by Leanne Banks
“My mom was sick.”
“I heard about that. I’m sorry. But after that,” she said. “Couldn’t you have gone pro after that?”
“I had other obligations by then,” he said, his expression moody.
“Do you wish you had continued playing?”
He shrugged. “Depends on the day. Mostly not. It would have been physical torture. Why all the questions?”
She laughed. “My first opportunity. I barely got to talk with you when we were teens.”
He chuckled and seems to relax just a smidge. “Yeah, that’s true. Speaking of getting to know you, I’m glad you’re fixing the lodge, but I’m wondering if you decided to take on fixing Honeymoon Lodge out of obligation,” he said.
She thought about that for a moment, then shook her head. “No. Not for the most part. I think we’re not ready to let go of our memories and what we experienced here. It took the fire to bring back how important those memories are to us. At the same time, we want to make it better for those who are new visitors to the lodge. It’s tricky.”
“Yeah, I guess so. If you want it to be more than a fishing and hunting lodge,” he said.
“We do,” she said. “We think you can still enjoy the lake and the scenery even if you don’t hunt or fish.”
“Because you don’t like worms,” he added with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Or crawdads,” she said. “The lake and the mountains are still beautiful. A walk along the lake will rejuvenate you,” she said.
“Even if you hate worms,” he said.
She glowered at him. “Yes. Even if you hate worms. Or cocky men who need to be taken down a notch.”
“You couldn’t be speaking of me,” he said.
“Of course not,” she lied.
He laughed loudly, and she really liked him for it.
“Viv, you have a lot more kick than I thought you would,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Benjamin, how could you expect anything less from Jedediah Jackson’s daughter? My middle name is Monterey after the aircraft carrier. Eleven battle stars. My father was determined we wouldn’t be wussy women, and he was big on Navy history. Each of our middle names is from an aircraft carrier. As for me, I’ve tripped and fallen a few times, but I’ve gotten back up.”
Benjamin’s eyes widened. “Monterey,” he echoed. “I’m impressed. Does that mean I can call you Monty?”
“Only if you want me to clock you,” she said.
“I’m bigger than you are,” he said.
“I’ll catch you when you’re sleeping,” she returned.
“I can only hope,” he said. “If you catch me when I’m sleeping, that means you’ll be sleeping with me.”
A shiver rushed through her, all the way through her core. “Well, that’s not going to happen,” she said, because it couldn’t and shouldn’t. She might have been playing with the idea of flirting with Benjamin, but something inside her told her Benjamin was trouble for her. He appeared to be a pillar of the community and an all-around great guy, but for her, he could be big, big trouble. He could be a distraction to her and she wasn’t ready for that kind of distraction, especially now that she needed to focus on the lodge.
Benjamin walked her to her car. She took a deep breath and searched for her sanity. “Thanks for your help with the fixtures. And especially your recommendation for an electrician who can do speedy work,” she said.
“Glad I could help,” he said, leaning toward her.
She instinctively held her breath. “Thanks again,” she managed.
“Let’s get together again. Saturday,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
Vivian bit her lip and shook her head. “I don’t think that will work,” she said.
“Monday?” he asked.
Her lungs seemed to compress, and she shook her head again. “I’m not sure this is a good idea,” she managed.
“What’s not a good idea?” he asked.
“You and me,” she said.
“Maybe we could finally get to know each other,” he said, lowering his head.
He took her mouth in a kiss.
Vivian pulled back. “You have got to stop this,” she whispered and walked away, her body in complete chaos.
* * *
Vivian huddled with Temple and Jillian on the screened-in porch. Temple was glued her laptop and Jillian was trying a new yoga pose. “I ordered fixtures with the help of Benjamin,” Vivian announced.
“How did that happen?” Temple asked, clearly suspicious. “Did you arrange to meet him?”
“I did not,” Vivian said and wished her cheeks wouldn’t heat. “He was at the hardware store and I took advantage of his expertise. Should I not have asked for his advice?”
Temple met her gaze. “Of course not. But I must ask, is he as hunky as ever?”
“I’d like to say he isn’t, but I would be lying,” Vivian said. “It doesn’t matter, though, because we have too much to do for me to be distracted by an ex-football star.”
“He’s more than an ex-football star, isn’t he?” Jillian asked. “He’s the town entrepreneur.”
Vivian frowned. “He is, but we can’t be distracted. Right?”
“Right,” Temple said.
“So, we have fixtures ordered. I scheduled a consultation with a plumber. And in other good news, we’ll offer a room to an electrician. While they are performing repairs, they can go fishing or hunting in their off hours.”
Temple mused. “That could work.”
“I wish I could claim it as my idea, but Benjamin suggested it,” she said.
“Well, perhaps we should consult him more often,” Jillian said.
“I think this is enough for a start,” Vivian said, because she didn’t want Benjamin around to distract her. She and her sisters needed to get the lodge up to code as soon as possible. “In the meantime, I’d like us to work on the decor for the cabins.”
“Decor?” Temple echoed. “We don’t have money for decor,” she said firmly. “I’m looking at our budget, and we’re squeezed tight as it is.”
“This may require an investment from all of us. I’m willing to contribute,” Vivian said.
Temple tightened her lips. “I don’t want to go overbudget.”
“What budget?” Vivian asked. “We don’t even have one yet.”
“Well, we need one,” Temple said. “And we should stick to it. This could get totally out of hand.”
“Let’s just look at the cottages and brainstorm,” Vivian said, opening the door from the screened-in porch.
“I don’t like this,” Temple said, but the three of them walked down to the cabins.
Vivian stepped inside the dark, musty interior of the first. “They need wallpaper, a complete freshening, mold abatement, modern air-conditioning, new minikitchens and beds. Definitely new beds.”
“No to the wallpaper,” Temple said. “It’s just an invitation to more refurbishment.”
“I can paint,” Jilly said enthusiastically, lifting her hand. “I’ve even been paid for it.”
Vivian looked at her youngest sister and wondered what in the world she’d done for the last five years that included being paid for painting. She nodded and placed that fact in a file to think about at 2:00 a.m. when she awakened as she so often did. Unfortunately insomnia had recently become Vivian’s friend. “Thank you. That’s wonderful. But the AC, minikitchens and—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Temple said, lifting her hand. “These aren’t luxury villas. They’re cabins. Rustic cabins.”
“Do you want to stay anywhere that doesn’t have heat and air-conditioning, the ability to cook some food and a good mattress for sleeping?”
Temple frowned, then sighed. “We can work on the
heat and AC. No to the full kitchens. I’ll price stove tops and microwaves.”
“And mattresses,” Vivian said.
“I suppose,” Temple said, clearly unhappy.
“Don’t forget the paint,” Jilly said. “We don’t have to make these luxurious. A lot of people are trying to get back to nature.
“Just so you know I may not want to camp, but I can do it,” Jillian said and walked out the cabin door.
“That girl worries me. I wonder if she’s been in some kind of trouble that we don’t know about,” Temple said, staring after her.
“Me, too. I’m afraid of what she’s been doing the last few years. I should have kept in touch better.”
“I should have, too,” Temple said. “I think Mom did a real number on her. I mean, more of a number than she did on you and me.”
“We should take her into town for lunch,” Vivian said. “Lunch with no distractions about the lodge. We could ask her more about what’s been going on in her life.”
Temple shot her a dark look. “You think lunch will fix anything? That almost sounds like Mom.”
“That was insulting and unnecessary,” Vivian said. “I think you know I’m different than Mom. Although I wouldn’t mind having her best strengths without her weaknesses,” she said, thinking of how socially adept her mother was.
“You’re right,” Temple said. “Lunch it is. We can make it a goal after we’ve painted one of the cabins.”
“That’s perfect,” she said. “Thank you.”
Temple met her gaze. “The numbers don’t add up for this,” she said. “I keep trying, but—”
“I’ll add my savings,” Vivian said.
“But what about your retirement?” Temple asked.
“I guess I’ll just work till I die,” she said with a laugh.
“That’s how you’re different than Mom,” Temple said. “She would rather marry money than work for it.”
“It might look like she’s had a free ride, but I don’t think she has always been happy. She’s been paying for that second marriage ever since she took her vows with the good doctor.”
“I never thought of it that way, but now that you say it... Hmm,” Temple said.
“She wanted her girls to be taken care of,” Vivian said.
“But Dad wasn’t broke,” Temple said. “He could have afforded our college education.”
“Mostly,” Vivian said. “You and I got scholarships.”
“Jilly was always a wandering soul.” Temple paused. “Oh, Lord, I hope I never feel like I have to marry for money.”
Vivian looked at her slim sister with shoulder-length brown hair. She wore baggy jeans, a T-shirt and black-framed glasses she was always pushing up her nose. Temple was too intelligent to suffer fools gladly. Her hair hung in dark strands down to her shoulders.
“I don’t think that’s in your near future,” she said.
Temple seemed to snap out of her reverie. “Are you saying I’m no bombshell?”
Vivian lifted her hand. “You are formidable and beautiful. Most men couldn’t begin to handle you.”
“Another way of saying I’m not suitable for anyone,” Temple said and started toward the door.
Vivian touched her sister’s shoulder. “Another way of saying you deserve someone amazing.”
Temple’s expression softened. “How’d you turn out so nice when Mom was so sharp she cut you nearly every day when we were teenagers?”
Vivian smiled, but she knew her expression was stiff. “I took the first cuts,” she said.
“Why don’t you hate her?” Temple asked.
“A little therapy didn’t hurt. I think she did her best. Her best wasn’t yours or mine or Jilly’s.”
Temple sighed and left the cabin.
Vivian felt her tight shoulders slump. This was becoming about so much more than saving her father’s lodge. Far more than she knew or was ready to face at the moment. All she knew was that she was all in. Vivian wanted her sisters back, and she was growing surer by the day that this was the way she could get them.
* * *
Five days later, Benjamin’s recommended electrician had arrived and appeared to be fishing far more than he was wiring. Vivian thought about calling Benjamin, but instead conjured her father’s spirit and rose early to confront the electrician, Bill, as he was headed out for another fishing venture.
She stepped in front of him. “Good morning, Bill. How are you?”
“Good,” he said. “Just hoping to catch a few before I start work on the rewiring for the cabins today.”
“How many cabins have you rewired?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Well, it’s been taking longer than I expected. I’ve done one and a half.”
“Bill, Benjamin Hunter recommended you. He said you would be a good worker. He said you would do good, fair work.” She forced herself to stop. She’d heard that remaining silent was an important tool in negotiations. Vivian chewed the inside of her lip and narrowed her eyes. She hoped she looked vicious and intimidating and Bill didn’t notice the nervous twitch in her left eye.
“You wouldn’t be trying to take advantage of me, would you?” she challenged.
Bill sighed. “No. I wouldn’t want to do that.” He rubbed his hand across his face. “I don’t gotta fish today. I’ll work on that next cabin.” He paused. “You’re not gonna mention this to Ben, are you?”
“Not at the moment,” she said, her ire rising at the realization that he might not have responded to her confrontation unless she’d mentioned Benjamin’s name. “You do know who is signing your paycheck, writing your future recommendations and allowing you to live rent-free? My name is Vivian Monterey Jackson...”
Bill took a step back and nodded. “Yes, ma’am,” he said and headed back to his room, supposedly to get his toolbox so he could get to work on the cabins.
Vivian tried not to grind her teeth, but she couldn’t help it. She heard a sound behind her and turned to spot her sister Jilly, who stared at her with a wide-eyed glance.
“You’ve got balls,” Jilly said in wonder.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Vivian said, although she wouldn’t trust Bill’s performance until he’d made more progress. She was her father’s daughter.
That day, she and her sisters worked their butts off painting and completing work on the first cabin. They’d painted the walls a calming spa green and replaced the ratty scatter rugs. A small sitting area with two chairs and a table along with a new microwave, coffeepot and minifridge occupied the side of the room opposite the bed. New shades on the windows would provide a bit of privacy, and new mattresses were on the way for five of the cabins. The other three cabins could wait until they booked some new guests and started making some income again.
“It looks nice. I wouldn’t mind staying here, except for the lack of television,” Vivian said as the afternoon sun faded from the open blinds.
“You could probably watch some on your iPad by ripping the Wi-Fi from the lodge,” Jilly said as if she had experience ripping.
Vivian exchanged a glance with Temple, then brushed her hands together the same way she would have liked to brush aside her concerns about Jilly. After all, her sister was an adult. She’d appeared to survive whatever she’d been doing for the last several years well enough.
“How about we eat an easy dinner, then roast marshmallows and drink wine by the fire pit?” Vivian suggested.
“Can you start a fire from scratch?” Temple asked, her eyes full of doubt.
“I can!” Jilly said with a huge smile on her face. “Didn’t you pay attention when Dad showed us?”
“I must confess I haven’t had much practice lately,” Temple said.
“I can do it. We could roast h
ot dogs, too.”
“Is there anything you can’t do?” Temple asked.
Jilly’s face fell. “Graduate from college,” she said. “Finish just about anything.”
Vivian’s heart squeezed tight at the lost expression on her youngest sister’s face. Silence stretched between the three of them.
“As we’re learning, you don’t learn everything at college,” Temple admitted, even though Vivian and Jilly knew Temple held two advanced degrees. “You can light a fire, and I wouldn’t dream of twisting my stiff body into some of those yoga poses you can do. So let’s grab those hot dogs, buns and marshmallows.” She glanced at Vivian. “A better version of lunch with the ladies?”
Vivian smiled and nodded.
Twenty minutes later, the three of them sat around the fire pit as the sun set over the lake. Vivian doused her burned hot dog with mustard and took a bite of it. “Most delicious thing I’ve eaten in a long time,” she said and took another bite.
“Shows how hungry you are,” Jilly said. “The more hungry you are, the better anything tastes.”
Vivian nodded. “You’re probably right. I’ve eaten some pretty stale sandwiches that tasted good because I skipped lunch.” She took a long draw of wine from her red plastic cup. “You know, I was thinking about the last time the three of us were together, and I had a hard time coming up with it.”
“Besides your wedding, four and a half years ago at Christmas,” Jilly said without batting an eye. She wiped her face with a napkin.
“Too long,” Vivian said. “I know Temple has been buried under accounting spreadsheets, and I’ve been planning events and failing at romance. What have you been doing, Jilly girl?”
“I’ve been here and there,” Jilly said with a shrug. “I went to school to be a massage therapist but skipped the exam. I took a lot of yoga classes, but I had to move before I could finish the teaching preparation. I’ve tended bar, painted and almost got a cosmetician’s license.”
Vivian frowned. “You’re obviously smart and have super skills. Why didn’t you take the exams?”
Jilly shrugged again. “Just didn’t ever work out. Anybody want another hot dog? Or are you ready for marshmallows?”
