The Job Offer

chapter 5


The next morning Anne dressed in her red bikini and covered it with blue shorts and a light pink tee shirt. Keeping her face clean of makeup except for her customary sunscreen and lip gloss, she clipped her hair behind her head then headed up to the inn to eat and find Ben. She already ate her breakfast at her parents’ house. It consisted of her typical one slice of peanut butter toast and coffee, but she decided that she was still hungry and wanted some extra coffee. Her sleep the night before was quite restless, making that two nights in a row where she did not sleep, and she yawned several times as she walked up the path.

She was supposed to go kayaking with Ben today. How was she supposed to sleep last night after being maneuvered into issuing the invitation? It did not matter that she actually wanted to spend time with Ben. Could it get any more embarrassing than to have her mother push her into issuing the invitation? What if Ben was not been able to go with her? There was no question that he wanted to go. They never even had another moment to talk to arrange a time to meet that morning or to give him an out. How was she to give him an out if they could not talk?

She ran into Ben in the dining room when she walked in and waited to be seated. He came up behind her, surprising her with a “good morning” spoken softly in her ear. She gave a small jump and turned to look at him. How was it possible that he was more handsome today than he was yesterday? This morning he was dressed in red swimming trunks and a white tee shirt.

"Are we still on for this morning?" Here was her chance.

"I wanted to talk to you about that, Ben. I’m sorry that my mother pushed for the invitation. I would understand perfectly if you had other plans for the day." The dining room hostess came over and Ben indicated two when she asked how many would be in their party. Anne was not sure if he just wanted to continue the conversation of if he intended to go with her to Waldron Island. But he took her arm and steered her along to the table the hostess indicated.

"I want to come with you, Anne." He picked up the conversation where it left off once the hostess took their order for coffee. "I’m looking forward to it, in fact. So stop worrying and enjoy your breakfast. But I do have to be back no later than two. I have some business to attend to back here at the inn. This is a working vacation."

"That won’t be a problem." The waitress came to take their order causing another pause in their conversation. Once she left, Anne continued "I have some business to attend to as well. Do you remember Captain Howardton?"

"He used to run the charters out of Eastsound out to the Boundary Pass. What about him?"

"He called last night after hearing that I was here on the island and asked if I could take his two-thirty charter. It appears that the tour guide has a doctor appointment, and he needs someone familiar with the area and the whales to act as guide."

"And he naturally asked you. I haven’t seen him for twelve or thirteen years. He must be ninety by now." Anne pictured the old man with the leathery skin who hired her as a part-time guide back when she was little more than a kid.

"He’s seventy one, I believe. He just looks much older." They fell into a companionable silence as they each became lost in their memories of the old man. "You should see him now. He looks like Wilfred Brimley," Anne finally said to break the silence. The comparison to the actor made Ben laugh, and he quickly began telling her stories of an old fishing captain he knew in Seattle who looked like Robert Preston. The stories soon loosened their tongues and they began talking like old friends. They both ate fast once their food arrived, and then Ben led her down the path back to her parents’ house for a small bottle of sunscreen she insisted they needed.

An hour later they rowed onto the beach on the northeastern side of Waldron Island. North of Mail Bay, where they saw several sea lions sunning on the rocks, the shoreline became shallow and a long sandy beach greeted them. The land behind the beach was covered in a thick pine forest broken only by the small airstrip where private twin and single engine planes could land. The island was largely uninhabited except for about 100 permanent residents and vacationers who kept cabins along the shore and further in on the grassy western side. The island also was home to one of the largest populations of bald eagles in North America, and Anne could see several soaring high up in the sky as they pulled their kayaks ashore. Once on the beach, they pulled off their life jackets, required equipment for sea kayakers, and sat down on the sand.

They watched the small waves brush against the beach for several minutes and talked about the island and how they used to row over when they were younger. Then Ben looked at his watch noting the time and asked Anne if she wanted to hike on some of the trails. Feeling the need to stretch her legs, she did not hesitate to agree. Knowing that their gear was safe on the beach, they took off down the beach until they came to the dirt trail that would eventually lead them up to Cemetery Road and the airport. A single engine Cessna was getting ready to land. Anne could hear its engine and watched it make its approach.

They bypassed the airport and walked along the dirt trail that cut through the dense forest, taking their time to enjoy the surroundings. Anne could smell the strong scent of pine needles and leaves mixed in with the salty smell that came from the water. A few squirrels ran along the ground not far from them, their movement stirring up the leaves and twigs in the ground. Anne could hear the call of birds as they swooped through the trees. A bright yellow Golden Warbler sat up on a branch watching them before it took to wing and landed high on a pine bough further up the path.

They decided to forgo walking all the way up to Cemetery Road and took a right onto the dirt path that looped back to the beach at its northern most edge. Not surprisingly, they did not encounter anyone else on their trip or on the beach. With it being a Tuesday morning, there were less people around who would be willing to paddle the three miles to the beach. In addition most visitors preferred the beach on the other side of the island in Cowlitz Bay where the ferry docked.

"Are you ready to test if the water is warm enough in the shallows for swimming, Anne?" Ben gave her a look that dared her to try it out. The waters of President Channel could still get cold this time of year and test the mettle of even the most ardent kayaker. Even the shallows were not immune to the cold temperatures of the waters further out. But Anne grew up on Orcas and swam on this beach many times in the past. She was willing to give it a try.

"I’m willing if you are."

Ben’s answer was to remove his tee shirt and water shoes. Not to be beaten, she quickly pulled off her tee shirt and shorts and together they ran into the water. The cold just about knocked Anne down, but it was a cold that her body could adjust to quickly, and not a cold that would zap her strength or cause her muscles to cramp. They played for a few minutes in the water before she called it quits and walked back onto the beach. They had stored towels inside their kayaks before taking off, and Anne pulled hers out and spread it on the sand. Ben came out of the water less than a minute behind her and followed suit. Then they dropped down and let the warm sun dry their swimming suits.

"I haven’t done that in a long time," Anne said idly as her skin began to soak up the sun’s rays. "It’s been two years since I was last here."

"You haven’t been to a beach in two years? The last I heard it, there are beaches out east, too." Anne smiled at the teasing tone of Ben’s voice. "Why, two years since you were home?" Anne looked over at Ben, squinting to keep the sun out of her eyes. He was on his back with his eyes closed. She took a moment to admire his profile.

"I used to come back every summer for a week or two. Two years ago I was here for Carla’s wedding. You remember my friend Carla, don’t you?" Her eyes wandered lower on his body following the line of his chest, covered in solid muscles and brown hair, and across his stomach. The red suit could not hide the line of his groin or the strong muscles of his legs. Preventing a groan, she closed her eyes again and turned her head to face upward again.

"I remember Carla. She was the little blonde, right? If I remember right, she liked to cook. She was always trying out some recipe on us."

"That’s her. She owns a catering company in Seattle now. It’s called Anton’s Catering." Anne thought she might as well give Carla’s business a plug in case Ben, or his family, ever needed a caterer. You never knew.

"So why didn’t you come back last summer if you’ve been coming back every year?"

"It just didn’t work out with my schedule. I wanted to try to fit it in, but time got away from me. Before I knew it, another year had passed."

"Where along the East Coast do you live? You did not tell me yesterday."

"Boston." Anne told him this while trying to use her best imitation of a Boston accent. He laughed at her attempt and tried it himself. He did a better accent than she did. For the next half hour, they talked intermittently between companionable stretches of silence. Eventually, Ben sat up and looked around. A group of kayakers were coming ashore further north of them and dropping off their gear. Ben looked at his watch and told her the time. It was later than she thought, and it was about time to head back to the inn. Together, they dressed and packed up their towels before donning their life vests again. The sun was coming out of the southern sky now, so Anne pulled her sunglasses on to block the reflection from the water and took off with Ben at her side.

It took a little under an hour to reach the inn. Once they made it back, they turned in their gear and walked back up the path by way of Anne’s parents’ house. Anne thanked him for his company when he walked her to her door. He grinned at her politeness and raised an eyebrow, almost in a challenge. She wanted to kiss him, wanted him to kiss her. A blush began to creep up her skin, and she called herself a coward when she began to turn away to go inside. She stopped when she felt his hand touch her arm. Then he dipped his head down and gave her a quick kiss that stole her breath away.

She waited to see if he would kiss her again.

He didn’t, and she felt disappointed because she wanted more than a quick kiss. But he did watch her closely, too closely, and she felt another blush creep into her face. He tapped the end of her nose with his finger and told her that she had better put some more sunscreen on before he chuckled and walked back up the path to the inn. She did not know just how to interpret that, but his little peck left her wanting much, much more.