Read Online Back to Madeline Island by Jay Gilbertson - Free Book Online Page A

doesn’t have that gym-y sound and maybe it’d actually work on my, on my—everything.”
    â€œI’d give it a go.” Sam gets up and swivels her impressive hips. “Whew! That’s all for today, though. That is a lot-a-work.” She thumps back down with a sigh.
    â€œHell,” I add. “How about it then? We’ve got the entire loft above the barn; it would be perfect.”
    â€œSounds like,” Howard says, coming in from the back, “I’ve got another remodeling assignment. I just completed the finishing touches on Eve’s minisalon up at the cottage, so I’d be glad to look the loft space over.”
    â€œYou best make sure those floors are good and sturdy,” Sam adds, revving her machine, bending over and sewing up a storm.
    Howard lumbers out the screen door and I notice how we all do look his way. Even Lilly takes a careful peek. I shrug my shoulders toward Johnny and get cutting.
    Later that afternoon, after a delicious “Taco Tuesday” lunch (compliments of Howard, his specialty), Ruby and I head over to the loft for an inspection. The boys went home first and then are going to meet up with us there. Sam and Lilly are on the ferry by now, a storm is brewing, and I don’t want them to get stranded.
    We’re walking up the path from the boathouse to the barn. It curves up and around the cottage toward the back porch door. Behind the barn, a lazy creek flings around and then follows down a hill, eventually slipping under the bridge and on out to the lake.
    â€œI had no idea ,” Ruby spits out. “You’ve not spoken with your father for so long. How dreadful for both of you—really, Eve. You only get one, you know.”
    â€œIt’s not my fault he decided to marry that Mormon widow,” I remind her for the zillionth time. “My mom and him…they had such a quiet life…separate bedrooms even. When Mom died, he disappeared, married that woman with all those kids she had, and…well…there just wasn’t room for me. He just disappeared from my life.”
    â€œYou could have made an effort, darling, really .”
    â€œI honestly never felt close to him—I know he loved me, but he got involved with her so fast and I guess…I couldn’t quite forgive him. What a nudge I am.”
    â€œAmericans are so uptight,” Ruby says. “Do you know my picture-perfect Ed had an affair ?” I raise my brows way up. “I’ll never know for sure , but a woman knows. It was years and years ago…I figured it would pass…and it did.”
    â€œJust like that?” I practically screech. “You stayed with him? I mean, you adore him—adored. I can’t believe this.”
    Ruby stops walking and looks straight at me. “Look, darling. Life is full of opportunities and choices and—temptations. Things happen and you have to decide to either forgive and move on together or end things and walk away—in different directions.”
    â€œYou make it sound so simple.”
    â€œLife is—darling—it really is.” She gives my arm a squeeze.
    â€œMaybe this belly dancing will loosen me up some.”
    â€œLet’s hope. Good heavens, I’ve not been up into the loft for ever . It was one of Ed’s favorite places to hang. He and Charlie used to fiddle up there for hours.”
    I unlatch the small green arched Dutch door, which opens into the barn. Alongside this door is a much larger one that can fold accordion-style when it’s opened. We keep the duck and a ton of our stuff from Eau Claire in here. There’s also a vast collection of things accumulated from over the past hundred years or so, lots of things.
    Reaching up to the right, I snap on several switches and the barn is ablaze in light. It’s several stories high; directly in front of us is a workshop area with every tool and gizmo imaginable. In the back corner gapes