Summer of the Loon

by Deanna Lynn Sletten

  "How can you not worry about what they're up to?" Ben asked, narrowing his eyes at Jo. "Chase is leaving in less than two weeks, and those two are thick as thieves. You know what happens when two people think something's coming to an end."

  Jo raised her brows. "What happens?"

  "You know damned well what happens. They start getting desperate and do things they might otherwise not do."

  "Like what?" Jo asked innocently.

  Ben waved his hand through the air as if brushing Jo away. "Ah, you're just being difficult 'cause you don't believe me. Situations like this are how boys talk girls into doing things they shouldn't, and you know that."

  Jo frowned. "I trust Chase. And so should you. You've known him his entire life. He doesn’t play games like that. And he certainly wouldn't be disrespectful with Ali."

  "Ah, you just don't get it. This isn't about Chase being a gentleman or not, it's about two teenagers all hot for each other."

  Jo sighed. She walked over to Ben and placed a hand on his arm. "What makes you think there's anything going on between those two? Have you seen them kiss?"

  Ben drew his lips into a thin line. "No."

  "Have you seen them hold hands? Hug? Whisper sweet nothings into each other's ears?"

  "No."

  "Then stop being so hard on them. Now, come help me peel potatoes for supper." Jo headed to the pantry for a bag of potatoes.

  "You know, just because I haven't seen anything doesn't mean it isn't happening," Ben said, crossing his arms.

  Jo came out of the pantry and set the bag of potatoes on the counter by the sink. She grabbed two peelers from the drawer. "Come peel potatoes, please."

  Reluctantly, Ben walked over to the sink and took the peeler from Jo. She reached up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.

  Ben looked at her smugly. "See? Case in point. Has Chase or Ali ever seen us hold hands, kiss, or whisper sweet nothings in each other's ears?"

  Jo rolled her eyes. "No. Probably not."

  "There you have it. Just because no one sees it doesn't mean it isn't happening. Right?"

  Jo sighed. "Just peel potatoes, smartass."

  Chapter Twenty

  After that first kiss on the cliff, all Ali wanted to do was kiss Chase. They snuck kisses in secret at the point, out in the canoe in the evening, and even in the pantry after breakfast. They were careful not to be seen because neither one of them wanted a lecture from Ben, but they couldn't help but want to kiss. They were young and slowly falling in love, and they both dreaded the day that Chase would have to leave for college. So they made up for it by kissing every chance they could get.

  Ali opened up to Chase about her life with her mother in California and how difficult it had been as she'd grown older. She knew he'd understand and not judge her mother like she felt her grandfather would. Chase would listen quietly, and tell her how sorry he was about the past. In turn, Chase shared stories about his dad and how much he missed him. Ali listened, happy she could be as sympathetic an ear for him as he was for her. With each passing day, Ali felt closer to Chase, and it felt good to have someone she could confide in completely.

  The heat came back with a vengeance, as did the thunderstorms that tried to sweep the heat away. Cleaning cabins and working in the kitchen was hot and uncomfortable, and Ali actually wished for cooler weather. But she knew that the cooler weather meant Chase would be gone and she'd be in a strange school, and that saddened her.

  One morning after breakfast, Ben stood up and instead of helping to clear away the dishes, he told Chase to come and help him for a few hours. "It's time to bait for bears," Ben said. "I've got two hunting parties booked for bear season and I need to have sites ready for them."

  Ali stopped picking up plates and stared at her grandfather. "Bait for bears? What do you mean?"

  "We set up bait stations to draw in the bears," Ben replied. "We also set up trail cameras to see what's eating the bait. Then we know where we're likely to get bears during the hunt."

  Ali looked crossly from Chase to her grandfather. "That's not fair. I mean, if you're going to hunt something, then you shouldn't be allowed to set traps for it."

  Ben raised his hands, palms up in defense. "Hey, I didn't make the laws, the DNR and state did. I'm just following them. How else do you think we'd be able to find a bear?"

  Ali crossed her arms. "Where are you going to put these bait stations?"

  "Out in the woods, of course. Where else would we put them? We'll put one over by the old dairy farm, then one in the woods near that, and another one farther out. Our family has had permission to hunt that land for ages."

  Ali's eyes grew wide. "The dairy farm? You can't hunt for bear there. That's where our bears are."

  Chase looked up at this. "Your bears?"

  "Yeah," Ali said. "The mom and two cubs Grandpa and I saw when we went walking out that way." Ali turned to her grandfather. "You're not going to kill that mother bear and cubs, are you?"

  "Of course not," Ben said. "I wouldn't let anyone kill a female bear that I know for sure has cubs. And it's illegal to kill baby bears. But you can bet if there's a female bear around, a male bear is around somewhere."

  Ali's eyes grew sad. All she could think about were the adorable little bear cubs bounding up to their mother. What if someone shot their mother? How would they survive?

  "Listen, Ali. I know you're not used to all this hunting, but that's what people come up here to do," Ben told her gently. "It's just something you'll have to get used to."

  Ali looked away, picked up a few dirty plates from the table, and mumbled to herself, "I'll never get used to killing animals."

  Ben sighed. Jo brought out a pail of old cooking grease she'd saved over the summer for this very purpose and two huge buckets of stale cookies. Ben grabbed the pail and Chase took the buckets and they headed outside.

  "What were those for?" Ali asked Jo, scrunching her nose.

  "That's what they use for bait. Bears will eat just about anything this time of year since they're fattening up for hibernation. Chase and Ben will dig holes to place the cookies in, then cover the holes with heavy logs that only a bear can move. Then they'll pour the grease over the logs to bring in the bears. They'll hang up a trail camera to get photos of what comes to the bait station."

  Ali shook her head. "I'll never get used to people hunting animals for fun."

  Jo patted Ali on the back. "It'll take some getting used to, but believe me, if you live here long enough, you will."

  Ali and Jo cleared away the dishes from the dining room tables and from their table in the kitchen. Ali stacked the dishwasher trays while Jo scrubbed pans and large platters in the sink. After that, Ali started a load of dishtowels and aprons in the washing machine.

  Jo came into the laundry room as Ali finished up folding a load of towels from the dryer. "It's only a few more days before we take Chase to college. Is that going to be hard for you?" Jo asked.

  Ali looked over at the older woman. "You know about me and Chase?"

  Jo smiled. "It's pretty hard not to see that you two have become close. The way you two look at each other, it's pretty obvious."

  A worried look crossed Ali's face. "Do you think my grandfather has noticed?"

  "Ben's suspicious of everyone and everything. But no, he doesn't know for sure," Jo said.

  "We've been trying to hide it from him because he gets so crazy about stuff like that. What about you? Does it bother you?" Ali asked.

  "Oh, sweetie, I don't mind a bit," Jo told her. "As long as you two are not going too fast and are being careful, that is. I'd hate to see anything happen that would abruptly change your lives. You're both so smart and have so much ahead of you, I just want you both to have a chance to finish college first."

  "Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Ali assured her. "We're haven't taken it that far."

  "That's good to know," Jo told her. "Taking Chase off to college in Duluth will be hard but at least you and I get to s
tay the night to help him get settled in. Plus, Ben said to take you shopping in the mall there so you can buy new clothes for school. That'll be fun, won't it?"

  Ali looked up at Jo, a surprised expression on her face. "Grandpa said that? Why didn’t he tell me?"

  "Oh, you know how Ben is. He just told me to take you shopping and get you everything you need. You know what else he said to have you pick out? A brand-new computer. He realizes it's important nowadays to have one for schoolwork."

  Ali's mouth dropped open. "I can't let him buy me something like that. It's too expensive. I can just use my old one."

  "Honey, if Ben's willing to buy you one, then take him up on it. Chase mentioned that your old one doesn't work all that well and you were practically drooling over a new one when he bought his. Ben said for us to go get a new one for you. Isn't that exciting?"

  Ali stood silent a minute, taking it all in. She wasn't used to buying new things, or having anything bought for her. She'd become used to buying used items and was comfortable with them. She wanted to be excited about her grandfather buying her things, but it was hard.

  Jo looked at her with a worried frown. "What's the matter? Did I say something wrong? I thought it would make you happy."

  "It does, sort of," Ali said. "It's just that I'm not used to getting something I want so easily, and it seems strange to me."

  Jo came over and gave Ali a big hug. "Oh, sweetie. You've been through so much this year between losing your mother and moving here. You've become so much a part of our lives that I forget about all the changes you've had to get used to. And now with Chase leaving, I'm sure it will be even harder for you. But don't worry about spending your grandfather's money. He wouldn't offer if he didn’t want you to have nice things. You know he's not so good with words, this is how he shows he cares."

  Ali nodded. It was true. It was difficult for her grandfather to express his feelings. "Doesn't it ever bother you that he hides his feelings about you from Chase and me? Especially since Chase and I know there's something going on anyway."

  Jo grinned. "I figured Chase already knew. Ben is so old fashioned. He thinks we have to be married before we can show that we have a relationship otherwise you two kids will get the wrong impression."

  "Then why doesn't he marry you?"

  Jo's expression turned serious. "I'm sure you've noticed that Ben has trouble letting go of the past. He's still struggling with Jen running away all those years ago, and I know he struggles still with losing Lizzie. I don't mind waiting for him to come around. I know he cares about me, and that's all that matters."

  The rest of the day while she cleaned cabins, Ali thought about what Jo had said. Jo was right. Her grandfather still hadn't let go of the fact that her mother had run away, and he was still getting used to her living with him. She knew he still loved her Grandma Lizzie, too, even though she'd been gone a long time. Ali hoped that over time, her grandfather would see that she wasn't at all like her mother, and accept her for who she was. And also that he'd realize it was time to put aside the past and spend his life with Jo. Ali hoped for a happy ending.

  The next morning in the boat, Ali thanked her grandfather for offering to buy her a new computer when she and Jo went to Duluth.

  "Ah, it's nothing," Ben said, shifting in his seat. "It's something you need, and I'm happy to do it."

  "I bought mine second hand from a kid at school," Ali told him as she slowly reeled in her line. "We never had enough money for new things. It works okay. It's just really slow and out of date. It will be nice to have a new one."

  Ben cleared his throat. "Why don't you ever talk about your life in California, or your mom? I'd like to hear about it, good or bad."

  Ali bit her lip. "Some of it I'd like to forget," she said in a small voice. "I also don't want to give you the wrong impression about mom. She tried really hard, but she just never could get her feet on the ground for long. It was like…" Ali hesitated.

  "Like what?" Ben asked gently.

  "I always thought of mom as being too fragile for this life. It never took much to bring her down. She was always so sad."

  Ben sat back in his seat, staring out at the lake. "My Jen always seemed so strong when she was growing up. And stubborn, too." Ben chuckled. "Sometimes she'd get set on something and her jaw would tighten and you knew you were in for a fight. Sort of like when you get angry," Ben teased.

  Ali rolled her eyes at him.

  "I wonder what happened to her out there to change her so much," Ben said. "I always believed she'd do well in life."

  Ali shrugged. She knew little about her mother's life before she was born and she didn't remember much as a child, but as she grew older, she began to notice changes in her mother. "She wasn't a bad mother," she told her grandfather. "She just couldn't seem to help herself. Sometimes she'd be happy and hold down a job and we'd do things like go to the park or beach for picnics or go walking through the mall and look at all the beautiful things in the windows. She'd tell me, 'We're going to own nice things someday, Ali. You just wait and see.' But then she'd fall down into a depressed state again and the drinking would start up. I never understood why."

  "She should have done better by you, Ali," Ben said gruffly. "My Jen should have tried harder."

  Ali looked away. "She did the best she could."

  Ben took a deep breath. "I'm sure she did," he said, softening his tone.

  As the sun came up and the loons and ducks flew in to feed, Ali sat quietly, hoping she hadn't said too much. She didn't want to tarnish her mother's memory with angry words, and she didn't want her grandfather judging her mother too harshly. Ali just wanted to remember the good times with her mother and bury the bad memories. She believed her mother was in a happier place now, maybe even with her Grandma Lizzie, and she hoped she was finally at peace.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The day of Chase's departure was drawing near, and Ali took every opportunity to spend time with him. When he wasn't helping Ben clean fish or checking the bait stations, and when he wasn't cleaning out boats or mowing lawn, Ali found things for him to help her with in the cabins so they could just be together while she cleaned. She knew she shouldn't make up excuses for him to help her, but she just wanted to spend as much time as possible with him.

  One hot, humid day, late in the afternoon, Ali had asked Chase to come help her move a stove in one of the cabin's kitchens so she could mop behind it. People were always dropping food between the counters and stoves, which was tempting for mice and other small animals. The last thing they needed was to scare guests with skunks looking for a snack in their cabins.

  Chase readily agreed to help and followed Ali into the Moose cabin. Once he pulled the stove out, he grabbed Ali around the waist and drew her to him. "I get paid in kisses," he said, grinning.

  Ali was only too happy to oblige. Every time they kissed, tingles went up her spine. She ran her fingers through his silky, blonde hair and loved the feel of his arms around her waist. Their kissing was beautiful and magical to Ali, and although she never wanted to stop, she knew they had to. It would have been so easy to keep going, but she knew she didn't dare. She didn't want to end up like her mother had, and she didn't want to put Chase in the position to choose between her and his future. When she pulled away, Chase groaned.

  "I know how you feel," Ali told him, wanting to pull him close again. "But we have to be careful."

  Chase reached for her hand. "I know," he said, caressing her hand. "But sometimes I just want to hold you and never let go."

  Ali loved hearing that. She kissed him quickly on the lips and jumped back. "I have to finish cleaning," she said with a giggle.

  "Tease," he said, pretending to reach for her as she jumped back again.

  Chase helped Ali with the cabin by changing the sheets and blankets on the beds while she scrubbed down the kitchen and mopped the floor. He pushed the stove back into place and together they stacked the cleaning supplies into the carrying tray. He carrie
d it outside onto the small porch while she carried the mop and broom. Just as Ali turned from closing the cabin's door, Chase pulled her to him and gave her one more kiss. Ali giggled again and they turned to walk back to the lodge.

  ***

  The heat was driving Ben crazy. He couldn't remember when an August had been this hot for this long. He stood up in the boat he had been wiping down on the inside. "Damn tourists," he said under his breath. "Spilling pop all over the inside of a boat and leaving it."

  Ben wiped his brow with the back of his arm. In the distance, he heard thunder rumbling. He looked to the west. The sky was turning black as pitch. He finished up with his cleaning and stepped out onto the dock. "Looks like we're in for a hell of a storm," he yelled up to Jo who was shaking out a kitchen rug behind the lodge on the porch steps. Jo looked up to the sky and nodded. Ben watched her, smiling, then turned, and his eye caught sight of the kids as they were stepping out of Moose cabin. Ben frowned. He watched as Chase pulled Ali to him, and they kissed. Then they smiled at each other and headed toward the lodge.

  Ben stood there, processing what he'd seen. They had been in a cabin alone. They were kissing. "What the hell?" he said aloud.

  Ben dropped the bucket of water he'd been carrying and stormed up the dock, his pace quickening as his face turned red with anger.

  Jo looked over at him curiously as he passed her. "What's going on, Ben?" she asked. But Ben either didn't hear her or ignored her. He just kept walking.

  Ben made it to the front of the lodge at the same time the kids did. He reached out and grabbed Chase by the front the shirt and shoved him against the wall. Chase dropped the cleaning supplies and they fell to the ground.

  Ben's eyes bulged with rage. "What the hell were you doing in that cabin?" he bellowed into Chase's face.

  Ali stood, frozen in shock.

  Jo ran around the side of the lodge and up to Ben and Chase. "What's going on here? Ben, let go of Chase right now."

  Ben didn't even notice Jo. He pulled Chase away from the wall then pounded him up against it again, all the time twisting Chase's shirt in his fist. "Tell me now. What were you doing in there? I saw you two kissing. God dammit. What the hell is going on?"