finally dropped her hand he moved closer, resting his arm across her shoulder and she swallowed hard. He was so close that she could see his pulse beat in the vein of his neck; so close she could smell his scent, slightly musky against the heavy balsam of the trees that they crouched beneath.
He turned to her, his face only inches away, and her breath caught in her throat.
“Odin,” she whispered.
Abruptly, he dropped his arm and rose to his feet, turning when he reached the trail. “Come,” he said, his voice soft. “Let’s leave them in peace. From here, we’re close to my turnoff. I’ll show you how to get to my cabin in case you ever need me.”
She followed him, her eyes on his broad shoulders and tapered waist. Scrambling over rocks and roots in the rain, she concentrated on the trail, her initial attraction mixed with caution and guilt as his last words echoed in her ears.
“In case you ever need me...”
Just what, exactly, she wondered, did he have in mind?
Chapter 17.
Alex arrived at the camp half an hour early. Lena heard the Jeep pull into the driveway and ran to the meadow to meet him.
“Oh, God,” she said, throwing her arms around him. “I’ve missed you so much!”
“I’ve missed you too, baby.” Her husband disentangled himself from her embrace and held her at arm’s length. “Wow…you look great.”
“You, too.” It was true. Alex was deeply tanned and seemed well rested. His arms were muscled and his abs, firm. He’d obviously been working out in her absence.
“Have you done any writing lately or are you spending all your time in the gym?” she teased.
He smiled. “Some of both.” Shielding his eyes from the sun he looked around the meadow. “Well, how about it? Do I get the penny tour?”
“Sure,” Lena said.
The place had become so familiar that she’d begun to take its beauty for granted. With Alex on her arm, she looked around with new eyes. The meadow surrounding the cabin was covered with daisies and the air smelled of Balsam Pine. Grasshoppers droned in the warm summer afternoon competing with the chatter of the red squirrels in the trees overhead. The cabin itself sported a new roof and freshly varnished door with Adirondack chairs gracing the screened-in front porch. It was picture perfect, she noted, with pride.
Behind the main building, at the tree line, was a small shed and a second outhouse, their newly shingled walls still light brown and unaffected by the weather. A large garden took up the space between them and the cabin, planted out with vegetables and perennials of every color and variety. The lilies were in full bloom and there were flowers on the Zucchini and tomato plants. “Here’s where we buried the propane tank,” she said, indicating the flowers before turning toward the dock.
Two kayaks floated next to the pilings, tethered to the shore. At the end, teak chaise lounges fit with green cushions were arranged invitingly.
“What do you think?” she said.
“It’s beautiful,” Alex acknowledged.
“Wait until you see the inside!” She placed a hand over his eyes. Propelling him to the center of the first floor she released him with a flourish. “Ta da!”
“Wow,” he said. “What a transformation!”
Lena stood beside her husband and surveyed the sum of her hard work. Facing the fireplace was an oversized leather couch with a wrought iron and glass coffee table in front of it. To one side of the couch was a swinging rocker; to the other, a recliner, in matching leather. Curtains of coarse burlap hung from the windows, accentuating the rustic simplicity of the log siding. Across the room, the new appliances gleamed crisp and white.
Jake had built an island of knotty pine to separate the kitchen from the living area. Three barroom stools sat before it, an informal dining place. The formal dining table was to the far right by the staircase. Also made of pine, it was three wide slabs joined together and finished with glossy polyurethane. Alex ran his hands across the grain of the wood and whistled softly.
“Say something!” she said. “Do you like it?”
“Like it? It’s incredible. I can’t believe you did all of this in a month. You’re a miracle worker.”
“I couldn’t have done it on my own. Thank God for Jake. He did all the heavy work.”
Alex shook his head. “Don’t sell yourself short, Lena. Jesus…I’ll bet we could put this place back on the market tomorrow and clear four hundred, easy!”
Her smile faded. “I’d never do that, Alex.”
“Of course not.” He squeezed her shoulder and she relaxed. “This is your dream house. It’s beautiful. We’ll have it forever.”
Her smile returned as she took his hand and pulled him across the room. “Come on upstairs. You should see the master bedroom!”
“Now you’re talking.”
At the top of the landing she opened the door to the larger of the two bedrooms. A king-sized bed dominated the space, facing the windows and the water beyond. Alex gave another low whistle as he fingered the twisted logs of the headboard. “Nice.”
Wrought iron end tables flanked the bed on both sides; there was a built-in closet in one corner, and a rocking chair and small dresser in the other. Burlap curtains graced the window that looked out on the pond and a large wood-framed mirror over the headboard reflected the view.
“What do you think?” Lena said.
Alex sat down, testing the mattress. “Feels pretty good,” he said. “Want to try it out?”
“Not the bed, dummy, the house!”
“I love it.”
“Really?”
“Really, really.”
“In that case…” She bent to kiss him, allowing his hands to roam across her body. Working his belt loose, she shed her t-shirt and shorts.
“It’s been so long,” he said.
“Too long,” she agreed, stepping out of her panties.
From outside, Zephyr’s barks became short yips.
“Damn,” Lena said. “That’s my doorbell. He only does that when someone’s here.”
“Ignore him,” Alex whispered. “Maybe they’ll go away.”
“What if it’s Jake?” she protested. “I told him you’d be arriving this afternoon.”
Alex rose and walked to the window. “There’s a guy out there in a kayak. He’s tying up to the dock.”
“Oh shit,” Lena said, reaching for her shorts. “That’s our one and only neighbor. I told him you were coming up for the weekend. He’s probably here to say hello.”
“Neighbor?” Alex frowned. “I didn’t know we had one. How come you haven’t mentioned him before?”
“Because I only met him two days ago,” she explained. “With the furniture coming and my last minute touches around here, I forgot to tell you.” She pulled her T-shirt over her head and snapped her shorts closed. “Hurry up and get dressed, Alex. He’s almost to the porch!”
A moment later, a knock sounded on the door below. Lena patted her braid into place, tucked a few stray hairs behind her ears, and took the stairs two at a time to the first floor. At the door, she turned. Alex stood at the top of the stairs, a frown creasing his forehead.
Lena gestured at the shirt in his hand. “Put it on!” she mouthed.
Slowly, one arm at a time, he shrugged into the blue oxford. She waited impatiently as a second knock reverberated through the room. When he’d finished buttoning the front, she threw the door open.
“Odin,” she said, flashing a quick smile at their unexpected guest. “What a nice surprise.”
In his hands, her neighbor carried two bottles of wine. She stepped aside and ushered him in, turning to Alex who’d stopped mid-way down the staircase. “Alex, this is Odin Andreassen, from across the lake. Odin, my husband, Alex Walker.”
“Nice to meet you,” Odin said. Turning his attention back to her, he placed the bottles into her hands. “I’m sorry to barge in on you, Selene. I came to bring you a housewarming gift. I hope I’m not intruding.”
She felt a blush rise to her cheeks and took a step back, studying the bottles as she willed it away. “Not at all.”
Her neighbor turned toward the staircase extended his hand. “I had the pleasure of meeting your wife a few days ago, Mister Walker. Welcome to Breakneck Ridge.”
Lena frowned as Alex’s hands remained in his pockets. The look in his eyes reminded her of a long-ago night when his college roommate had made a move on her at a frat party. It hadn’t ended well. She held her breath as she watched emotions play across his face. For one agonizing moment she was sure they were in for a replay of that unfortunate event, then she blinked and the moment was gone. Her husband clasped the artist’s hand and shook it with ill-feigned enthusiasm.
“Come in, Mr. Andreassen,” he said, descending to take the bottles from her hands. “Etienne Sauzet Puligny Montrachet and Bodegas Mauro Tinto. You shouldn’t have gone to the trouble.”
“It was no trouble at all,” Odin replied. “Truthfully, I have cases of both at my cottage. We may be in the wilds of Maine, but we don’t have to be uncivilized, n’est-ce pas?”
Once again Lena sensed a rise in tension between the two men, then Odin smiled and the tension in Alex’s jaw relaxed. As quickly as it had begun, the pissing contest was over.
“Your wife has done a beautiful job with the cabin, Alex,” Odin said, “You’re lucky to have such talent at your disposal.”
“Yes. I barely recognized it when I arrived. Please, have a seat.” Alex gestured to the rocking chair and settled into the recliner while Lena poured three beers into pint glasses. She handed the first to Odin and the second to her husband as she perched tensely on the edge of the chair beside him.
“Selene tells me you’re a writer,” Odin said. “You must be very successful. This property did not come cheap.”
His complement didn’t break the tension in the room, but Lena gave him points for trying.
“I’ve been lucky so far,” Alex replied. “My first books sold well.”
“Luck had nothing to do with your success,” she said. “It was hard work and talent.”
“Your wife’s right, Mr. Walker,” Odin agreed. “I have yet to read your work, but I’m certain that its success is due to the quality of your words rather than the unpredictability of luck.”
Lena watched her husband’s lips curl into the familiar self-deprecating smile he used to charm his adoring fans. “Perhaps you’re right Mr. Andreassen. Tell me, what is it that you do?”
“Please, call me Odin.” Her neighbor sipped his beer. “I’m an artist.”
Alex’s eyebrows rose. “An artist, eh? What type? Sculptor? Painter?”
“Painter. Oils and watercolors.”
“I take it you’re here for the scenery.”
Odin smiled and nodded. “The vistas of Breakneck Ridge are nothing less than inspirational to a landscape painter like myself.”
His eyes met Lena’s and she blushed again. She sidled closer to Alex. When she turned to face him, he too was watching her, his expression inscrutable. Lena felt her nerves tighten. She felt like she was trapped, bouncing between the two men like the ball in a ping pong match.
“How long will you be here?” Alex asked, his voice carefully polite.
“I’ve rented my cottage for the summer,” Odin replied. “If all continues to go well, I’ll stay through September.”
“Blackwater Pond’s nice, but isn’t it limited? I mean, come on…how often can you paint a scene of the lake before it becomes dull?”
“On the contrary, Mr. Walker,” Odin said, “I’ve found much here to keep my interest. Perhaps, at the season’s end, I’ll show you some of my work. You may find my interpretations interesting.” He stood abruptly and handed his empty glass to Lena. “Speaking of which, I must get back. I meant only to say hello and welcome you both to the lake, not invite myself for cocktails. Thank you for your hospitality. I’ll leave you to your privacy.”
“Thanks for the wine, Odin,” Lena said as she walked him across the room.
“You’re most welcome, Selene. Enjoy it.” At the door, he turned to address Alex. “Goodbye, Mr. Walker. I hope you and your wife have a nice weekend.”
“I’m certain we shall,” Alex said.
Heart thumping, Lena let the door swing closed as he stepped from the porch to the path. Behind her, Alex moved to the window. As the kayak glided across the water he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Just how well do you know Mr. Andreassen, Lena,” he said, when the boat was well offshore.
“What?”
“You heard me. How well do you know that guy?”
Lena turned to face her husband, her face flaming. “I told you. I just met him two days ago. We went for a walk. He showed me the trails around the lake.”
Alex placed a finger beneath her chin, tilting her head toward him. She could feel the heat of her blush like flames across her skin. “Is that all he showed you?”
She pushed his hand away. “Just what are you implying?”
“Nothing.” His tone was mild as he walked to the refrigerator and popped the cap on another beer. “He seems to be rather taken by you, is all.”
“Your imagination’s working overtime,” she snapped.
“I think not.”
Lena opened her mouth and shut it without a word. Hands trembling, she busied herself with the steaks. Impure thoughts weren’t impure acts. “We should probably get these on the grill,” she said.
Alex was not so easily distracted. “Don’t change the subject. I saw the way he was looking at you.”
“Well, I’m not looking at him, okay?” she said. “Hand me the garlic, would you?”
He ignored her. “He’s older, but he’s quite handsome. What is he, Swedish?”
“Norwegian.”
“Married?”
“No.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned close. “You seem to know an awful lot about him for having just met.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” she said, shrugging out from under his grip.
“Am I?”
“Yes. If I was going to cheat on you, I would have screwed Jake Morris. Believe me, Alex, there’s been ample opportunity!”
“Jake?” He laughed. “You’d never touch Jake! Annie’s got her stamp all over that good old boy.”
“Not anymore,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
Lena sighed. Her anger dissipated. “I told you this already, Alex. Don’t you ever listen to me? Annie and J
ake are finished. She met another guy and ran off with him two months ago.”
Her husband turned to face her, eyebrows raised. “Really?”
“Really, truly. So maybe you should be worried. Jake’s not only available, he’s ready and willing.”
Alex ignored the dig. “After all this time...Oh man. How’s he taking it?”
She placed two potatoes in the oven and began to shred lettuce for a salad. “Actually, better than I thought he would. Annie’s new guy was the last straw. With her finally out of the picture, he asked someone else out. I’m guessing the two of them are an item by now.”
“Who is she? Do we know her?”
“Her name’s Pam Desjardin. We used to call her Brookie. To tell you the truth, I haven’t laid eyes on her since graduation.”
“Hmmm…I guess we’ll have to head to town tomorrow.”
She eyed him curiously. “Why?”
“I’ve got to see the woman who finally managed to get Jake to drop the torch.”
Lena smiled. “I’m with you there.”
As quickly as it had begun, the fight between them ended. Lena manned the grill while Alex relaxed on the porch, drinking beer in one of the new Adirondack chairs as the opening aria of Madame Butterfly floated above Foss Mountain. Flipping the meat, she closed her eyes and hummed along, knowing now what it meant: Odin was working. Tonight, she knew, while she drank the bottles of wine that he’d brought and made love to her husband, her neighbor, the artist, would create a masterpiece. The music dipped and soared in the calm of the evening, reminding her of him with every note. His long lean body stood beside her in the meadow; his eyes, ambiguous and gray, stared back at her from the coals in the grill. Lena felt another flash of guilt as she turned to smile at her husband.
Is he thinking of me? she wondered.
Chapter 18
Lena entered The Black Swan and searched the crowded bar waving when she caught sight of Alex and Jake. They were seated at a small table in the far corner under the television among a raucous sports crowd. Jake had his arm around a pretty woman with curly black hair who was laughing at something one of them had said. She fought her way through the afternoon drinkers and took the fourth seat at the table, shaking drops of rain from her jacket.