Summer of the Loon

by Deanna Lynn Sletten

  "The connection was cut-off on the plane. And there isn't any cell connection or Internet at my grandfather's house," Ali told her. "It's going to be hard to stay connected. I have to come to town just to use my phone or my computer."

  "Are you kidding me?" Megan asked, a look of astonishment on her face. "No cell phone or Internet? Where are you now?"

  "I'm in a small town about fifteen miles from my grandfather's house. He lives way out in the boonies. You wouldn't believe it. And my bedroom is in the attic. I mean, it's large and it's nice and all, but it's still an attic. I feel like I've completely left civilization," Ali said, relieved to finally have someone to talk to. Someone who knew her through and through and could sympathize with her.

  "That's awful," Megan said. Then, in a quieter tone, she asked. "What's your grandfather like? Is he nice?"

  Ali sighed. She'd only spent a few hours with him so far. She really didn't know what he was like yet. "He's okay, I guess. He's kind of grouchy and bossy. But he's used to living alone, so I guess he's not really sure what to think of me yet."

  "Are there any other people around where he lives?" Megan asked.

  "Oh, sure. There's the lodge just down the hill from his cabin. We ate breakfast there this morning and I met the owner, Jo, and her son, Chase. They seem nice, so far."

  "That's good," Megan said. "So, what's this Chase guy like? How old is he? Is he cute?"

  Ali frowned. "I don't know. I mean, he's eighteen, and he's graduating high school this year. He's cute, I guess. But what does that matter? I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I just want to get this next year over with and go back to California to be with my real friends."

  "Oh, that reminds me," Megan said. "I'm meeting up with the other girls to go to the mall in a few minutes. I guess I should get going."

  Ali's heart sank. She wished she was going to the mall with Megan and the girls. "Okay. Say hi to everyone for me. And to your mom, too. Did she get my message yesterday?"

  Megan nodded. "She says hi, too. I really miss you, Ali. I can't wait until I can see you again. So, I can't call you or email you or anything while you're at the house?"

  "You can email me, I'll just have to wait until I come to town to read it, though. And no, my phone doesn't work out there. I'm not even sure what I'm going to do about it. I need a job if I want to pay for phone service, and I'm not sure where I'll get a job around here."

  Megan shook her head. "Sounds too bleak to me. I gotta go. Love you. Take care, and I'll email lots of photos and stuff, okay?"

  Ali tried to smile, but failed miserably. "Okay. Love you, too. Bye." The screen went dead. Ali felt like crying.

  "Hi. Can I get you anything else?"

  Ali jumped at the voice that came up beside her. She looked up to see a girl standing over her. The girl had on the same black polo and white apron as the woman who'd served Ali earlier, but she was much younger. She was slightly plump and had pale blonde hair, creamy white skin with freckles, and hazel eyes. She was staring down at Ali and her eyes seemed to be dancing.

  "Uh, no thanks. I'm fine," Ali answered.

  The girl still stood there, as if trying to decide something. Ali noticed her name tag said Kat on it.

  "Are you Chase's girlfriend?" The "Kat" girl finally asked.

  Ali frowned and stared at her. What kind of a question was that?

  "No," Ali answered.

  "Sorry," the girl said, grimacing. "I shouldn't have asked you that. I do that sometimes. I just blurt out what I'm thinking. It's just that I saw Chase drop you off, and I don't recognize you, so I thought maybe you were someone new he met."

  "Oh," Ali said. Don't recognize me? Are strangers in town so rare that people around here freak out when they don't recognize people?

  The girl stuck out her hand. "I'm Katrina. My friends call me Kat. My parents own the coffeehouse, and I work here, too. Are you new in town or just staying at a resort around here?"

  Ali shook Kat's hand. "I'm Alison Jenson. Ali. I'm new around here. I just moved here to live with my grandfather."

  Kat's hands flew to her mouth and her eyes grew wide. "You're old man Jenson's granddaughter? Oh, my goodness. I should've known. That's why Chase drove you in here, huh? You're living out by the resort."

  Ali nodded. Old man Jenson? "Is that what people call my grandfather around here? Old man Jenson?"

  Kat covered her mouth again with her hands. "Oh, crap. I did it again. See, I just run off at the mouth. My mother is always telling me to think before I speak, but I just can't seem to do it." Kat took a breath, then continued. "Some people call him that, especially the kids in town, but we'd never call him that to his face. He's just so grouchy all the time that he scares the crap out of everyone. Sorry, I know he's your relative and all, but don't you find him intimidating?"

  Ali smirked. Kat really did say whatever she was thinking, and Ali found it amusing. Over the last twenty-four hours, Ali had been careful with every word she said around her grandfather, so it was refreshing to hear someone just tell it like it is.

  "Yes. He does seem kind of intimidating," Ali agreed. "But I don't really know him well yet, so I can't really say what I think of him."

  Kat smiled, then pulled out the chair opposite of Ali's and sat down. "He's probably fine. He just seems scary since he never talks to anyone or smiles," Kat said. "At least you get to live near Jo and Chase. Jo's a sweetheart, and Chase…" Kat's eyes grew dreamy. "Well, he's just the cutest thing in the world. Don’t you think? Every girl in high school wants to date Chase but he doesn't ask anyone out." Kat sighed.

  Ali thought it was funny how Kat swooned over Chase. "He's been really nice," Ali said. "And Jo seems very nice, too. I've only been here for a day, so I don’t know anyone well yet."

  "Are you still in high school or did you graduate already?" Kat asked.

  "I'll be a senior in the fall," Ali told her.

  Kat clapped her hands with delight. "So will I! We can be friends and hang out together. I'll introduce you to all the kids, even though the girls will be jealous of you since you're so pretty. But it will be fun to have someone new in town for a change."

  Ali's brows rose. The girls will be jealous? I doubt it.

  "I guess I should get back to work. It's getting close to lunch time and it gets busy in here then. Will you be coming into town often? I hope to see a lot more of you."

  "I'm hoping I can come to town a lot. It's the only way I can talk to my friends back in California," Ali said.

  Kat stood. "Wow. California. I bet you miss it there. You'll really miss it when winter comes. It's way too cold around here."

  "I do miss it. But mostly, I miss the people I know out there."

  Kat cocked her head and looked at Ali, her eyes dancing again. "You know, we always hire someone to help around here in the summer. It gets busy when the tourists start coming to the resorts and crave specialty coffees. My mom hasn't hired anyone yet. Would you be interested? I can tell her about you."

  Ali's face brightened. "Maybe," she said. "I do need a job to keep my phone service going. I'm not sure if my grandfather will let me use his truck to come into town to work, but I could ask him. Can I get back to you?"

  "Sure," Kat said, smiling wide. "Okay. I'll leave you alone so you can finish what you're doing. I'm so happy you came to town, though. We're going to have so much fun together." Kat turned and headed up to the front of the shop. Ali couldn't help but smile. Kat was so friendly and energetic that it made Ali feel welcomed in this small community.

  Ali sat for a while checking her email and responding to a couple of friends who'd written to her already. Then she texted Megan on her phone to see how shopping was going. The girls sent her a picture of them in front of an escalator at the mall. Instead of making Ali feel happy, it just made her feel sad she wasn't with them.

  After a while, Ali heard the bell on the front door to the coffeehouse tinkle and then Chase's deep voice say hello to Kat. She heard Kat talking, but couldn't ma
ke out what she was saying. Then she saw Chase heading back to where she sat, a cup in his hand.

  "Did you talk to your friends?" Chase asked, taking the seat that Kat had abandoned.

  Ali nodded. "I talked to Megan and answered a few emails. Megan and some other friends texted me a photo of them at the mall." Ali handed Chase her phone and he looked at the photo and nodded.

  "Cute," he said, then handed it back to her.

  "Did you finish your errands?" Ali asked.

  "Yep."

  The two sat there a moment in silence before Ali busied herself with turning off her computer and sliding it back into its padded case. Chase picked up her backpack and held it open so she could slip it in. It was a simple gesture, but Ali thought it was really nice of him. Kat was right. Chase was a nice guy. As she thought about what Kat had said earlier, she couldn't help but grin.

  "What's that silly smile for?" Chase asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

  "I hear that you're a big, dreamy catch around here. All the girls want to date you," Ali said.

  Chase grimaced. "You've been talking to Kat. She's nice, but don't believe everything she says. Sometimes she gets carried away."

  Ali grinned wider. "Sounds more to me like the girls in this town are all in love with you. So, why don't you have a girlfriend, since you're so popular?"

  Chase sighed. "I'm not popular. It's a small town and everyone knows everyone. And I've known most of the girls in high school since Kindergarten. I'm not interested in dating girls who I've known all my life."

  Ali shot him a surprised look. "You mean you don't date at all? Ever? Didn't you go to your prom? Take a girl to a movie here in town? Anything?"

  "I didn't say I never dated," Chase said. "I just don't date girls I go to school with. Yes, I went to my prom, but I invited a girl I met from another school. And I have dated, a little. I just don't meet that many girls around here. Besides," Chase added, growing serious. "I'm not letting anything distract me from going to college in the fall. Especially a local girl."

  "I didn't mean to make you mad," Ali said, feeling sorry she'd teased him, especially since she didn't know him too well. "I was only teasing."

  "I know you were. You didn't make me mad. But sometimes it's hard living in a small town. Everyone talks about everyone else, and it gets annoying." Chase looked at his watch. It was nearly noon. "We'd better head back to the lodge. I'm sure Ben is already back with the fishing group, and if they've caught fish, he'll want help cleaning them."

  Ali nodded. She reached for her backpack, but Chase picked it up before she could, stood, and slung it over his shoulder. He smiled at her then, that adorable perfect smile, and Ali suddenly understood why all the girls in town had a crush on him.

  Chapter Five

  Ali spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking her bag and settling into her new room. After she'd hung her clothes on the pole that served as a closet, and placed smaller items in the dresser drawers, she put her laptop computer on the desk in the window alcove and some pens and a pad of paper in the desk's drawers. Reverently, she set a framed photo of her mother and her on the top of the dresser. It was over a year old, but it was the most recent one she had. She stared at the photo for a long time, remembering how happy they'd been that day, hanging out with Megan and her mom, Amy. Ali's mom had looked pretty that day, her eyes clear and her smile easy to entice. It had been a rare day, and one that Ali had treasured for a long time afterward, when times became tougher.

  Ali turned away from the photo and sat at the small desk a while, staring out the window at the scenery below. The lake sparkled in the afternoon sun. With no wind today, it looked like a sheet of glass, smooth and shiny. But then a duck would land in the water, or a boat from the lodge would drive by and the water broke into a cascade of shimmering ripples. The lake was nothing like the ocean that Ali was used to. The ocean was always moving, rushing onto shore, wave after wave. The lake, however, moved in slower motion, making it peaceful and calming.

  As the day warmed up, so did the attic room, so Ali went downstairs in search of something to drink. There wasn't much in the refrigerator. In fact, there wasn't anything to drink at all. She found a glass in one of the cupboards and turned the cold tap on, but nothing came out of the faucet. "No water?" Ali asked, confused. Then she realized that the generator probably had to be on in order for the water to turn on. That seemed strange to a girl who was used to city water running all the time. Ali sighed. She'd have to wait until she went back down to the lodge to have something to drink. Jo's refrigerator was stocked full with drinks and food. Maybe Ali could ask her grandfather if they could buy a few groceries to keep at the cabin, just in case she was hungry or thirsty.

  Ali wandered out of the kitchen and around the cabin. There was a smaller room off of the larger living room that held a small sofa and an antique oak desk. Ali walked over to the desk and noticed a small, framed photo there. She lifted it up and looked into the kind face of an older woman. "My grandmother," she said softly. "His Lizzie." She studied her grandmother's photo, a woman she'd never met or even seen a picture of before. Her grandmother looked to be about the same height as Ali's mom and had a slender build. Her hair was dark and straight, framing her face, just long enough to curl under her jaw, and her eyes were a deep brown. Ali looked up into the antique gilt-framed mirror that hung over the desk and studied her face. She lifted her hand and traced her jawline down to her chin. "I have my grandmother's oval face," Ali said, smiling. That was where she'd inherited it from. Her mother's face had been square and strong, like her grandfather's. But her grandmother's face was softer. Ali gently traced her finger over the photo of her grandmother, happy to have made a connection with her. Then she carefully set the photo down and left the cabin, heading back down to the lodge.

  ***

  "Where's the girl?" Ben asked Jo as he dropped a bucket of freshly cleaned fish onto the counter by the sink and started the tap to wash the fillets.

  "You mean Ali? Your granddaughter?" Jo asked from across the kitchen where she was cutting up potatoes and placing them in a large pan of water.

  Ben looked over his shoulder at Jo, frowning, but then turned back to his fish cleaning. "Yeah. Where's Ali?"

  "She's setting the tables for supper out in the dining room. She's been a big help all afternoon."

  "Humph," Ben grunted.

  "I'm thinking of asking her if she'd like to work here this summer," Jo continued, ignoring Ben's grunt. "I always hire extra help in the summer and she'd be perfect. What do you think?"

  Ben turned from the sink again and looked at Jo as if she'd lost her mind. "What in the world would a spoiled city girl know about working at a resort?" he asked. "Do you really expect her to help with cleaning, cooking, and making up cabins?"

  Jo stopped cutting potatoes and looked directly at Ben. "She seems very capable to me. She helps out without even being asked, and she seems to know her way around a kitchen."

  "Humph," Ben grunted again, returning to the fish. "If you ask me, she should be helping without being paid anyway since she'll be eating here for free."

  Jo set down her knife, wiped her hands on her apron, and walked over to where Ben stood. She reached over and turned off the tap, making Ben turn his attention to her.

  "What?" Ben insisted.

  "Ben, I don't think you're giving Ali enough credit. She doesn't seem to be a spoiled city kid to me. She's a nice girl, and seems to be a hard worker. So, do you mind my asking her to work here, or not?"

  Ben stared at Jo for one long moment, then shrugged. "Fine. It's your money." He turned back to the sink and turned on the cold tap again to clean his fish fillets.

  Jo smiled and patted his arm gently, then walked back to where she was cutting up potatoes.

  "Women," Ben muttered, shaking his head. "They're always trying to talk you into things."

  Jo just ignored him and continued preparing supper.

  ***

  Ali smelled the fish fry
ing from the outer room long before she entered the kitchen. After she'd set the tables, Jo had told her to relax a while before supper because once the men came in to eat, there'd be plenty to do. Chase was helping her grandfather outside, cleaning out the boats and putting away fishing gear, so Ali had just wandered around inside the lodge and then walked around outside a while until she finally came inside again.

  As Ali entered the kitchen, the fish smell grew stronger. She wrinkled her nose. Ali didn’t like fish, but it looked like the catch of the day was on the menu for supper tonight.

  "Sweetie, can you grab a stack of plates from the cupboard? And get down a platter for the fish, please?" Jo asked as she carefully tended the fish fillets in the large, black, cast iron pan on the stove. Next to it, two huge pans were boiling.

  Ali did as she was asked, counting out enough plates for the settings she'd placed earlier and four more for her, her grandfather, Chase, and Jo. Then she pulled down the platter from the open shelf beside the cabinets. Seeing a few pans and dishes in the sink, Ali began running hot water to wash them.

  Jo came over to get some paper towels to line the fish platter with and patted Ali on the shoulder. "You're a lifesaver," she said, smiling.

  Ali and Jo worked side-by-side in the kitchen. Ali pulled condiments and butter out of the refrigerator and took them to the tables in the outer room. As one platter of fish became full, Ali pulled down another platter and lined it with paper towels as Jo had done, then handed it to Jo. Cornbread muffins were baking in the oven, and when the timer buzzed, Ali pulled them out and placed them into cloth-lined baskets that Jo had already prepared. The muffins smelled heavenly, and Ali couldn't wait to taste one. All the while Jo stood at the stove, frying fish, turning each fillet over carefully so it would brown just right. When the potatoes were done boiling, Ali carried the heavy pot over to the sink and poured them into a strainer, then put the steaming, quartered potatoes into serving bowls and covered them with aluminum foil to keep them warm. She did the same with the cut carrots that had been boiling in the other pot.