The Seasons of the EmmaLee: One grand ship. Two love affairs, decades apart. An idyllic summer resort town torn apart by betrayal, murder and shattered dreams. (The Charlevoix Summer Series Book 1)

by Michael Lindley

  “My…ah…my dad is around back,” Jonathan was finally able to say. “He’ll be able to help you. Hold on just a minute.” He backed up slowly, feeling numb all over and embarrassed at his clumsy behavior. He walked out into the boatyard and called for his father. He looked in both of the outbuildings and then went into the house.

  His mother was sitting at the desk in the kitchen. “Your father had to run up to town for a bit,” she said. He knew Luke was in no condition to help the Compton’s. He walked back down to the boathouse. On the way across the yard he tried to compose himself. She’s just a damned girl.

  He was feeling a little more comfortable when he came back in and saw the Compton’s looking at the boat he’d been working on.

  “My dad’s off to town for a while.” He didn’t want them to leave. He wasn’t really responsible for selling boats, but he decided he could help get the process started. “So, you’re looking for a boat?” he began.

  The man came over and held out his hand. “My name is Stewart Compton. This is my daughter, Emily.” Emily came over and shook his hand, as well.

  Jonathan looked into her eyes briefly, then looked away, angry at himself for being so unsettled. She was wearing dark slacks and tennis shoes with a white short-sleeved blouse. Her hair was held back neatly with a rolled-up scarf tied behind her head.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m Jonathan McKendry. This is my family’s business. My dad usually works with our customers, but I’d be happy to try to help you out.” He felt better, managing to get a coherent thought out without sounding and looking like a total fool. “What kind of boat are you looking for?”

  “I love this old boat here,” Emily started. “Is it for sale?”

  “Well, as a matter of fact it is, but it needs some more work,” Jonathan said. “I’m almost done sanding out a few spots on the hull that we’ve been working on. The engine’s been rebuilt and runs like a charm.”

  “How much more time do you need with her?” Stewart Compton asked.

  “Oh, I could finish her up pretty quick, I guess.”

  “Daddy, can I get up in the boat?” Emily asked.

  He turned to Jonathan. “Would it be okay if we took a look?”

  “Well, sure. Let me get a ladder so you can climb up.” He pulled a short step ladder over from against the wall and set it up next to the boat. He climbed up first and crawled over the side. Mr. Compton helped Emily up the few steps. Jonathan reached over and took her hand and helped her up into the boat. He could smell the soft hint of Lilac as she passed by him. Her father followed and Jonathan moved out of the way so they could get up to the front seats.

  “She’s a little dusty from all the sanding,” Jonathan said, “but I’d get her all cleaned up for you.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you would,” Mr. Compton said. “These leather seats are beautiful.”

  “Yeah, she’s a dandy. We got her in from the Reynolds family from over in Boyne City. They wanted a bigger boat this summer.”

  Emily was in the driver’s seat, holding the wheel and looking at all of the instrumentation. “I love this boat, Daddy.”

  “Let’s let Jonathan get back to work then, baby,” he said, smiling at his daughter. They climbed down out of the boat. Emily turned to Jonathan and captured him again in her big eyes.

  “Do you think you could have her in the water pretty soon?” she asked.

  “Not more than a few days to get the varnish coats on her.”

  “Why don’t you talk to your dad when he gets back,” Stewart Compton said. “Have him call me.” He handed Jonathan a card from his wallet. “Thank you, Jonathan.” Placing his hand on the boat, he said, “You’ve been a big help and you’re doing great work here.”

  Jonathan watched them leave. He took a deep breath and tried to keep the face of Emily Compton fresh in his memory. He looked down at himself and suddenly realized how badly he looked in his old work overalls and boots spotted with varnish and sawdust. He touched his face and realized he hadn’t shaved or taken a bath this morning.

  Then, he thought of Catherine and felt the guilt wash over him again for his feelings about Emily Compton. In his mind, he justified his feelings. Catherine was real and they really cared for each other. He could see a future with Catherine. Emily Compton, on the other hand, was an illusion, a silly fantasy. There was certainly no future for him there. But for now, he thought, the fantasy was definitely fun.

  It was close to dinner time and Jonathan was working hard to finish the prep work on the Compton’s new boat so he could start varnishing the hull.

  Throughout the afternoon he had worked without a break to finish the next phase. When his father came back he told him about the Compton’s interest in the boat. He gave him Stewart Compton’s card and his father left to go call the man. He hadn’t seen him since.

  Jonathan had worked in such a fury he was now covered from head to toe in a heavy coat of sawdust mixed with sweat. It was in his eyes, nose and ears and he had to spit frequently to clear his mouth. Throughout the work, his mind had been wandering back to the morning’s encounter with Emily Compton. Her face and smell were etched in his brain and he couldn’t stop thinking about her eyes and the softness of her touch when they shook hands. Her voice echoed in his ears.

  Even working in the shade of the boathouse, his shirt was drenched in sweat. He took off his old brown fishing cap and pulled the shirt over his head, throwing it on the side of the boat. His body glistened with sweat and sawdust. He shook his head to break loose some of the sawdust from his hair.

  He heard someone talking, coming up from the docks along the water. He watched as Emily Compton came back into the boathouse accompanied by another girl. Jonathan felt that familiar lump in his throat seeing her return.

  “Jonathan, hello,” Emily started. “I wanted to bring my friend Louise over to see the boat. Is now a good time?”

  Jonathan stood there for a minute, embarrassed, trying to decide if he should dress himself. Emily didn’t seem to react to his appearance in any noticeable way, although he could see the friend, Louise, was looking him over carefully. He looked for a rag to wipe more of the dust from his face. His sweaty shirt was the closest thing available and he reached for it and wiped it around his face several times. He noticed Louise wince.

  “I’m sorry I’m such a mess,” he said.

  Emily smiled, “You look like you could use a dip in the lake.”

  “You know, that’s a great idea,” Jonathan said with relief. “Why don’t you go ahead and show Louise the boat and I’ll go rinse off real quick.” He ran by them and out the boathouse door toward the lake. He ran as fast as he could out to the end of the main dock out over Round Lake. He sat down to take off his shoes and socks, then dove quickly into the cool water. He felt the soothing embrace of the lake’s chill and could feel the dirt and grime being rinsed from his body. He came back up to the surface and shook the water from his hair. Swimming back over to the dock, he pulled himself up on the wooden ladder tied to one of the main posts. He picked up his shoes and socks and walked back down the dock, leaving a trail of water from his dripping body.

  When he got back to the boathouse the two girls were up in the boat, Emily Compton again sitting behind the wheel. He could hear them talking before they noticed he had come back.

  Louise was whispering, “That boy sure is an eyeful.”

  “What do you mean?” Emily asked, not taking her eyes from the chrome plated instruments on the dash of the boat.

  “Didn’t you see the muscles in his arms?”

  Emily turned to her friend. “Louise, I’m not blind.”

  Jonathan couldn’t believe they were talking about him. He coughed to let them know he had returned.

  “Oh, Jonathan, I didn’t introduce you properly to my best friend, Louise Kelly,” Emily said. “She lives over across the channel. We’ve been friends up here every summer since we were little girls. Louise, this is Jonathan…McKendry, isn�
��t it?”

  “Hello, Jonathan McKendry,” said Louise with a big smile.

  Jonathan nodded.

  “You look a lot more comfortable now,” said Emily.

  Jonathan had a sudden crazy thought and he wasn’t even sure if he should say anything, but before he could second guess himself, he just blurted out, “We have another boat down at the docks. It’s another Chris Craft, just a couple feet longer. It’s not for sale, but I know the owner wouldn’t care if we took it out for a ride.

  I’m supposed to check the engine anyway.”

  Emily didn’t hesitate, “That would be great! Come on Louise.”

  He led them down to the dock and helped them into the boat. He jumped in behind them. The key was in the ignition. After a few minutes of preparation, he started the engine and the roar and sputter of it was loud, echoing off the trees across the channel. The smell of gas drifted over them. Louise and Emily sat together in the middle row of seats.

  “Do you have time for a little ride?” he asked above the noise of the engine.

  The girls looked at each other and nodded.

  “I’ll get us started, then you can give her a try,” Jonathan said, looking back over his shoulder. He jumped back up on the dock and released the lines, then pushed the boat out from the dock as he climbed back in. “Any place you’d like to see?”

  “No, you pick,” Emily answered.

  He headed slowly out into the main channel of Round Lake, pointing toward the mouth into Lake Charlevoix. Several boats were coming into the channel toward them and the girls waved as they passed.

  Jonathan was feeling heady with the two beautiful summer girls in the back of the boat. He kept at low speed through the channel and he could hear the girls talking, but could only make out a few words here and there over the sound of the engine. He turned and saw them pointing to something up on the hill.

  “Emily, if you want to come up here in the front,” Jonathan said, “I can show you how to drive this thing.” Emily came forward and sat next to him. Louise leaned over the seat from behind. Jonathan took her through the basics of the boat’s mechanisms.

  They were just coming out of the channel into the bigger lake. There was only a slight chop on the water and just a few other boats in sight. “Okay, hold on,” he said. “Let’s get her up to speed.” He pushed the throttle down and felt the strong power of the boat push them back against their seats. The engine’s noise roared louder as he continued to accelerate. The engine ran smooth and they were quickly up to half throttle.

  “How fast will she go?” asked Emily, shouting over the engine noise.

  “Here, you find out,” Jonathan said as he stood on the boat seat and motioned for her to slide over into the driver’s seat. He watched her scoot over and change places with him. She put her left hand on the wheel and pressed the throttle down. The boat surged ahead again. He felt the wind whipping at his face and bare chest. He watched the girls laughing out loud and the wind blowing their hair into their faces.

  “Where should I take her?” Emily shouted.

  Jonathan pointed down along the north shore of the lake and she followed his lead. He sat against the opposite side of the boat watching her drive. The wind pressed her blouse tightly against her and he couldn’t help but notice the swell of her breasts. He realized Louise was watching him and he looked away quickly to the course up ahead.

  “Have you been into Horton Bay before?” he asked.

  “Where is that?” Emily turned to ask.

  “Just up ahead a bit further. Just around that last point you can see up there.”

  She adjusted her course.

  “Jonathan, will my boat run like this? Will she be this fast and smooth?”

  “Sure will.”

  Emily looked at him intently and smiled at his answer. “I love this boat.”

  He smiled back and had to look away to keep from staring. After about ten minutes of cruising down the lakeshore, Jonathan turned to Emily. “Slow her down as we come around the point here.”

  Emily slowed the boat and the big wake of water from behind pushed forward and caught them, lifting them up on the swell of it. They eased around the wooded point as the quiet harbor of Horton Bay slowly revealed itself to them. It was sheltered from the wind. The surface was a smooth shiny calm, reflecting the greens of the cedar and hardwood trees surrounding the bay. There were no other boats in sight and no one along the shore they could see.

  “We’ve never stopped in here before,” said Emily. “This is beautiful.”

  “It’s so peaceful,” said Louise.

  “My friend George and I come here a lot to fish. There are some nice trout hanging out over there by the mouth of the creek.” He pointed to the spot where the small creek made its way out of the woods and tall grasses into the lake. He decided, for obvious reasons, not to point out where he and Catherine Hansen often sat and kissed on the beach.

  They glided into the center of the bay. Emily cut the engine and the boat continued to drift slowly forward. The sudden quiet of the bay was soothing after the long ride with the din of the boat engine.

  “This place is absolutely incredible,” Emily repeated. “Have you ever seen a more magical place, Louise?” They all watched a large brown hawk swoop down low over the water, then quickly upward before diving straight down into the lake. It splashed down hard, then lifted off again into the air with a small trout held firmly in its beak.

  “Louise, we just have to take a swim,” Emily suddenly decided.

  “In our clothes?”

  “Sure, we’ll dry off during the ride back. Come on.” Emily kicked off her shoes and moved to the back of the boat.

  “Get ready,” Jonathan said. “This water is darn cold from the creek coming in over there.”

  Emily climbed up on the back deck of the boat. She turned to her friend. “Come on, I’m not going in alone. Jonathan, you need to come in, too. Get some more of that sawdust out of your hair.”

  He watched her dive out and disappear in a splash.

  Louise looked at him and cocked her right eyebrow. “Let’s go!” She was over the side too, before Jonathan could answer. He walked back and stepped up on the rear deck. The two girls had come together and were holding hands as they kicked steadily to stay at the surface. Their hair was slicked back tight against their heads and their eyelashes sparkled with water drops. Emily looked up him.

  “You’re next,” she said. “Come on! It’s not that cold.”

  He took a small step back, then pushed forward, up and out over the water. He dove down headfirst just off to the side of the girls, spraying them with water as he slipped below the surface. He came up a few yards past them and looked back at the girls and the boat floating on the surface of the bay. It occurred to him just then he could never have imagined being in this place with two girls like this.

  Emily pushed her wet hair back away from her face and said, “Jonathan, you’re so lucky to live up here all year and have places like this whenever you want.”

  “It’s a little cold to swim over here in February,” he teased.

  “You know what I mean. Louise, don’t you sometimes wish summers would last forever?” Emily dipped below the surface for a moment, coming back up slowly with her head back, letting the water sweep her hair smoothly back away from her face. “Could you bring us here fishing sometime?” she asked.

  “Do you like to fish?” Jonathan asked.

  “Daddy takes us out cruising on our boat and we stop to fish now and then. Have you seen our boat, the EmmaLee?” she asked without the slightest hint of bragging or pretention.

  “The EmmaLee? Yeah, I think I’ve seen her,” he smiled.

  “Well, I do love to fish and you just have to bring us back here sometime,” Emily said. “Do you promise?”

  Jonathan swam over closer to the two girls, treading water. “Have you ever been fly fishing?”

  Louise broke in, “How do you fish when you’re flying?” />
  Emily splashed her in the face. “No, I haven’t. We’ll just have to learn, won’t we, Louise?”

  “My friend George is going to be real unhappy with me telling you girls about our secret fishing hole.” Jonathan said.

  “Well, bring George along,” Emily answered. “He can teach Louise.” She gave her friend a sly grin.

  “Well, let me talk to George, Jonathan said. “You know, we better start heading back.” Jonathan swam around them back to the boat. He kicked up hard and grabbed the top edge of the boat’s deck, then pulled himself up and over, dripping all over the inside of the boat. He motioned for the girls to come over. Louise came first. He reached down and pulled her up along the side of the boat. She got a knee over the side and pulled herself up.

  He turned back to offer Emily some help. She grabbed his outreached hand and held on firmly as he lifted her out of the water. He couldn’t help but notice her blouse had turned transparent from the water and pressed tightly against her skin. The white of her bra showed clearly and he tried not to stare. As she moved to slide over the deck into the cockpit of the boat, she caught her leg and fell into Jonathan. He caught her in his arms, but they fell back into the leather boat seat below, Emily sprawled on top of him.

  Emily was laughing and struggling to get herself up. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I really am a klutz. Are you okay?”

  He helped her up off from him and watched as she sat down beside him. Their eyes met and lingered for just a moment. “I’m just fine, nothing broken,” he said.

  Emily shook her hair to get it out of her eyes. “Thank you for bringing us down here, Jonathan.”

  “Do you want to drive us back?” he asked.

  “Let’s let Louise take her back. Do you want to?” Emily asked her friend.

  “Start her up for me!” Louise responded.

  Jonathan started the engine and moved back to the center seats, letting the two girls sit upfront to take the boat back to the boatyard. He let the warm wind dry him as they made their way back to Charlevoix. He watched the two girls from behind, remembering everything about their trip with him this afternoon. How can I tell George about this? he thought. First, he’ll never believe me, and then… what about Catherine?