One week later, Moriah surveyed the fresh road to the lighthouse and nodded in appreciation. She was proud of Jack. He might have a few personal issues, but he was a world class heavy equipment operator. He’d done a great job, just like she had expected. Things with that little family of his was getting back on track as well. So far so good.
“Not bad,” Ben said. “Are you ready to start?
The earthy scent of freshly turned dirt and uprooted tree roots filled the air. The road was as straight and level as a gun barrel, with the lighthouse centered at the end.
“I am. This week will be a little frantic, but I think we’ve finally got things under control. Nicolas has been following Katherine around like a puppy, helping wherever he can. I actually saw him mopping the kitchen floor this morning. Plus, I hired Alicia part-time to take care of helping with reservations and greeting people as they show up. She can do that and still take care of little Betsy.”
“Is it always so busy the first week of tourist season?”
“Yes, and it pretty much stays that way. Once the Chi-Cheemaun starts bringing in tourists, it always gets a little crazy. We’ll usually get a few like the Wrights and Camilla’s family, who drive in from the north over the Little Current bridge so they can get here early, but it’s when the ferry starts running that the season truly begins.”
“Do you enjoy doing this for a living, Moriah?” he asked.
“I never really thought about it. It’s all I’ve ever known. Seems like I’ve spent most of my life either preparing for or recuperating from the day the ferry starts bringing the usual crush of summer travelers up from Tobermory on Bruce Peninsula, to South Baymouth here on the island. A large part of our population earns the bulk of our yearly income in the space of these next three months.”
“It sounds intense.”
“It is.”
She doubted Ben had any idea how intense it could get. Guests would begin arriving at all hours of the day and night, bringing with them pleas for extra linens, dishes, and folding cots. Concerns about plugged toilets, mice, and cranky cook stoves were a daily chorus to which Moriah automatically responded. She had grown up with it. She dispensed advice on everything from the best fishing spots to an occasional on-the-spot family intervention when frayed tempers flared.
Except, this year, she would be doing it while attempting to restore her lighthouse.
Nicolas's lighthouse, she corrected herself.
Although, now that Katherine was back in his life, Nicolas seemed content to give Moriah and Ben complete freedom with the restoration. Unless Moriah was mistaken, he seemed to have lost all interest in the place. Perhaps that was because he had a new goal—moving into the lodge with Katherine.
That would be rather awkward for her, but Katherine was half-owner of the resort. If she wanted to marry Nicolas and let him move in with her, then that’s the way it would be.
“What do you think, Moriah? Can we do it?” Ben nodded toward the derelict lighthouse.
She looked at him, studying his sturdy build, his determined eyes, his capable hands. There was something about Ben that increased her confidence and strength and made the horrific jungle flashbacks she continued to have almost bearable.
“I think, together, we can do just about anything we set our minds to, McCain.”