He went on as if she never spoke. “I see that according to the passenger manifest, you’re not a day-tripper.” He motioned for her to go ahead.
“No.” She started toward the door that led outside. “I’m staying all summer to help run a shop downtown.”
“That should be fun.” As he walked beside her, Jade couldn’t help enjoy the fact that her five-foot-four height came just to the top of his broad shoulder. It made her feel somewhat petite and protected.
Reaching the door, Rick moved ahead and opened it with his right shoulder. “I used to plan on saving my money so I could live there all season instead of just flying in and out.”
Jade almost asked him where he lived, but then decided it was none of her business.
“It’s a beautiful place,” he went on. “Especially once most of the crowds leave for the night.”
“I can’t wait to find that out, Captain,” she said, squinting as the bright afternoon sunshine bouncing off the metal buildings assaulted her eyes. She wished she knew where her sunglasses were. “I used to dream about renting one of those big gingerbread houses that overlooked Lake Michigan and spend all day sitting on the front porch reading.”
“My name’s Rick,” he said as they walked across the crushed-gravel parking lot towards the two planes in the distance. “And it sounds like you’ve been here before.”
“Yeah. But not since I was a teenager.”
He glanced her way. “Which was just a couple of years ago, right?”
“Yeah, right.” Jade laughed, and once again connected with his gaze, this time it was mixed with a mischievous smile.
“Try about twenty.”
“Then we must be about the same age.”
“If you say so.”
It was Rick’s turn to laugh. “I’m thirty-five.”
“Then you’re right, we are.”
Jade’s eyes wandered to the lettering on his ball cap, which read U.S.S. Nimitz C.V.N.-68. So, her friendly pilot was a former Navy jet jockey. Well, she’d have to keep her guard up around him or else her plans to be free and independent might fly out the window. She really didn’t need a repeat of that long ago but still painful experience in high school when she fell for the charming class jock who had strung her along, all the while making fun of her chubby self behind her back with the rest of his cliquish friends.
“Are you cold?” Rick’s concerned voice brought her out of her thoughts.
Jade shook the memory from her mind. “No. Why?”
“You shivered.”
“I did?” She shrugged it off. “It’s just the excitement I guess. I’ve never flown on a plane as little as yours before.”
“You’ll survive.” He chuckled as they reached the others waiting around the tail of the plane. Rick set her bags at his feet. “Go find yourself a seat. We’ll be taking off soon.”
Nodding, Jade handed him her backpack and headed for the drop-down stairway. China was waiting on the bottom step for her.
“Didn’t I tell you he was gorgeous?”
Jade glanced back over her shoulder at the man in question, who was once again talking easily with the other passengers. “Yes,” she replied as China scurried up the stairs ahead of her, “you did.”
China jumped into the vacant seat closest to the pilot’s before Jade had entered the plane. “So, are you now going to fall in line with the rest of us suckers and pine for a man in a leather jacket and aviator sunglasses?” she asked.
“I would, if I were interested in getting into a romantic relationship again. But I’m not, so I won’t.”
“Good.” China fastened the seatbelt across her slim waist. “That’s one less gal for me to compete with.”
Jade smiled to herself as she traipsed down the narrow aisle, gripping the top of each high-back, gray, leather seat as she went. She admired China’s persistence and chuckled in amusement at being deemed “competition” by such a gorgeous, willowy woman.
After settling into a window seat over the wing, she fastened her seatbelt and waited for take off. A few moments later, Rick entered the plane, glanced back at his seated passengers through mirrored sunglasses, dropped down into his seat and brought his plane to life. Jade drew in a long breath as the small craft began to move and gathered speed. The runway was a bit bumpier than she’d like, and she grabbed the armrests in a white-knuckled death grip. The nose rose, the tarmac dropped away from her window, and instantly she was a part of the sky. The plane soon leveled off, and Jade relaxed.
Turning her head, she peeked out the window to see the brown of late April below her and the blue-gray icy waters of Lakes Michigan and Huron in the distance. And in the far off western horizon, a bank of thick white clouds billowed into the air. She stared at them for a long time then turned her focus on the massive Mackinac Bridge that they were nearing. The tops of its two towers rose high into the air, while its footings sank deep into the icy Straits of Mackinac, which formed the separation between Lakes Michigan and Huron. The bridge was the connection between Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas.
Resting her elbow on the tiny, narrow windowsill, Jade lost herself in the view outside.
After about ten minutes, she saw movement in the aisle beside her as China knelt down and folded her arms on the armrest.
“Well, that was a waste,” the younger woman sighed.
Jade couldn’t miss the frown on her new friend’s face. “What was?”
“Flirting with our handsome pilot. He’s too busy trying to fly this thing.”
“Sorry.” Jade took a peek outside as the western edge of Mackinac Island came into view. “Better luck next time.”
China’s frown faded and a mischievous smile crossed her lips. “So, I guess I’ll spend the rest of the trip bothering you.”
And she did, though Jade really didn’t mind. It made the last part of the trip go by quickly. They even continued talking after the plane had come to a smooth landing at the Mackinac Island Airport and all the other passengers had disembarked.
“Well, there you are.” Rick smiled as they finally emerged from the hatch. “I was beginning to think I’d lost you somewhere over the Straits.”
“Oh, we were just gossiping,” Jade replied, feeling happy and light and ready to take the next step in her new adventure.
He bent down to pick up China’s backpack. “About me?”
“Oh, no.” China giggled. “We’d never talk about you.”
“Sure.” Rick handed China her pack with a sarcastic grin.
“Good luck, Jade,” China called as she backed away. “Bye, Rick.”
Jade watched her friend turn and sprint for the red work wagon with the fringed white and yellow canopy over its bench seats. There were already a number of people waiting on it, all heading for their jobs at The Grand Hotel.
“Where are you off to, Ms. Reynolds?” Rick asked as the wagon drove off.
“It’s Jade, and The Curiosity Cove is on the corner of Main Street and the entrance way to one of the ferry lines. I forget which one it is.”
A gust of warm wind came from nowhere and burst across the tarmac, making the plane shake slightly. Rick pushed his sunglasses onto the top of his head and glanced westward for a second. “That means you’re waiting for the Main Street taxi.”
“Yep,” Jade replied, reaching into her front jeans pocket and fishing out a pink hair scrunchie.
Rick pushed his leather jacket sleeve away from his watch. “It’s not supposed to get here for another ten minutes.”
“That’s okay.” She quickly gathered her wind tossed hair away from her face and tied it into a low ponytail. “I’ll wait.”
Dropping her hands, she stepped away from the plane and looked around at the other passengers waiting for the horse-drawn taxi under the shade of the protruding front roof of the small hangar, which looked like a long, single story house. Moving her eyes, she then saw Tom Lawson’s sleek white plane gleaming in the warm sunshine, and the tall captain standing
at the nose talking to someone.
About five hundred feet away, she caught the yellow, white and purple blooms of spring wildflowers peeking out from the nearby trees and grasses. And once again, the warm wind blew past her, playing with her ponytail like a kitten playing with strings of yarn. Happiness poured through her, and she threw her arms out to her sides. “I’m here, Mackinac Island!” she shouted into the wind and began twirling like a skater on ice. “My baggage is stored, my slate is clean, and I’m ready to take you on!”
She spun in tight circles, laughing at the childish, light feeling in her soul until her head began to swim and she slowed to a stop. As her vision steadied, she saw Rick leaning back against his plane, arms folded across his chest, staring at her with an amused smirk on his face.
“What’s so funny?” she asked as she propped her hands on her hips.
“You,” he replied with a pleasant chuckle. “You looked like a pink and blue helicopter.”
“I can’t help it. I’m happy to be here.”
“I can tell.”
Her hands spread out to the air again as she walked towards him. “I finally quit the boring bank teller job that I put up with for ten years. I said ‘see you in six months’ to my loving but much too motherly big sister. And I’m finally out of a loveless three-year marriage to my ex-best friend which was only created because Jeff and I didn’t want to be single anymore.”
“You’re divorced?”
“It’ll be a month next week.”
His chuckle returned. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
Jade’s eyes locked onto Rick’s. And though he was still smiling, in the bottomless depths of his light brown eyes she could see a hint of sorrow hiding there. She fought the need to ask him if he was happy.
“Then by all means, spin,” he said, as the sorrow retreated into the shadows at the same time his hand reached out to take her left arm. “You deserve it.”
“Jade Reynolds?”
A deep voice resonated through her, and she turned to see an unkempt, giant-sized man standing behind her.
“Are you Ms. Reynolds?” he repeated.
Rick moved his hand from her arm to just below the back of her neck. “Hey, John.”
“Captain Montgomery.” John nodded, unmoved and somber before returning his attention to Jade. “Ann Spencer sent me to get you. My wagon’s over there.” He jerked his large thumb over his shoulder towards a dirty, green-colored, flatbed wagon with a long box serving as the seat. Two large bay horses were flicking their tails and waiting with great patience for their master to return. “She said that if you took the Main Street taxi, she’d be dead in a sea of boxes and newspapers before you got there. Are these your bags?” He nudged the bags at Rick’s feet with an oversized boot.
Before either one could answer, he seized the luggage and swung them over his shoulder with ease. “Ready to go?”
“In a minute.”
The big man nodded and headed for his wagon, lugging her bags as if they weighed nothing at all. Jade turned back to Rick. “Who’s that?”
“John Sanders. He’s been on this island for years; does odd jobs and errands for everyone. Nice enough guy, but he always makes me think of Lurch from the Addams Family when I see him.”
She grinned at his words. “So you think I’ll be safe with him?”
Moving his eyes from John to her, he scoffed. “Sure. I wouldn’t let you get into his wagon if I didn’t. Just don’t plan on having any long conversations with him.”
“I won’t.” She extended her hand. “Thank you for a very easy, very smooth trip.”
Rick took her hand in a warm, firm grip. “You’re welcome. Now go fly off and conquer this island.”
“I will.” Reluctantly, Jade pulled away. “Goodbye, Rick.”
The heart-stopping smile returned. “Goodbye, Jade.”
She took a couple of steps backwards, holding onto his face with her eyes before turning towards the wagon.
ANN DREW JADE into a tight embrace as John set her bags on the wooden floor of the shop and left. “I’m so glad you’re finally here! I’ve been lost in cardboard and newspapers for two days now, and there’s still more to unpack, let alone everything that has to be set up and dusted…” Her voice faded away as she tucked a loose strand of honey blonde hair that had worked its way free from the pigtail behind her left ear. “I’m beginning to think I made a mistake taking over this shop, Jade”
“Don’t worry. We’ll get it done. You just tell me what to do.” She pushed up the sleeves of her pink turtleneck.
“Ah, fresh optimism, I need it.” Ann chuckled as she picked up Jade’s backpack. “Come on. I’ll show you to your apartment first.”
Jade grabbed her two duffels and followed. “You look good, Ann.”
“You mean for a thirty-three year old, twice-divorced woman, dealing with an early mid-life crisis while taking on a busy resort island trinket shop and hoping to find husband number three to whisk me away to the land of luxury? Thanks.” She led the way around the cash counter and to a door right behind it. “So, how was the trip over?”
“Fine.” Jade waited as Ann opened the door that led upstairs.
“This wind didn’t bother you?”
“It didn’t pick up until after we arrived.”
“Did you meet anyone interesting on the flight?”
Jade decided not to tell Ann about Rick for the moment. “A couple,” she replied.
Ann sighed. “I’ve only met John so far.”
“Well, when we’re all set up, you’ll have time to go visit.”
Ann set the backpack beside the only door on the left-hand side of the dim hallway, turned the knob and pushed. “There’s that fresh optimism again. You’d better bottle it for later when we’re both about to throw up our hands and cry. Now, go change into something you don’t mind getting dirty in, and come back downstairs. We have a lot of work to do.”
THE NIGHT WAS too warm and sticky for the end of April, and the air smelled of rain. Jade had opened the front door an hour ago to cool the place off, and once in a while she caught the tantalizing whiff of daffodils before the breeze shifted, taking away the delightful smell and cool relief with it. Thoughts of those cheerful looking yellow flowers made Jade resolve to talk Ann into letting her set up a couple of window boxes just outside the front door.
Returning her attention to the boxes, she continued to load the contents on a desk sitting near the front window. Ann had taken a spot at the cash counter and was busy tearing down all the empty cartons for recycling. Soft piano music floated out of the sound system, helping to keep both women calm in the face of all the mess. Little by little, every flat surface in the store was being filled with trinkets, books and oddities, while cardboard boxes, newspaper and packing peanuts were tossed on the floor. It looked like a tornado had blown through, but Jade knew that it would look better when the first of the tourists were supposed to arrive in a week.
Sweat beaded her forehead, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand before bringing up a small package with a return address label from the Florida Keys. Opening the carton with a little less energy than she had three hours ago, she found a wooden jewelry box with a strange spiral symbol carved on its top nestled in a bed of newspapers. Carefully, she pulled it from its wrappings, nudged the carton onto the floor with her elbow, and set the box on the desktop. Lifting the lid, she discovered four small velvet pouches tucked inside, each in a different deep, jewel tone color.
She picked up the royal blue pouch and held it in the air. “What’s this?”
“What’s what?” Ann glanced up from slicing and dicing another carton.
“This.”
“Oh, that. It’s a good luck medallion created from a silver coin found in a shipwreck site in the Florida Keys. I bought it, and the others in that box, over the Internet from some guy down there.”
Jade reached into the small bag and pulled out a medallion hanging f
rom an intricate silver chain. The image of a ship crashing through the waves was embossed on the front, and another odd raised spiral symbol was on the back. She dangled the trinket from its chain and admired how the shop lights brought out the colors of blue and green around the edges. It was almost like she was holding a piece of the sea.
“That one’s meant for safe journeys,” Ann stated, going back to breaking down the boxes. “There’s also one for romance, one for good fortune, and one for healthy children. I figure they’re all hogwash, but what the heck, someone will buy them just because they’re pretty. There should be a card for each one telling their story. I’m not sure how best to display them—maybe punch a small hole in the card and slip the chain…” She dropped the utility knife on the counter and sighed. “Oh, hell. Let’s call it a night. I’ll take this cardboard out back. Drag some of that junk away from the front door and close it, okay?”
“Okay.” With great reluctance Jade dropped the mesmerizing decoration into its pouch and laid it back in its box. She ran her fingers over the velvet one last time, startled when she didn’t feel the metal’s solidness beneath it. Panic set in as she realized that she must have dropped it into the mass of newspaper and boxes she was standing in. Swearing under her breath, she got down on her hands and knees and began to search. But looking for a thin piece of silver in the gray, black, and white heap was like looking for a diamond in a bin of ice.
“Need some help?”
Jade was so surprised to hear Rick’s voice that she almost failed to grasp the missing necklace as her hand ran past it in her desperate search. Her heart jumped as her eyes shot up to focus on the man standing over her. “You scared the daylights out of me, Rick.”
“Sorry. The door was open so I didn’t knock.”
Wrapping her fingers around the charm, she sat back on her legs and stared at him. His hat was gone, there was a bead of sweat at his temple, and she could see signs of fatigue at the corners of his eyes. But that smile of his could still make her heart jump a beat. “What are you doing here?”
He extended his hand to her. “My good deed for the day.”
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