Summer of the Loon

by Deanna Lynn Sletten

  Once the phone was back in Megan's hand, she asked, "What have you been doing? You're so lucky you don't have to go to school. It's too bad, though, that you won't be going to school with us next year. So, what's going on?"

  Ali told Megan about her job at the lodge. "Now I'll be able to pay for my phone service so I can keep talking to you," Ali said.

  Megan wrinkled her nose. "What kind of work are you doing there?"

  "I help cook the meals, serve meals to the guests, clean the cabins, and do laundry. Stuff like that," Ali said.

  "Oh."

  Ali tried to ignore Megan's halfhearted response. Ali knew that Megan thought it sounded terrible because Megan used to think that Ali's job at the restaurant was awful, too. But Ali made much more money at the restaurant with tips added to her pay than Megan made working part-time at the clothing store in the mall, and Ali had needed all the money she could earn.

  "I know it doesn't sound like much," Ali said. "But it's a job, and I need to make my own money."

  "Yeah, I guess so," Megan said. Then her face brightened. "At least you get to be around that cutie, Chase."

  Ali grinned and rolled her eyes. "We're just friends," she said. "He's leaving for college this fall, and I don't plan on getting involved with anyone here."

  "Are you kidding?" Megan asked. "He sounds like he's definitely worth getting involved with." Some of the girls around the table were asking, "Who, who?" and Ali heard Megan telling them about Chase. "See, it's unanimous. Everyone here thinks you definitely need to hook up with Chase."

  Ali laughed. She missed her friends so much. "Not going to happen," she said.

  "Well, I'd better go. I have to finish eating and lunchtime is almost over," Megan said. "Miss you. Call again real soon, okay?"

  Ali's heart sank. She didn't want to say goodbye already. "Okay, I'll try. Miss you, too."

  Megan showed the phone to everyone again and they all waved and said goodbye, then the screen popped off. Ali was left alone, sitting on the bench with her coffee, feeling like she lived on another planet, far away from her friends, instead of in another state.

  Sighing, Ali started looking through her emails to see if any of her other friends had contacted her. Megan had left her three emails, which made Ali feel better, and another friend had sent her one. As she sipped her coffee and read her emails, a shadow crossed over her and Ali looked up into the face of a man. He was tall and had thick, wavy dark hair, a tan face, and piercing blue eyes. He was dressed in slacks, a button down shirt, and a sports jacket. He didn't look menacing, but the way he stared at her caused a shiver to go up Ali's spine.

  The man nodded, then walked across the street and entered The Loon's Nest.

  Ali didn't know why the man had stared at her, or why it bothered her. Probably just another local wondering who I am.

  A while later, Ben pulled up in his pickup and parked in front of where Ali sat. He walked past Ali and into the coffeehouse, shouting out a greeting to Karen. "Got any real coffee back there?" Ali heard him asking. She sighed. She couldn't tell if he was teasing or being grouchy. A few minutes later, he came out with a cup of coffee and a bag in his hand. He sat down beside Ali and scooted the bag over next to her.

  "Have one," he said.

  Ali looked up at him. "What's in there?"

  "Scones. Karen makes the best ones around, but don't tell Jo I said that. She might get jealous."

  Ali pulled out a scone and took a bite. It was delicious.

  Ben took the other one and started eating it as they sat there side by side on the glider.

  "So, did you get a chance to talk to your friends?" Ben asked between bites.

  "Yeah. But it feels like I'm a million miles away from them," Ali said.

  Ben turned and looked at her. "Hmmm. I guess their lives are a lot different from yours here," he said. "Guess that's to be expected."

  "I suppose so," Ali said, but she wasn't happy about it.

  "Would you rather be there?" Ben asked bluntly.

  Damn right I would. Ali thought it but she didn't say it out loud. "I just miss everyone, that's all," she said instead.

  Ben nodded.

  Across the street, the man who had stopped and stared at Ali walked out of the bar and nodded at Ben. Ali watched as Ben's expression turned into a sneer.

  "Who is that man?" Ali asked. "He was staring at me earlier."

  The sneer on Ben's face deepened. "He's nobody important. He only thinks he is. Stay away from him. As far as I'm concerned, he's trash."

  Ali's eyes widened at her grandfather's words. She'd heard him be grouchy, sarcastic, and even condescending, but she'd never heard hatred in his voice before. Apparently, he really disliked this man.

  "Come on, let's get back," Ben said, rising from the bench. "I have work to do, and you have a driver's test to study for."

  This time, Ali sat in the passenger's seat and her grandfather drove. As they drove down the street, Ali caught a glimpse of the tall, dark haired man again. She wondered who he was, and why her grandfather hated him so much.

  Chapter Nine

  Back at the lodge, Ali asked Jo if she had a driver's manual she could study.

  "I'm sure Chase still has one in his room. Let me go dig it out for you," Jo told Ali. Sure enough, there was one in Chase's desk drawer and Jo handed it over to Ali. "Did you have a nice time in town?" Jo asked. "Were you able to talk to your friend?"

  Ali nodded. "Yeah. Megan was at lunch with all our friends from school, so I was able to say hi to everyone. It seems weird, though, them being so far away."

  Jo gave Ali a hug. "I know this is hard on you, dear. Everything changed so quickly for you. You can talk to me anytime about anything, remember that. I want you to feel at home here."

  Ali held back the tears that were threatening to fall. She really liked Jo, and she liked Chase, too. She wasn't sure about her grandfather yet, but she could tell that he tried to be nice to her sometimes. She couldn't go back home, and she didn’t feel like this was home either, but she appreciated Jo's kindness and warmth. "Thanks," was all Ali could manage, then she went out to one of the leather sofas in the main room, curled up, and began studying the driver's manual.

  Awhile later, Chase came into the main room with a cookie in his hand and dropped his heavy backpack into one of the chairs. "Mom says you're studying for your driver's test," he said.

  Ali smiled up at him. It was hard to not smile around him because he almost always had that cute grin on his face and his eyes twinkled. It would be easy to have a huge crush on him. The thought came out of nowhere, and it surprised Ali. He's just a friend, he's just a friend, she reminded herself.

  "Do you want me to test you?" Chase asked, coming over and sitting down on the sofa beside her.

  "Uh, sure." Ali handed Chase the booklet and he turned to the back where the practice test was.

  "Okay. If you approach an intersection without a stop sign or signal, you: A. Should always stop before driving through the intersection, B. Must yield the right-of-way to all vehicles, or C. Should slow down and be ready to stop, if necessary.

  Ali thought a moment. "C?"

  "Yep, you're correct," Chase said. "Next question: If you have a tire blowout, you should: A. Brake hard to stop the car immediately, B. Let the car slow to a stop, or C. Continue driving until you reach a garage."

  Ali giggled. "Is that a real question?"

  Chase nodded seriously. "Yep."

  "Hmmm. C. Drive until you get to a garage," Ali said, smiling.

  Chase chuckled. "No, seriously, this is a real question."

  "It's silly. What does it have to do with actual driving?"

  "Tires blow out all the time. You'll be a danger to yourself and the entire state of Minnesota if you don't know the answer to this question," Chase said, trying to look serious but failing miserably.

  Ali shook her head. "Fine. B is the correct answer then."

  Chase nodded. "Whew. I thought for sure you'd flunk t
his test."

  Ali picked up a small pillow off the sofa and threw it at Chase. He ducked, and it went right over his head. "Missed me."

  Ali got up, grabbed another pillow, and smacked him with it. Chase started laughing and grabbed for the pillow and they both fell down on the sofa, Chase on top of Ali, laughing hysterically. They were laughing so hard, Ali couldn't even fight back when Chase took the pillow away from her and started tickling her.

  "Okay, okay," Ali yelled between fits of laughter. "I give. Stop!"

  Chase stopped tickling her. He was on his hands and knees on the sofa, leaning over Ali's prone body. Their faces were only inches apart, and they both were breathing heavily, trying to catch their breath. For one brief moment, their eyes met and Ali's heart did a little jump.

  "What in the heck is going on in here?"

  Ali and Chase both looked up at the gruff sound of Ben's voice. He was standing a few feet away, his arms crossed, frowning at them.

  Chase sat back on the sofa as Ali slowly rose up to a sitting position. Both teens were still breathing heavily.

  Ali picked up the driver's manual from the floor and showed it to her grandfather. "Chase was just helping me study for my driver's test," she said, trying to look serious but her grin gave her away.

  "Humph. So is that what you call tumbling around on the sofa and screeching?" Ben asked. "Studying for a test?"

  Both teens nodded.

  Ben shook his head, turned, and headed back into the kitchen. Ali and Chase stared at each other a moment, then broke out into another fit of laughter.

  ***

  Ben stomped into the kitchen and stopped in front of the butcher block island where Jo was kneading bread dough. "Do you know what those two were doing in there? They're horsing around on the sofa, that's what," Ben said, answering his own question.

  Jo didn't even look up. She continued working on the dough. "Are they horsing around with or without clothes on?" she asked.

  "Well, of course they had clothes on," Ben said, appalled. "Don't you think I would have said something if they didn't have clothes on?"

  Jo looked up and winked at Ben. "Then it's okay. As long as they keep their clothes on, we're good."

  Ben let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Don't you take anything seriously? You know darn well what horsing around leads to."

  "Oh, yeah, I remember what it leads to," Jo said, grinning at Ben. "I wouldn't mind a little horsing around myself." She waggled her eyebrows at him.

  "Dammit, woman. This is serious. Do you want to become a grandmother before your time?"

  Jo sighed. She wiped her hands on her apron and walked around the island to stand directly in front of Ben. "That's not going to happen, Ben, and you know it. They're just having fun. Have a little faith in Ali. She's a good girl. And you've known Chase his whole life. Do you think he's so stupid that he'd ruin his future by doing something reckless?"

  Ben tightened his lips into a thin line. "Teenagers do stupid things all the time," he said.

  "Don't punish Ali for her mother's mistakes. I think Ali's had it hard enough already. I doubt she's in a hurry to mess up her own life." Jo turned and went back to kneading the bread dough.

  Ben stood there a moment, thinking about what Jo had said. Is that what he was doing? Transferring Jen's mistakes onto Ali? He walked back over to Jo and looked at her, his expression no longer angry. "I just don't want to live through that again. Is that so wrong?"

  Jo shook her head. "No, it's not. But you have to trust her, Ben, or else you'll push her away, too."

  Ben walked around behind Jo, gave her a hug, and kissed the top of her head, then walked to the door. "I’m taking Ali on Thursday into Grand Rapids to get her driver's license. If there's anything you need me to get for you, make a list." With that, he stepped outside.

  Ben walked over to the dock and looked out at the lake. A loon swam peacefully in the water, along with the ducks that also fed in the cove. Ben thought about Ali's fascination with the loons. He thought about his Jen's love of wildlife and the outdoors. His thoughts turned to his Lizzie, and how she'd been gone almost seven years now. Times changed. Life changed. People came and went. Yet each year, the loons came and nested in the same place they've nested for years. They found their mate and continued the cycle. For them, no change was the key to survival.

  Ben thought about Jo's words. 'Don't punish Ali for her mother's mistakes.' His anger all those years ago had pushed his Jen away, and Lizzie had never truly forgiven him for it. Even though he'd tried to set things straight with Jen, she never came home. And Lizzie had lived with the pain of not seeing her only daughter or knowing her only granddaughter. Yet, it was hard. Every time he looked at Ali, he saw his Jen, he saw his Lizzie, and he was reminded over and over again that she was the very reason his Jen had left them forever.

  ***

  After supper was eaten and the dishes were cleaned up, Ali and Chase took a walk around the cabins and out to the rocky point. It was breezy out, and the night air had a chill to it. Ali and Chase had both slipped on sweatshirts to ward off the cold. Once they reached the point, they climbed up on two of the large boulders that stood side by side and sat, enjoying the warmth the rocks had absorbed during the day.

  "It feels like sitting on a heated chair," Ali said, giggling as Chase nodded agreement.

  The water lapped against the rocks as the breeze caressed Ali's cheeks. The sun was low in the sky behind them, causing long shadows from the trees to fall over them. Ali felt like she was nestled at the very tip of the world.

  "Do you think Ben was mad at us tonight?" Chase asked, interrupting Ali's thoughts.

  Ali shrugged. Her grandfather had been very quiet at supper, only speaking when he had to and to tell her they'd be going to Grand Rapids on Thursday for her driver's test. Apparently, he knew someone in the office there who had arranged for Ali to take both the written and driving test all in one day. Ali was excited to go into a bigger town where she hoped she could make arrangements to update her phone plan and maybe do a little shopping for necessities. But Ben's sour mood had dampened her excitement. After supper, he'd said he was heading up to the house for the night and she should be up there before lights out.

  "He's afraid I'm going to muck up your life," Ali said, turning to face Chase. Her expression was half-serious, half-smiling, but Chase only frowned at her words.

  "Muck up my life? Were those his words?" Chase asked.

  Ali chuckled. "Yep. He said not to get too attached to you and not to muck up your life."

  Chase shook his head. "Don't worry too much about Ben. He takes everything so seriously. I'm sure he meant well." Chase picked up a flat pebble and spun it sideways through the air, skimming the water. The pebble jumped three times on the surface of the lake before dropping in.

  "Cool," Ali said, watching the pebble. She turned to face Chase. "Why do you always defend my grandfather, even when he's being a jerk?"

  It was Chase's turn to shrug. "I don't know. I guess because I've known him so long, he's practically like a second father to me. After my dad died, Ben took it upon himself to teach me things he knew my dad would have. And he's always been fair to me. It's only been lately that he's been acting weird, and I'm sure it's because he hadn't really planned on you being here."

  Ali stared out at the water. "It's not like I planned on coming here, either," she said sadly.

  Chase reached over and placed his hand on her arm. "I'm sorry for the reason you had to move here, but I'm glad you came," he said.

  Ali looked up into his kind, blue eyes. Moving here hadn't been easy, especially after losing her mother so suddenly. But having Chase here made it much easier.

  "Tell me about your father," Ali said. "I mean, if you don't mind talking about him."

  Chase removed his hand from Ali's arm and wrapped his arms around his legs. "I don't mind. What do you want to know?"

  "How long has he been gone?" Ali asked.

  "He died in 2007. I wa
s twelve. It seems like a long time ago, though."

  "How did he die?" Ali asked in a hushed whisper.

  "My dad used to log in the winter to make extra money. Logging can be dangerous. He was working near a pile of freshly stacked trees when it came loose and rolled. The pile rolled right over top of him and crushed him." Chase said the words quietly.

  "I'm sorry," Ali told him. "I bet it was really hard on you and Jo."

  Chase nodded. "It was. Ben had been helping out a little around the lodge before that, but after my dad died, he started helping out more to make things easier for my mom. And he spent a lot of time with me, making sure I had someone to talk to."

  Ali looked up at him in surprise. "My grandfather talked about feelings with you?"

  Chase chuckled. "No. Not feelings exactly. But he was there when I'd get angry or sad. Mostly, he'd take me out fishing, or we'd go out hiking, looking for good hunting spots. He kept me busy so I wouldn't just sit around being upset all the time. It helped."

  "What was your dad like? What did he look like?" Ali asked, interested in Chase's father. She'd never had a father or even a man in her life that acted like a dad, so she was always interested in other kids' fathers.

  "He was tall, and he was kind of rugged looking, like you'd expect from someone who worked outside. He had really thick, wavy black hair and his face was always tanned, even in the winter. He was a hard worker, but he also liked to have fun. He'd joke and tease a lot. He was a nice guy."

  "Your poor mom. It must have been awful being left alone with a resort to run and a kid to raise," Ali said.

  "She had a hard time at first. I remember her being sad a lot. I was afraid she'd want to sell the resort and we'd have to move. But she hung in there. I don't think she could have kept going without Ben. He really did take it upon himself to make her life easier."

  Ali thought about her grandfather and how he tried to make things difficult for her, but at the same time, he'd do something nice, like giving her the money today for the coffee and buying her the scone. And it was he who insisted she get her driver's license, but he also grouched about having to go to do it. Ali sighed. She wasn't sure if she liked her grandfather, or if he liked her, but she didn't have much choice in the matter, at least until she finished high school.