Nothing Stays In Vegas (31 page)

"Maybe I could give you some ideas? I'm kind of in the hotel business myself," I said. He arched a brow in question and I added, "Vegas."

"Well, son, this here ain't Vegas. It's Lake Lillian and that John Jackson did just what you're talking about down in Wasa Lake. He bought up some shoreline property and built a monstrosity. It even has a pool. Why you need a pool with a perfectly good lake steps away, I never understood. It's one of them commercial jobs. No life in it. I can't compete with that." Dex looked out over the lake again. "Even if I wanted to," he said. "Which I don't. Just don't have the energy no more. Now if Jessie were still alive, things would be different. The love of a good woman, well, it just makes you want to be a better man. You know what I mean?"

I nodded. More to myself than to him and we fell into silence sipping our coffee.

Chapter Thirty

The clouds hung low on the mountains, obscuring their peaks. Wisps like white cotton candy clung to the tree covered slopes. But it wasn't a solid grey covering which gave me hope for the day. Being so deep in the mountains, the weather could go either way this late in the summer. Patches of blue broke free from the gloom. I walked to the water's edge and tested the water. Still warm. For Lake Lillian anyway. It was a glacier fed lake, so warm was really a relative term. The cool air made the water feel less frigid than it really was. For now. All it would take is one cold day and swimming would be done for the season. 

A loon's call fractured the quiet of the afternoon, and then, sneaking out from the trees, the glassy surface of the lake was broken by the smooth movement of the bird. I watched its progress in front of me and waited until it moved to the other side of the dock jutting out into the lake. The water settled in the loon's wake and once again the surface was glassy. Gentle waves lapped the shore and licked at my feet. I dug my toes into the smooth pebbles and the cool mud below.  I glanced behind me at the cabin that was still mostly closed up. 

Ben had tried to stay awake for the entire drive but he'd succumbed to the sleep he so desperately needed about a half an hour earlier, so when we pulled into the gravel drive, I'd left him in the car to sleep. I didn't take the time to turn on the water or electricity and open the house up. I went straight to my bedroom, grabbed the bathing suit I kept there, and headed out the back door to the lake. 

I turned back to the water. There was one boat at the far end pulling a skier, but on my end, it was peaceful. The cabin was nestled in a small cove with only a handful of other homes. Most of them were seasonal, with only a few residents living at the lake all year long. The ebb and flow of the waves mesmerized me and drew me forward. With one last quick glance behind me, I took two long strides putting me knee deep in the cool water, pointed my hands over my head and dove in. 

Being surrounded by water was a feeling I never grew tired of. The sensation of being swaddled and protected by a force that could be all at once soothing with the underlying threat of menacing, relaxed me. I held my breath longer than necessary, waiting until the pressure built in my lungs and the fire started burning before I kicked hard and propelled myself to the surface.

"Mom!" 

I wiped the water from my eyes and say Ben running from the house and towards the dock. 

"Mom!" 

I cupped my hands around my mouth and called, "I'm here, Ben. Hold on." I put my head down and swam as fast as I could back to the dock. I didn't realize how far I'd managed to get from shore, but my muscles knew what to do and I reached the ladder and climbed up onto the dock only a moment later.

"I thought you were gone," Ben cried. "I woke up and you weren't there and..." His body convulsed in sobs and he shook.

I wrapped my arms around him, not caring that I was soaking wet. Out of the protection of the water, the air was cool and bit at my skin. "It's okay, honey. I'm right here. It's okay," I murmured into his hair.

"But you were gone."

"No, baby. I just went for a swim I didn't want to wake you. I'll never leave you."

Ben pulled away and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "Papa left," he said.

I didn't have the words that would make his pain go away so I pulled him close again and hoped that he would mistake the moisture hitting the top of his head for the water dripping off my body.

###

"Okay, try it now," I called up to Ben from the basement utility room. After hastily getting changed and hauling in our bags, I had been attempting to get the water started for the last ten minutes. The problem was, I couldn't remember which tap to turn. It had been a long time since I'd come out to the cabin alone and it didn't seem to matter how often I'd done it over the years, I still had to try all of the taps before finding the right one that would restore the water to the pipes.

I heard a rush followed by Ben yelling, "It worked, Mom! Cool, it's red."

Red? Of course. Rust in the pipes. I smiled and turning off the lights in the utility room, went to find Ben. 

I found him standing on a stool next to the kitchen sink with the water still running.

"Buddy, you can't let the water run."

"But it's...aw, it's not red anymore," he said and shut the tap off before jumping down from the stool.

"Did you really want to drink red water?"

"Well," he said, "probably not." 

I laughed; it was good to see him smiling again. Everyone kept telling me how resilient little boys were, but that didn't make it any easier to help him grieve. I hoped coming out to the lake would help both of us say goodbye. The peacefulness of the mountains always soothed me and gave my mind a chance to be still. Besides, with things so strange between Andrew and me, there weren't a lot of options left. Andrew had gone to a hotel for a few days, but he couldn't stay there forever and we both knew there was nothing left between us. I finally understood his detachment from Ben, but I didn't forgive it, and I'd be damned if I was going to subject my son to that type of indifference again. There was only once choice for me. I packed up everything we could fit into my SUV and came to the only place I could think of. Watching Ben now, running across the lawn towards the lake, an expression of joy on his face, I knew I made the right choice.

I opened the door to holler at him to come in and unpack and then changed my mind. It could wait. I had enough food for a day or two; we could head into town to provision properly later. For now, this was all we needed.

Chapter Thirty-One

The next morning, I wrapped myself in an old afghan and settled into the porch swing on the back deck with my mug of tea to watch the sun rise. The old chains protested and creaked with my weight. All of the living took place at the back of the house. The wide wood planked deck was in good condition and held my favorite spot, the swing, as well as a variety of other chairs meant for lounging and relaxing. A cedar table, hand crafted by Uncle Ray, stood at one end of the deck surrounded by chairs. It had been the center of many family meals as we watched the sun set behind the mountains. My chest tightened to think there would be no more dinners with Uncle Ray at his table. 

My gaze travelled off the deck to the lawn. We were lucky to have such a large piece of lake front property. Uncle Ray used to say so, until he had to cut the grass with his manual mower. Secretly though, I know he enjoyed taking care of the property. He never really loved the small house that we lived in when I was growing up in the city. He did the bare minimum to keep the place maintained and looking good, but he never put the time and attention into it the way he did the cabin. It wasn't until I was in my late teens that I realized just how much he loved it at the lake. He used to talk about retiring here, but never did. I blamed myself. He was so worried about me and Ben. He couldn't leave. 

I blinked back tears. I would have to show Ben how the manual push mower worked. He would probably like helping me with the lawn. 

The lake was starting to come to life. Birds I couldn't see chirped from their nests hidden in the trees, and I watched a sandpiper pick its way across the rocks in the shallows, pecking at insects or small fish. Soon, they'd be gone for the season. Uncle Ray always left well stocked feeders out for the birds that stayed all year round. And ever since he'd had the cabin winterized ten years ago, he himself had spent more time out here, escaping the city even in the dead of winter when the tourists and summer people stayed away. I hadn't visited in the winter since I was a kid when we used to come up and go ice fishing and skating on the lake. But when I got older and busier with school, I hadn't bothered to make the trip.

What would it be like to stay here? To spend a winter here? I was still mulling over the thought when Ben, bleary eyed and still smelling of sleep came outside and climbed up onto the swing with me.

"Good morning, buddy."

He snuggled under the blanket with me. "There's no orange juice, Mom."

"I know." I kissed him on the top of his head. "We'll have to go into town today and stock up on a few things."

"So we can stay?" His voice held a trace of hope. 

I looked out again to the lake and listened to the gentle lapping of the water. "Yes," I said. "I think we can stay for a bit."

"A bit?" Ben twisted to look at me. "What about school? Do I have to go to school? Jake said we'll be in the same class for grade one, but I don't want to, he's bossy sometimes."

I smiled. "You don't have to be in the same class as Jake." 

Especially if we stay, I thought and made a mental note to check out the local elementary school. And figure out a job.

###

"Mom, look at the puppies." Ben had radar for the cardboard box on the edge of the covered porch of the general store. I followed him and peered inside the box. There were three golden retriever type dogs curled together on a blanket. 

"Oh, Mom, look at them. They're so cute."

They were cute, but I knew where this was leading. 

"Can we-"

"No." 

"But they're all alone," Ben said. 

"They're not ours." Thankfully, he couldn't read the sign taped to the box, not yet anyway. 

"F-f-fr-ee," he sounded out. "Free. Free! Mom, the sign says free!" 

I sighed. 

"Mom. Please?" 

"I'll tell you what. You can stay out here and pet them while I get the groceries. Deal?"

Satisfied for the moment, Ben settled in, cross legged on the porch to play with the puppies while I went to do my shopping.

The store, much like the rest of Lake Lillian, hadn't changed much. Despite the fact that there wasn't as many visitors to the lake in recent years because of the new mega hotel in Wasa, the town's main industry was still tourism, mostly from the summer people who'd been coming here for generations. The small population almost doubled in the summer months. Fortunately, not all of those people were concentrated within a few streets. The unofficial town boundaries stretched to encompass the entire western side of the lake. The railroad tracks ran along the east side, so there were very few homes there. Many of the houses and cabins were scattered along the waters edge or tucked up into the trees with an amazing view. Our place was on a small dirt road, with only four other homes, each one surrounded by trees and very private. Andrew always thought it was a pain having to drive ten minutes into town, but I didn't mind. It was a small price to pay for privacy.

Driving in, I'd noticed many businesses starting to shut down for the season already. It seemed a little early. Jensen's fruit stand was boarded up with a sign that said, "See you in the spring!" The Putt-Putt mini golf course was advertising discounts until Thanksgiving when it too would close for the year, assuming that the snow stayed away until then. I'd have to take Ben for a round. Mini golfing had been one of my favorite things to do with Uncle Ray on warm summer nights, but I don't think I'd ever had the chance to take Ben.

I took one last look at my son now, with a puppy in his lap and went inside the store. A woman stood with her back to me, stocking the shelves. She looked up at the sound of the chimes on the door.

"Enid?"

"Lexi, is that you?" The woman put down the box of cereal she was holding and came to greet me. 

"Enid," I said, letting her hug me. "It's so good to see you." 

Enid and I had spent a few summers playing together when we were kids. I was always envious that she got to live in Lake Lillian year round while I had to go home. It was good to see a friendly face.

She released me, grinned broadly and stood back. When we were young, she'd always been chubby and that hadn't changed. Her long black hair was tied in a braid down her back. She wore overall jeans and a t-shirt, and I couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked. 

"Look at you," she said. "The city girl has returned. You look fantastic."

"I was just thinking the very same thing about you." 

She wiped her hands on the legs of her jeans and laughed. "You must be crazy."

"I'm totally serious. How've you been?"

Enid flung out her left hand. "I just got married," she squealed. 

"That explains why you look so radiant."

Enid blushed and then hooked my arm leading me up the aisle. "Come, I'll talk to you while you do your shopping so we can catch up. I haven't seen you in years."

I grabbed a cart from the corner and started to fill it with the necessities while Enid caught me up on her life. She'd moved to the city, fell in love and only recently moved back to Lake Lillian to run the store with her new husband. When her parents decided they wanted to retire and head south with the Jensens during the winter months, it was the perfect opportunity.

"I couldn't be happier to be back," Enid said. "There's something about the lake and the mountains. I can't believe I ever left."