When he fell back into the water again while sputtering and cursing she finally released the laugh that had been struggling to free itself for the past couple of hours. She noticed his head snap up while he glared at her but she couldn’t control herself.
How such a capable man could be so inept was baffling. Utterly baffling. The man was supposed to find tourist spots around the country. Surely he engaged in the activities in them. But judging from his complete lack of ability it was obvious that he didn’t. City slicker. That was the only way to describe Nick. Clearly the man was a city boy at heart.
“It’s not funny,” he grumbled, and Kendra laughed even harder as he shook water out of his eyes and slipped in the mud again.
“Would … would you like some help?” she managed to finally get out, earning herself another glare in the process.
“I can do this,” he averred, and she bit her lip to stifle the chuckle before she turned away to leave the man to it.
While he was busy attempting to do something as completely simple as tying up the boat and removing their belongings from inside, Kendra instead busied herself by making a fire for them. Nick would need it. He was soaked through. And if his previous efforts were anything to go by, he’d die of pneumonia before managing to get a blaze started.
The man had finally gotten the hang of rowing, after some tutelage from Kendra herself, and had rowed them to Walter’s prime walleye patch. After his disastrous attempt to catch one of the ‘slimy little critters’, Nick had realized that it had been getting late and had rowed back to the dock where they’d set off from. He’d then promptly made to jump out of the boat before Kendra had been able to warn him that the boat hadn’t stopped and was still moving.
Consequently, he’d found himself losing his footing and falling straight down into the water. She’d quickly scrambled to the edge of the boat to see if he was alright. After realizing that he was fine, albeit wet and embarrassed, she then went to move to tie the boat up herself. Which had resulted in him barking at her to leave it, and declaring that he was going to do something right tonight.
Which was what she was letting him do. She knew she’d need to check over his handiwork when he was finished, Walter would have her hide if his boat drifted away because Mitchell hadn’t tied a secure enough knot, but for the moment she was letting him prove himself.
“All done?” she asked innocently as she heard the squelch of wet shoes and clothing behind her, and turned to look over her shoulder at him.
“Yes,” he said crisply before settling down onto the camp chair that she’d set up by the flames.
“Are you hungry?” she asked amiably.
“Not for fish,” he grumbled, and Kendra tried not to laugh again.
“Well, that’s probably a good thing then,” she said more somberly, “seeing as how we don’t have any.” She’d managed to catch a few, goodness knew how, but she had managed to catch a couple of walleyes. Unfortunately, Nick had somehow managed to let them escape and they’d ended up back in the water.
“Why would anybody fish when you can’t see anything?” he groused, and Kendra realized that she’d need to do something to make the man feel better about the night. His ego had been bruised by the whole experience. Personally she’d had a fantastic time, but she wasn’t sure that Nick would appreciate her saying so when he’d think it was at his expense.
It wasn’t though. She’d just enjoyed not having to think about life and her problems that seemed to intrude so often. It was much more relaxing to concentrate on the problem of helping a man bait his hook then it was to think about resisting the lure of an alcohol bottle.
Time with Nick had been stress-free for her. At least from the usual stress she dealt with. She hadn’t been sure at the start of the evening, but she’d truly enjoyed their time together. When he wasn’t pouting, or grumbling about something, he was relaxing and enjoyable to be with.
Which is what she wanted back. The light-hearted and carefree man.
“Certain fish don’t need light to find their prey, so they come out when the light is dim for feeding time. Nighttime fishing means that you can catch them a lot more easily,” she explained seriously with a shrug.
“Have you done this before?” he asked in surprise, and Kendra shrugged again.
“A couple of times. Usually I’m not so lucky though,” she added with a smile. “I think tonight’s the first night that I’ve ever caught anything. I’ve done some spear fishing at night as well. That was much more fun. I think you’d like that,” she suggested and watched as he relaxed a bit.
“Spear fishing. That does seem interesting. Where and when can we do that?”
“Not anywhere around these parts,” she explained with a smile which made way to a frown. “How long have you been working for your magazine?”
“What?” he asked in surprise as he tensed again.
“Just that you don’t seem to have too good of a grasp about this stuff. I would have thought that you’d have come across all these things in your travels already,” she said with a slight shrug as she studied him closely.
“I’ve only really been doing small towns for the past couple of months. I was doing cities before that,” he explained, and she shrugged while accepting that.
“That explains things I guess,” she said and watched as he frowned at her.
“What’s that mean?”
“You are most definitely a city boy, Nick. You might have dressed the part tonight but I can tell you’d be more comfortable in a suit at the theatre,” she said with a smile and a shake of her head.
“I’m trying new things,” he mumbled, and she felt bad again. He really had been trying tonight. It wasn’t his fault that he’d had no experience or training in it all. Nobody had taught him how to do these things, and all things considered, he hadn’t done too badly.
“And that’s what life is all about,” she replied with a smile. “Now, how about we have some food? I’m absolutely starving,” she enthused as she made her way over to the other bags that were sitting at the side. When she opened them up she noticed some of Betsy’s handiwork and smiled as she made her way back to where Nick was still sulking and attempting to dry himself off.
“You’d be better off taking it all off and laying it out by the fire,” she advised before grabbing a blanket that he’d brought with him and throwing it towards him. “I’ll go wash my hands in the river and give you a few minutes,” she said as she turned her back and left him to remove his sodden clothing. She figured it was the best opportunity she’d get to check over his rope tying abilities as well.
Making her way to the dock, she looked over the knot while she washed her hands in the water and smiled to herself. Well, the boat wasn’t likely to drift away at all, but Walter would have a heck of a time undoing it when he came to use it again.
Standing back up, she stretched and stared above her at the night sky and the stars that were twinkling above her. It was so peaceful out here. It was one of the reasons that she loved Granville so much. She didn’t know what she was doing with Nick, there was never going to be a future with him, after all, he belonged in a city, and she’d never leave this place, except to travel.
This was home. For the first time in a long time she suddenly felt at ease and peace. She was home and safe, and exactly where she wanted to be. She might not have a future with the man behind her, but she could have some fun with him, share some experiences before he moved on. Life was all about experiences and this was just another one to add to it.
If she fell in love along the way, then she fell in love. Betsy was right, it didn’t need to be scary. She’d never have a family, but she could still experience the emotion, she could still enjoy the event. Not that that was her aim with Nick, but the prospect didn’t frighten her like it had just the day before. If it happened, it happened. She couldn’t keep hiding from everything in the hope that she wouldn’t get hurt.
For the moment she could enjoy this time. E
njoy this new experience. For the moment she could embrace the life in her hands, and the man that had landed on her doorstep.
For the moment she wouldn’t worry about tomorrow, she’d take it one day at a time. Just like she could manage.
Mitchell watched Kendra as she slowly made her way back to him with a smile. He’d watched her as she’d stood on the pier and studied the night sky. She was a truly beautiful woman. She’d been a good sport about the evening as well. It had been a disaster. An honest-to-goodness disaster.
Everything had been so much more difficult than he’d supposed. Kendra had been right; he was a city boy at heart. He loved all the lights, the sounds, the people, the activity and bustle around him. The choices of activities was also another bonus, he’d have never messed up a date so badly if he’d been back home. He’d have taken her to a high-class restaurant, followed up by some sort of show, then strolled through the streets talking, before grabbing a night-cap while also happening upon a street vendor selling flowers. It never failed to impress.
It would have been perfect. Unlike tonight, where everything had gone utterly wrong. Nothing had succeeded. Though saying that, Kendra didn’t seem like she much cared about all of that. She was smiling at him, a genuine smile, and Mitchell suddenly realized that he’d never seen a similar smile on the face of any of his other dates that he’d had where everything had gone according to plan.
Of course the women would smile at him, but it had never been a smile like this. Kendra’s smile was soul-deep, a true genuine fully-fledged smile that seemed to come straight from the heart. And it took his breath away.
Shaking off the thought, he decided that it was just the cold air instead. After all, all he was wearing was a blanket wrapped around his waist while his clothing dried out as per her suggestion.
“I’m sorry about tonight,” he said as she sat down opposite him and started to open up the containers of food that he’d had the foresight to buy from Betsy on the off-chance that his fishing plans didn’t bear any fruit.
“Why?” she asked bluntly while looking up at him, and Mitchell tried to remember what he was sorry for.
“Because it all went wrong,” he explained while looking at her in confusion. Surely that was obvious.
“Life doesn’t always go according to your plans, Nick, sometimes the unexpected journey is much more interesting and enjoyable than the one you had mapped out,” she said with a shrug, and he stared at the woman in surprise.
“But tonight was –”
“Tonight was fun, Nick. I had a good time. Really,” she added when he didn’t look convinced. “Look, what’re your requirements for a successful date? What do you hope to achieve?”
“Uh … I guess impressing you.”
“That’s it?” she asked with a furrowed brow.
Thinking over it in a bit more detail, he replied, “To make sure that you want a repeat performance. To get to know you a bit better. To make sure that you enjoy yourself.”
“Well then, I’d call it a success,” she declared as she handed him a plate of Betsy’s delicious cooking.
“You don’t have to save my pride,” he said with a shake of his head as he concentrated on his food.
“I’m not,” she said bluntly. “The fact is that you did impress me. You gave things a go which you’d never done before. That’s pretty impressive to me. I’d definitely want a repeat performance, though maybe something a bit less ambitious next time. And I enjoyed myself. A lot,” she added with a beaming smile at him, and Mitchell took her in in surprise. She was being honest with him. “So yeah, another date would be good.”
“Really?” he asked, and she shrugged at him.
“If you want to,” she said more nervously as one arm wrapped around herself while the other continued to spear her food with her fork.
“Most definitely,” he said suddenly and realized that the response had been automatic, even before thinking about his job. Giving himself a mental reprimand, Mitchell reminded himself that he was here as an employee, not a prospective suitor.
“Good. So, don’t apologize. And eat your food, Nick,” she encouraged as she nodded to his untouched plate. Smiling at her, he shook his head and concentrated on the food in front of him. The woman was definitely different to what he was used to. He’d known she would be, but he hadn’t realized how attractive and alluring she’d be as well. It was a bit of a shock and something that he needed to ignore.
She was off-limits. Contrary to what his current actions implied, and even what his current thoughts were telling him, Kendra was just a job to him. It didn’t matter that she had the most tempting lips and the most beautiful sparkling eyes that he could remember. The fact was that he had a job to do. One he should remember before he got distracted by her and memories of her eager embraces of two years ago again.
“So,” he started in an attempt to get on with his task ahead of him, “how long have you lived in your apartment?”
“Betsy put me up there the day that she hired me. Actually I guess it was really the day before,” she mused as she thought on it before shrugging and focusing back on her food. “Why?”
“Just wondering. You said it didn’t have much to steal so I thought that maybe you’d only just moved in after getting back to town.”
“No,” she replied while shaking her head. “Betsy has a little house a ways over, but the apartment over the diner’s always been empty, though in good condition. When I arrived in town Betsy let me stay there, rent-free. I never bought much for it because I’m not in it a lot,” she elaborated, and Mitchell looked at her in question.
Shrugging, she continued to explain, “When I’m not working all hours I generally spend time with Betsy at her place. She gets lonely as well so we keep each other company. I always head back home when I’m tired, but it means that we both have somebody looking out for us.
“And I never thought to buy much because I was busy saving all of my money for my trip.”
That explained why he hadn’t tracked her down to here. The apartment wasn’t in her name, and Mitchell would bet everything he had that Betsy paid her in cash. No doubt the woman made sure all the relevant taxes were paid, but as much influence as Mitchell and his employer had, they didn’t have that much to be able to get into the IRS’s records.
She hadn’t had to take out any credit or loans, and he doubted that she even had a bank account set-up. She’d definitely be a cash kind of girl.
“It’s a nice place,” he commented, and she smiled at him.
“Homey, isn’t it?” she asked. “Speaking of home though, when do you plan on heading out again?”
“Trying to get rid of me?” he teased.
“Just wondering, I guess. I mean there really isn’t anything here for you do to with regards to your job so you’ll need to head out soon, won’t you?”
“Not sure,” he shrugged at an attempt to look nonchalant. “The office will let me know where I need to go next. So far they haven’t told me anywhere so I’m free to hang around for the moment,” he said and watched as she eyed him curiously.
“What an odd job you have,” she murmured. “Though I guess if you wanted to get out of the rat race, you certainly chose something its polar opposite, didn’t you?” she said with a smile and a shake of her head. “You must have saved a nice stash of money to be able to be so lackadaisical about your working hours and schedule. You never thought of heading off somewhere for an adventure?” she asked, and Mitchell shrugged.
“Not really. I guess I’m used to not really having much time to myself to do what I want,” he explained. Which was unfortunately still the case. He couldn’t do whatever he wanted with regards to his current job either. He still had to focus on Kendra and bend her to his will. Though he was wondering how the heck he’d ever be able to manage that. She was definitely strong and independent.
“That’s a shame,” she said with a frown. “Well, anyway, at least you chose a good place to have a rest from it
all. It doesn’t get much more relaxing than Granville,” she beamed, and Mitchell managed a smile back at her.
She couldn’t have been more wrong if she’d tried. Granville was definitely not relaxing, not when he had the challenge of Kendra Wilcox in front of him it wasn’t.
Chapter Seven
“Mapiya,” greeted the deep voice, and Kendra looked over her shoulder at Falling Eagle as he entered the diner and headed towards her.
“Twice since I’ve been back,” she teased with a smile. “Are you sick?”
“You have yet to come visit me,” he said with a frown. “Or Notaku,” he added, and Kendra smiled more widely.
“I’ve been busy.”
“With that city boy,” Falling Eagle said, and although he never spoke ill of somebody Kendra could see the fact that the older man wasn’t happy about that.
“Only a few nights. I’m working. You know how busy it gets ‘round here. And I’ve been keeping an eye on Betsy,” Kendra added with a frown that the older man didn’t miss.
“Problems?”
“No,” Kendra said with a shake of her head. “At least not that she’s telling me about. But she’s getting older, Falling Eagle. And she gets more tired now,” she added as she wrapped her arms around herself.
“I’ll speak to her,” he declared, and Kendra smiled while putting a hand out to stop him.
“And that would go down, how?” she asked with a raised brow, and the man took his time to think over that before nodding.
“You’re right. Elizabeth is a proud woman. A strong woman,” he added, and Kendra looked at him speculatively.
“Maybe somebody else should be thinking about marriage. I can hear that respect lacing your tone for her,” Kendra observed, and Falling Eagle seemed to think that over himself.
“Maybe you’re right, Mapiya. I’ll think about it. Maybe take it to the Great Spirits,” he said and moved to turn around.
“That’s it?” she asked in surprise.
“You want me to complain more?” he teased, and Kendra smiled at him.
Masks and Lies Page 6
