“Somethin’, ain’t it?” Jacob asked.
Evan glanced at him before setting his laptop bag onto the heaping pile within the pontoon. “It sure is. I forgot how beautiful it is up here.”
“It’s a sight, that’s fer sure.” Jacob pointed northeast, across the water, his finger guiding Evan’s eyes to a dark mass he’d mistaken for a large boat. “That’s yer island there. The Fin, it’s called round here.”
“The Fin?”
“Looks like a shark’s dorsal when you get closer.”
Evan stared at the black speck, trying to discern any features. “How far out is it?”
“Eh, maybe a kilometer from the dock. Takes ten minutes on a calm day, take us fifteen today.” Jacob moved to the back of the minivan and took Shaun’s walker out, then shut the hatch.
Evan watched a boat pass by before returning his attention to the island. It was so far from shore. He hadn’t anticipated it being that far away. What if Shaun had another seizure? What if he got hurt and couldn’t call for help?
He caught himself before the questions pushed him into a full-blown anxiety attack.
“You can park yer van in me lot. I live right here, so I’ll be able ta keep an eye on it,” Jacob said, setting the walker in the pontoon.
“Thank you,” Evan said, but his voice sounded distant, as if the wind had blown it away.
~
The pontoon bounced up and down as they crossed the lake, and several sprays of water speckled them with cold drops, eliciting cries of glee from Shaun each time. Jacob piloted the pontoon without effort, animatedly talking with them about the history of the lake and his own story of how he came to live there.
“Me mum and dad moved here when I was twelve. Bought the land that the shop sits on and started a guidin’ service. Dad would take people out, help ’em catch some fish, and Mum would knit sweaters, sell ’em in the shop.”
“Pretty industrious,” Evan said, readjusting Shaun on his lap.
“Aye, they were workers, and once we got here, I never wanted ta leave. Took over the family business thirty years back when Dad passed.”
The growing mass of trees and rock jutted from the water ahead of the pontoon. Like the lake, the island had appeared smaller at first. The closer they got, the more the land lengthened and took on character. Its shape mimicked the lake around it, but its crescent curved the opposite way, creating the impression of a massive boomerang. Tall pines along the rocky shoreline swayed, while reed grass, not yet above a person’s knee, curled and bent along the banks.
“Did you know Jason’s grandparents very well?” Evan asked.
Jacob shook his head. “Not very. I’d stop out here from time ta time with Ray, but I never knew his parents more than the passing hello.”
Evan nodded, and looked at the island again. The pontoon moved closer to the landmass and Jacob idled the engine down. The outline of a house became clearer above an old dock sticking out into the water like a rude tongue. The house was large, with an attached three-season porch at one end and wide windows cut into its sides. A musical tinkle played on the breeze, and he saw swaying wind chimes attached to the porch’s closest end. Several tall oaks towered over the structure on either side, their branches newly budded with leaves. A gently sloping hill covered in fine grass rolled down to the edge of the property, where it met the lapping waves on a manicured beach. A small, canopied boatlift held a miniature version of the pontoon they rode in, and an aluminum boat lay belly-up near the sand, like some kind of silver fish out of water.
“It’s beautiful,” Evan said.
Shaun jerked excitedly on his lap. “Dere?”
“Yep, buddy, that’s where we’re headed.”
Jacob steered the pontoon to the left side of the dock. Evan spun in his seat and reached out, catching one of the dock’s steel supports, and held on until Jacob climbed out and secured the craft with a few ropes. The gentle rush of waves washing onto the beach was so calming, Evan imagined sitting in the pontoon with Shaun on his lap all day. He was sure they could watch the water run onto the sand and slide away again without ever getting bored.
“What would you like brought out first?” Jacob called from the dock.
“Shaun’s chair, then he can sit in the shade while we unload.”
Jacob nodded and hauled the medical seat, which was equipped with several straps to help keep Shaun upright along with wheels. Evan carried his son to the front of the pontoon and opened the side door, then stepped onto the dock. After positioning Shaun in his chair beneath the shade of a large pine, he helped Jacob unload the pontoon. As he carried a large suitcase up the hill toward the house, Jacob called to him, making him turn back.
“I hope you’ll forgive me, I’ve got ta get back ta the shop, but I’ll unload everythin’ onta the dock fer ya.”
Evan hesitated, a frown attempting to darken his face, then nodded. “That’s fine, Jacob, we really appreciate it.”
Jacob continued stacking their belongings upon the dock in an ever-growing pile. Within a few minutes the pontoon was empty, and Evan helped untie the craft from the dock’s moorings.
He held out a twenty-dollar bill to Jacob, who immediately waved it away. “You have to take it,” Evan said, pushing the money at the older man again.
“No, I don’t,” Jacob said, smiling. “That’s the nice thing about bein’ yer own boss. I’ll settle fer a handshake and maybe a beer next time yer in town. How’s that?”
Evan finally relented and shoved the money into his pocket, then shook Jacob’s outstretched hand. “Sounds like a deal, and thank you again.”
“No problem, boyo. Keep yer daddy in line, eh, Shaun?” Jacob waved at the boy.
Shaun raised a hand, kicked his feet, and smiled.
“Take care, now,” Jacob said, as Evan pushed the pontoon away from the dock.