Sweet…Me?
Griff
The trail through the woods was paved and wide enough for two. Walking beside me, Maisie said with a little laugh, "So then Dad says, 'But everyone loves sharks.'"
The trail stretched ahead, framed by towering trees and flanked with patches of wildflowers rustling in the breeze. It was nice. But my eyes kept returning to Maisie. "So that's how you got Shark Bike?"
"Not just Shark Bike," she said. "You've seen the other ones, right?"
I considered the whole eclectic fleet – Bumble Burner, Hot Lava, Rocket Racer, Disco Inferno, and maybe a half-dozen more. There was even one named Glazed and Confused that Homer Simpson would've loved. With a smile, I said, "Yeah, well…they're pretty hard to miss."
"No kidding," Maisie said. "My dad thought they'd make us rich."
"How so?"
"He was so sure that we'd have customers lined up to rent them no matter the cost."
"But you haven't?"
"You tell me ," she said with a half-hearted laugh. "Have you seen a line?"
"Not yet," I admitted.
"More like not ever. And he ordered the whole fleet before testing out a single one."
I was no marketing expert, but even I saw the pitfalls of that approach. "Did he say why?"
"Oh, yeah. He said he got a great deal by buying them in bulk – all custom-made, by the way – but trust me when I say, they didn't come cheap." Her voice grew wistful. "But my dad was a dreamer, so…"
I didn't say anything. I just kept pace and waited for the rest of it. But she never finished. Instead, she kept walking, with her eyes fixed on the trail ahead like she was seeing a different path altogether.
I gave her a moment before asking as gently as I could, "So… what happened to him?"
She hesitated. "Heart attack."
The words were simple, but they still hit hard. "Shit. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, me, too. But it wasn't totally unexpected. He always had a heart condition – one of those things he was born with. The doctors warned him for years that he might not see fifty."
"So, how old was he?"
"Fifty-nine." A smile crept into her voice.
"And he was so proud, like he'd proved them all wrong.
" She let out a sigh. "Of course, he could've proved them more wrong if he'd moved someplace warmer.
That's what the cardiologist kept pushing for.
" Her voice softened. "But he loved it here.
The island. The shop. The people. He said he'd rather drop dead in a snowbank than melt somewhere in Florida. "
I couldn't help but smile. "He sounds like a badass."
She let out a surprised laugh. "Yeah…I guess."
"And what about your mom?"
Maisie gave me a wry, sideways glance. "Well…let's just say she wasn't the dreamer type."
The simple sentence did the work of twenty. "So, they weren't together?"
"When he died?" She shook her head. "No. She was already married to someone new. She lives in Georgia now, which is probably for the best. That's where she's from originally. Plus, she really hated the cold."
Mackinac Island was a long way from Georgia. "So how'd they meet?"
Maisie gave a sad little laugh. "She came here on vacation and fell in love with the place – and my dad, too, I guess."
"But you just said – "
"Yeah. I know. She loved it in the summer, but hated it for the rest."
The more she talked, the more I wanted to know. "How about you? Do you hate it after summer?"
"Well…it's nice to get away for a week or two during the winter, but if you want the truth, I like the variety – and not just because of the weather."
I smiled. "Yeah?"
"Yeah, the island gets really quiet when the season ends, and it's pretty awesome, actually. Don't get me wrong. I love the buzz of spring and summer. But after that? I don't mind the slowdown. Honestly...it's kind of cozy."
I didn't say anything, but yeah, I could see it. In my head, I had visions of me and Maisie by the fire, just hanging out or whatever. The thought warmed me more than it should have.
Abruptly, Maisie stopped and turned to face me. "But what about you?"
I wasn't sure what she meant. "What about me?"
"Well…I've been going on about myself, but we haven't talked about you at all."
I smiled. "That's not true. We talked about me plenty while we ate." Was I exaggerating?
Maybe a little.
Other than a quick rundown of my early life – single mom, growing up in a trailer, not having much money – I'd said very little in spite of Maisie's gentle prying.
But I was liking it this way – and I had a sneaking suspicion that Maisie liked it, too. I couldn't help but notice that she'd seemed a lot more comfortable after learning I hadn't grown up rich.
I would come clean eventually, but for now, I was liking this too much to rock the boat.
She beamed up at me. "I still can't believe you packed us lunch. It was so sweet."
Sweet? Holy hell. I'd been called plenty of things in my life, but never sweet. Okay, my mom had said it a time or two, but that was different.
Now, I didn't know what to say. I shrugged like an awkward teen. "They were just sandwiches."
"They were not." She gave me a teasing nudge. "They were the best sandwiches, ever."
We'd eaten them within view of Arch Rock – a giant loop of stone rising from the trees like a postcard come to life. Maisie had been so delighted with my surprise lunch, you would've thought I'd taken her to the nicest restaurant in town.
Now, as she smiled up at me, I couldn't help but compare her to the woman I'd taken out in the city. Sure, most had been nice enough, but not like Maisie – who was more thrilled with a sandwich than my last date had been with filet mignon.
I smiled at the possibilities. "Just wait 'til I get you something better." I could already see it, wining and dining Maisie like she really deserved.
She laughed. "There is nothing better." Then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me so sweetly, my heart warmed in the cool afternoon. Somewhere deep inside me, the kiss – hell, all of this – felt like coming home to a place I hadn't realized I'd been missing.
Maisie – she was something special.
Unfortunately for both of us, I wasn't the only guy who thought so.