Men of Alaska 2: Sterling Sunshine (9 page)

“Thanks for doing this. I really didn’t want the men all trying to take charge,” Gretchen said.

Tiff laughed. “Yeah, men are competitive. They’ll either make fun of what you don’t know, show off what they know, or try to coddle you. Probably all three while arguing who knows best.”

“Exactly. I want to learn, but they make me nervous when we’re all trying to cook. But Matt’s gone for a bit so it’d just be two right now. I’m just not Alaskan.” Gretchen walked up to Tiff’s car.

“No, you’re not Alaskan, but the locals are liking you. So Matt’s off again?” she asked “Handgun or shotgun?”

“I don’t know.” Gretchen shrugged.

“You’ve never shot anything?” Tiff sighed.

“No. I had pepper spray in Michigan. I don’t want to kill anything,” she said.

Tiff nodded. “I hear you. Odds are you won’t have to if you live with those guys. And pepper spray isn’t bad. Here we have bear spray.”

“Bear spray?” Gretchen asked.

Tiff set a big can on the hood of her car. “You can have this one. A welcome to town gift. It’ll work on a bear, a wolf, and anything that might attack you. Make sure the wind isn’t blowing at you though…”

“Thanks. So you don’t want to teach me about guns?” Gretchen asked.

“That’s not what I meant. I’ll show you, but it takes a little practice. You don’t want to carry a gun until you’re comfortable with it. The bear spray will give you something if you’re caught off guard when you’re alone. Keep it in your purse all the time.” Tiff shifted her attention to the guns.

“Should I really carry it on me all the time?” Gretchen asked.

“When you leave town, yes. Up to you around Sterling. You can keep one in your car, if you like. I’m sure the guys have shotguns and rifles in the house. Let’s start with a handgun you might want to keep. A revolver is easiest. It won’t jam, and it’s easy to load. Good beginner gun.” Tiff picked it up.

Gretchen watched as Tiff talked about how to hold it and aim. The woman pointed at a paper target on a tree that was pretty far away. Tiff hit it with ease.

“Now you try.” Tiff put Gretchen in position.

“Never point a gun at a person unless you’re willing to shoot. Animals don’t care about guns until they go off but make sure you know what you’re shooting at even with a warning shot. You can hurt people or ricochet a bullet and hit something else. For now don’t worry about aiming too much. Keep your eyes open, your grip not too tight, squeeze the trigger, and don’t jerk it. Aim for the target but don’t overthink.” Tiff nodded.

Gretchen shot once and went high.

“Try again. Get the feel of it.” Tiff nodded.

Another two bullets and Gretchen hit the edge of the target. She adjusted her aim a bit and got closer to the center.

“Good,” Tiff said.

“My hands started to ache,” Gretchen admitted.

“Don’t fight the kickback. Let your hands move once you’ve got the shot off. But this one has a heavy trigger. The good thing there is you won’t fire it by accident,” Tiff advised.

“Thank you so much. You’re making this very easy and calming. The guys are making me nuts today.” Gretchen missed girl time. Even working with women and on the tourism project, it was work. Fun time with female friends was something she needed to put on her schedule again.

“No problem. You scored in the men department in no time. You’re fitting in great. These skills, you can learn,” Tiff said.

“What about you? Lifelong resident of Sterling?” Gretchen asked.

“Yep. Went to Anchorage for some training after high school.” Tiff reloaded the gun. “Look here, safety on and off.”

Gretchen made a mental note of the small switch. “Okay. So what men are you with? I probably won’t know them. I’m still learning everyone in town. Or are you in a one-on-one?”

Tiff smiled. “You do fit in. Neither. I’m single. Men never really noticed me. I’m just one of them.”

“That’s not true.” Gretchen studied the woman’s bland features. She wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but her hair was pulled back severely again. No makeup, and her clothes were as drab as the uniform. At work, her hair pulled back made sense. No one wanted hair falling into a wound or something, but life wasn’t work.

Tiff folded her arms. “My grandfather was a fisherman. My dad and brothers are too.”

“And your mother cleaned all the fish?” Gretchen asked.

Tiff laughed. “No, when you fish on that scale you sell them to a processor. My mom’s mom got sick when I was about five. She went down to Florida to take care of her. My mom moved here like you. She loved her family and was an only child, so she had to do what she had to do.”

“That must’ve been so hard. Stuck with all men. I like the three I have but I’m glad I have a few friends in town too. Men just don’t understand some things.”

“You’re right there. My paternal grandmother tried to do the tea parties and girly things. She understood when I needed different attention than the boys. But my dad sort of shoved me in with the boys. Without my mom around, I wanted my dad’s attention even more. The skills were great to learn, but I learned to play the men’s game. I was always a bit of a tomboy, but that threw me full tilt into not being good at the girly flirting crap.”

“How long was your mom gone?” Gretchen asked.

“A few years. She came back to visit, but something always happened and putting her mother in a nursing home was really hard for her. When she came back, I was thrilled. However, the shift was done. I didn’t see the point of skirts, or dolls. I got attention and encouragement for doing stuff with the boys.” Tiff shrugged. “It’s hard to change. I’m sorry if I was rude to you about the wolf thing. When I’m in the zone, I focus on my job, and you aren’t really part of that. I appreciate that you wanted to learn about the town and the way things work, but I don’t think you were ready for it. Anything can happen when we’re on a call. You’ve got a great trio of guys, for what my opinion is worth.”

Gretchen felt a lot better. “Thanks. I’d forgotten about anything that might’ve been said. I did rush into a ride-along. If you guys weren’t there I might never have moved, or I’d have bolted.”

“You’ll get the hang of things. I’ll take you on a hike sometime. Let you see the predators and animals. What to expect and how to react. When you’re ready.” Tiff put her guns back in her car. “That’s enough for lesson one.”

“Okay. How about I buy you lunch as a thank-you? The Sterling Café?” Gretchen offered.

“Sure. I’ve got some good ambulance call stories.” Tiff smiled.

“I bet. Tony hasn’t said a word about his work since that day. But I do have one question first.” Gretchen thought about the wording carefully.

“Shoot,” Tiff said.

“Are you looking for men in your life?” Gretchen asked.

“You mean am I a lesbian? No.” Tiff rolled her eyes.

Gretchen sighed. “I just meant are you looking for a trio or just one?”

“Doesn’t matter. I know all the men in town. That’s where you have the advantage. You were new and mysterious. I went to school with these guys. I grew up with them, and not much changes. I’m old news.” Tiff rounded the hood of her car. “Meet you at the café,” she said.

Nodding, Gretchen headed to her own car. “Should’ve asked if she wanted a makeover instead. Bethany could totally make her hot,” she muttered to herself.

* * * *

With Matt gone for over a week, Tony and Ross wanted to do something special for Gretchen. Tony had to admit, to himself at least, that he’d worried things would hit the skids, or she’d want to put the relationship on hold. Instead, the trio had kept everything going with one less person. Things were just a little less perfect without all of them around.

Work kept them all busy, but she’d spent most of the nights with the guys. For a treat, he’d planned a really nice dinner out at Homer’s Lake Lodge. It was a pretty drive and a different crowd of people with fewer interruptions from friends.

As the trio sat around a small table with a great view, Tony noticed that Gretchen was wearing a dress he’d never seen and a little more makeup. Her hair was pulled up in a nice twist.

“You look great,” Tony said again.

“Thanks. Bethany did it. She’s been hopping around Alaska and came back for a few weeks. I tried to get Tiffany to come along, but she had an excuse.” Gretchen sipped her wine. “This place is lovely.”

“Glad you like it,” Ross said.

“Tiff? Why would you drag her along?” Tony asked.

Gretchen shrugged. “She’s been helping me with target practice and navigating the wildlife so I’m not so nervous. I can try to do something nice in return. Anyone heard from Matt?”

Tony shook his head. “No. He probably got jobs to drop things off at some of the small Native villages. I’m glad you and Tiff are getting to be friends, but I don’t know if she’s really the makeover type.”

“Men.” Gretchen shook her head.

“Don’t worry about Matt. He can take care of himself. Is it weird without him?” Ross asked.

“I miss him. I’ve texted him a few times, and he texted back. Since I don’t know his schedule, I don’t want to call him. He could be in the air. Are you guys having a problem with it? Things seem to be going along okay,” she said.

“They are. Usually it’s quieter without Matt.” Ross smiled at Tony.

“Meaning he and Tony irritate each other and you’d rather have a relationship without him?” Her brow furrowed.

“No, it’s not that. Not for me,” Ross said.

Tony chuckled. “Actually it’s not bothering me as much this time. I want Matt to come back, of course, but before his being gone made it really obvious that something was missing. Even though I knew he’d come back. Maybe with you in the mix, it doesn’t feel like a piece is really missing.”

“Don’t move too fast,” Ross said.

Gretchen’s cheeks turned pink. “You guys better not talk behind my back. I need to be in on everything and the truth. It’s the only way this group thing will work.”

“Matt’s not here. Should we not talk about things until he gets back? Not enjoy ourselves?” Tony asked.

“That’s not what I meant. We’ll all have work reasons to travel. If I can get bridal shows in Juno and Fairbanks for Mel, I will go to help her. There are some tradeshows in Anchorage later in the year I’m looking at. Ross and I might end up going for the tourism angle. If you and Matt want to come, great. If you have to work, it won’t stop us. If my mom got sick or something, I might be gone for a month. We’re all adults. We have to accept one another. Matt’s travel might be more chronic, but if we bring in more tourists, he might have even more steady business here. I know he has a lot of competition here in Homer, but we can hope.” She looked out at the view.

“It’s a work in progress. You won’t fix it overnight, Gretchen. The goal is more tourists next year and more the year after. Then better numbers the year after that. I’m glad you’re into it, but don’t be discouraged if it takes a little time. We could use a promotional giveaway. Something to keep Sterling in people’s minds. Until then, let’s just enjoy dating.” Ross leaned in.

“When Matt gets back, we’ll take a day and go see the Spit,” Tony said.

“I saw that on the websites. What is it?” she asked with a grimace.

“A hot tourist spot. Basically it’s where the land ends and the sea begins. Nice hotels and boat rides. It’s insanely crowded at this time of year. You might get some ideas,” Tony said.

“Why is it called the Spit?” she asked.

“Old nickname. Hippies that camped there were called spit rats. It’s weird but stuck. There are a lot of spits around Alaska. It’s just a narrow point of land extending into a body of water.” Ross chuckled.

She smiled. “Alaska is so odd. Even the elegant and lovely restaurants are only a mile from harsh wilderness.”

“There are much harsher places in Alaska. Matt’s job is proof of it. Some places you can’t get to in a car. If you get a bridal show there, Matt would fly you free,” Tony said.

“That’s a plus,” Gretchen said.

“So, even if Matt isn’t here now. We all want total honesty. You’re still here. Staying with us more than over at Mel’s. Is it getting serious?” Ross asked.

Gretchen looked around. “I don’t think anything about a group relationship could be casual. Sex maybe, but we’re beyond just sex. We really should wait for Matt before we discuss anything further.”

“You’re not upset about Matt or his leaving. We’re happy,” Tony said.

“If we’re all so okay, maybe we’re just a trio with a guest?” Ross teased.

Tony shrugged at Ross. “It’s not us who feel the need to hop in a plane and take off. One of us traveling for work is different. We don’t need to pick up and leave as a habit. If anyone freaks out over things getting serious, it’ll be the guy who’s not here.”

“You’re right,” Ross said.

Gretchen smiled. “And if the worst happens, we’ll survive. But I don’t believe for a second you two want him edged out or gone. You love him and me. I couldn’t pick among any of you three either. I love all of you and not giving up anyone. Now, for dessert. Would it be really weird if we have Baked Alaska in Alaska?”

The guys cracked up and Tony leaned over and kissed her. With Gretchen in the mix, things were complete. They all missed and wanted Matt, but Tony wasn’t
as
grumpy or miserable with the issue anymore. He still missed Matt and how it impacted the group frustrated him, but it was less than before. There was only one explanation for it: the new woman in their lives.

Chapter Eight

It had been a long week of traveling for Gretchen. The bridal show was a huge hit for Mel’s business. She’d handed out a ton of cards and the app had been downloaded over a thousand times. That was a big success in her book.

The day trips to Seward and Homer had worked out as well. It was less organized than Anchorage but most things were. Small town were unique, and you had to know people to get anything done. At least now she’d met the people. Small steps. She could pop over for visits and build the connections easily. Networking took a little more effort but everything in Alaska did.

Today she could just be a spectator. Mel’s men would be handing out cards for their business, but they’d told her not to join in. Men talking boats with men seemed more effective. Tony’s brother Jason would be steering their boat in the parade while the other two worked the crowd. So she’d decided to take today off.