by Ginny Aiken
“Look over there.” Alex pointed out to the ocean. “Can you see it? There’s a seal.”
“I think technically that’s a sea lion, although I can’t say I know what the difference is. I think I’ll look it up when I get home, when I check out the story of the lady in the wetsuit.”
He smiled again, and Sharmane felt something inside her stomach quiver. “Will you really?”
Sharmane swallowed past the frog in her throat. “Uh, yeah.” Part of her wanted to take a picture of the animal, but a bigger part didn’t want to let go of his hand. She tried to convince herself the only reason was that his hand was so warm.
Only a few brave souls were in the water when they reached the Third Beach, in comparison to the offshore beach near their starting point at the east side of the park, which had been crowded.
They kept walking and soon turned to a southeasterly direction with the wind at their backs. Away from the ocean the temperature continued to warm as they made their way inland and walked toward the Lost Lagoon.
Countless ducks, Canada geese, and majestic swans floated leisurely in the calm water. Along the shore of the small lake many swans sat atop nests surrounded on three sides by wire fences with the open side toward the water. Signs cautioned people not to bother the swans.
Sharmane pointed to a mother swan as they passed a nest. “It looks like soon there’s going to be little swanlings swimming around.”
He smiled that adorable smile again. “Swanlings?”
“You know. Baby swans. I don’t know what they’re called.”
“Let me guess. Something else for you to look up, right?”
She returned his smile and nodded. “Right.”
“I had no idea going on vacation would be so educational.”
“I’m not going to comment.”
Before she had to ask, Alex reached into his pocket and returned her camera. Unfortunately, in order to take any pictures, he had to release her hand and Sharmane missed the contact. Despite the beauty of the lagoon, she limited herself to three shots, and they continued on.
They followed the path to walk underneath West Georgia Street and approached the marina.
Sharmane sighed. “Look at all those yachts. You know, just one of them costs more than I make in a year. Also, I think you have to pay a huge membership fee to join these things. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be so rich?”
Alex stiffened. This was the last thing he wanted to talk about with Sharmane. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” he mumbled. He knew exactly how much the membership here cost, because he knew people who moored their boats here.
“You know, the only time I’ve ever been on a boat is the ferry to Vancouver Island. That’s where I was going to go, you know. I was going to drive all over Vancouver Island all week.” She breathed a defeated little sigh that nearly broke his heart.
Alex could count the times he’d taken the ferry on one hand, even though he’d lived here his entire life. Every time he had to go to the island on business, he flew because the ferry took too long. “Why don’t we do that tomorrow? We can take an early ferry out of Tswwassen, and I’ll bet you’d like to see the flowers at the Butchart Gardens. We can spend the morning there, spend a little time in Victoria, drive to Nanaimo for dinner, then come home on the late ferry to Horseshoe Bay.”
Her eyes widened, and her smile made his heart quicken. “That sounds great!”
While she was still lost in thought, Alex picked up her hand and led her onward. They were almost finished at the Seawall, and after all that walking he was starving and more than a little tired.
“I hope you don’t mind if I take lots of pictures.”
He grinned. He was beginning to wonder if that camera was permanently attached to her. “I think I expected that.”
Her tiny hand squeezed his. “Thanks, Alex. That’s going to be such fun.”
Alex tightened his grip, not allowing her to let go as they headed for his nephew’s car. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to enjoy the simplicity of holding a woman’s hand without fear of complications. He couldn’t help but like Sharmane, and surely she could see that. Yet, she didn’t cling to him as other women did as soon as he let his guard down.
She insisted on stopping for a quick burger, and Alex didn’t argue. Conversation flowed, and he’d never enjoyed a greasy burger and limp fries more.
Much too soon, they were standing at her front door. Sharmane reached inside her backpack and removed her wallet.
“How much do I owe you? Remember, you paid for my admission. And I want to pay for half the gas.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“And tomorrow there will be the cost of the ferry and even more gas. I want to give you the money now, in case it bruises your male ego for me to pay in front of you.”
“Forget it.”
She crossed her arms, still holding her wallet in one hand. “We agreed to each pay our own expenses, and I intend to do exactly that. And I’m going to pay for at least half of the gas since we’re using your car. I know you weren’t planning on doing this. I don’t want to burden you with all the expense.”
He bit his bottom lip to hold back his smile. The money she was talking about was pocket change to him. “It’s no burden; don’t worry about it. I’m having a wonderful time.”
Sharmane rested her hand on his forearm. Alex stared down at the point of contact. Her touch was gentle, and he was sure she only meant to emphasize her words, but his pulse jumped at her simple gesture.
“I mean it, Alex. I know you hadn’t planned all this driving and stuff. I don’t want it to be a big expense for you. I’m serious. Let me pay.”
Alex didn’t doubt that she meant it, and he was no longer smiling. “I don’t want your money. All I want is your company.”
She shook her head. “I know exactly how much gas your car takes, so don’t try and fool me. I’m also paying for my own admissions and for half the ferry cost. If I don’t pay for my share of this vacation, it ends today.”
Alex felt like he’d just been punched in the gut. He couldn’t believe this was happening to him, of all people. His words almost choked him, but he forced himself to say it. “All right. I’ll let you know how much you owe me for the gas.”
“Not just the gas. Everything.”
He sucked in a deep breath and let it go. He didn’t want her to pay a thing. Suddenly, he needed more than just an escape for himself; he wanted this to be the best vacation Sharmane ever had.
“Alex …”
He gritted his teeth. “Okay. I’ll keep track of what everything costs, and you can pay me at the end of the week.”
Her frown changed into a wide smile, and Alex never thought that losing a battle could feel so good.
“Okay, then I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.” And the door closed.
For a few moments Alex remained standing, facing the closed door. He didn’t think it would ever happen, but he thought he just might be falling in love.
Chapter 4
Alex checked the time as he rang Sharmane’s doorbell. He still couldn’t believe he was here. The sun had only just started to rise a few minutes ago. He should still have been in bed at this hour, yet he’d already been driving for an hour.
By taking an extra hot shower he’d managed to erase most of the stiffness from his legs, but he still regretted his suggestion of another day filled with more walking. If nothing else, this was a reminder to get some regular exercise rather than sit behind his desk all week long.
The door opened. “Cygnets!” Sharmane exclaimed.
Alex blinked. The words he expected to hear were “good morning,” or even better would have been “good to see you.” He glanced behind himself for something out of the ordinary, and seeing nothing, turned back to Sharmane.
She laughed at his blank expression. “Baby swans are called cygnets.”
“That’s nice. Are you ready to go?”
She nodded. “Yes. I have been waiting for you. I will only be a minute.”
Today she was dressed in jeans and a baggy pink T-shirt. Her blond hair was tied in a loose ponytail, and she looked fresh and alert, unlike how he felt. Rather than dwell on his own misery, he followed her inside.
Her house was small and functional yet had a homey and friendly atmosphere. Once in the kitchen, she picked up her backpack, giving him a bad feeling.
“I hope you haven’t packed a lunch this time.”
“But—”
He held up one hand. “Please, don’t argue, I want to buy you lunch. Consider it my treat.”
She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Alex stiffened, crossed his arms, narrowed his eyes, and glared down at her. Sharmane’s eyes widened, her mouth closed, and without a word, she laid the backpack on the table then returned a number of containers to the fridge.
“Thank you,” he muttered.
She reached inside the backpack one more time. “Have you had breakfast?”
Alex pressed one hand into his stomach. Just the mention of food caused it to grumble. He’d given his housekeeper the week off, so he didn’t have to face her questions every day, and he hadn’t had time to fix himself something, so he’d left without eating. “No.”
She pulled out a bag containing three muffins. “Me neither. We can eat these in the car while we’re waiting in the ferry lineup.”
He would give her that one, but only as a technicality.
She ignored his lack of response. “I made coffee, and I’ve got a spare travel mug you can borrow. Want some?”
“Yes, please,” he mumbled.
She poured the coffee, transferred her wallet and camera from the backpack into her purse, and nearly shoved him out the door.
Sharmane tried to wipe the smile off her face as she made herself comfortable in Alex’s car. For years she had wanted to tour Vancouver Island. Finally, she had saved up enough money to spend a week in motels and cover all the expenses comfortably. When her transmission blew, her dream crumbled, and she didn’t know if she would ever get another opportunity. Alex’s suggestion to catch the first ferry and do it in a day might have been pushing it, but this was exactly what she wanted to do. She’d miss the whale watching tour she wanted to attend, but this was the next best thing.
She gazed out the window and sighed. “Look, the sky is still a little pink from the sunrise.”
He mumbled something she couldn’t quite hear.
“Smile! It’s going to be a gorgeous day!” She turned to face him, but he wasn’t wearing anything close to a smile. “You’re not a morning person, are you?”
“I’m not used to getting up before dawn,” he mumbled again.
Sharmane patted herself on the back for the coffee she’d thought to make this morning, because he certainly could use it. After a few sips his mood improved, and soon he was behaving human again.
Since it was so early, they managed to avoid most of the rush hour traffic. They arrived at the ferry dock in plenty of time to catch the first sailing and ate the muffins before they were directed onto the ferry.
Today they were both prepared for the cold. They donned their jackets and climbed the stairs to the upper deck to enjoy the morning ocean air. Conversation flowed easily as they walked through all areas of the ferry, and Alex even apologized for being such a grump. They refilled their coffee mugs at the cafeteria just before all passengers descended to the lower levels to prepare for docking at Victoria.
By the time they arrived at the Butchart Gardens, Sharmane was ready to burst at the seams. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as they stood in the short lineup to enter, and she was in such a great mood she couldn’t bring herself to protest as Alex paid her admission.
The beauty of the well laid out grounds and the myriad of color and fragrance was like nothing she had imagined. None of the tourist brochures served justice to the magnificence of the acres and acres of flowers from around the globe.
The wonder of God’s creation was everywhere, from every delicate blossom to the selectively arranged boulders, from the carefully laid out rose garden to the area quarried out for the tall arching fountain, from the quaintly styled tea house and restaurant to the serenity of the fishes and turtles in the quiet pond surrounded by the large weeping trees.
Her favorite of all was the sunken Japanese Garden, and she shot an entire roll of film in that area alone.
Even though plants and flowers weren’t exactly a “guy” thing, Alex very politely expressed his appreciation of the various sections. She appreciated the way he humored her by frequently offering to take a picture of her amongst the flowers, especially the roses, which were her favorites. Sharmane found herself laughing when he struck up a few silly poses standing among the pretty blossoms so she could take his picture.
Despite wanting to stay longer, Sharmane didn’t want to push her luck. Only because he made her promise, she bit her tongue when he treated her to lunch at the tearoom. Following that, they walked one last time through the Japanese Gardens and headed for the exit. However, instead of going to the gate, Alex went to the gift shop.
“Alex, I—”
He wagged one finger in the air. “I told you, I want to buy a tacky souvenir of every place we go, and you agreed.”
She nodded and sighed. She would have three rolls of pictures to remind her of this very special day, but a small souvenir probably wouldn’t hurt.
The vast selection of things to buy astounded her. The gift shop held everything from seed packets to posters to jewelry and china to clothing. They browsed through every item the store held, and Sharmane enjoyed every minute of it. For the longest time, she adored a thin gold watch with a picture of a rose on the face and rhinestones all around instead of numbers. Since she already had a perfectly good watch, Sharmane selected a T-shirt with a rose on it instead, and Alex bought a key chain and a pot holder he claimed was for his mother.
Before they left, Sharmane made a short detour to the ladies room, and they left for their next destination, Victoria’s famed Inner Harbor area. Because he had humored her at the Butchart Gardens, she pretended to enjoy the antique car museum in downtown Victoria, but they both enjoyed the wax museum. They walked into the Empress Hotel to check out the grand old building, and she couldn’t help but be impressed by the harpist in one of the elegant dining rooms.
By midafternoon, they were back in the car and on the highway headed for Nanaimo. The countryside was beautiful and mostly undisturbed, and taking into account all the sights of the day, Sharmane couldn’t remember ever having enjoyed herself more. The sky started to cloud over, which made the long drive ahead of them more comfortable without the sun blaring down on them.
“That was wonderful, especially the gardens. Thank you so much for doing this.”
“Don’t mention it. It was nice.”
“Nice? What kind of lame word is ‘nice’?”
He laughed, making Sharmane’s insides turned to jelly.
“The flowers were nice, but I liked the frogs best.”
Sharmane couldn’t hold back her smile, so she swatted him in the arm. “Since we got lots of pictures of you, I’ll have doubles made up. Don’t you have a camera?”
His smile disappeared in the blink of an eye, and his attention turned completely to the road in front of them. “Yes, I have a camera, it’s just—I think you’d probably take better pictures than me.”
“You just lack confidence. It’s not hard to take good pictures, but it is an art. You have to have a critical eye and a little imagination. I took a course once. You know, the kind for serious hobbyists. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot.”
Apparently, he also had an interest in photography as a hobby, because he was able to share some good tips on lighting and perspective, making her wonder how he possibly could have thought she would take better pictures.
Throughout the three-hour drive, she was both surprised and d
elighted to share all their common interests and then amiably agree to disagree on others.
She couldn’t help but like him, but she tempered her thoughts with the knowledge that despite all the time they’d spent together in the last three days, she really didn’t know much about him.
Every time she talked to him he divulged many personal details about his likes and dislikes, his preferences, and his interests. However, she didn’t know anything about his life. Every time the conversation drifted to his job, his family, his friends, or anything else that would have told her specific information he became evasive; and he did it in such a way that the conversation was over by the time she realized he hadn’t told her what she wanted to know.
She still didn’t know what he did for a living or if he even had a job, nor did she know where he lived or which church he went to, even though she’d been more than open in telling him those same details about herself.
At first she had tried not to think about it, but the more he sidestepped her hints, then her direct questions, she began to suspect he was doing it on purpose, and she wished she knew why. If he was embarrassed because he was unemployed, she thought she’d been more than clear that it didn’t matter to her. Last night, she’d wanted to call him and discuss their plans for the day, but she’d lost the cell phone number he had given her. When she tried to look his number up in the phone book, the only A. Brunnel listed was an address in an area where only the very wealthy lived.
By the time they arrived at Nanaimo they were starving, so they picked the first restaurant they saw, which was a Chinese buffet. As was becoming common, they talked until they lost track of time, then ran laughing to the car, because neither of them could remember when the last ferry sailed.
Fortunately, they caught it, and Sharmane considered it one more adventure to make the trip across the Strait of Georgia in the dark.
The night had turned cold, and Alex was glad he’d remembered to bring a jacket, because that allowed them to stand on the upper deck to enjoy the quiet of the water in the silence of the dark night. Unfortunately the sky was black, the heavy cloud cover completely obliterating the moon and stars. The glory of God’s universe above them would have been the perfect end to a perfect day.
