The Seasons of the EmmaLee

by Michael Lindley

  “Connor!” Emily interrupted.

  Stewart Compton and the rest of the table remained silent.

  Connor continued, “But fortunately for our war hero, it was actually the evil brother who was the murderer.”

  Jonathan jumped to his feet.

  Connor’s father also stood across the table from him. “Connor, that is enough!”

  Jonathan reached down for his glass, struggling to remain calm. His voice hesitated slightly as he began speaking, “I think we should all say a prayer for a young woman and her family who have suffered so much… for a young woman and her unborn child who were treated so poorly by so many.” He looked directly at Connor Harris. “May she rest in peace.”

  There was quiet around the table. Everyone was looking at Connor Harris. News of his affair with the Hansen girl had spread quickly. His face was turning red and he began shaking he was so angry. He threw his napkin down on the table and walked out of the room.

  Stewart Compton broke the silence. He stood picking up his wine glass. “May she rest in peace. Thank you for reminding us, Jonathan.”

  All of the guests raised their glasses in tribute to Catherine Hansen and her family.

  After dinner, they were up on deck again. The band was playing and Jonathan and Emily danced to a slow song.

  “You move pretty good for having a broken back, a smashed arm and who knows what shape your head’s in,” she teased. The song ended and they walked over to the bar. Emily’s father came up.

  “Jonathan, I want to apologize for my behavior earlier and for Connor at dinner. I just spoke with Connor’s father. They’re sending him home to Chicago tonight for the rest of the summer. They’ll be putting him to work for the first time. Maybe they can work some of the anger out of him.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Compton,” Jonathan said, shaking his hand.

  “You need to call me Stewart, young man. And about my behavior earlier, again I’m sorry. You’ve been through so much, with the War and now with your family. I’m just awfully glad one of the Compton’s had enough damn sense to stick by you.” He grabbed his daughter around the waist and kissed the top of her head. “You two have a good time tonight.” He walked away.

  “Wasn’t that interesting?” Emily said. “The old man might just be coming around.”

  “I wouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet,” Jonathan said with a smile.

  “You know, I was thinking this would be a great night for a cruise.”

  “I don’t think the EmmaLee’s going anywhere tonight.

  “I wasn’t thinking about this EmmaLee,” she said and gave him that smile that he couldn’t resist.

  Jonathan and Emily managed to slip away and leave the ship shortly after nine o’clock. Ten minutes later, they were sitting in the front seat of the EmmaLee II, heading out of the channel into Lake Charlevoix. Emily was driving while Jonathan struggled to get comfortable with his cast leaning on the side gunwale. He felt so relieved to be away from the big ship and the party. In spite of Stewart Compton’s apology, he still felt so out of place with those people. It amazed him he had become so comfortable around Emily. He looked over and watched her hair blow back in the wind and the smile on her face as she steered her boat. Being with her had always made him feel like he was one of the luckiest people in the world.

  They cleared the last channel buoy as darkness was falling around them. The lights from the dash illuminated the small cockpit. They could still hear the band playing back at her parents’ party.

  Emily pointed to one of the gauges. “We’ve got a full tank of gas. Any suggestions on a destination?”

  “If we had thrown a fly rod in, we could head down to Horton’s Creek and pick up a few trout for dinner tomorrow night,” he suggested.

  “I don’t think you’ll have a fly rod in your hand for a while, but I was thinking about Horton Bay again, too,” she said, looking over at him. “But, I wasn’t thinking about fishing.” She flashed her white teeth at him in a big glorious smile.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  She buried the throttle and the EmmaLee II roared up and into the night.

  When they came around the point and headed into the bay, they were in almost total darkness. They couldn’t see any running lights from other boats, but proceeded slowly in case there were others anchored off without lights on. By the time they reached the center of the bay their eyes had become better adjusted to the night and they could see they were alone in the seclusion of the quiet harbor. Emily turned the engine key off and the little runabout floated silently across the surface and then came to rest on the calm water.

  Emily jumped up in bare feet and stepped over the seat into the back compartment to throw an anchor over the side. “You sit tight, McKendry,” she said. “You’re in no shape to do anything more than enjoy the ride.”

  “I’m enjoying every minute of it, especially watching you do all the work.”

  “I suppose you won’t be able to go swimming with me with that big cast on your arm?”

  “No, but I can watch.”

  She stood there in the back of the boat and began unbuttoning the front of her dress.

  Jonathan looked on in amazement.

  “A gentleman would turn his head,” she said quietly.

  “You know I’m no gentleman. Do you know how beautiful you are?”

  “Only when you keep reminding me.” She pulled the dress off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor of the boat. She stepped out of it and threw it across the front seat next to Jonathan, standing there now in a white bra and panties that stood out in contrast with the dark of the night. She made no effort to cover herself, but instead leaned forward and kissed him. “I wish you could join me.”

  “I’ll be waiting for you right here with a warm towel when you come back.”

  She stepped up on the side deck and teetered there for a moment, trying to keep her balance. Jonathan grabbed a float cushion and threw it overboard in front of her. “I know you can swim, but I don’t want to lose you again.”

  “Don’t go away.” she said calmly, then dove out into the night. He turned and saw her dive down into the dark water, her splash barely creating a ripple. She came up moments later and he could just see her swimming out away from the boat in a slow, graceful stroke.

  “The water is beautiful,” she yelled back. “Are you sure that cast isn’t waterproof?”

  “I could get another cast. It’s my arm I’m worried about,” he said.

  “No, you stay right there. I’m getting a little tired of patching you back together.”

  He saw her swim over and grab on to the cushion and rest in the calm of the bay. He got up and painfully climbed over the seat into the back and picked up one of the towels.

  “Is there a more heavenly place in all the world, Jonathan?” she asked.

  “I’ve seen a lot of the world, mostly from an old Navy ship, or a train and I think I’d just as soon be right here with you.”

  “Good choice.”

  In the dim light, he saw her let go of the cushion and slip beneath the surface. When she didn’t come back up right away he started to get concerned and he moved to the side of the boat to get a closer look. Then, she game back up and took a big gasp of air.

  “Don’t scare me like that. I’m not sure I’d be much good trying to come in after you,” he said.

  He saw her turn suddenly in the water and throw something and a moment later her wet bra and panties hit him in the face. He pulled them away and tried to wipe the water away with the towel. “You’re making it harder and harder for me to stay onboard here, lady.”

  “You just sit tight,” she said.

  In the dim reflection from the rising moon he could just make out her form on the water as she pushed away from the cushion, floating on her back. The rise of her belly and breasts pushed up through the surface of the water as she paddled and kicked slowly backwards. Then, she turned over and swam back to the cushion.

&n
bsp; “Do you have that towel ready?” she asked.

  “Come and get it!”

  She swam around to the back of the boat and climbed up on the low deck across the back of the transom. She sat on the back deck and Jonathan threw her the towel. She stood up in the darkness and began drying herself, first her hair, then the rest of her body. Jonathan sat back on the middle deck between the rows of seats. She wrapped the towel around herself and stepped down onto the back seat and then the floor of the boat. She came over to him and put her arms gently around his neck. He stood up and took her around the waist with his one good arm and pulled her to him. He could see her smile and a gleam in her eyes, even in the low light. She lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

  “Have I told you I love you, Jonathan McKendry?” she said in a low whisper.

  He was so overwhelmed, he couldn’t speak. Slowly, he shook his head no.

  “Is that all you have to say for yourself?” she teased.

  He managed to collect himself. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life, and you’re standing here half naked with me in this boat in my favorite place in the whole world. You’ve just told me you love me, and you expect me to be able to make a coherent sentence?”

  “I think you just did,” she said, and kissed him again, this time letting her lips linger.

  “I do love you, Jonathan.”

  Losing his balance, he sat back down on the seat of the boat. She moved with him and stood between his legs, keeping her arms around his neck. He looked up into her eyes and saw the light of the moon shining in them. She kissed him again.

  An owl swept in low and crossed the reflection of the moon on the water. They turned and watched it fly off into the darkness of the night.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  The captain of the EmmaLee powered the long ship away from the docks in Charlevoix for the last time. He steered her slowly in reverse, back out into Round Lake. It was a cloudy morning and low clouds rushed in over the hills from Lake Michigan. An occasional light mist settled down across the lake. A large crowd had gathered at the docks along the park to see the big ship off.

  Alex and Megan Clark stood together at the rail in the bow of the ship, the large bowsprit pointing out ahead of them. They had yellow rain slickers on and Alex held his daughter with his arm around her shoulder. They had said their goodbyes earlier to the friends they had met during their stay. The Hansens, George and Elizabeth, were both there and had urged Alex to bring the EmmaLee back again for next summer’s festival. He had thanked them sincerely for all of their hospitality and promised he would do his best to be back.

  The Mayor had also come down and held a small ceremony, giving Alex a key to the city. The newspaper had a photographer there to capture the moment.

  The night before he had seen Louis Kramer and Mary Alice Gregory off at the municipal airport. The sleek jet had lifted off and banked sharply south, heading for Florida. Alex had wished them well, knowing they would both have their hands full with each other.

  Alex looked across the crowd onshore and marveled at the time they had just spent in this small little town. He thought about first finding the EmmaLee all those months ago, out East. He had no idea then how much this big old boat would change his life, the places he would visit and the people who would come into his life.

  He waved again at George and Elizabeth Hansen, who were waving their hands frantically in farewell. Then, he saw Gwen Roberts push her way through the crowd and stand next to the Hansens. When she spotted him up in the front of the ship, he waved to her. Gwen lifted her arm to wave goodbye and he saw a smile come across her face.

  The smile was for Sally, who came up behind Alex now. She placed an arm around his waist and on the shoulder of his daughter.

  He pulled her closer, as the ship’s horn sounded their farewell.

  New Beginnings

  I’ve spent much of my life in this little town, tucked down in the north woods. I’ve watched my family and those of others grow here and build their lives here. I’ve had close friends and loved ones as well, who have shared their lives with me here. We all say how quickly the time seems to pass and when so much of your life is already behind you, the years and the memories blur.

  The time shared with Jonathan and Emily, and in later years with their daughter Sally, comes back to me so often. Our time together held so much joy and love, and all too frequently, deep pain and sadness.

  The day Jonathan and Emily were married is a memory that remains etched so clearly in my mind. I had just started dating Elizabeth, and I can remember standing with her on the deck of the EmmaLee with our friends and the families of the Comptons and the McKendrys. Emily Compton had such a special glow in her face that day. Her love for Jonathan brought him back from the damages of war and our families’ tragedies. She helped him put so much of that behind him, and on that day of their wedding on the big ship, surrounded by the love of so many, I saw Emily’s light wash over him and renew him, and I know he lived a truly happy life with her and their beautiful Sally.

  On the night I received the call we had lost them both and their little granddaughter, Ellen, in the storm off the Manitous, I remember going to Sally’s house and holding her and crying out our loss together. I know we both felt then there could never be happiness in this place again. It took many years and the pain never truly goes away, but we turned to those we were still blessed to have in our lives and we found our way. We stayed here and we continued to live out our lives the best we could. New people came into our lives who helped us fill the spaces in our hearts and the love that had been taken away.

  I watched Sally leave today, again up on the deck of the big ship. I saw the joy and light in her face I had seen so many years earlier with her mother. As she stood there at the rail with Alex Clark and his daughter, Megan, I felt such joy for her. Her family had been taken from her so long ago. Here was a new beginning and a new family who loved her as much as we all do.

  We know they’ll be back often and we will continue to share their lives. Those of us who remain behind will carry on with the routines that have kept us going and perhaps, find new paths as well.

  I often find myself sitting out on the calm waters of the lake in my little fishing boat. I go there mostly alone these days. The trout are nearly gone now. The little creek still flows, but progress and development have slowed her waters. Late in the evenings when the sun has passed below the tall trees onshore and the cool of the night spreads out across the bay, I listen to the sounds of the past in my mind, a fish rising, a friend laughing. I see the faces of those I’ve loved and shared this place with, reflect back at me in the smooth surface of the lake. So many of us have moved on now. All of us will forever have this place together in our hearts.

  Note from the Author

  I hope you enjoyed the story of the EmmaLee! It was such a pleasure to write this book. My family has been on Lake Charlevoix for five generations now and it’s truly a special place.

  My great grandfather arrived in the early 1900’s to find work in the logging industry. He became a great carpenter and homebuilder and built many fine cottages and log cabins on both Lake Charlevoix and Walloon Lake up until his death in the 1950’s.

  He and his sons also owned and operated a marina and boatyard on the lake, which became my inspiration for the McKendry Boatworks in the novel.

  As a young boy in the 1950’s and 60’s, I remember my time spent out at the family Boatworks and the splendid summers we all shared on the lake. I was always fascinated by the wealthy “summer people” and the great cruisers and sailing yachts they kept at my great grandfather’s docks.

  In my research for the novel, the Charlevoix Historical Society was a great resource. The fictional ship, the EmmaLee, pictured on the cover of the book, was actually a boat called the Sylvia, owned by a summer family who lived in Charlevoix. At 180+ feet of waterline, it was one of several magnificent yachts kept in Charlevoix in the years leading
up to World War II.

  As I portrayed in the novel for the EmmaLee, the Sylvia was also commissioned by the Navy at the outset of the War. It was sent to the East Coast and served in the effort to find and track German submarines. Unlike the novel, the Sylvia never returned to Charlevoix. The last known location I was able to find for her was in the Greek Islands.

  If you enjoyed The Seasons of the EmmaLee, I invite you to read the continuing story of Jonathan and Emily Compton/McKendry in the 1950’s, and of Alex Clark and Sally Thomasen in present day. And of course, the EmmaLee will be back on the waters of Northern Michigan. The second book in the series was first published under the title, On Past Horton Creek. It’s now available under the new title of The Summer Town.

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  Thank you for reading "The Seasons of Emmalee". You can get a FREE eBook copy of the sequel, "The Summer Town", now. Just click the link below.

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  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four