“Yeah. I like science. Where are you a student?”
“MIT,” he said.
“To be an astrophysicist?” he asked, in awe.
“Physics is my study but I love astronomy so I’m looking at it, but who knows? I’m not even two years in yet.”
“You live here when you’re not at MIT?” Charlie asked.
“I’m home for a visit—just a few weeks. I’m getting ready for fall. How about you? What are you headed for?”
I’m headed for being a freshman if I live that long and no one beats me senseless for being a nerd, Charlie thought. “I start high school in the fall. So I don’t know.”
“You know what you like, though, right?”
“Science. Math. Star Trek and House.”
He laughed. “A Trekkie doctor, I like it.”
Troy came outside with a cup of coffee. “Oh, God, there are two of you!”
Frank laughed and looked back at his screen. “You have your laptop out half the time,” he accused Troy.
“Schoolwork, young man.”
There was the sound of whooping and laughter wafting across the bay. “And here come the women,” Frank said. Two young women were approaching on paddleboards from the marina side of the bay. “Do you know when Landon and Cooper are going to get here?”
“Soon,” Troy said. “But there’s not enough wind on the bay yet.”
“There will be,” Frank said. “Stick around, Charlie. We’re going to have some fun today. Windsurfing.”
“Really?” he asked a little excitedly.
“Well, I’ll be windsurfing. No one else has done it yet. Cooper’s renting us some equipment.”
“I don’t know how you talked him into that,” Troy said with a laugh.
“He said if it works he might turn it into a business opportunity.”
“That explains it. By the way, I’ve been windsurfing. Badly, but I’ve done it,” Troy said.
As the women got closer to the shore in front of Cooper’s, Frank put away his laptop, got up and went down the steps to greet them. He left the backpack on the deck by his chair. The women were wearing wet suits with long sleeves and were covered down to their knees. And they were gorgeous. They pulled their paddleboards up onto the sand, Frank lending a hand.
“Those are not women,” Troy advised.
Frank kissed the redhead.
“On their way to becoming women. On their way fast, I’d say. But they’re still girls. They never had girls like that when I was his age,” Troy muttered.
Landon’s truck came across the sand to Cooper’s. The bed was full of equipment. And as if Frank commanded the heavens, the wind immediately picked up. And the beach became a swarm of activity. Equipment was unloaded. Landon pulled on a wet suit. There seemed to be some assembling required. Troy locked the back door of the bar and wandered down to the beach. Charlie could see that the windsurfing boards were slightly lighter and trimmer than the paddleboards.
Frank pushed off, Landon close behind him, and they paddled out into the bay. Frank, on his knees, raised his sail and it sat for a moment, then a small gust took it and he stood tentatively, turning the sail into the wind and he was off, skidding across the bay. The girls screeched and whooped happily.
Charlie stood up to watch from Cooper’s deck.
Landon was struggling to get up, to adjust his sail, and in he went. He got himself back on the board, tried again, went into the ocean again. Every time he got dunked the girls howled with laughter. On his fourth try he got up and the cheers were wild. He turned his sail into the wind and blew across the bay. Where he fell again and everyone laughed.
Spencer came outside; Mikhail wandered down the beach. Spencer’s son and daughter were at the water’s edge, waving and splashing with their feet. The girls with the paddleboards pushed off the shore and paddled out into the water just to get a closer view. Landon and Frank were gliding all around the bay, leaning into turns, leaning away, shifting their sails into the wind. For a little while they sailed in tandem, like twins.
God, that must feel good, Charlie thought.
Cooper was beside him. “Go on down there, Charlie,” he said.
Charlie was on his way instantly. Then he stopped. “I should take my backpack and laptop to my mom’s car or something...”
“Forget it—I’ll put your backpack and Frank’s behind the bar where it won’t get overheated or...lost.”
“Thanks,” he said, racing down the stairs to watch.
Watching Frank and Landon out there was amazing, and made Charlie long for things he had no business longing for. Impossible things—like an active life filled with people like these crazy people. He looked over his shoulder once and noticed that his mom had Mrs. Banks out on the deck, watching.
As interesting as what happened out on the water was, what was happening on the beach was even cooler. More and more people were walking down the beach to watch. Sarah Cooper came down in a wet suit and demanded her time on Landon’s board and that woman knew what she was doing—she got way out on the bay and that sail was putty in her hands. She was whipping it all over the place, leaping out of the water a few times. As if watching a circus performance, the voices in the crowd rose in excitement.
One of the guys Charlie had seen around town, a guy named Al, was down there with a couple of his sons, grumbling that another new sport was going to cost him while the boys begged to try it. Pretty soon there were six paddleboards on the water, some of them sitting idle to watch the windsurfing, some paddling around the inner bay while the surfers were flying around the outer bay. The sheriff’s deputy drove his cruiser out on the beach; there were a few folks there in all-terrain vehicles like Rhinos and RZRs.
The windsurfer boards changed passengers— everyone wanted a turn. Sarah Cooper turned from surfer into instructor along with Frank, and the girls finally got their turn. Then Troy and Spencer had a chance; Troy didn’t embarrass himself too badly but Spencer was great entertainment. A group of cyclists rode onto the beach from the town and stood watching for a while. There were ten of them. They looked like serious cyclists, their gear expensive, their team patches flashy. They looked like such studs to Charlie—legs like tree trunks, leather gloves, fancy helmets and Ray-Bans. Those bikes—they were amazing, sleek, mega-expensive cycles. These were either long-distance riders or racers. He decided to read about it later.
The beach grew crowded, Cooper’s was full, hours flew by. Charlie wondered if half the town had shut their businesses down to see what was going on.
“Want to go out on the paddleboard?” Landon said to Charlie.
“Huh? Yeah, can we?”
“You a good swimmer?”
He didn’t swim at all, as a matter of fact. “Not that good,” he said, shaking his head.
“That’s okay—we’ll get a jacket. And we won’t go out too far. Your mom say it was okay?”
“Sure,” he lied.
“Lose the shoes and socks,” Landon said. Then he jogged off to the beach level under the bar where they stored kayaks, boards and equipment. He jogged back with a jacket for Charlie, helped him suit up. “Sorry I don’t have a wet suit that’ll fit you. My advice? Don’t fall in. And don’t lose your glasses, okay?”
“Gotcha,” he said.
Landon pushed out the board just a little bit, got Charlie kneeling in the right spot then got on his knees behind Charlie, then up to a standing position. “You good?” he asked.
“Good!” Charlie said.
It wasn’t a wild ride by any means, but it was exhilarating. He watched the windsurfers—now it was Ashley and Frank, and Ashley was struggling to stay on the upside of the water. He saw the beach full of people as he glided by. Troy was talking with the cyclists, checking out their bikes. Eve, Landon’s girlfriend, paddled out to glide alongside Landon and she had Austin, Spencer’s boy, sitting on her board. Austin wore a life jacket, as well, and Charlie decided right then and there, he was somehow going to learn to swim.
He wasn’t sure how, but he was going to.
“Can I stand up?” he asked Landon.
“I don’t know, can you?” Landon asked.
“I think I can. I’ll be careful.”
“Don’t fall in. That water’s cold.”
“I’m not planning to,” Charlie said. And he got to his feet awkwardly, standing against Landon for balance.
“Problem is, I can’t paddle with you standing in front of me,” Landon said.
“I could try.”
“Okay, but just for a second. Okay?”
Charlie took the paddle and clumsily dipped it into the water on the right side, then the left, and after about four strokes his arms ached. And shook.
“Okay, that’s all of that,” Landon said. “You’re not quite ready for that, but I’m sure you’ll get there. Get back down so I can get us in.”
“Not yet, okay?” Charlie begged.
Landon laughed. “Okay, champ, we’ll take a couple more turns.”
It was the best day of his life. Troy called him to go inside and wash up for dinner. He had to fetch his backpack and his clean shirt. His mother made that eggplant thing that people loved, but Charlie didn’t love it. He ate a lot, however. He’d completely forgotten lunch and was starving. Everyone at the table seemed completely charmed by his appetite except his mother, who was a little put out.
So to make up for it, he helped with cleanup while his mom settled Winnie in her room for the night. He didn’t mind. He and Troy talked about the day, about all the things that went on at the beach in the summer when the weather was good. And in the fall during football season when most of the teenagers gathered on the beach for their parties and bonfires.
Then he had to struggle to stay awake, waiting in the great room for his mom. Finally at about eight, she was finished. Troy and Grace were out on the deck so Lin Su said goodbye to them, then locked the front door behind them when they went to the car.
They had driven a little while when she said, “You had a very big day. I’m not sure you were careful of your health.”
“I was totally careful,” Charlie said. Then he yawned. “You ever think about moving here? To Thunder Point?”
She laughed softly. “We can’t afford to live in Thunder Point.”
“Well, we can be poor anywhere. And you said Mrs. Banks is doing good.”
“Well,” she corrected. “She’s doing well.”
“We should think about it. Troy said it’s a good high school.” He yawned. Then moments later his mother woke him to go inside to bed. He’d slept the whole way home.
Fifteen
Ginger blossomed with the flush of true love. She had Matt on the weekends and because of that fact Grace was more than willing to work by herself on Saturdays. But with the onset of August the days of summer were fast coming to a close for farmers. She cherished every second she could lie in his arms because she knew that soon his time would be at a premium.
“I have an important question,” he said to her.
It was Saturday morning and there was no reason to get up early, except to eat. Soon they might starve, she thought. “You have me in a very vulnerable position. I’ll probably say yes to anything now.”
“It’s a serious question,” he said.
“Sounds grim.”
“Will you stick with me through the harvest?” he asked.
How she loved looking into those black eyes when he was serious. “It sounds like I’m not going to see very much of you. We’ll manage somehow. I’ll come to Portland and if you can’t get away I might come to Portland a lot.”
“You understand we work seven days a week...”
“Do you work after dark?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“We sleep the sleep of the dead after dark,” he told her.
“I’ll still feel your body close to mine.” She ran her hand over his chest and down. Then she laughed and stopped her hand.
“Something’s funny, miss?”
“Not so much funny as remarkable. If I keep touching you I’ll never get breakfast! Yes, Matt, I’ll still be your girl when all the pears are in.”
“Weekend after next we go to Sal’s vineyard. At least it’s closer to you than the farm, but I won’t have very much time. I’ll try to spend a night or two with you.”
“Do you need my help with the grapes?” she asked. “I’m sure I’d be good with them—I do specialize in flowers.”
“I’d like to say yes but in fact it might be a distraction. Not because I’d keep touching you when we should be picking grapes but because these early grapes are fragile and only trained hands can deal with them. The later grapes, the ones that come after the pears, they’re heartier.”
“Grapes, pears, grapes again...” She kissed him. “A girl hardly stands a chance.”
“Throw the potatoes in there, too. But we hire harvesters for those—they’re not as tender. But then come the cold, silent days of winter. I’m really good in the sack in winter,” he said.
“You’re not that bad in summer...”
“Will you stick with me through the harvest? Even when I seem unavailable and distant and tired?”
“I don’t know why you even have to ask. Of course I’m yours through the harvest. Through many harvests if you want it.”
“That’s exactly what I want, Ginger,” he said, solemn. “I want to marry you.”
She was a little surprised. “I didn’t think you were quite ready to chance it again.”
“It doesn’t feel like I’d be taking a chance. How about you?”
She ran her hands through his hair, his glorious hair. She looked forward to being with him when the first strands of silver appeared. She smiled tenderly. “It doesn’t seem a risk for me, either.”
“One thing I think you’ll like about the harvest. I never have time for a haircut.”
“Yes,” she said, laughing. “I think I’ll like that part the most.”
“Will you? Marry me? Be mine forever?”
“That means you’ll have to be mine right back, you know. No kidding around.”
“I’ve been yours since last April. The second you coldcocked me, I knew.”
“I didn’t do that, you know. I only shoved you. I didn’t even shove hard.”
“Let’s say you decked me. A better story for our grandchildren.”
She sobered a little, glancing down.
“Ginger, there will be grandchildren. Are you afraid? Too afraid?”
“Oh, the thought terrifies me. But I’m not going to let that keep me from trying. It’s all I’ve ever wanted—a family.”
“We’ll be careful,” he said. “Good medical support. The best pediatric support available. We have Peyton and Scott to help hook us up. There isn’t any rush about it. We won’t take any chances and we’ll be sure you’re ready. Emotionally ready. As ready as possible.”
“Are you? Doesn’t it make you a little nervous? Counting on grandchildren through me?”
He shook his head. “If it had been me, I’d probably feel just like you do. But things will be different, Ginger. This time you won’t be alone. This time your man will be with you every step.”
Such a good man, always looking for ways to reassure her.
“Are you going to say yes?” he asked. “I love you. I want to be with you forever.”
“Yes, of course I’m going to say yes.”
“Where do you want to live?”
“Do you think that house on the farm will have room for me?”
That made him smile. “You’d do that?”
She nodded. “This can’t happen too fast, Matt. I’m not going to abandon Grace. Her mother is sick and she’s pregnant. It’s going to take planning.”
“I want to sweep you away,” he said.
“That would be fun but I won’t run out on her. Until I’m sure she’s taken care of we’ll have to make do like this.” She smiled. “The anticipation has been great. When you speed into town on
the weekend... Tell me, Mr. Lacoumette, when I’m just a farm wife, will you speed home from the orchard to be with me?”
He laughed. “Have you seen my parents? Married almost forty years and still hot for each other. You and Grace have to talk about it, okay? Think about a plan. I need you. I love you.”
“First we have to take care of something important. My family. If I understand you, we have one more weekend before the harvest is in full swing. I know you know some of my family through the business, but I want to bring you home. I’ll see if I can gather the troops for next weekend. A barbecue or something with my brothers and their families, with my mom and dad. But if it’s okay with you, I’ll stay with you at night.”
“They know about me, right?” he asked.
“I’ve talked to my mom the most but she’s told the family I have a man in my life. And of course, they know your family.”
“Paco will be pleased,” he said, scratching his chest. “I’m marrying a trucking company.”
“I don’t know who to tell first. My mother? Ray Anne? Grace? Peyton?”
“Tell everyone. We need a ring, Ginger. A nice one.”
“If I can get my family together for next weekend, will we stay in your apartment?”
“If I can’t think of a good alternative. My mother was right, I only stayed there so I could have privacy. I can’t wait to live on the farm. You’ll help me build the house. It has to be your house.”
“You’re committing to an awful lot, Matt.”
“I’d do anything for you. Don’t you know that?”
* * *
Peyton was first, as it turned out. They walked down to her house and found the whole family home. Ginger thought she knew Matt very well yet she’d never seen him quite so puffed up and proud as he was when he said, “We’re getting married, Peyton.”
“Oh, my God! When?”
“We don’t exactly know,” Ginger said. “We have a couple of things to work out—first the harvest and then I want to make sure Grace is covered. I mean covered very well. Her life is complicated right now. And need I even say it? She’s been so good to me. I think between Ray Anne, Grace and some of my new friends I have a whole new life.” She grabbed Matt’s hand. “And it led me to another new life.”