The small house was on a hill overlooking the beach, the outside was light grey or blue and she could see a small deck facing the ocean. There only seemed to be a few other houses between her and the beach was only a short walk away just as the owners told her. Stephanie saw an extremely large rock right off the beach that towered above the water, the people in front of it seemed like ants. The wind was picking up and it was lightly raining but she did not mind at all. A big smile grew on her face and she felt less nervous and just happy to be where she was. The waves that were hitting the beach were amazing and just as beautiful as Thomas had always told her. As she stood there looking out over a part of the world she had never seen before she got lost in her own mind when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She quickly spun around to see a woman who looked to be in her 60’s smiling at her. Stephanie was very happy she did not punch the woman in the face, which was her gut instinct when touched from behind.
“Oh I’m sorry to startle you Sweetheart, I thought you heard me say hello. You wouldn’t happen to be Ms. Davis would you” the older woman asked as she glanced at Stephanie’s car.
“Umm, yes I am” Stephanie said quietly as she stepped back slightly. She had never traveled before and being alone made her quite nervous.
“Oh wonderful Darlin, I am so sorry about scaring you like that though. I understand a young lady traveling on her own has to be careful these days, you know with all the bastards out there. My name is Mrs. Martin, Sweetie, but you can call me Ann if you would like” the older woman said smiling.
Stephanie smiled and laughed at the “bastard” comment, reached out to shake her hand, and said, “Nice to meet you Ann, you can call me Stephanie”
“The pleasure is all mine, Sweetie; really. Raymond and his wife Kristen, the couple you rented the place from had to go to over to Bend in the middle part of the state for a few days for a family emergency. They asked me if I would give you the key to the place and welcome you to town and help you get settled in. They also wanted me tell you that they’re sorry they couldn’t be here to welcome you themselves but they will come and say hello when they get back on Friday if you’re around” Ann said
“Oh that’s sweet of them, they sounded like very nice people on the phone when I talked to them the other day before I left Michigan,” Stephanie said.
“Oh they’re wonderful people honey, salt of the earth. I have known them for nearly 15 years now; Kristen is a badass Rummy player. They live in the house next to mine across the street, when they’re in town at least they have a another home” Ann said as she point towards her house just twenty feet away or so then adding “well enough of all this chit-chat let’s get you inside out of the rain and I’ll show you the place”
“That would be lovely Ann, thank you very much” Stephanie said smiling as she followed the old women into the house after grabbing her purse and her two other bags.
Ann showed Stephanie inside and took her on a quick tour of the small cottage. It had two bedrooms; the master bedroom had a large queen size bed in it and was covered in pillows and looked like heaven. There was very large bathroom, which had a Jacuzzi tub in it, which Stephanie could not wait to soak in. The kitchen was small, simple, and fully stocked with plates, pots, and pans. They walked into the living room area and dining room area, which was decorated in a beach type theme. There was large couch, two recliners, which sat in front of a wood burning fireplace, made of stone, and the kitchen table was against the opposite wall with four chairs. In front of Stephanie there were two large windows and a slider that led to the deck she had seen while she was outside. The windows and slider door took up nearly one whole wall and had wide and open view of the beach and ocean. In Stephanie’s head, she thought this was better than any hotel she had ever been to.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it honey” Ann said to Stephanie who was looking out the window and seemed to be lost in thought.
I’ve never seen anything like this, it’s so wonderful,” Stephanie said quietly.
“It sure is, we love it here,” Ann said.
“How long have you lived here Ann” Stephanie asked.
“Oh we have been here for about fifteen years now, at least permanently. Before that, my husband Ben and I spent the summer here for a few years before we retired. We are from down near Las Vegas originally. So basically 20 years now I should say” Ann replied.
“So, you live here year round then, how do you like it Ann?” Stephanie asked
“We love it honey, I don’t think I’d be happy anywhere else. I mean it can get somewhat hectic with the tourists, but for the most part, they are respectful. Cannon Beach is an artsy town and very quiet so we don’t get to many rambunctious people here, you know the wild types,” Ann said with a smile
“I bet that’s wonderful, it seems so peaceful. When I was driving through I didn’t see any chain stores and it kind of surprised me, why is that” Stephanie asked.
“City ordinance honey, we like to keep the town small and quaint and looking a certain way. Some big chains have tried to come here, restaurants and stuff but the city will not let them. We’re not big enough for all that anyway, in the winter time this place is a ghost town mostly” Ann replied.
“I love it I can already see why you like it here, how could you not with a view like this” Stephanie said
“Just wait until you see a sunset Stephanie,” Ann said with a friendly smile.
“I can’t wait for that” Stephanie replied quietly then adding “if the rain will ever stop that is”
“Oh it comes and goes you get used to it, we get rain here off and on most days until the middle or end of summer and even then we get it. After a while you just stop noticing, but being from Vegas Ben and I don’t mind the rain. It gets hotter than hell there you know,” Ann replied with a loud laugh.
“Yeah I’ve been there a few times I understand what you’re saying completely” Stephanie answered.
“Well Sweetie, I’ll let you get settled in and relax a bit. I bet you’re tired as hell from your flight and all that driving. I’ll leave the key on the counter and if you need anything at all just come and knock on the door. If I see your car here later in the morning, I will come and check on you and see if you need anything. Oh and if you need to get some food and feel like cooking there is a store back in the main part of town that has a lot of things there, and we have some great restaurants also. Otherwise it is about a 45 minute drive south to Tillamook and Pacific city is just a little ways north” Ann said.
“Okay Ann thank you so much, I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow at some point Stephanie said and she went to shake Ann’s hand.
“Have a good night Darlin, and come and get me or Ben if you need anything. Oh and before I forget if you want to make a fire in the fire place the wood is behind the house under the overhang thing okay,” Ann said.
“Okay I may just do that, thank you again,” Stephanie said.
Ann replied with smile, a slight wave, and a moment later was out the door leaving Stephanie alone.
She brought her bags into the big bedroom and tossed them onto the bed then went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Inside she found some croissants, a bottle of Oregon wine and some cheese along with a note from the owners, which said:
Ms. Davis,
Thank you so much for renting our place, please make yourself comfortable and at home. Enjoy your time here on the coast and we will hopefully see you in a few days. The wine is local and excellent hope you enjoy it. If you have any problems just ask Ann or call us.
Best Regards,
Beth
Stephanie was surprised at the note but should not have been. With the exception of the people on the roads in Portland, everyone she had met so far in Oregon had been very friendly and nice. It was something she was not used to in her part of Michigan; the people there were rude and suspicious. It was not always like that, but its how people there were now. Stephanie wondered if that suspiciousness and rudeness had
worn off on her, or if it was other things. She grabbed the wine bottle out of the fridge and opened it. Then she took a wine glass from the rack, poured the wine into the glass then took the glass and wine bottle and went out onto the deck. There was a small table and two chairs on, it she made herself comfortable on one.
The rain was barely sprinkling now and something about the way it smelled was intoxicating, it seemed to mix in her nose with the salt in the air. She was looking at the massive rock near the beach and wondered what it was named. After sitting there for a little while, she saw Ann and her husband holding hands walking past the cottage on the way to the beach. They looked over, saw Stephanie, waved, and said hello.
Then Ann said laughing, “Don’t you know it’s raining out”
“What rain, I don’t feel anything” Stephanie said with a smile
“See you’re fitting in already” Ben said then waved again as they kept walking.
Stephanie waved back again and watched the older couple go their own way. She thought it was adorable that those two people were married all these years and still held hands while they walked. She missed that feeling of having someone holding her hand. Stephanie shook the thought off and kept watching the beach and people walking on it, the ocean the way the waves hit. She would take a shower, change than head to the downtown area for a little while, and check some stores out and grab some food. But for now she just relaxed and enjoyed the freshest air she had ever smelled in her life.
Twenty One
It was nearly 4 pm Wednesday afternoon and Derrick was sitting in his office at The Whaleback. Thomas had been there and left about an hour before. They had talked about things concerning the wedding and then discussed trying out some new ideas they had. They were busy almost every night but Derrick and Thomas did not want to take anything for granted and would often try new things just for the sake of trying them. Derrick had decided to keep the karaoke as a permanent thing, and Thomas thought it was a great idea. Derrick seemed distant for a lot of their conversation and Thomas asked him about it a few times. Derrick could not explain why really, but something in his gut was not sitting right. Moreover, during their talk Thomas also seemed to get lost in thought, but it was something he did often so Derrick did not bother asking. After a few minutes of shuffling paper work, Derrick walked out of the office, sat next to the bar and sipped a beer. He stared at the TV, which had the news playing. The feeling he had in his gut was the same feeling he had when something big was about to happen, he just wished he knew what it was.
. . .
After taking a nap for a few hours to recover from her flight and drive Stephanie took a shower. She got dressed, put her walking shoes on, and headed down the beach. She was excited since this would be the first time she ever saw the Pacific Ocean up close. It was only her first night in Cannon Beach and she already did not want to leave and go back to Michigan, She was not sure if it was just the little bit she had seen so far or just the fact that she was there but either way her heart was in love already. After she made her way down to the beach she walked up to the tide line and stood directly in front of haystack rock. She had never felt so tiny in her entire life. The tide was down or at least it seemed that way since there was a lot of fist sized or bigger rocks lying in front of the huge giant of a rock. As Stephanie walked north up the beach she saw small shells, broken sand dollars and small pieces of wood lying in the sand. Once she had gotten past the protection of the large rock, the waves got slightly bigger. Moreover, as she walked farther she found herself dancing with the remnants of the waves that had hit the beach. The large swaths of silent water rippled farther up the beach than she was used to in Michigan and here they seemed to glide across the sand as if they were going over glass. Stephanie laughed quietly to herself as she played the cat and mouse game with ocean surf.
It was late afternoon and even though it was a Wednesday, the beach had quite a few people on it already. However, considering how immensely large the beach itself was which shocked Stephanie; everyone had room and space and did not seem crowded in the least. And no one seemed to even notice or care that there was a light rain coming down. Walking, she saw many people with dogs, some were on leashes and some were running free in and out of the water playing fetch. She remembered Thomas telling her once that Oregon and especially the coast was very dog friendly, and it seemed today that the dogs outnumbered the humans. It made her miss her husky Shadow and Stephanie wished she had brought her along with her. As she walked slowly up the beach, she heard someone behind her call her name and since she was not from here, it freaked her out a little bit. She turned around nervously to find that it was Ann and her two little dogs. She waved and smiled and stopped to let the older woman catch up.
“Hey Mrs. Martin” Stephanie said smiling at the older lady who was only feet away now with her two little dogs in tow.
“Would ya quit with that Mrs. Martin crap Sweetie, you’re making me feel old,” the older lady said laughing.
“Right I’m sorry, Ann” Stephanie said with a little smile.
“There you go Stephanie that sounds better. You look rested did you take a nap” Ann asked.
“Yeah I passed out there for a little bit, it was needed I suppose, I have a lot on my mind lately. Hey, Ann didn’t I just see you and Ray a few hours ago heading towards the beach, just had to come back for more huh?” Stephanie asked.
“Hell yeah girlie, can’t get enough of this ol’ beach. And beside Raymond had to go up north seaside way to a hardware store there and get a few things. Seems we got ourselves a hell of a storm coming our way, should be here tomorrow evening, or so the damn weathermen say,” Ann said laughing and pointing out over the ocean to the southwest which looked darker now than it had earlier. “And besides these two guys were getting a little stir crazy in the house so I decided to take them for a walk.” The lively old women added.
“They’re so cute, what are their names Ann” Stephanie asked as she reached down to pet the twin cocker spaniels who here pushing each other for attention from the new person.
“Well the big one there trying to lay on you is Frank, and the smaller one her name is Ava” Ann said.
“Frank and Ava huh, you guys are so cute,” Stephanie said as she petted and rubbed both little dogs” then adding, “you and Ray must be huge Sinatra fans then”.
“Oh jeez you could say that” Ann replied then adding “I think we got every album that hot ass Italian man ever made. I even met him a few times when I worked in Vegas,” Ann said with a little wink and a smile.
Stephanie didn’t know how to reply other smiling and saying “I’m a pretty big Sinatra fan to”.
“well honey, I don’t know how far up the beach you’re heading but would ya mind keeping an old lady company while she walks, unless you want to private time than I’ll understand” Ann asked.
“Oh no I’d love the company also Ann, seeing all these people with their dogs makes me miss mine so I’m feeling a little lonely out here. Wait I thought you weren’t old Ann” Stephanie said with a slight smile.
“I can say it, just don’t make me feel it” Ann said laughing and giving Stephanie a pretend stern look
“Sounds good, hey Ann do you want me to take one of them for you?” Stephanie asked gesturing at the dogs.
“That would be wonderful Sweetie here… why don’t you take Ava I think she likes you pretty fair, Frank can be a moody old bastard” Ann said as she handed the leash over to Stephanie who laughed hard again.
The two women separated by decades in age walked up the beach then back down for close to an hour, chatting like old friends the entire time. Ann told Stephanie about her life and then told Stephanie some things about the Oregon Coast. She told Stephanie where to go and where not to go, what to eat and where and what shops in Cannon Beach were interesting and which were not worth the time. Ann also filled her in a little bit about Tillamook to the south and Seaside to the north as well as some places in between that may be wort
h seeing. And for as much as Stephanie wanted to pump Ann for information about Tillamook and maybe even if she had heard of Thomas, she refrained because she didn’t want to seem nosey. They had a nice talk and Stephanie loved Ann’s odd form of wisdom and stories. After walking for a little while longer, the two new friends parted ways. Ann headed back home and Stephanie wandered a bit more before going back to her rental to get ready to head into town.
. . .
Later that evening Thomas was sitting at the café with his laptop open in front of him. He looked at his phone, which said it was 7:45 pm. His son had called him about half an hour earlier to let Thomas know they were heading back from the beach. Thomas had met up with Tracie for a quick dinner after she had gotten out of work at four o’clock earlier that afternoon. His girlfriend seemed annoyed and withdrawn and did not say too much while they ate. Thomas was not sure why and he was worried a little bit, she did not seem interested in small talk. He had tried calling her about an hour ago just to talk but she did not answer, so he left a simple voicemail. Tracie sometimes got into moods where she really did not want to talk or be around anyone except when she had to, like at work. Thomas was hoping this was one of those times and not something more. She seemed fine earlier in the day when he had helped her out at the shop and wondered what caused the change.
After a few minutes of emailing, Thomas saw headlights pull into the parking lot and a few seconds later, he saw Amy, Stevie’s mother. She walked through the shops front door smiling as she came in.
“Hey Thomas, I need your help” Amy said.
“Sure what’s up” he relied
“Just come outside” she said laughing a little.
Running Northwest Page 23
