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Authors: I. R. Johannesen
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and waited until their fingers entwined. “There ya go.” she said chirpily. “I’ll see you two at the lake.”
When she had skipped out of earshot Crank turned to Clare and smiled. “She’s quite the little match maker.”
Clare looked up at Crank and raised an eyebrow. “Is that such a bad thing?”
Crank was confused; his heart was hammering in his chest telling him to go for it ; that Clare and Willow could help mend his broken heart and allow him to feel love again, but at the same time his head was cautioning him and reminding him of his decision to back off before he got too involved.
Clare gently squeezed his hand. “You’ve made a huge impression on her you know,” she said softly, brushing a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. “I’ve never seen her take to someone as quickly as she has taken to you, especially being a man. Normally she’s quite shy until she gets to know someone properly.”
Crank impulsively leaned down to kiss her, but b efore he could Willow was back by their side. “Mama,” she exclaimed wide-eyed, the forest keeps going all the way out into the water. There are tall trees standing in the lake!”
She grabbed Crank’s other hand and tugged on it excitedly. “ Crank, hurry up, where’s my surprise?”
Crank looked forlornly at Clare. He had wanted to kiss her so badly, but the moment had now passed and he was deeply disappointed. Forcing a smile, he pointed to the thin timber jetty where he had sat to drink his coffee earlier that morning. “It’s just up there by the jetty,” he explained, “not much further, I promise.”
When they reached the jetty, Clare and Willow both spotted the old wooden dinghy moored to the jetty. “Crank, is that our surprise?” Willow asked, pointing to the weathered, grey boat that had possibly once been white.
“It sure is!” he assured her. “How would you ladies like to come for a scenic row with me out on the lake for a half hour or so?”
“Clare looked a little apprehensive. “ Is it safe? It looks so old.”
Crank nodded his head to reassure her. “It don’t look much, I’ll grant ya that, but I checked it over this morning and it is still very solid and safe.”
“But w ho does it belong to?” she asked, still not convinced that going out on the water in it was such a great idea. “What if the owner comes looking for it and finds it gone?”
Crank let go of her hand and walked out along the jetty until he reached the old boat and gently dragged it around in the water until they could both plainly see the name on the side of it.
“Hey, that’s my name!” Willow exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the word WILLOW, neatly painted in large faded, black letters near the stern.
“I have a feeling that this old dinghy belonged to your great granddaddy,” Crank explained to Willow as the two girls reached his side. “Either that or it’s one heck of a coincidence.” He looked up at Clare. “And if I’m right, that makes you and Willow the new owners of this boat. So what do you say we jump in and go for a nice, scenic row around the lake to test it out?”
Both of the girls looked at each other and grinned excitedly. “Yes please!” they agreed in unison.
As the three of them slowly meandered around the lake in the small, wooden dinghy, Crank suddenly realised that he was feeling genuinely happy and relaxed for the first time since Georgia and Ellie had been killed. And for the first time in six years he had actually spent an hour or so of his life without thinking about them. What’s more he was distracted not only by Clare’s beauty, but also by the timeless beauty of the lake and its surroundings.
As the realisation hit him, he suddenly felt guilty. What sort of man was he? His wife and precious daughter, Ellie, were dead and here he was frolicking and enjoying himself with a new family as if they never existed; as if they were something that he could simply replace and move on.
Clare noticed
When she had skipped out of earshot Crank turned to Clare and smiled. “She’s quite the little match maker.”
Clare looked up at Crank and raised an eyebrow. “Is that such a bad thing?”
Crank was confused; his heart was hammering in his chest telling him to go for it ; that Clare and Willow could help mend his broken heart and allow him to feel love again, but at the same time his head was cautioning him and reminding him of his decision to back off before he got too involved.
Clare gently squeezed his hand. “You’ve made a huge impression on her you know,” she said softly, brushing a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. “I’ve never seen her take to someone as quickly as she has taken to you, especially being a man. Normally she’s quite shy until she gets to know someone properly.”
Crank impulsively leaned down to kiss her, but b efore he could Willow was back by their side. “Mama,” she exclaimed wide-eyed, the forest keeps going all the way out into the water. There are tall trees standing in the lake!”
She grabbed Crank’s other hand and tugged on it excitedly. “ Crank, hurry up, where’s my surprise?”
Crank looked forlornly at Clare. He had wanted to kiss her so badly, but the moment had now passed and he was deeply disappointed. Forcing a smile, he pointed to the thin timber jetty where he had sat to drink his coffee earlier that morning. “It’s just up there by the jetty,” he explained, “not much further, I promise.”
When they reached the jetty, Clare and Willow both spotted the old wooden dinghy moored to the jetty. “Crank, is that our surprise?” Willow asked, pointing to the weathered, grey boat that had possibly once been white.
“It sure is!” he assured her. “How would you ladies like to come for a scenic row with me out on the lake for a half hour or so?”
“Clare looked a little apprehensive. “ Is it safe? It looks so old.”
Crank nodded his head to reassure her. “It don’t look much, I’ll grant ya that, but I checked it over this morning and it is still very solid and safe.”
“But w ho does it belong to?” she asked, still not convinced that going out on the water in it was such a great idea. “What if the owner comes looking for it and finds it gone?”
Crank let go of her hand and walked out along the jetty until he reached the old boat and gently dragged it around in the water until they could both plainly see the name on the side of it.
“Hey, that’s my name!” Willow exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the word WILLOW, neatly painted in large faded, black letters near the stern.
“I have a feeling that this old dinghy belonged to your great granddaddy,” Crank explained to Willow as the two girls reached his side. “Either that or it’s one heck of a coincidence.” He looked up at Clare. “And if I’m right, that makes you and Willow the new owners of this boat. So what do you say we jump in and go for a nice, scenic row around the lake to test it out?”
Both of the girls looked at each other and grinned excitedly. “Yes please!” they agreed in unison.
As the three of them slowly meandered around the lake in the small, wooden dinghy, Crank suddenly realised that he was feeling genuinely happy and relaxed for the first time since Georgia and Ellie had been killed. And for the first time in six years he had actually spent an hour or so of his life without thinking about them. What’s more he was distracted not only by Clare’s beauty, but also by the timeless beauty of the lake and its surroundings.
As the realisation hit him, he suddenly felt guilty. What sort of man was he? His wife and precious daughter, Ellie, were dead and here he was frolicking and enjoying himself with a new family as if they never existed; as if they were something that he could simply replace and move on.
Clare noticed
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