The Country Gentleman

by Amberlee Day

  “He’s really nice—”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “—he works at the clinic with Bryan, and I think you’d like him. He likes music, and hiking.”

  “He sounds great, Marianne, but …”

  “But what?”

  It came out before she could think about it. “But I’m seeing someone.”

  That opened a floodgate of questions. Kenzie smiled as she held the phone away from her ear again, and waited for a chance to break in.

  “It’s all very new, Marianne, so I don’t know if he’ll even be around next week. But if I’m going to ask someone, it would be him.”

  “That sounds perfect,” her boss said. “And I’m so glad. I hate it when you get up and speak to five hundred donors about helping cancer patients find happily-ever-afters, then go sit back down again all alone.”

  Kenzie wrinkled her nose. “I know you meant that in a loving way, but you know one does not need to have a significant other to have a happily-ever-after.”

  “I suppose not,” Marianne said, “but it makes things even nicer to have someone to share it with.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Kenzie said. If Peter and I still know each other by then.

  “Okay, I guess that’s it. Will you be in the office tomorrow?”

  “No,” Kenzie said. “I have that meeting up north with the Sweet-and-Juicy Run people. Trying to arrange road closures during the Strawberry Festival is proving to be, uh, sticky.”

  “I bet. Will you be there all day?”

  “No.” Kenzie’s energy level suddenly dropped. “Since I’m going to be up that way, I’m meeting my dad for lunch.”

  “How nice! I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you.”

  But Kenzie felt sadly confident that the opposite would be true.

  When Kenzie pulled up to the place her father had chosen, sadness soured her heart. The high-end restaurant was nothing like the hole-in-the-wall burger joints he loved finding when her mother was alive, but these days his tastes seemed to have changed.

  She’d spent the morning covering running routes with county event planners, and her striped leggings and short-sleeved black T-shirt weren’t exactly right for this venue. Luckily, Kenzie kept her jeep supplied for any occasion. Drawing from a duffel in the back seat, she slipped a sheer poncho-type tunic over the T-shirt, added earrings and a pendant necklace, and swapped her trainers for strappy sandals. Hopefully no one would guess she’d covered a 10K course that morning, mostly by foot.

  Kenzie’s dad was already seated when she arrived. He greeted her with a cheek kiss, but before he’d returned to his seat said, “You’re late. I need to be back for a meeting at two.”

  Kenzie bristled. “Then why did you schedule a one-o’clock lunch?”

  “I didn’t. I said twelve thirty.”

  “And … I said I could be here at one.”

  “Exactly.”

  Kenzie felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck rise. No. Focus on what’s good. She took a cleansing breath and smiled. “It’s so good to see you, Dad. How’s work?”

  Salads arrived just then. When Kenzie gave her father a questioning look, he said, “I ordered for you so we could eat faster.”

  Cleansing breath. “Okay. Thank you, it looks delicious.”

  While they ate, Rob Vega told his daughter about the demands of the upper-management job he’d taken two years earlier. That sadness deepened as she listened. What would her mother have thought about his new work, a sharp contrast to his years as a union negotiator, working to help the little guy?

  “And how is Phyllis?” she asked, hoping to change the subject … although talking about her dad’s girlfriend wasn’t much better.

  “She’s good. She’s in Paris this week; then I’ll be in Burbank for three days when she gets back.”

  “It sounds like you don’t get to see each other much.”

  “Depends on the week. How about you? Anyone special in your life?”

  Kenzie thought about telling her dad about Peter, but it felt too soon. If things didn’t work out, she’d just have to field his questions later. “No, but I joined a hiking club.”

  “You did? That sounds like fun. Where do you go?”

  “The Olympics. We did Lower Lena last week.”

  He put his fork down, and when he picked up his glass and blinked absently at the clear water, she saw for a moment the father she remembered growing up. A man who was mesmerized by waterfalls, who could climb any rocky path like a mountain goat, and who once went through two pairs of hiking boots in a year.

  “Why don’t you come with me sometime, Dad?”

  “Hm?” He blinked. He took a sip of water and turned back to his meal. “Oh, I don’t think so. I just go to the gym anymore. I can use the one at work anytime, and it’s close to home so I can even go on the weekends.”

  “You used to hike a lot.” She didn’t look to see how he’d react to her bringing up the past. “You and Mom, and me. Seems like we went hiking nearly every weekend.”

  “We sure did. I guess we had a lot of extra time back then. Things are too busy anymore.”

  Kenzie sighed. “Well, if you ever change your mind, let me know. You’re always welcome. And you know, hiking has some unique health benefits.”

  “Yeah?”

  “It does. I’ve been really studying up on it. It lowers blood pressure, raises energy levels, helps you sleep better. All kinds of good things. Remember I told you I started a MyHeartChannel show, called Forest Bathing?”

  He sat up straighter, his eyes brightened. “That’s right! Making a mark in the online world, huh? How’s it going? Get any sponsors yet?”

  Dabbing her napkin at her mouth, Kenzie answered, “No, but I wasn’t really looking for any either.”

  “You get enough subscribers, those sponsors will come looking for you. Hiking shoes, sporting stores, all kinds of places.”

  “Well, I guess I should look and see how many subscribers I have.”

  “You don’t know? I thought that was something MyHeartChannelers checked a lot.”

  Kenzie shrugged and speared another piece of lettuce. “Probably is. I just don’t do it.”

  Kenzie’s dad methodically chewed his food for a minute. “Interesting. And you film from the cabin?”

  “The woods, yes. Mostly on the Turner land.”

  “Oh, right. Lots of trails through there. Does old Nathan Turner still own it? Or his kids. I imagine he’s passed on now.”

  “Oh, I don’t think so. I would think Sarah would have let me know if her grandpa had died.”

  Her father asked about Sarah, and Kenzie updated him on the playmate she’d spent countless hours with as a child, playing in Sarah’s grandfather’s three hundred acres of forestland. Kenzie told her dad that Sarah’s serviceman husband was stationed in Japan last Kenzie had spoken with her, and Sarah had recently had their third child.

  “Amazing,” her dad said. “Doesn’t seem you two are old enough she could have three children.”

  Kenzie laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment, Dad, not a complaint. Although for the record, if I’d graduated college, worked a few years, married, and then started a family, I could probably have three kids by now as well.”

  “No complaints. But that does make me wonder—”

  “No, I’m not going back to college.” He’d brought that up before. “At least, not now. I’m already doing more than I could ever imagine, in a field that I love. If it ever looks like going back to school would make a difference, I’ll be right on it.”

  “I’m sure you will.” Her father looked at his watch. He’d finished his salad in record time, though Kenzie had barely made a dent in hers. He was ready to go but trying not to be rude. She felt him scrutinize her. “Do you ever think you spend too much time alone at that cabin?”

  Kenzie stopped a waiter who was passing by. “Could we have our check, please? And one to-go box. Thanks.”

  As Kenzi
e rode the ferry home, she circled the upper deck. Round and round she went, her steps pounding a steady beat onto the painted metal surface. Some of her best thinking happened while walking laps on that bumpy deck, rain or shine. Today was dry and partly sunny, and when she strode along the south-facing side of the boat, Seattle sat looking small and far away in the distance. Iconic Mt. Rainier remained hidden in the clouds beyond. Watching for the mountain to come out was something else she shared with her mother, and Kenzie automatically glanced up to check with every lap.

  She was glad she’d met with her dad, though it was always hard. He left Kenzie wondering if she was doing enough with her life. He’d changed so much since her mother died. She had brought out the best in him, in both of them. She was the driving force getting her husband and daughter out into the forest, to the ocean, and in the mountains. Her love of outdoor exercise, fresh air, and natural beauty gave her family a unique gift, one that Kenzie cherished and based her life around. Maybe it was her fault her father had changed his priorities. If she’d really been like her mother, maybe she could have convinced her dad to join her in hiking club.

  Which brought her thoughts around to Peter.

  The west point of the boat was particularly windy, as the ferry headed that direction. Kenzie didn’t slow her steps as she faced the wind, even when it took her breath away. She plowed through its force, rounding the front railing, until she turned and that same wind propelled her forward as she strode in her wide circle.

  Peter had been at the edge of her thoughts all day. She’d thought of him when she woke up that morning, and when she’d caught up on her social media over her breakfast yogurt. Kenzie and the Olsons were online friends now. Paige had posted a new selfie with Peter on the Lena Lake hike. The camera had been close enough to capture the hazel-grey eyes, and the tiny smile lines around them. Those lines and his smile were more attractive to Kenzie than if he had a six-pack—which, who knew, maybe he had? He definitely had some muscles.

  Hiking club Saturday would be different than the previous weeks. The hike was harder, for one thing, and the weather forecasted rain. But what would really be different was her new awareness of Peter, and remembering his face across the dinner table, and the feel of her hand on his bicep while they walked along the boardwalk and when he helped her out of the huckleberry bush. Yes, she could see herself getting serious with Peter.

  On her third lap around the deck, someone approached her. A plump, middle-aged woman with a pleasant smile left the bench she’d occupied and walked straight to Kenzie. “Excuse me,” the woman said. “Aren’t you Kenzie Vega?”

  Kenzie gave the woman a genuine smile. “I am. What’s your name?”

  “Jackie English. I saw you speak at the three-day walk last year.”

  “And how did the walk go for you?”

  Tears suddenly dotted the woman’s eyes. “It was amazing.”

  Kenzie’s arm partially went around the shorter woman. “And are you still a walker, Jackie?”

  “I am. Eight miles a week.”

  “Impressive! Would you like to walk with me now? Whatever pace you like.”

  Jackie beamed. “I’d love to.”

  As they walked, Kenzie asked the right questions to discover more about this woman, who lost two sisters to the cancer monster and was a survivor herself. Kenzie’s heart hurt for her.

  “And who do you walk with, Jackie?”

  “My sister-in-law, my daughter and four nieces, and two wonderful coworkers.”

  “Sounds like a supportive group.”

  “Oh, they are! I hope you know what your talk at the opening ceremonies did for me. I was nervous going into it. I’d trained, but I wasn’t sure I could do it. Sometimes I have trouble with my back, especially if I don’t sleep in my own bed. And then just the walking itself.”

  “It’s hard, no matter how much you train. Were you able to finish? Some people aren’t, and that’s okay, too.”

  “During opening ceremonies, I was so nervous and excited, I thought I was going to throw up,” Jackie confessed.

  “Oh, dear!”

  “Then you came to the podium and told about how you and your mom joined the walk together after she survived her first battle. Then you told how she got sick again, and she got worse and couldn’t walk that year, because she was dying. But she wanted you to go anyway. And then on the second day out, you learned that your mother had died, but you kept going. You finished the walk. I thought, I don’t know how Kenzie Vega did that, but if she did, then so can I. This is what I can do for my sisters. I can show their daughters that we can be stronger than this cancer monster, just like you said. We can do the hard things, and fight to help fund a cure. Oh, Kenzie! I made you cry.”

  Kenzie hadn’t slowed down when the tears started to fall. If anything, she had to remind herself not to speed up, but to stay at Jackie’s pace. “It’s okay,” Kenzie said, wiping her cheeks. “You just took me by surprise. Sometimes it still does. And you reminded me of something important: why this is what I love doing.”

  “Do you want to sit down?”

  “No. It helps when I keep moving.”

  “I know what you mean. Well, would you look at that?” Jackie pointed south, where Mt. Rainier had finally emerged, casting off the overcast horizon and glowing snowy white against a pristine blue background. “I hadn’t even noticed. The mountain’s out.”

  “It certainly is,” Kenzie replied, inhaling deeply. Even in the summer, it wasn’t every day that such a perfect view unfolded, and Kenzie took it as a sign. Her mother would have been just as excited at the beautiful view as this woman. “Thank you for pointing it out to me, Jackie. You and Mt. Rainier are just what I needed today.”

  Chapter Seven

  The rains returned Thursday and were due back again Saturday. Kenzie decided to take pity on her helper for the week, a woman named Shawna, and film the next Forest Bathing episode on Friday.

  “Hold on,” Kenzie said to the tall, slender woman of around fifty while they stood at the edge of the forest. She didn’t look familiar, but her name was. “You’re Shawna?”

  “That’s right.”

  “You’ve never helped with the camera before, have you? There was someone here named Shawna last week, but she was shorter, younger, and wearing a purple jacket.”

  The woman shook her blunt-cut hair. “Nope, first time. I’m glad you switched days. Friday actually worked out better for me this week.”

  “Well, I’m glad. Thank you for being here. Are you up for a vigorous walk? I usually meander, but I feel like movement today.”

  Shawna the Second nodded her head. “Whatever you’ve got, I can keep up.”

  “Excellent. Let’s get going.”

  Kenzie began walking at a brisk pace. She looked behind her once and smiled at the camera. This Shawna indeed kept up well, and Kenzie was putting her to the test. Her goal for the day was to have a longer period of just walking through the woods before letting the viewers experience the forest with other senses. There was a point near the west edge of the property that she liked, that came out to a bluff overlooking Puget Sound. As they reached that point about half an hour into the walk, Kenzie stepped out of the trees at a safe distance from the bluff’s edge. Without turning around, she put her arms out, embracing the sky-and-water view as it suddenly opened up to them. After a moment, she lowered her arms. Shawna had come around with the camera, filming Kenzie’s profile with the view beyond. Kenzie took a deep cleansing breath, waited ten more seconds, then turned to Shawna.

  “Nicely done, Shawna. Thank you.”

  Kenzie had worked up a nice sweat during the faster-than-normal forest walk, but her companion was fresh as a daisy and not the least out of breath.

  “Wow, you must be in pretty good shape,” Kenzie said. “I usually wear out my helpers.”

  Shawna lowered the camera and took a sip of water from her camel pack. “I’m a runner, so this wasn’t hard. Such a beautiful forest here. Is it all
yours?”

  Kenzie explained about the property’s forestland designation, and how she was old friends with the owner.

  “Do you know what their harvest schedule is?” Shawna asked.

  Kenzie’s brow creased. “Harvest schedule? I don’t think the owner wants to harvest it. I haven’t seen him since I was a kid, but he’s a big tree lover. He keeps it designated forestland to protect it.”

  “That’s not my understanding of the designation. I worked for the State Department of Natural Resources for years, and typically if you have forestland, they recommend you harvest at some point. It makes for healthier forests. These trees look like they’d be overdue. Fifty years since the last harvest, maybe?”

  Kenzie took a swig from her water bottle. As Shawna explained what she knew, Kenzie grew a little dazed at the thought that these trees could ever come down. In what world would someone want that to happen? Mr. Turner wouldn’t, she was sure. He’d put it off as long as possible. Kenzie watched Shawna’s face, with her scattering of brown freckles, and thought how much she wished things were simpler.

  When Shawna stopped talking, Kenzie shook her head clear of discouraging thoughts. She forced a smile. “How about we head back? That pond we passed about ten minutes ago has frogs. I thought we’d stop and see if I can catch one. Do you have time?”

  Shawna nodded. “Absolutely.”

  As they started again, this time Kenzie carried the camera and they just strolled through the forest. “What made you leave the DNR, Shawna?”

  “Cancer,” Shawna said, making Kenzie freeze.

  “You had to quit your job? Couldn’t you get time off for treatments?”

  Shawna shook her head. She resumed walking, so Kenzie did too. “I didn’t have cancer. My husband, Don, did.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “I chose to quit to take care of him. We were fortunate and had the resources to do it.”

  “That must have been a big sacrifice for you.”

  Shawna nodded. “It was. I’m a librarian, and I ran a program keeping track of maps and records, both hard copies and online. I loved it. When he went into remission, we both determined to cut back our work schedules and make more time to enjoy life, find ways to give back. Instead of going back to my old job, I work part time now. On days I have off and Don works, I find somewhere to volunteer.”