Alaskan Summer (2 page)

Tyler beamed. “My wife and I belong to an evangelical congregation. Perhaps you’d like to join us on Sunday.”

“I would like that,” she answered, surprised to see Ryan slouch even farther down the wall he leaned against.

Doesn’t look like Mr. Grouch is a believer,
she thought.
Don’t make snap judgments, Rette. Maybe he just goes to a different church and—

“Only one ship in port today. Season is just starting,” Tyler explained, interrupting her thoughts. “By the end of May, we’ll have ships daily. Why don’t you take off, Ryan? Leave early while you can. Could you drop Laurette off at Edith’s on your way home?”

“Sure.” The young man stood up. “I think we can get her luggage into my car.”

Tyler laughed. “You might have to throw out some of the garbage.” His smile broadened. “Ryan has a drinking problem.”

A shock wave hit as Laurette looked at her coworker.

Tyler continued to chuckle. “He’s addicted to chocolate milk. The back of that little car of his is usually piled up with empty cartons.”

Ryan looked up with a sheepish grin. “Hey, Boss, you’re making me look bad. I’m sure I can get Miss Martel and her luggage to Edith’s B and B without any difficulty.”

❧

Ryan led Laurette to a beat-up Volkswagen. “We’ll pick up your stuff,” he said as he opened the passenger door for her. He drove to where he’d parked the company van and stopped behind it, then went to open the back door.

“Let me help.” She jumped out of the car.

“That’s okay,” he said, pushing her seat forward so he could load the box into the back of the VW. He piled the duffel bag on top of it. “Can you hold this in your lap?” he asked as he handed her the backpack.

“Sure.” Laurette squeezed into the passenger seat with her pack.

“How come Jenny didn’t come with you?” he asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

“Her father had a heart attack. She went to help her mother take care of him. Did you know her?”

“We went to the same school. She’s younger than I am, but I saw her around.”

“We were roommates in college. Jenny has another year to go.”

Ryan didn’t answer her. His thoughts went to the tall, willowy blond he had expected to work with this summer. They had dated a few times before her family moved. He sighed and looked at the petite girl clutching her backpack on her lap. She had a pert face with a cap of chestnut-colored curls. Her light brown eyes sparkled with excitement.
Kind of cute,
he thought.

“Is that Swan Lake?” she asked, pointing out the window.

“Yes. Have you been to Sitka before?”

“No. I just read all I could find out about the place. Got a map off the Internet so I won’t get lost.”

“That’ll help,” he said as much to himself as to her.
She can handle big bags and maybe find her way back to the airport. We can start her out hauling passenger luggage.
Ryan stopped the VW in front of the B and B. “Here we are.”

“Thanks for the ride, Ryan. I can take that.” She grabbed the duffel bag Ryan pulled out of the backseat, and he noticed she already had the pack on her back so her arms were free.

“I’ll take the box in for you,” he offered.

“I forgot to ask what time I should be at work,” she said as they approached the door.

Her stricken look made him smile. “You’ll get used to checking the schedule. We have to be available when the ships anchor. Show up at eight in the morning.”

Edith greeted them and told Ryan where to put the bags and box. When he introduced Laurette, she greeted Edith politely and openly admired the decor. It looked cluttered with lace and bric-a-brac to Ryan. He beat a hasty retreat.

Wonder how long the good cheer will last,
he thought, remembering Laurette’s smiling face.
Hope that enthusiasm will keep her going for long hours and through lots of bad weather.

He waved good-bye to the women and started the car. “She’s not my worry,” he muttered to himself, “but it could be interesting working with her.” He scowled. “Still wish Jenny had come, too. She’s been around here long enough to know about the cruise industry. And we had some good times in high school.”
Kind of wanted to know what she was like after six years,
he admitted silently.
Guess I’ll never know.

Ryan stopped by Sea-Land Grocery to pick up some chocolate milk and a frozen dinner.
Still light,
he thought, getting back in the car.
I could work on the boat for a while tonight.

TWO

Laurette stood in the midst of the Victorian decor thinking the place must have been copied from a page in a magazine. There were marble-top tables, fringed lamps, and lacy doilies everywhere. She listened politely to Edith, who seemed to want to explain where everything had come from. Finally she broke into her hostess’s monologue. “Excuse me. I’m sorry. I’d like to freshen up. Would you mind?”

“Why, of course not, dear. How thoughtless of me. We can chat later when you’ve had a chance to settle in.”

Edith closed the door to Laurette’s room, still cheerfully talking, apparently to herself, her voice fading as she walked away.

“Hope I can find a permanent home soon,” she muttered, pulling open her backpack. Her stomach grumbled, indicating the bag of peanuts she had eaten on the plane had long since disappeared. “As soon as I’ve washed up, I’ll walk back into town and find a place to eat.”

She spent a few minutes unpacking and had just started for her jacket when she heard a knock at the door.

“I have some tea made. Wouldn’t you like a cup, dear?” Edith offered when Laurette opened it. The woman had tightly permed white hair and wore a large apron over her ample figure.

Seeing the pleading look in the woman’s eyes, Laurette nodded and set her jacket down. She followed her hostess into the kitchen, where her eyes were accosted by bright yellow walls and flowered curtains. She started to the chair Edith indicated but stopped when she heard a ghastly noise. Had someone screamed?

“Oh, Lucy, be still. This nice young lady will be with us a few days.”

Laurette looked at the large Siamese cat wrapping itself around her legs and reached down to scratch between its dark ears. A plate of muffins sat next to the teapot on the table, and Laurette’s stomach began to growl loudly. She sat down and took the cup Edith offered her.

“I don’t get many roomers this time of year. It’s nice to have someone in the house.”

“Thank you. I’ll be here until I can find a permanent place to rent, if that’s all right.”

“Of course, dear. Will you be working with Ryan Nichols?” Edith passed her the plate of muffins.

“I have a summer job with Southeast Alaska Maritime, so it seems I will for a little while.” Laurette chose a large berry muffin and took a bite.

“He’s such a nice boy. He was just a child when his father died. His mother fell to pieces, and young Ryan took care of her.”

Laurette nearly choked. Quickly she sipped some tea, wishing she knew how to stop this conversation. She took another bite of muffin.

“Stayed right with her until she up and ran off with a musician.”

Laurette put down her cup to ask about the town’s history, hoping to divert the woman, but her hostess didn’t even stop for breath.

As she reached to refill her guest’s cup, Edith continued. “She did teach Ryan well. My friend Molly and I go to dinner at the Dockside Hotel once a month. We always make sure Ryan will be playing the night we go.”

“Playing?” Laurette managed to sputter.

“Why, yes. He plays jazz piano in the lounge. We just love to listen to him. His mother taught music, you know.”

Laurette took another of the muffins Edith passed her to stave off starvation. “Thank you. These are very good. Did you make—”

“Isabel Nichols used to play the organ at our church. Ryan always came with her.” She paused for a second and cocked her head to one side. “He quit coming when his mother no longer played for us.” She took a sip of tea.

Laurette had wolfed down the second muffin and pushed back from the table. “Thank you for the refreshments, Edith. Will you excuse me? I’m really very tired. It’s been a long day. I think I’ll turn in now.”

“Of course, dear. Good night.”

❧

The clock read 6:05. “I’d better get up and get moving. Don’t know how long it will take to walk to the office.” She started to sit up and gasped when she felt something warm on the bed next to her. Lucy looked up and yawned. Laurette scratched her ears, and the cat went back to sleep.

Ten minutes later, Laurette stepped out of the shower, dried off, then wrapped her hair in the towel. She picked up the jeans and light blue sweater she had unpacked last night. As she dressed, her stomach complained that two small muffins had been a poor substitute for a good supper. She stepped out of the bathroom and smelled coffee brewing, instantly hoping Edith wouldn’t say any more about Ryan’s private life over breakfast. Laurette abhorred gossip.

Soon Laurette was polishing off her third blueberry pancake when Edith offered her more coffee. “No thanks. Everything has been delicious, but I need to get to work. I’ll let you know as soon as I find a place to live. Mr. Healy said he would help me.”

“He and his wife are fine people. You can trust them to find you a good home.”

Makes me sound like a stray cat,
she thought wryly as she got up from the table. “Thank you again for breakfast.”

“I have a bridge game tonight, so I may not be here when you come home. The door will be open.”

“Okay. Have a nice time. I’ll see you in the morning.”

❧

Laurette arrived at the office fifteen minutes early. Tyler stood at the fax machine reading messages. “Good morning. Did you rest well?”

“My landlady is a bit talkative, but I did get to bed fairly early.”

Tyler’s laugh rang through the room. “Edith does get lonesome. Diane said I should have brought you home and saved you the lodging expense. She’s working on finding you a place to live.” He turned and answered the phone on his desk.

Laurette looked out the window while he handled the call. A beautiful white cruise ship floated on the still water outside the marina.

“You can handle this one,” Tyler told her, hanging up the phone. “There’s luggage at the airport that didn’t make it to the ship.” He picked up a set of keys and a slip of paper. “The van’s parked right over there.” He pointed to the parking lot where she’d been the day before. “Can you find your way to the airport?”

She nodded. “How did the luggage end up at the airport instead of on the ship?”

He shook his head. “Happens all the time. Passengers don’t read their instructions and don’t have their bags where they should be. In this case the passengers flew into Seattle early. They left their bags in their hotel room with the cruise line tags on them and expected someone to pick them up.” He smiled. “Sometimes it’s the airlines who foul up, and the cruise lines aren’t perfect, either. They’re handling thousands of pieces of luggage, and it doesn’t always work the way it should. That’s why we’re here.”

“I’m on my way.” Laurette grabbed the keys and glanced at the details he’d hastily written down for her.

“Come back here with the luggage, then either Ryan or I will take the bags out to the ship.”

When she returned, Ryan waved at her, holding the phone to his ear in the other hand. He ended the conversation and told her, “Let’s go. I’ll take you out to the ship. There’s a tender due in ten minutes.”

Laurette tried to lengthen her stride to keep up with his long legs. He grabbed the two suitcases out of the van, and they rushed down the ramp to the dock. People were waiting to get on what looked like a tour boat.

“Every ship has its own tenders. In Sitka, we don’t have a dock where the large ships can tie up, so they use these boats to ferry passengers back and forth.” Ryan moved toward the skipper. “Hi, Don. How ya doing?”

“Who’s your girlfriend?” the crew member asked as they boarded the tender.

“Like you to meet Laurette. She’ll be working for SAM this summer.”

Laurette nodded to the man who seemed busy moving the boat away from the dock and back toward the cruise ship. She stood quietly while he and Ryan talked about fishing.

Once aboard the ship, after the luggage was delivered to the steward, Ryan asked, “Would you like a tour?”

The ship’s opulence was overwhelming. “This thing is huge. I’ll need to drop bread crumbs to find my way out if I ever have to come aboard alone. Are they all this big?”

Ryan grinned. “Some are bigger, but you’ll learn your way around in no time.” He led her through salons and restaurants all the way to the top deck.

“I’m impressed,” Laurette said.

“Think you’d like to live like this?”

“Not me. I’m just a country girl,” she protested.