playpen.
~
They spent the rest of the morning grocery shopping and exploring the shops along Main Street. They stopped at a quaint coffee shop with a great view of the lake. Evan got a large dark roast, and Shaun, a small hot chocolate that he drank through a straw once it was cool enough. A little boy, no older than five, wandered over to their table on the patio, a green balloon clutched in a chubby fist. He stared at Shaun, who sat in a chair pulled up next to Evan’s. Shaun smiled and reached toward the floating balloon.
“Hi there,” Evan said , and glanced over the boy’s head at a woman who must’ve been his mother ordering a drink at the counter.
The boy examined Shaun and tilted his head wh en Shaun made an excited sound.
“What’s wrong with him?” the boy asked.
Evan was figuring out a response when the boy’s mother grasped her son by the shoulder, guiding him away.
“I’m sorry,” she said , shoving the boy toward their car parked along the sidewalk.
Evan smiled halfheartedly. “It’s okay.” He didn’t think she heard him. The mother admonished the boy in hushed tones as she stowed him away inside the car.
“It’s okay,” he repeated, and stroked the side of Shaun’s face.
When they finished their drinks , they stopped at a liquor store near the landing, and Evan picked up a few bottles of cabernet sauvignon. They were unloading the van when Jacob came out of his store and made his way to them down the ramp, his face one big smile.
“There ya are. Missed ya this mornin’.”
Evan shook hands with the older man.
“And how’s Shaun t’day?” Jacob said, stooping beside the minivan. Jacob held out a hand that Shaun managed to slap lightly. “Aye, you got it! Lemme help ya with yer things,” Jacob said to Evan.
The two men loaded the groceries and wine into the pontoon while Shaun watched. The lake was a mirror, flat blue stretching out beyond sight. A pair of loons paddled by the docks, their pointed black heads dark aga inst the contrast of the water.
“Beautiful day,” Evan said, slamming the hatch of the van.
“Yessir,” Jacob said , leaning against the vehicle.
“Fishing been good?”
Jacob tipped his head back and forth. “So-so. Been better years before, might improve in a weeks’ time.”
Evan waited a few beats, trying to find the right way to ask the questions that had needled him since he opened the refrigerator at the house.
“Can I ask you some thing, Jacob?”
“Aye , boyo.”
“What do you know about the last caretaker Jason had at the house?”
Jacob sucked on his lower lip for a few moments before replying. “Name was Bob, I believe. Di’n’t come ta town too often, stayed mostly on the Fin. Quiet fella.”
“And you didn’t see him leave this spring?”
Jacob shook his head. “Di’n’t know nothin’ was askew till Jason called an I went out there ta check. Shamed ta say I di’n’t inspect too much, just poked around the house a bit, saw he wasn’t there, an told Jason.”
“What do you think happened to him?”
“Jest wandered off, I s ’pose. People do that sometimes durin’ a long winter. Get a bit restless, cabin fever an whatnot. Mighta got lost ’n’ froze in the woods, never know.”
“ Wasn’t there a search for him?”
“Su re, local sheriff went ta the Fin, had a look around. Seemed that Bob di’n’t have much, if any, family, none that came callin’ anyway.”
Evan frowned and sought out the dark spot on the lake’ s surface. “It’s pretty weird.”
“Yeh , life’s tha’ way, weird shit till we die, I s’pose.”
“You can say that again.” Evan reached out and shook Jacob’s h and. “Now I owe you two beers.”
“I’ve got a tally up in the shop.”
Both men laughed, and Jacob headed up the ramp, toward the store. After parking the van and carrying Shaun back to the pontoon, Evan untied them and set off across the lake. His mind wandered as they cruised along, his eyes
~
They spent the rest of the morning grocery shopping and exploring the shops along Main Street. They stopped at a quaint coffee shop with a great view of the lake. Evan got a large dark roast, and Shaun, a small hot chocolate that he drank through a straw once it was cool enough. A little boy, no older than five, wandered over to their table on the patio, a green balloon clutched in a chubby fist. He stared at Shaun, who sat in a chair pulled up next to Evan’s. Shaun smiled and reached toward the floating balloon.
“Hi there,” Evan said , and glanced over the boy’s head at a woman who must’ve been his mother ordering a drink at the counter.
The boy examined Shaun and tilted his head wh en Shaun made an excited sound.
“What’s wrong with him?” the boy asked.
Evan was figuring out a response when the boy’s mother grasped her son by the shoulder, guiding him away.
“I’m sorry,” she said , shoving the boy toward their car parked along the sidewalk.
Evan smiled halfheartedly. “It’s okay.” He didn’t think she heard him. The mother admonished the boy in hushed tones as she stowed him away inside the car.
“It’s okay,” he repeated, and stroked the side of Shaun’s face.
When they finished their drinks , they stopped at a liquor store near the landing, and Evan picked up a few bottles of cabernet sauvignon. They were unloading the van when Jacob came out of his store and made his way to them down the ramp, his face one big smile.
“There ya are. Missed ya this mornin’.”
Evan shook hands with the older man.
“And how’s Shaun t’day?” Jacob said, stooping beside the minivan. Jacob held out a hand that Shaun managed to slap lightly. “Aye, you got it! Lemme help ya with yer things,” Jacob said to Evan.
The two men loaded the groceries and wine into the pontoon while Shaun watched. The lake was a mirror, flat blue stretching out beyond sight. A pair of loons paddled by the docks, their pointed black heads dark aga inst the contrast of the water.
“Beautiful day,” Evan said, slamming the hatch of the van.
“Yessir,” Jacob said , leaning against the vehicle.
“Fishing been good?”
Jacob tipped his head back and forth. “So-so. Been better years before, might improve in a weeks’ time.”
Evan waited a few beats, trying to find the right way to ask the questions that had needled him since he opened the refrigerator at the house.
“Can I ask you some thing, Jacob?”
“Aye , boyo.”
“What do you know about the last caretaker Jason had at the house?”
Jacob sucked on his lower lip for a few moments before replying. “Name was Bob, I believe. Di’n’t come ta town too often, stayed mostly on the Fin. Quiet fella.”
“And you didn’t see him leave this spring?”
Jacob shook his head. “Di’n’t know nothin’ was askew till Jason called an I went out there ta check. Shamed ta say I di’n’t inspect too much, just poked around the house a bit, saw he wasn’t there, an told Jason.”
“What do you think happened to him?”
“Jest wandered off, I s ’pose. People do that sometimes durin’ a long winter. Get a bit restless, cabin fever an whatnot. Mighta got lost ’n’ froze in the woods, never know.”
“ Wasn’t there a search for him?”
“Su re, local sheriff went ta the Fin, had a look around. Seemed that Bob di’n’t have much, if any, family, none that came callin’ anyway.”
Evan frowned and sought out the dark spot on the lake’ s surface. “It’s pretty weird.”
“Yeh , life’s tha’ way, weird shit till we die, I s’pose.”
“You can say that again.” Evan reached out and shook Jacob’s h and. “Now I owe you two beers.”
“I’ve got a tally up in the shop.”
Both men laughed, and Jacob headed up the ramp, toward the store. After parking the van and carrying Shaun back to the pontoon, Evan untied them and set off across the lake. His mind wandered as they cruised along, his eyes
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