Summer of the Loon

by Deanna Lynn Sletten

  Ali smiled and looked away. She'd underestimated Kat when they'd first met. Kat was nosy and loved to gossip, but she was also observant, intuitive, and loyal. "I'm happy I have you for a friend, Kat. Being your friend has made living here easier."

  "Thanks," Kat said, returning back to her light, cheerful self.

  Both girls looked up and saw Jared Halverson standing across the street in front of The Loon's Nest, staring at them. Ali felt his eyes boring into her.

  "Eww," Kat said quietly to Ali. "That guy gives me the creeps." Kat turned up the volume, put on a fake smile, and waved animatedly. "Hello, Mr. Halverson," she yelled.

  Halverson stared at her a moment, nodded, then walked inside the bar.

  Ali threw Kat a shocked look. "Why did you do that? You just said you didn't like him."

  "It made him go away, didn't it?"

  Ali looked at the door to The Loon's Nest, wondering why Halverson always stared at her when she was in town. She'd run into him two other times, and both times he'd openly stared at her. It gave her the creeps, too.

  "What is it about him that seems so sinister?" Ali asked Kat.

  Kat shrugged. "I don't know. He's just kind of greasy and smarmy. He walks around town acting like he's some big shot, but no one really likes him. My dad says he's having money problems and that's why he hangs out in the bar a lot. A friend of my mom's says he hangs out in this town because he can't stand his wife and kids. He supposedly lives in a big house outside of Grand Rapids and lives a high lifestyle, yet he's always here. He gives me chills. And not in a good way."

  Ali laughed. "Who gives you chills in a good way?" she teased.

  "Wouldn't you like to know?" Kat said, smirking.

  Kat got up and sighed. "I should go help with dishes or baking. My mom has to make up a few new batches of baked goods since we ran out this afternoon. The tourist season has been busy this year. We're always selling out of cookies and brownies."

  "I'll come in before I go home," Ali told her friend as Kat went inside.

  Ali sat a while longer, waiting for Megan to call her back. She'd called Megan earlier to talk, but she'd been busy at her mall job and said she'd call back during a break. It had been over an hour and Ali hadn't yet heard from her friend.

  Ali sighed. She missed Megan and her other friends, but they seemed to have forgotten all about her. They were busy working at their summer jobs, hanging out at the beach, and with their boyfriends. Ali couldn't blame them. She'd been busy, too. But they didn't even email or text her anymore. Ali felt as if she'd fallen off the planet. She had never thought anything would ever come between her and Megan, but the miles between them had proven to be too much.

  As Ali was about to stand up, Halverson came out of The Loon's Nest and stood there, staring at her again. Ali quickly picked up her empty plate and cup and headed into the coffeehouse.

  Karen came over to the counter to take Ali's plate and refill her to-go cup with sweet tea. "Kat had to run an errand for me," she told Ali. "She said to tell you goodbye, and that she hopes you and Chase will be in town Friday night for the movie."

  "Thanks," Ali said. She studied Karen a moment. Karen had said she was two years behind her mother in school. Maybe she'd know something about her mother's prom.

  Ali took a deep breath for courage. "I was going through my mom's yearbooks and things," she said, trying to sound casual. "I saw she had some mementos from prom, but I didn't see any pictures. Were you at her senior prom?"

  Karen smiled and handed Ali a full cup of tea. "Yes, I was. I was in tenth grade that year. It was my first prom. Your mom was so beautiful that night. I'm surprised you didn’t find a picture, though. Everyone had one taken as they came into the gymnasium."

  Ali's heart began to beat faster. Karen knew the answer to her question. But Ali didn’t want to sound too desperate so she skirted around the only question she wanted the answer to and kept up the conversation. "I'd love to see a picture of my mom's dress. She had a blue bow tie with her things, so I figured her dress must have been blue, too."

  "Oh, yes it was," Karen said, her eyes dreamy. "It was a beautiful topaz blue. She looked like a princess. You know, it was the nineties and everyone wore those puffy, shiny dresses, but not your mom. She had on a long, sweeping, blue satin dress that looked like something out of an old movie. I think Lizzie had made it for her. She took your breath away."

  Ali couldn't believe she was this close to finding out the answer to her question. She was just about to ask Karen who her mom had gone to prom with when she heard footsteps behind her. Ali saw the dreamy look leave Karen's eyes as they narrowed slightly.

  "Oh, hi Jared," Karen said in a flat voice. "We were just talking about Jen's and your senior prom. Jen was so beautiful that night, wasn't she?"

  "Yes, she was," Jared said evenly. "Can I have a cup of black coffee to go please, Karen?"

  "Sure." Karen picked up a cup. "Ali. Jared might have a picture from prom night. He was your mother's date."

  A chill ran up Ali's spine. Jared. He was the owner of the blue bow tie. Ali slowly turned and looked up into the piercing, dark blue eyes of Jared Halverson. He looked down at her, no smile on his face.

  Ali had to escape. "Thanks, Karen," she said as she made a hasty retreat. "I'll see you later." Ali all but ran out of the coffeehouse to the truck, climbed in the cab, and drove out of town as fast as she dared, tears filling her eyes.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ali sat in the boat with her fishing rod hanging over the side but her mind wasn't on the task at hand. It had been three days since she'd learned that her mom had gone to her senior prom with Jared Halverson, and even though she'd had time to digest that news, she still couldn't believe it. That day after leaving the coffeehouse, she'd felt physically ill and had stopped by the side of the road to throw up her lunch. The idea that Jared Halverson, creepy, greasy Jared Halverson, might be her father made her stomach churn. It was all she could do that afternoon and evening to go about her duties without breaking down in tears. But she had, and now, days later, her mind was still having trouble accepting the truth. There was no other explanation. No one knew of any other guy her mother had dated or been seeing. He was the obvious person. He was her father.

  Ali hadn't told anyone what she'd found out, not even Chase. She didn't even know if she could get the words to come out of her mouth, it disgusted her so much. She'd gone through the days and nights feeling like she was in a trance, holding this terrible secret inside her.

  "You've been awfully quiet. Something going on?"

  Her grandfather's deep voice broke the silence and made Ali jump. "No. I'm just concentrating on fishing, that's all," she told him.

  "You're not concentrating very well. I saw the end of your rod jiggle a bit and you didn't even notice. That's not like you. Are you sure everything's fine?"

  Ali frowned. Since when did her grandfather pay enough attention to her to actually ask her how she was feeling? "Everything's fine," she insisted.

  "Humph," was Ben's only answer.

  Ali stared out at the lake as the sun came up. In the distance, she saw a dark object moving awkwardly in the water. She pointed it out to her grandfather. "What's that?"

  Ben squinted and stared, then shrugged. He pulled a pair of binoculars out of the glove compartment, uncapped the ends, and then put them up to his eyes. After a moment, he swore under his breath. "Dammit. Looks like a loon is tangled up in something. Pull in your line and we'll see if we can get a closer look."

  Ali quickly pulled in her line and rod and turned in her seat. Ben turned the boat in the direction of the loon and moved slowly through the water so as not to scare it. As they neared the loon, Ali saw the bird was struggling to open its wings, and its head was down at an odd angle. The loon rolled in the water, tried unsuccessfully to flap its wings, then rolled again, stopping for a moment before trying again.

  Ben cut the boat's engine about ten feet from the loon. "He's tangled in fishing lin
e. Must have gone through a snarl underwater and now he can't get it off."

  Ali leaned over the side of the boat, watching the poor bird struggle. "What can we do?" she asked.

  "Nothing we can do. That loon won't let us near him, let alone cut fishing line off him," Ben said.

  Ali's eyes grew wide as she stared at her grandfather. "We can't just let him die that way. We have to help him," she insisted.

  "There's no helping him, Ali. Even if you could get close enough to hold onto him while I try to cut the line off, a wild bird like that will peck your hands bloody with that sharp beak."

  Tears filled Ali's eyes as she watched the beautiful bird struggle to break free. Just last week she and Chase had seen one of the loons with baby chicks on his back. This could be that very one. Ali turned to her grandfather as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "We have to help him. We have to!" she insisted. "He might have a family. They need him. We can't let him die."

  "Ali, listen to me. Things like this happen. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do."

  Angry now, Ali stood and tightened her life jacket. "Hand me the scissors. If you won't help him, I will." She sat on the edge of the boat, one leg hanging over the water.

  Ben reached out and grabbed her arm, his face creased with anger. "Whoa! You're not jumping into that water to help that stupid bird. Are you crazy?"

  "Then help him!" Ali said, pleading. "Help him!"

  Ben stared at Ali a moment, then looked over at the loon. He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "Dammit. Fine. Get back in this boat and sit down." He reached into his toolbox and pulled out a pair of heavy work gloves that he wore when he handled large fish with spiny fins. He handed them to Ali. "Put these on."

  Ali did as he told her, tears still falling down her cheeks. She watched as her grandfather slowly moved the boat closer to the loon. The bird didn't try to move away. It looked as if it had spent all its energy trying to get free and was sitting on the water, resting, before it began wrestling with the line again.

  Ben cut the engine and pulled out a pair of needle-nosed cutters. "Okay. Try grabbing around his wings from up behind. Hold your hands under him and just steady him. If he doesn't fight you, I'll try cutting the line."

  Ali carefully leaned over the side of the boat, feeling it tip under her weight. She took a breath, then reached for the loon. After two tries, she was able to grasp him from underneath and around the back part of his wings. The loon squawked, but didn't move. Its upper neck was also tangled in the line, so he wasn't able to peck at Ali's hands.

  Ben leaned over, which made the boat tip even farther down toward the water. He studied the line a moment. "I'm looking for a spot to cut that might make the whole line unravel," he told Ali quietly so as not to scare the loon more. He reached over the bird and snipped line that went directly across his back. The sound of the cutters made the bird jump and Ali lost her grip on it. She would have fallen in the lake head first if her grandfather hadn't grabbed her by the back of her life jacket.

  They both watched the loon struggle with the line. It still didn't come loose.

  "It didn’t work," Ali said. "We have to try again."

  Ben looked over at her, sighed, but didn't say a word. He turned on the engine again and moved close to the loon, then shut it off. Once again, Ali grabbed the loon around its underbelly and wings and held it firm. Ben didn't waste any time. He snipped the line in several places, being careful not to cut the loon. The bird struggled in Ali's grasp and slipped away again.

  Ali held her breath and watched as the loon wiggled and rolled, then tried to open its wings. After a moment, the loon raised his head high and his wings opened wide. He flapped them wildly as he rose to a standing position on the water and called out his laughing tune.

  Ali turned to her grandfather, her eyes glistening with tears. "We did it! We saved him." She reached out and hugged Ben hard. "He's going to be okay."

  Ben smiled wide and wrapped his arms around Ali in return. "By God, we did it," he said, surprise filling his voice.

  Ali pulled away and looked up into her grandfather's deep blue eyes. They looked warm and kind and happy.

  "Hey, we saved him. Why are you still crying?" Ben asked.

  "Because I'm so happy," Ali said, wiping at her tears. "He can go back to his family. They won't have to live without him."

  Ben smiled down at her again and Ali reached out and hugged him once more. Ben folded her into his arms, bringing her close to his heart.

  ***

  Ben stood on the back porch of the lodge and watched as Ali and Chase walked around toward the front. He wondered where they were headed. It was evening, after supper, and the warmth of the day was cooling off. It had only been this morning that he and Ali had saved the loon tangled in the fishing line. They'd told the story to Chase and Jo during breakfast, and again at supper, still amazed they were able to save the majestic bird. Ben readily admitted that if Ali hadn't been there, he'd have never tried to cut the line off of the loon.

  "I'm surprised you didn't just shoot it," Chase had said, grinning at Ben.

  "Oh, geez. Don't give him any ideas," Ali had responded, rolling her eyes.

  "Hey. I'm not that cold hearted. Besides, it's illegal to shoot the state bird," Ben had said. Groans from the others at the table had followed.

  Ben had been proud of Ali. She'd stuck to her guns and insisted they help the silly loon. Then she'd held onto it without even flinching. Ali had grit. She was a true Jenson. And for reasons he couldn’t even fathom, the incident had made him feel closer to her.

  Now, Ben turned from the window and headed back into the kitchen. Jo was standing at the island, stirring batter for brownies in a large bowl.

  "Where do you think those kids head off to in the evening?" Ben asked, sitting down on the bench at the table.

  Jo shrugged. "Just walking, I suppose. Maybe out to the point. Why?"

  "No reason," Ben said. "Don't you wonder, though, about them spending so much time together? I mean, they seem to be getting closer, and they are teenagers, after all. Anything could happen."

  Jo sighed. "Ben. We've been over this before. They're both smart kids. We just have to trust them. I highly doubt that Ali is going to do anything that would jeopardize her future. And Chase wouldn't either."

  "Humph," Ben grunted. "My Jen was a smart girl too, remember? Things happen in the heat of the moment and all sense flies out the window."

  Jo grinned and walked around the island and over to Ben. She sat down on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ben's arms encircled her waist. "Tell me about it," she said, her eyes sparkling, teasing.

  Ben leaned toward her and kissed her gently on the lips. Jo responded. After a moment, they pulled apart. "See what I mean?" Ben said softly. "All sense just flies out the window."

  Jo laughed, pulled Ben closer, and kissed him again.

  ***

  Once Ali and Chase were out of sight of the lodge, they clasped hands and headed through the woods to the point. Chase helped Ali up on one of the large boulders and they sat there together, her in front and him behind her so she could lean back into him. Chase wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. They sat this way for a time, quietly watching as loons flew to and fro and ducks and geese swam and searched for food. High above, an eagle circled in search of dinner.

  Ali sighed and snuggled deeper into Chase's embrace. This was the first time in days she'd felt calm. She was happy that they'd forgone the movie in town and decided to stay here and spend time alone together at the point.

  "That was quite an adventure you and Ben had this morning. I wish I had seen it," Chase said.

  Ali nodded. Saving the loon with her grandfather had been incredible. Yet, she felt that more happened in that moment than just saving the loon. She felt they had connected, in a way they hadn't been able to before. It had felt good, like she was a real part of the family. Family. That one word brought back all she'd been feeling before saving
the loon. Ali turned to face Chase, her eyes sad.

  "What's wrong?" Chase asked, looking confused.

  "Something happened this week at the coffeehouse," Ali said.

  Chase frowned. "What?"

  "I was talking to Karen about my mom and her senior prom. Karen said she remembered who my mother had gone to prom with, but before I could ask her, Jared Halverson walked in."

  "What happened?"

  Ali took a deep breath. "Karen mentioned to Jared that we were talking about his senior prom. Then she told me that Jared might have a prom photo of my mother because he was her date that night."

  Chase's mouth dropped open. "Jared Halverson? He took your mother to prom?"

  Ali nodded as tears began to form in her eyes. "Jared Halverson is my father," she said in a whisper. As soon as the words spilled from her lips, she began to cry.

  Chase held Ali close as she cried on his shoulder. "No, Ali. That doesn't mean he's your father. We have no proof. It could have been someone else."

  Ali pulled away, swiping at her tears with her sweatshirt sleeve. "I looked right into his face that day. He was only inches away from me. He has dark hair and those dark blue eyes. Just like mine. He has to be my father, whether I like it or not."

  Chase shook his head. "That doesn't mean a thing. Ben has dark hair and blue eyes, too. That's where yours come from. Not Jared."

  "But what if he is? I can't stand the thought of him being related to me, but maybe he is," Ali said.

  "I don't know," Chase finally said. "You should do more checking. And you should just ask Ben. Maybe your mother knew another kid that spring. Maybe it was someone she met here at the lodge. It could have been anybody."

  "No, Chase. By everyone's accounts, my mom wasn't like that. I don't dare ask my grandfather. And if I did, he wouldn't tell me anyway. I don't know what to do."