A week later, LeAnn’s brother and his best friend had left. LeAnn had driven them into Hayward where they would get on a small plane that would fly them to the Minneapolis airport. From there, they would continue their trip back home to Denver. LeAnn had cried as she hugged her brother goodbye.
“LeAnn, I’m not sure I like the idea of leaving you. Maybe I should stay longer.” Adam said frowning.
She smiled with tears in her eyes, hearing the concern in his voice. “I’ll be fine. You can’t protect me forever, Adam. I’m a big girl. Besides, it’s not like you’re leaving me in the middle of New York City. This is Cable, Wisconsin.”
Adam relaxed a little more as he looked at his sister and chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Okay then, but you know I’ll be back!” Trying to sound like Arnold in The Terminator.
She turned and hugged Pete goodbye and thanked him again for his help.
LeAnn and her brother hugged again said they loved each other one last time. Adam promised he would call when he got home.
When she returned to the island, LeAnn decided it was time to empty more boxes and then she’d take a walk around the island. Maybe she would take her fishing boat out and sail around for awhile.
After about six hours of unpacking boxes and cleaning, LeAnn decided she had accomplished a lot and it was time to quit for the day. She looked at all the empty boxes in the hallway and felt very proud of all she had accomplished. Her bedroom and the two guest rooms where completely clean and set up. Her clothes were in the closet, and the antique mahogany four-drawer dresser with the marble top was polished and had all of her small clothing items in it. It was a wonderful piece of furniture with a matching vanity. She was so excited that the mirror was not distorted even though it was over a hundred years old. Her perfume bottles looked perfect on the white marble. On either side of the bed were small bedside tables that also had the marble tops. She smiled looking at the antique, cream color lace bedspread and matching sheer drapes. The only thing the room needed was a large rug for the polished hardwood floor.
The first guest room also had a four chest-of-drawer dresser, minus the marble, and there was no vanity. She’d have to check the antique stores for maybe a large wall mirror or a floor mirror for this room. There was one bedside table and LeAnn thought she might have to refinish it because of the deep scratches on the top. For now she placed one of her grandmother’s doilies on it to hide the scratches. She needed to get a lamp for her guests to be able to read in bed if they wanted. The second guestroom was smaller and only had a daybed and a three drawer dresser. She would have to do some antique furniture shopping for this room. There was a bathroom that separated the two quest rooms and was a smaller version of the one in her room.
She loved how the rooms smelled of furniture polish when she had finished. There was a clean smell about it. She giggled proudly and thought, good job!
After showering and changing, Leann walked down to the boathouse and entered through the lower side door. She pushed a button, much like a garage door opener, and watched as the large doors were raised giving access to the lake. She noticed a dull overhead light. This part of the boathouse was dark and gloomy even though it had several windows. What a contrast to the upper level, that was all bright and beautiful.
She climbed into her boat and started the motor. Slowly she maneuvered the boat out onto the lake. The lake was calm under a clear blue sky. She took in a deep breath and decided she’d go for a long ride and then go to the resort for dinner. Her refrigerator was almost empty after feeding her brother and Pete for a week. Man, could those two eat! A smile came across her face as she thought of her brother. She had to choke back the tears thinking how far away he was and she was hit with a pang of loneliness. The twins had always been close, but the closeness intensified after the death of their parents. She quickly shook off the feeling before she burst into tears.
She sailed for about an hour and then decided to go to Ridgewood’s. A nice big cheeseburger would hit the spot about now. All the cleaning and unpacking were starting to hit. She was hungry and a little tired. After pulling her boat into the slip, she tethered the boat to the pier and walked towards the resort entrance.
The resort restaurant wasn’t busy and she was seated right away by a window. She could see her boat from where she sat. The water with the surrounding trees was postcard perfect. She loved the feeling she had when she was on the lake. She couldn’t explain how peaceful and calm she felt. The feeling was like she belonged, like she was home.
The waitress brought her a glass of water and asked if she was ready to order. LeAnn ordered a glass of chardonnay, and a medium-rare cheeseburger with fries. Within a couple of minutes, the waitress brought her the glass of wine. LeAnn sat back, took a sip of the wine and watched the boats go in and out. It was the weekend, so a lot of fishermen were going to try their luck at fishing. It was a beautiful warm August evening. The temperatures during the day had been staying in the low eighties but the nights were starting to cool off a little, giving the sign that fall was close. LeAnn loved the fall here at the lake. The leaves would soon be turning their vibrant colors. She especially loved the maple trees, which turned a rich red color.
Her cheeseburger was perfect, and she ate hungrily. “Wow, you’d think I hadn’t eaten in weeks!” she thought to herself as she wiped the beef juice from her chin. She chuckled as she realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She ordered another glass of wine, finishing her fries while waiting for it.
“I think I’ll drink the wine out on the deck if that’s okay,” she said to her waitress.
“Of course; no problem,” the young girl replied. “Would you like me to wait before I bring you your check?” she asked with a smile.
LeAnn responded that this was her last glass of wine and to go ahead and bring it to her outside. She walked out onto the deck and took in a deep breath as she found a chaise lounge chair. The air felt good as it hit her lungs. The humidity had been low so it was comfortable sitting outside.
The young waitress brought LeAnn’s wine and bill to her. “Excuse me for asking,” the young girl said, “but are you the person who bought Tabor Island?”
“Yup, that’s me.” LeAnn smiled, a little surprised at the question. “I moved in about a week ago.”
“Wow, that’s awesome. My name is Hannah, Hannah Richards. I’m kind of new to the area, but I overheard one of the cooks say that he thought you were the woman who bought the island. I hope I’m not being too forward in asking you.”
“Not at all!” LeAnn smiled. “Actually, I grew up around here and most of the people I knew back then are no longer here except for the Weston’s who, of course, you already know. My name is LeAnn Klein, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The Weston’s owned the Ridgewood Resort. It had been in their family for years. It had started out as a hunting lodge. Then Ben Weston’s grandfather had to keep building cabins to accommodate the increasing number of hunters. The next thing he knew, the hunters started to bring their families up for fishing when hunting season was over. Now, after all these years, the hunting lodge had seventy-five condos, and the main lodge was remodeled into a hotel, with an indoor pool, bar, and restaurant.
“I didn’t mean to bother you, I was just curious.” Hannah said shyly. “I mean it’s such a big house and island for one person, or are you married?”
“No, not married. It’s just me. I have loved that house ever since I was a little girl and always dreamed that one day I would live there.”
Hannah looked at LeAnn as if she wanted to ask something else but then thought better of it. “Well, I’ll let you enjoy your wine. I hope to see you again soon.” Hannah smiled, turned abruptly, and returned inside.
“Nice to meet you, too,” LeAnn called after her. “Hmmm, weird,” she thought. “Oh well.” Shrugging her shoulders.
Returning her attention back to the view, LeAnn sipped her wine. She noticed that it was getting darker and thought she’d better get back to the island. She finished her wine then went inside to pay. She didn’t see Hannah to say goodbye, but she did see Mr. Weston’s son, Matt. She remembered Matt from when she was younger.
“Hey you!” he called out with a big smile. He walked over to LeAnn and gave her a hug. “I heard you were here. I’ve been out of town and just got back. How are you? And what’s up with buying the white elephant?” He started laughing.
“Oh my gosh, Matt! How are you? she said happily. “I can’t believe you’re still here, and, no, it’s not a white elephant!” They both started to laugh.
“You look wonderful!” he said.
“And you, too.” She smiled. And, he truly did. Tall, slim with dark hair and the most incredibly blue eyes. Did she remember he had blue eyes?
“So you finally did it, you bought your so-called dream home.” He smirked.
“Yup, I did.”
“LeAnn,” he said solemnly,” I was very sorry to hear about your parents. They were awesome people and always treated me like I was part of your family.”
“Thank you Matt, I appreciate that. They always liked you, even though you always got Adam into trouble.” She smirked a little. She didn’t like talking about her parents being gone and had to lighten the moment.
“I got him in trouble? Are you crazy?” They both burst out laughing. “Seriously, LeAnn, you look wonderful, and I’m glad you’re back. Maybe we can go into Hayward for dinner some night and rehash old times, if that ‘s okay with you?”
“Are you kidding? I would love that! It’s good to see you too, Matt. I’m here for life now so we’ll be seeing each other a lot, assuming you’re still living here.”
“Not only living here but running the place. Dad’s semi-retired, so he says, but I’m sure you remember what a workaholic he has always been. ‘Course Mom still complains he needs to start taking it easy, but deep down she knows he never will.”
“Give them my love,” she said. “I need to get going before it gets too dark. Let me give you my cell number. Call me anytime, and we’ll get together.” She said as she dug in her purse for a piece of paper and a pen. After she wrote her number down, she handed the slip of paper to Matt.
“Great, it’s a date.” He looked down at the number. They hugged goodbye, and LeAnn walked towards the door. He watched her as she left. He smiled and looked down again at the paper with her number. “Yup, I definitely will give Miss Klein a call.” He headed towards his office whistling.
LeAnn hurried down to the pier and hopped into her boat. It was getting darker, and she was glad she had left when she did. It really was good to see Matt, she thought. He looks good, in fact, he looks real good. She smiled to herself as she started the motor.
When she reached Tabor Island, she pulled the boat to the pier next to the boathouse. She was going to work on the boathouse in the morning, so she tethered the boat there instead of inside the boathouse. She walked up the path to the house, glad she had left a light on inside, not wanting to come home to a dark house.
Once inside, she kicked off her shoes and went to the kitchen, where she thought she’d have one more glass of wine. She poured a glass, then went into the living room, and turned on the TV to catch up on the news. Around eleven thirty, she started yawning so she drank down the last drop of wine and decided it was time for bed. She went to the kitchen, set her glass in the sink, and then turned out the light. Returning to the living room to turn off the lamp, she paused and looked around. She liked how warm the room felt. It had a beautifully carved fireplace and mantle. The carvings were of roses and vines, and she was really looking forward to lighting a fire in it this winter. She turned off the lamp and went upstairs to bed.
After washing her face and changing into her night shirt, LeAnn, exhausted, climbed into bed, closed her eyes, and went to sleep immediately.
LeAnn suddenly sat up in bed and looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. The glowing red numbers read 2:00 a.m. She had been in bed two hours. What had awaken her? She listened and thought she heard music. “Damn! Did I leave the TV on?” She turned on the lamp and found her slippers. Doesn’t matter what time of year it is, hardwood floors are always cold! she thought. She walked out into the hallway and listened. Still she thought she heard music, but she wasn’t sure if it was coming from downstairs. She turned on the hall light and went downstairs. Going into the living room, she saw that the TV was turned off. She placed her hand on the top to see if it was warm. “Oh geez, LeAnn! Did a ghost turn it off?” She said out loud feeling ridiculous. The music had stopped, and she decided that maybe there was a party somewhere on the lake and the music carried over the water. “Maybe there’s a party at Ridgewood’s and it’s running late.”
She checked the doors again but her brother had replaced all the locks and deadbolts, and they were locked tight. She decided to go back to bed. She went back up the stairs, switched off the hall light, and went into her bedroom.
She walked over to her bed and turned off the lamp shaking her head. Before she climbed back into bed, she walked over to one of the large, front windows and looked out. What a gorgeous night. The moonlight on the lake made it look like thousands of diamonds glittering. A smile crossed her face. She loved it here.
As she looked at the boathouse, she immediately stopped smiling. Had she seen a light moving around on the walkway? She squinted. Impossible. It had to be a reflection of the moon on the windows. She looked again; still nothing was there. She shrugged and decided it definitely was the moon. She’d check it out in the morning. Right now, she was exhausted and needed to get back to sleep. Then she noticed the music had stopped. “Good, now I can get some sleep!” She kicked off her slippers and was asleep again before her head hit the pillow.
She was in a deep sleep and didn’t hear the music from the boathouse start up again.