Secrets of the Spiral Tower (14 page)

“Come on. Swim. We’ve got to catch the barge.”

Although Connor was a strong swimmer, it seemed like with each stroke, the barge moved farther and farther away. Looking over his right shoulder he yelled, “Willow, swim. Swim.”

She  wasn’t as good a swimmer and fell behind even more.

The boat he saw earlier was moving closer, now less than fifty yards away and closing slowly. Connor thought, this is one hell of a mess. Here we are out in the middle of the lake at
night, naked as two jay birds, and about to be exposed to total strangers
.

Seeing that he wasn’t going to catch the barge, Connor yelled to the people in the boat nearby, “Over here.”

The boat was driven by a female and a man seated beside her.

 “Honey, did you hear somebody?”the man asked, standing.

“I did. Get the Q-beam and search out to our left.”

Connor, hearing the conversation, yelled again saying, "Hey, I’m over here. There is a girl in the water behind me. Don’t run over her.”

The man in the boat immediately spotted Connor.  “Hey man, what’s going on?”

“Our boat drifted away from us. Will you give us a hand?”

“Sure man. I’m going to toss this life line out. Grab hold and I’ll pull you in.”

 “I don’t have any clothes on and neither does my girlfriend.”

The female laughed, saying, “Look man, as long as we’re all adults here everything is okay. We’ve got towels you can cover with.”

“Good –thank you.”

In a couple of minutes, Connor and Willow were onboard safely, wrapped in beach towels. The man went through the formalities. “I’m Ray and this is my girlfriend, Lora. What are y’all doing out here? Oh well, forget I asked that question, I know the answer. Lora and I cruise around and skinny dip a couple of times a year. But we’ve never lost our boat.”

 “It’s her fault,” Connor said, pointing to Willow.

Ray laughed.  “Say man, don’t knock it. We really enjoy our outings like this. It adds excitement to our love life.”

 “I’ve had about all the excitement I can handle for one day. Will you please take us to our barge?”

Making a 180 degree turn, Lora pulled her boat alongside the barge.

 "Thank you,” Willow said as she stepped onto the party barge and tossed the towel to Ray. Connor was too modest to do that and sat down on the seat, as he pulled his briefs up under the towel.  He very carefully folded the towel and tossed it to Ray asking, “May I pay you for your help?”

“Absolutely not. I’m just glad we were able to help. Where are you guys headed now?”

“Woods’ Station.”

“Woods’ Station? Do you own that place? It  is so neat.”

“No. Woody McKenzie owns it and has done a great job turning an old unfinished railroad depot into a nice vacation spot.”

Ray looked at Lora. “Do you want to stop by Woods’ Station for a while? I’ve never seen the inside and have often wondered how it was finished.”

 “That’s a good idea if our two new friends can find enough clothes to cover themselves.”

“We’ll put our shorts on. Follow us.”

Sitting in the Captain’s chair, Connor guided the barge toward Woods’ Station.

 “Do you think it is a good idea to invite these people to Woody’s?” Willow asked. “We don’t know them. For all we know, they could be a couple of Louisiana rednecks.”

“Willow, they helped us and as far as I’m concerned, they’re okay. Have you lost  your
ability to trust a stranger?”

“Connor, I would never trust a stranger on the streets or subway of New York.”

Laughing, Connor reminded Willow, “This isn’t New York. I think they’re just a couple of common people having a good time, just like us.”

“All right then. But I’m
going to keep an eye on them.”

“Relax, Willow. It’ll be fine. Besides, they have seen you naked. What else is there to talk about? You surely didn’t seem intimidated when you uncovered yourself and tossed the towel to Ray.”

“Oh, hell, Connor. Don’t think for a minute I’m intimidated. I’ve learned to be cautious and not trust strangers, especially ones that I meet at night. Most decent folks are home
and in bed at this time of night.”

“That’s interesting. Are you saying we’re not decent folks?”

“No, you know what I mean. Circumstances have kept us up this late. I have no idea what has kept that pair up this late.”

“Willow, I bet I know and it isn’t too far from the reasons you’re up and skinny dipping.”

*   *   *

Willow was awakened from her day dreaming by the sound of Woody calling, “Anne and Willow, are you okay?”

“We’re fine. Just sitting here and enjoying the sunset.”

“Anne, why don’t you come up and let Aunt Willow have a few minutes alone?”

“Okay, Daddy. Here I come.”

Willow sat at the edge of the pier with her feet dangling in the warm water. She called Connor on her cell phone.

“Hello.”

“Connor, are you coming to the lake?”

“No, Willow. I’ve decided to stay in Vicksburg and go to ‘Hit the Brick’s Festivities.’”

“Well, I’m really disappointed. I wanted to swim with you tonight.”

“You can have fun with your cousin and I’ll see you when you return to town.”

“If that is the way you want it, then that’s the way it will be. Just remember, I’m terribly disappointed!”

Willow was perplexed and wondered if Connor had a girlfriend that she didn’t know about.

Chapter 9

Willow didn’t sleep particularly well and was up before day break. She carefully opened the door leading to the patio, trying to be as quiet as possible and not awaken anybody else. As she stepped onto the patio, the security light flashed on, startling her momentarily. The light illuminated the path to the stairs which led to the pier below.

She made her way to the end of the pier and sat facing the east. The orange glow cast on the horizon by the rising sun could have been a scene from a Hollywood movie. The sun’s rays pierced the Spanish moss hanging from the cypress trees and the moisture that had collected overnight created a kaleidoscope of color like jewels swinging in the soft morning breeze.
This is the life I’ve missed for so many
years. I know Woody wouldn’t mind me coming here often but I should buy my own lake
house. If I could break Connor away from the towing business, we could spend many
days just cruising the lake, swimming, sun bathing and cooking out.

Willow was shaken from out of her daydream as Woody walked down the pier toward her.

“Nice here at this time of day, isn’t it?”

“Woody, I hope you aren’t upset that Connor didn’t show last night.”

“I’m glad you’re here. You know you’re always welcome at any time. I consider you more of a sister than a cousin. No apology necessary. Are you ready for some breakfast?”

“No, but a big cup of coffee would be wonderful.”

“Then you stay here and enjoy the peace and quiet. I’ll make the coffee. I’ll try not to wake anyone else. I want some one-on-one time with you.”

“Woody, that would be great.”

Woody quietly entered the lake house and carefully filled the coffee maker with coffee and water.
Maybe I should take this operation down on the pier. I know
when
the coffee aroma fills the house, the sleeping beauties will wake up
.

Woody placed the coffee maker, two cups, cream and sugar, and a couple of spoons on a large serving tray. He quietly opened the door, stepped out, placed the tray on the patio table, and then  closed the door. He was as quiet as a mouse. When Woody stepped on the pier, Willow turned and quickly walked toward him, laughing.

“What are you doing?”

“I didn’t want to wake anybody else, so we’ll make coffee in the boat house.”

“This is real funny. After we make the coffee, let’s take our cups, board the party barge, and disappear for a while. That way we could have some private time.”

“Great idea.”

In five minutes, Woody and Willow boarded the party barge, cups in hand, and headed up the lake. About a mile away from the pier, Woody pointed to a two-story house for sale.

“This house has been on the market for about two years. The builder’s timing was terrible. He finished the house just as the housing market bottomed out. You, with a bit of negotiating, can get a good buy if you’re interested.”

“Yes I’m interested if a deal is to be had. But you know I’m going to buy a house in Vicksburg. Being here today has really sparked my interest in a lake house. I’ll keep this in mind. By the way, what is the asking price?”

“It is listed for $1 million, but as I said, you can negotiate with the builder. I know he wants to sell it.”

“That’s okay, but I would prefer buying closer to you. What are the chances of buying the house next to you? I could tear it down and build one to my specifications.”

“I’m sure you could buy it. The lady who owned it when I bought my house has died and her grandchildren haven’t taken care of it, and really use it infrequently.”

“Do you know the kids?”

“Yes. We have had some disagreements in the past, but I can contact them.”

“Don’t do that just yet. I want to get settled in Vicksburg first.”

“Then Willow, that brings me to this question. What are your plans as far as Connor is concerned?”

“Interesting you should ask. When I visited Daddy, he asked if we were going to get married. We were caught completely off guard and consequently didn’t have a good answer. Now that I’ve thought about it, I have asked Connor to marry me.”

“You what? You proposed marriage to Connor?”

“Yes. Although I was interested in a couple of people in New York, my heart was always in Vicksburg. I had plans to quietly coerce Conner into asking me, but he never got around to the question. Or he didn’t have the nerve to ask me.”

“I can’t believe that, Cuz. You need to give this situation more time. Take some brotherly advice. Don’t do this on the spur of the moment.”

 “But, honestly it isn’t on the spur of the moment. You know we’ve been close friends since high school.”

“I know, but you’ve been gone for many years. Did the guys in New York not interest you? What about on your world travels? Surely you have run into some interesting people. Why don’t you play the field?”

“Oh, yes. There are a couple of men, John and Tony, who could fit the bill. But, I never let my feelings for them become romantic.”

“What about their feelings for you?”

“They wanted to romance me and we had a few interludes, but I was focused more on my professional career than on my personal life.”

“You know what I’m concerned about Willow? You may be looking through those adolescent, teenage, rose-colored glasses and remembering how it was 30 years ago. I can tell you Connor isn’t the same person you seem to think he was back then. How many times have you seen him since you left to begin your career?”

“I don’t know exactly. Maybe three or four times. Maybe more.”

“Then again, I’m offering some brotherly advice, give it some time. There is no need to rush. If it is right, it will be right a year from now. And tell me something else, how do you plan on fitting into McKenzie Towing. You know Connor has been running it his way for at least the last ten years.”

“Yeah, but Daddy sounded quite content and happy with the way Connor has conducted business.”

 “Willow, Rupert, has for all practical purposes, not made a significant decision regarding McKenzie Towing in fifteen years. Do you think you can reclaim the decision-making powers and not upset Connor?”

“I would think so. After all it is McKenzie Towing.”

“You’re right and Connor has kept that name, but you may want to do some research on what legal documents have been prepared and recorded at the Court House.”

“Woody, do you think Connor has been underhanded in some way?”

“Willow, it would behoove you to take a look.”

Willow listened quite intently to Woody’s comments.

“We’ve been gone for over an hour. They might send a search party out for us. Don’t you think we should go back?’

“Yes, you’re right. I do want to encourage you to befriend Olga. I know the more you talk to her, you will like her more and more. I certainly do. And remember, if you want to look at records in the Court House, Olga is an attorney and I know she would be overjoyed to help you.”

With that exchange, Woody put the boat in gear and headed for Woods’ Station.

Willow moved up front facing the wind, letting her hair blow freely. As she knelt on the front seat, memories of other times at the lake flooded her mind.
If I stay up here and we ride the lake for an hour, the wind and sun will give me a good tan, something I haven’t had in several years. This is so much fun, maybe I should stay for a few more days. No I’ve got a plane on the ground. And we have reservations in San Antonio. I better get that thought out of my head, besides I want to find out what attracted Daddy and Connor to
San Antonio
.

By then the sun had risen higher in the sky and neighbors were making their way out onto their piers with coffee cups or Bloody Mary’s in hand.   As they cruised by the piers people waved and occasionally shouted out, “Hey, Woody. Out on the lake mighty early, aren’t you?”

“We’re doing great, just enjoying some time with a long lost cousin of mine.”

By the time they reached Woody’s pier, Olga was standing there with a cup of coffee in hand.

“Where have the two of you been?”

“Oh, we’ve been looking at lake houses,” Willow said. “I think I want to buy one.”

“That would be great.”

Willow laughed. “No seriously, we looked at one, but I’m not quite ready to buy just yet. Maybe after I get straight in Vicksburg. But if a bargain came along, I may take it.”

“We looked at the spec house up by the water plant. She has too many other decisions to make first.”

“I think it is very nice that she is so excited. And you should be, too.”

“Oh, I am. It will be great having Willow living close to us. She can help with all of our get-togethers.”

“You know, Woody, I think you are right, I’m going to enjoy my newly found sister.”

“Well, you had better be flexible because her mind is like a rubber band. It springs back and forth, kind of like someone with ADD.”

Overhearing this conversation, Willow asked, “Attention Deficient Disorder? Are you kidding me, Woody?”

“No, Willow. I meant that as a compliment. You are the best multi-tasker I’ve ever known. You keep all sorts of ideas running through your brain at the same time.”

“Well, that’s better.”

“Woody, what about that big breakfast you promised last night?”

“Not to be concerned, Olga. I’ll tie up and put the electric skillet on. What about Anne and her friends?”

“They’re still asleep. I didn’t make enough noise to wake them.”

“Good. They stayed up way too late last night and need their rest.”

“Yes, they did, but they enjoyed every minute of it, especially when Willow was talking about you and some of your antics.”                                                               

As Woody tied the boat to its mooring stall, Anne ran down the pier.

“Daddy, what’s going on?” Anne asked.

“Nothing. Willow and I just took an early morning cruise.”

“What about breakfast?”

“Anne, I’ve got an idea. You can help me by bringing the bacon, eggs, bread etc. down here and we will have breakfast in the screen porch.”

“Great Dad. Let’s move. I’m hungry.”

“I know, darling. You’re always hungry when your feet first hit the floor.”

After a leisurely breakfast and small talk, Willow said, “Woody, this has been great fun, but I think I should be on my way.”

“No need to rush, but I understand. It was wonderful having you here last night. You must promise to do it again, soon.”

“Believe me, Cuz; you’ll probably be sick of me. Hope you won’t regret the open invitation.”

“Willow, that would be nice. You always were my favorite relative, despite my disagreements with Uncle Rupert.”

“We’re not going to let all of those hard feelings get in our way. We didn’t before, so there is no need to bring them up again.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, Willow. You know we had some really good times growing up. I’ll bet we can relive some of those happy moments; some I want to tell Anne and some we’ll leave to our memories. This one comes to mind. I know you remember that cold night we were riding on Clay Street in your convertible when someone said, ‘Let’s let the top down.’ And before I could stop you, one of your girlfriends pulled the releases and the wind ripped the top off. Do you remember who that girl was?”

“Yes, it was Delia Hammitt.”

“That’s right. She lived one block off of Cherry Street on Oak Street.”

“Good memory, Woody. Didn’t you try to make out with her?”

“Oh yes. I thought she was the most beautiful girl in town, aside from you of course.”

“Of course.”

“The older she got, the better she looked to me.”

“Where is she now? We should look her up soon.”

“I think she moved to Meridian several years ago.”

“Let’s make plans to locate her once I get settled.”

 “If I am to help you find a place, you need to give me a price range.”

“Okay, but it doesn’t matter what it costs as long as I have a panoramic view of the river.” 

“I know there are several magnificent houses located on the bluff just below the bridges. I think one of those would fit you perfectly.”

“Woody, all I need is a couple of bedrooms and about 5,000 square feet of living space. I looked at Devil’s Ridge earlier today.”

“Willow, we can do better than that. You need to be south of the Interstate 20 bridge. I’ll talk to my real estate friend and let her investigate for you.”

“If I do, I’ll withdraw the invitation.”  

“That was a great breakfast. Thank you so much. As much as I hate to, I guess I had better take a shower and wash my hair. I need to be somewhat presentable when I see Connor.  Anne, you, your Mama, and I can have some good times together. I can fill in some of those important girl details I’m sure your Daddy forgot or failed to mention. And I surely want to get to know you better, Olga. Woody was as close to a brother to me as one could get. I want you to be the sister I never had.”