Lake Dreams

by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

  “I did, first one I’ve had in years,” Maggie said with a low chuckle. “I don’t normally do anything because it’s just me. Thank you.”

  “Sure,” Cole said. “I enjoyed it myself. I think the kids did too.”

  “I know they did,” she told him. “I heard them awhile ago talking about it. They decided they’ve been missing something cool. And they think us being together is okay. Kaitlin told Kiefer she wasn’t sure about it at first but you’re a nice enough old dude and you make me smile more.”

  “She said that?” he asked, with a laugh. “Aw, that’s pretty good praise from a teen.”

  “It’s the best. Kiefer told her you were awesome.”

  A lump formed in Cole’s throat and he couldn’t respond for a few minutes. Her kids’ acceptance moved him beyond speech. When he left town for his forced vacation Cole never dreamed he’d be around children of any age and he sure wouldn’t have imagined he could enjoy the experience. In his grief Cole hadn’t wanted to be anywhere near youth but next to Maggie, Kaitlin and Kiefer did the most toward helping him heal. Humbled, he cleared his throat and said, “They’re great kids, Maggie. You’re lucky to have them.”

  “I know,” she said, her voice as easy as the slight breeze. “I wish you could’ve had yours longer, Cole.”

  “Me, too,” he answered. His voice dropped to almost a whisper. “But I’m glad I came, Maggie.”

  “So am I,” Maggie told him and turned to face him. Her beautiful grey eyes glistened with tears. “I don’t know how I’ll manage when you go back, Cole. I really don’t.”

  “I haven’t even thought about it yet,” he replied. “Sometimes I can’t imagine returning to St. Louis. Besides, I’ve just got here.”

  She shook her head. “You’ve been here almost six weeks. You made the reservations for three months and that’ll be up around the time the kids go back to school.”

  Maggie had to be wrong but when he counted it out in his head, she wasn’t. He’d been at Lake Dreams for five weeks and seven remained. Sometime around the 20th of August or just past, he’d go home unless he made other plans. Until now Cole drifted through the days, enjoying them with no thoughts of the future. Now when he thought about going back to the town house or to the television station, Cole tensed up. Putting on a suit and having make-up applied for the live weathercast seemed foreign now, a strange thing someone else experienced. His mind raced, remembering the snarled traffic, the spread out city, urban blight, the high crime rates and the smog blocking the sunlight. If he returned Cole couldn’t live in the town house but to move, he’d to find a place, sort through all the stuff at his home, and make the shift. To do so, he’d have to leave Lake Taneycomo even earlier, something he’d rather not do.

  “I don’t know if I want to go back,” Cole said, the words strange in his mouth and yet they fit, too. “Maybe something will happen and I won’t have to leave.”

  Her tears overflowed her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. “You will,” Maggie said with the first hint of bitterness he’d heard directed at him. “You always did and I imagine you will. I’ve told myself it would be this way and I thought I could handle it. Now I don’t know if I can. I’ll be lonely and probably bitchy.”

  Cole wiped away the tears from one cheek with his finger. “Don’t cry, Maggie. I hurt when you do. I honestly don’t know what I’ll do. I haven’t thought about it at all but right now I don’t want to go back. There’s nothing much left for me in St. Louis.”

  The pulse in her throat throbbed, visible and she sighed. “You’ve got your career as a weatherman, Cole. You’re successful and you’ve done well. It’d be silly to throw it away for a summer fling.”

  Her words tore his heart like cat claws and stung his pride. “Maggie, you’re so much more than that to me. Honey, I don’t know how to even begin to tell you how I feel but I’d like to try.”

  Maggie put her finger over his lips. “Don’t,” she said in a broken voice. “Don’t try now. I’m sorry, Cole. I think it’s the wine and the good day and I started my period early this morning and I’m a mess. I should go home before I say things to ruin what we’ve had so far. It’d be easier if I didn’t, oh, well, never mind, easier if it was just a fling. I’m tired and out of sorts. I can’t shake the bad feeling I’ve got either and it wears on me, a lot. Thanks for the fireworks and wine, Cole.”

  She extricated herself from his arms and stood up. Cole came to his feet. “Don’t leave like this, Maggie. Wait a few minutes and calm down.”

  When she hesitated, he knew she would. “All right, I’ll try. I didn’t mean to hurt you, the things I said.”

  “I know.”

  “And I didn’t plan to rag on you about leaving, it just slipped out.”

  “Honey, I know you didn’t,” Cole soothed. “It’s okay. I hadn’t realized how fast the summer’s passing and I needed to know. You’re just telling me how you feel. Come here and let me hold you.”

  Her emotional storm, whatever it was, seemed over and she nodded, “I’d like nothing better, Cole.”

  Without another word, he embraced her and held her tight. Cole didn’t try to kiss her or caress her, just wrapped his arms about her and cherished her. She buried her head against his chest and as they stood together he felt some of the taut tension drain away. As she relaxed against him, her breathing slowed back to a normal pace. Cole didn’t want to let her go but after a long time he released her. Maggie gazed up at him, her eyes and face serene again.

  “That’s what I needed,” she said. “Good night, Cole.”

  “’Night, Maggie,” he replied. “Sweet dreams, honey.”

  He watched her walk away and thought he’d never loved her more.

  Chapter Twenty

  The first part of his summer had drifted in lazy, slow motion but after Maggie made him aware of time’s passage everything shifted. Cole’s sense of timelessness vanished, replaced with an inner countdown like the steady ticking of a bomb about to detonate. Cole knew he didn’t want to return to St. Louis and try to pick up the broken threads of his old life. Yet he wasn’t sure how to proceed with Maggie or what steps he needed to take to start over again, here or back home.

  Sleep eluded him for most of the night and he woke up tired the day after the holiday. Haunted by insomnia Cole’d pondered options. He could go back to St. Louis and return to what remained but that didn’t appeal to him. He could take Maggie and the kids back home with him but he doubted they’d want to uproot or move to a major city. Although at first they might enjoy the metropolitan perks Cole figured they’d soon miss the Ozarks and the things he appreciated most. Cole could stay but he didn’t want to live out the rest of his life in the vacation cabin up the hill from Maggie. And moving into Maggie’s present home presented issues he wasn’t ready to face. They could all make a fresh start somewhere else but where? He didn’t have a clue. So did he get an apartment in Branson proper? Move to Springfield and drive down multiple times a week? Cole’s head spun with the possibilities but before he could move in any direction, he needed to tell Maggie how much he loved her and confirm how she felt.

  In light of a new day Cole drank coffee and pondered what he should do. As he reflected over the summer so far, he remembered his mother had been about to tell him something about Babka when their last phone call got interrupted. He needed to touch base anyway so Cole called her, knowing she’d be up too.

  “Hello,” she said.

  “Hi, Mom,” Cole began. “Did you have a good Fourth of July?”

  “Sure. We went over to Alton to your sister Marianne’s for a barbecue and some fireworks with the kids. How was yours?”

  “Good,” he replied. They chatted for about ten minutes, mom offering updates on his siblings and the ever growing number of nieces and nephews. They talked about current events in St. Louis and shared a few memories. He used the past to bring up Babka and after they recalled how his grandmother knitted booties for every new baby in the family, Cole sa
id, “So, Mom, you started to tell me something Babka said about me and Maggie last time we talked. What was it?”

  “Oh, it was a long time ago,” his mother replied. “And I didn’t put much stock in it then. It was right about your Pop passed away and Babka told me she hated there wouldn’t be any more summers in Branson. ‘Cole has his friend there,’ she said and I knew she meant Maggie. I tried to change the subject and I remember telling her you’d find plenty of other girls. Babka came right back at me in her no-nonsense way, ‘He won’t find another one like Maggie. Those two, they’re a pair like salt and pepper shakers or earrings or something. They belong together and they match. Let them be.’ I suspect from what you’ve told me I should’ve listened, son.”

  Cole imagined the words spoken in Babka’s often accented English and smiled. His grandmother understood him, he thought, and she’d seen what his mother denied. A glow filled his chest as he pondered his grandmother’s view and he laughed out of pure happiness as he said, “’Salt and pepper’ shakers, huh? I like the analogy. It’s a good one and Babka called it right.”

  “What do you mean?” His mother sounded cheerfully cautious.

  “Mom, Maggie and I are together,” Cole said. “I’m not sure where we go from here but I can’t imagine going on without her. I know it probably seems too soon after Victoria and crazy but that’s the way it is.”

  “It’s not too soon,” his mom said. “Especially after you told me about your marriage and it may be a little bit crazy but in a good way. I’m happy for you, Cole and I hope it works out.”

  “Me, too,” Cole said. Her good wishes encouraged him and after a little more casual conversation, he hung up the phone. The sound of car doors slamming alerted him some of the holiday guests must be checking out so Maggie’s day must be underway. He rinsed out his coffee mug and ambled down the hill to see if he could do anything to help.

  He found Maggie in the office. From the dark smudges beneath her eyes he guessed she hadn’t gotten enough sleep either but when she glanced up and saw him, she smiled. “Hey, Cole.”

  “How’s it going?”

  “Busy already,” she told him with a sigh. “And getting busier. The guests who just left told me the kitchen faucet in Cabin #4 is broken. If it is, they must’ve done it but it’ll have to be fixed. I guess I’ll have to call a plumber.”

  He’d grown up fixing things with both his grandfather and his dad. In their family do-it-yourself was a way of life. “I think I could replace it for you, Maggie.”

  “Would you really?” she glanced up with an even bigger smile and a sigh of relief. “Thanks. Since you’ll have to go get a new one anyway can I ask you another favor?”

  “Sure, ask me anything.”

  “Since she has a season pass, Kaitlin wants to go with several of her friends to Silver Dollar City today but someone has to take her over there. And Kiefer’s been invited to a sleep over at his best buddy’s house. They live just down the road east of here about two miles and I told him he can but he needs a ride. Would you drop them off for me? I’ve got to clean the cabins and be here because I’ve got several more checkouts this morning.”

  “Of course I can,” Cole said. “I’m happy to help out.”

  “Good and I appreciate it,” Maggie said. “Come on into the kitchen. I can give you a muffin but I don’t have time to make a full breakfast, not today. There’s coffee too if you want some.”

  Maggie reached into the cupboard to grab a cup and poured his coffee. Cole accepted it and put it on the table. He opened his arms in invitation and without hesitation Maggie walked into his embrace. He held her and when she raised her face, he kissed her sweet and full. Her response sent fever through his body and when he stepped back, he felt better than he had all morning. “Thanks honey,” he said, and she blushed.

  “You’re welcome,” Maggie replied. “Cole, I want to apologize again for my tirade last night. I said a lot of stupid things I don’t really mean.”

  “Hush,” he said. “I’ve forgot about it already.”

  “Thank goodness,” she purred as she snuggled against him for one more moment. “You’re a great guy, Mr. Celinksi.”

  “I try,” he said in a light voice although he meant it. “Who needs to be where at what time?”

  By the time Maggie’s kids came downstairs, ate a muffin and gathered their gear it was almost eight o’clock. Cole loaded them both into his vehicle and set off. He drove down the road to drop off Kiefer and his duffle bag at an old farmhouse tucked between two hills.

  “See ya,” the kid said. “And pick me up tomorrow morning about nine, okay?”

  “I’ll be here,” Cole said. He turned to Kaitlin and asked, “Do you want to drive?”

  She squealed her delight so they switched places. Since earning her learner’s permit during the last week of June, he could let her drive as long as he or Maggie rode shotgun. Kaitlin drove with caution past Lake Dreams, over the Taneycomo Bridge and through Branson without incident. Cole suffered a few stressful moments when she stopped too quickly at a traffic light and as another car sped past them but by the time they reached the queue waiting to turn onto Indian Point Road Cole was impressed and praised her improvement.

  Kaitlin, grinning wide, drove up near the entrance of the amusement park in full view of three of her friends who pointed, giggled and stared. Cole asked her to park so they could switch spots and arranged the time to pick her up come evening.

  “Have fun,” he called after her wondering if her friends would ask about his identity. If they did, he couldn’t help but be curious about her reply.

  Then he drove back into Branson and followed Maggie’s scribbled directions to the Branson Hills Parkway and the Home Depot store. Cole picked up a replacement faucet and a few other items. He enjoyed home improvement stores although it’d been a while since he set foot in one. Victoria loathed the places and had no patience with his delight in browsing tools, paint samples, and such. He headed back to the resort and after checking in with Maggie, gathered up some tools and headed for the vacant cabin.

  Cole tackled the job but discovered removing the old faucet to be more difficult than he expected. He worked with it and finally got it loose, removed the fittings and began installing the new one. Maggie hadn’t cleaned the place yet and around eleven thirty she walked through the open door. “Hello,” she called. “Got it in yet?”

  “Almost,” Cole said. He stood up, arched his aching back and grinned. He used one hand to swipe the perspiration from his face. “Come see.”

  Maggie strolled into the kitchen and surveyed his work. “Looks good”

  “So do you,” he told her.

  She laughed. With most of her hair tucked under an old bandana handkerchief, in worn blue jeans with holes in the knees, and a shabby wash-worn T-shirt he found her beautiful. “I’m dressed to work, silly. I probably look awful.”

  “No way,” Cole said. He tightened the faucet into place with a triumphant outcry. “There, I’m done. Now I’ll help you if you want.”

  Until remembering she’d mentioned her menstrual cycle Cole had hoped to make love while the kids were gone but Cole surrendered the idea. He’d settle for time spent alone with Maggie, intimate but not sexual.

  “You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I’ve run you all over the place and made you work too.”

  “I’d like to help,” Cole said. So she nodded. Together they stripped the beds and replaced the dirty bedding with clean. He scrubbed up the kitchen while she cleaned the bathroom. Last, Cole vacuumed the place and Maggie cleaned mirrors. In a short time the place looked ready to rent again and he carried her cleaning stuff to the next vacant cabin.

  “I’ll help you with this one too,” he said. “But I’m hungry. Can we quit for lunch?”

  “Of course,” Maggie said. “There’s some leftover chicken from yesterday. I can make sandwiches.”

  “That sounds great,” Cole said. If it hadn’t been so humid he would’v
e suggested they eat outside but instead they shared sandwiches around her kitchen table. After they finished cleaning, they sat outside on his porch for a few minutes. As he surveyed the resort Cole noticed a vacant patch of land at the far end of Lake Dreams. Although overgrown with brush, the plot featured several big old oaks and some sycamores. He pointed it out to Maggie and asked, “Is that part of the resort?”

  “Oh, yeah,” she said. “My dad always planned to put some more cabins on it but he never did and I haven’t ever made enough money to consider it. Why?”

  “I don’t know,” he said although his brain hatched the bare egg of an idea. “I just wondered. There’s enough room to build a house instead of cabins, though.”

  “I never thought about it,” Maggie said, misunderstanding his intent. “I suppose I could sell it but I’d hate to have strangers living so close to the resort.”

  “True,” he said, keeping his voice casual. “But it’d make a pretty site facing the lake, wouldn’t it?”

  “It would,” she said as she undid the bandana and tossed her hair back into the wind. “I’ve dreamed of building a log cabin there, not the old fashioned kind but one of those gorgeous log homes they do nowadays. Have you seen any?”

  “I have,” Cole replied, delighted she confided her dream. He’d admired the rustic homes throughout the area since he’d arrived. Even some of the businesses in the Branson area were housed in one. “I think they’re attractive.”

  “They are,” she mused. “Most of them have such beautiful open spaces, big fieldstone fireplaces, and everything. I imagine they cost a fortune, though.”

  “Probably so.”

  She’d given him inspiration for a possible plan. Cole would think about it later but right now he wanted to talk with Maggie while she wasn’t distracted with guests or children. Three cabins, including his, still were occupied.

  “Well, I’m not going to think about it anymore,” Maggie said with a sigh. “I need to go get cleaned up. I look a mess, I’m sure. Then I need to go to the supermarket.”