Chapter 21
As Derek’s life slowed down, Linney’s took off. She’d been busy before, but it was a whirlwind now, and TCN had her travelling from city to city and country to country covering regional events and providing a window into everyday life for people in the UK and back home in Canada. Mac sent accolades, ratings soared, and the Silver Lake community was happy to see Linney on TV again.
She now had a wardrobe of loose-fitting linen skirts and blouses that covered tank tops and worked in almost every environment. Her khaki trousers replaced skirts when she was in the field. MJ would not approve of any of it as being fashionable but it suited its purpose. Linney kept a pashmina in her purse in case she needed it to go into a mosque or a conservative neighbourhood or village. Her Arabic was improving, but she relied on Hassan for anything complicated.
The pace of work made it impossible to find enough time to get back to Silver Lake. Suddenly she’d been in Damascus for almost two years and the only holidays she’d had were a few stolen days here and there to see the pyramids in Egypt, the lost city of Petra, and the modern marvels of Dubai.
A lot had happened since she’d been home last and Linney hadn’t been there to see any of it. Things were changing at Silver Lake and not all of it was good. What started as Derek’s mother’s forgetfulness and confusion quickly became more than that. Linney heard how Derek had found her book in the freezer one day and her keys in the medicine cabinet another. When his mother had trouble finding the right words, he took her to the doctor, but didn’t want to believe the diagnosis. When he couldn’t trust her to look after the kids anymore, Ivy joined Leo in daycare. Eventually, he hired someone to come in to make lunch for his mother and stay for the afternoons.
One evening, when he was talking on the phone with Linney in his home office beside the kitchen, he smelled smoke. His mother had turned on the stove and started a fire when she wandered away leaving the pan unattended. Derek brought in more help. She was his mother, after all, and it was his job to look after her, early-onset Alzheimer’s or not. But the aggressive disease progressed rapidly and when Kirsten appeared at the law office one cold winter day with his mother, who was wearing her nightgown under her winter coat and slippers on her feet, despite the snowy streets, he knew he had no choice. Kirsten had found Mrs. Blake in the supermarket, confused about where she was, and anxious about getting home. It was agonizing, but his mother needed full-time care, and for their family, the Silver Lake Graceful Care facility was the right choice.
Derek visited her at lunch every day and he took the children to see her twice a week after dinner. Linney cried with him when he told her that he could see his mother slipping further away with each visit. Still, even if she didn’t remember who they were, she lit up whenever Ivy and Leo ran into her room. She knew they were important to her.
Anna and Danny had bought another cottage recently, adding to those they already managed. The cottages were full from spring to fall, and sometimes in the winter. Anna had hired a couple of local ladies to clean them between guests.
Master’s degree in hand, Kirsten was now a nurse manager and blended caring for patients with managing a team of nurses. She still went to KnitWorks when she could, sang in the church choir and now she was volunteering for Silver Lake’s Fall Festival organizing committee. Unfortunately, Page Turners was not doing well. It had been six years since the new owners had taken over and they had just never found their groove.
All of this Linney learned about at a distance, and as time went on, she felt further and further away from her friends. So she was firm with TCN back in the UK. She needed to take some time off and go home. They agreed, if reluctantly, to a full six weeks. But first, there was Kabul.
Linney and Ernst met up in the Afghan city after another bombing attack. She and Grant were there to do interviews and Ernst was on a freelance photography job. The fighting between the government and the Taliban was intensifying. Linney wasn’t sure the TCN brass would agree to let her and Grant go to Afghanistan again, so they worked extra hard to get as much on tape as they could. After the work was complete, Linney and Ernst found themselves in bed again. It wasn’t really a surprise and had happened often since Beirut. They lay together now, breathing heavily, their khakis strewn about the hotel room. She sighed as he began the same speech he always did about how their sleeping together was a bad idea. It was as if he needed to hear her confirm it every time.
Linney rolled over and looked at him. “I’m not asking anything from you,” she assured him. “I’m not looking for anything serious. These moments we share are enough.” That satisfied him, and he kissed her again. They were both hungry for a moment of sweetness amidst the horrors outside the door before they headed their separate ways.
A few days later, Linney wiped the sweat from her brow as she finished things up in her office. As much as she loved Damascus, it was hard to deal with the heat. Even with air conditioning in her apartment, it was sticky and tendrils of hair curled on the nape of her neck as she forced a few last items into her suitcase. Linney was ready to go home.
* * *
Despite the videotour of all the renovations, Linney was still surprised when she pulled into her driveway in the early evening. The little yellow house next door wasn’t so little anymore, but it looked like it had always been there. Her place looked a little neglected in comparison, she thought, as she noticed peeling paint. When she opened the front door, scuff marks on the walls and her outdated kitchen made her wince. Her house needed a little TLC.
Someone had been in and left her a vase of wildflowers. Derek probably—he knew they were her favourites. She’d thank him later. But first, she wanted to get out on the water. Linney unpacked quickly, changed from her travelling clothes, threw on a bathing suit and some quick-dry shorts and headed down to the shore. She slid her kayak into the water and was soon on her way. It wasn’t long before her shoulder muscles were burning, and she rested her paddle over the front of the kayak and drifted for a while, watching the willow trees on the shoreline wave in the gentle breeze and listening to the happy shrieks of children playing down on the beach. The sun was warm on her back and she heard a loon cry in the distance. Linney propelled slowly down the lake for a few more minutes and then rolled her sore shoulders and reluctantly turned around. Clearly, she was going to have to work up to a longer paddle.
Linney saw Derek and the children down at the shore when she pulled her kayak out of the water. Derek looked relaxed and tanned. Summer life in Silver Lake agreed with him. Ivy and Leo, with sunhats on their heads and life jackets over bathing suits, were gleefully throwing stones into the lake.
“Starting them young?” she called over to Derek, remembering their childhood stone skipping contests.
“Welcome home! I saw a car in the driveway. Come and join us.” Linney walked over a few minutes later when her kayak was safely stowed.
Derek took off his sunglasses as he bent down to talk to his children. “Remember Auntie Linney? We talk to her on my iPad. Can you say hello?” Taking her cue from him, Linney came down to their level too.
“Hi, Auntie Linney,” Leo said. A shy Ivy buried her face in Derek’s chest and he put his arm around her.
“Hi, Leo.” Linney put her hand on Ivy’s shoulder. “Hello, Ivy.” The three-year-old shrank deeper into Derek’s arms.
Linney’s eyes flitted to Derek’s, questioning, but he just mouthed, “Give her time.” She nodded, but it still hurt. She’d been gone for far too long.
“Your daddy is a skipping stones champion,” she tried again. “Did you know?” Leo looked up at her with wide eyes and shook his head. Linney looked over at Derek. “Shall we show them how it’s done?”
Derek picked up a smooth, round stone and stood up. “You’re on!”
His first stone skipped four times and Linney matched him. They continued for several minutes, Ivy and Leo cheering their father on.
“Remember when we did this as kids?” Derek asked. “Your gran would have to bribe us with milk and cookies to entice us up from the shore.” Linney nodded, the memory strong. “We only have store-bought cookies, but you’re welcome to come up to the house. It’s just about bedtime for these monkeys.”
“I’d love that.” Linney took Leo’s hand and Derek scooped Ivy up and they headed up to the house. “I still can’t get over how much you’ve changed this place,” Linney said to Derek as they sat in the kitchen after a tour. “It’s perfect.”
Derek poured glasses of milk and pulled out a box of assorted cookies. “Two each,” he told the kids.
“What’s your favourite kind?” Linney asked Leo and Ivy, trying to build some rapport.
“I like chocolate chip,” Leo said. “And Ivy likes the ones with sprinkles.”
“Rainbow,” added the little girl, shyly holding one out to Linney, which she accepted with pleasure. By the time they finished, it was getting late.
“Okay, kids, time for bed,” Derek said when they’d finished. “Say goodnight to Auntie Linney.”
Linney yawned. “I think it’s my bedtime too. Thanks for the snack, you guys. Sleep well.” She turned to Derek. “Jetlag. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
* * *
Derek’s carwas gone when Linney emerged the next morning and looked across to his house. She’d been lulled to sleep the night before by the sounds of waves lapping against the shore and had slept until nine o’clock. Humming to herself, Linney put on the coffee maker and got dressed in a T-shirt and tan shorts after showering. She left her long hair to air dry and took her mug out to the porch. It was going to be a warm day, but not as hot and sticky as Syria, thank goodness. Linney noticed her glasses didn’t fog up when she went outside. She didn’t miss that!
Linney filled her mug again and brought her phone back out to the porch with her. She sent a photo of the lake to MJ and then Anna and Kirsten to see if either of them were free. There was no response, but Linney didn’t mind. She took her kayak out and headed into town, across the lake. This was something they’d done as teenagers. Gran would give her money for ice cream and then she’d join Derek to get a cone from the summer stand at Centennial Park where Anna worked during the summers in high school.
Shoulders a little stiff from last evening’s kayaking, Linney was determined to paddle steadily and ignore the pain. She found a rhythm, and as she settled in, started to think about Ivy’s hesitance with her. She’d have to find a way around that. The town docks came into view and Linney doubled her determination. Her muscles were screaming when she pulled up and slipped out of her kayak to tie it up. But she’d made it, and for that, she was happy.
A single scoop of raspberry ripple was her reward, sold to her by a lovely girl who told Linney her family cottaged at Silver Lake every summer. Linney sat on the steps of the band shell with her bare legs stretched out in front of her, enjoying every last spoonful and then headed up to Main Street.
By the time she got halfway down the street, the local storekeepers already knew she was home and many came out to greet her. Small town life, thought Linney with hints of both amusement and irritation. It never changed. Linney turned the corner at Willow Street and soon found herself at Anna’s dance studio. She watched Anna give some instructions to a trio of teenagers—summer staff, she supposed—and then knocked on her office door.
“Got time for an old friend?”
“Linney!” Anna was up on her feet and across the room to hug Linney. “I wasn’t sure we’d see you today.”
A frown crossed Linney’s face. “Didn’t you get my text?”
Anna rummaged through her purse and looked at her phone. “Sorry,” she apologized. “It’s a busy day and I haven’t even had a chance to sit down.” She used her hands to smooth back her dancer’s bun.
“I won’t keep you then.” Linney was disappointed, but understanding. Her friends couldn’t upend their lives just because she was home.
“But will you come to dinner tonight? Danny and the girls are anxious to see you.”
“I’d love to. Now go back to work. I’m going to check out Page Turners and get myself a new book.”
Linney entered the bookstore expecting to see a large summer crowd. There was an older couple browsing, but the cash register was certainly not ringing up sales quickly. She found a couple of books—a light romance and a meatier historical thriller and then decided to poke her head in at the local law office. But Derek was leaving as she arrived.
“How’s the jet lag this morning?” He asked and then looked at his watch. “This afternoon, I mean.” It was almost one o’clock.
“Not bad. Have you had lunch yet?”
Derek shook his head. “I was just heading out to get a sandwich. Want to join me?”
“I’ve just had ice cream. And books!” She held the bag up. “I shouldn’t.”
“No problem. I don’t have time to linger anyway. See you around … neighbour!”
Linney laughed. “Sounds good … neighbour!”
The kayak ride home was more leisurely, and Linney allowed herself to stop a few times and just drift. Life was unhurried at the lake, and she was starting to slow down. When she had pulled the kayak up onto land, she made a sandwich and spent the afternoon getting lost in her book.
* * *
“We thinkit’s time that Derek started dating,” Anna told Linney matter-of-factly, when she joined the family for dinner that evening.
Danny nodded his head. “He won’t listen to me though. We’re hoping you can help us with that.”
“Do you have anyone in mind?” Linney asked, curiously. She hadn’t thought about it, but Derek had been alone for more than two years. It was time.
“Well, Kirsten does,” Anna said, as she passed the salad. “She knows a couple of people who’d be interested in a handsome man and wouldn’t be put off by the fact that he’s a father.”
Linney put some potato salad on her plate. “Count me in.”
“Good,” Danny said. “Kirsten’s coming for dessert, after her shift. The girls and I will let you three plot!”
Linney couldn’t get over how Gabby and Emma had grown. The teenagers had inherited their mother’s grace but their father’s dark hair and eyes had fought with their mother’s blonde genes. Gabby, who was driving already, had lighter hair but Emma was more like her father. They both wanted to know all about her adventures, and she kept everyone entertained through dinner.
When Kirsten arrived, looking fabulous despite a twelve-hour shift, Danny made them all some tea and then took dessert for himself and his daughters out into the garden to let the women plan.
“He won’t agree to go on a date, from what Danny said,” Linney summarized. “So we need to orchestrate a situation where he meets someone.”
“Like what?” Kirsten asked. “It needs to feel natural.”
“Let me think a bit. Where does Derek go out these days?” Linney realized she’d lost track of the details of her friends’ lives.
“Basically it’s just out with us, or basketball with Danny and the guys,” Anna said. “And I’m not sure how that would work.”
“Is there any reason either of you would need to throw a party?” Linney asked.
“What about a picnic for Danny’s birthday?” Anna suggested. “I was just planning something small but the girls want to try and surprise him. That might be a good opportunity.”
“If we can’t figure out something sooner,” Kirsten added.
By the time Linney went home that evening, they were in agreement. Danny’s party would be a surprise for more than one man.
* * *
Linney had arrangedfor the newspaper to be delivered, and it quickly became a morning habit to sit on her porch with coffee and the news to start her day. Despite her impatience with everyone in town wanting to know all about her, she thoroughly enjoyed her quiet, leisurely mornings. After breakfast, before it got too hot, she would take the kayak out and after a couple of weeks, her shoulders were strong and tanned. If it was raining, she did yoga on the porch instead. Most days she walked into town, and she’d bought herself some shorts and sundresses that were more appropriate for her vacation than her linen khakis. Because it was summer, Knitworks was on break, or it would have been the perfect place to get caught up on all the local news. Instead, regular lunches with Anna or Kirsten took care of that. The only disappointment was that MJ hadn’t been able to get the time off to come and join her. They’d have to leave her initiation to Silver Lake for another time.
Linney mentioned dating to Derek briefly once or twice but backed off when he got bristly. It was going to take some time to warm him up to the idea. Good thing they still had Danny’s birthday.
Afternoons were reserved for reading, a real luxury, but one Linney needed to decompress. She had a long “to be read” list on her phone that she was working her way through, but she’d also added a couple more paperbacks since her first Page Turners visit.
Linney was used to the familiar sounds of the children coming home from camp and daycare with their dad in tow now, and it signalled that it was time to put away her books. She spent a lot of evenings with her neighbours. Sometimes she’d cook for them and other times she’d eat at Derek’s place. Tonight they were planning to take the youngsters out for an evening kayak ride after dinner. Ivy had warmed up to Linney finally and was like her shadow now, always wanting to sit with her or hold her hand.
“Do you want to go in Daddy’s kayak or mine?” Linney asked Leo as she helped Derek buckle the kids into their life jackets.
“Daddy’s,” Leo said.
“Okay, then the girls will go together, right Ivy?” The preschooler nodded. “In you get!” Linney scooped her up and placed her in the front of her kayak’s cockpit. Derek helped Leo climb into his, and after they adjusted the seats, they were off.
Derek was first to spot a heron in the reeds along the shore, but the big graceful bird flew off before they could get too close. “Shhhhhhh,” they both said to their passengers. As the sun got lower in the sky, Derek guided them along the shoreline and Linney knew what he was hoping to see.
“Let’s be quiet like mice,” she whispered to Ivy as her paddle sliced through the water almost silently. Derek beckoned her to come closer. She raised her eyebrows in question and he nodded with a huge grin.
Linney pulled her kayak up to Derek’s, and he grabbed hold of her cockpit rim to keep them together. She could see that Leo was almost vibrating with excitement. He pointed ahead of them. And there it was. A huge specimen of a moose, at least six feet tall with an enormous rack of antlers. “Wow,” she whispered. No matter how often she came across one, seeing the majestic animal was always humbling.
Ivy twisted around in front of her. “Can we pet it, Auntie Linney?” Linney smiled and shook her head.
“We can only watch him, sweetheart.” And they did, as he munched on lily pads and reeds. “We’d better turn back,” Derek said, as the sun slipped toward the horizon. “Or else we won’t get home before dark.”
Linney nodded and turned her kayak. She and Derek pulled hard strokes, and they got back to the dock, just as the sun disappeared.
“Alright, up to the house and into pajamas,” Derek told the kids. “I’ll be up soon after we put the kayaks away.”
“Auntie Linney too?” asked Leo. “She reads good stories.”
Derek looked over at her. “You don’t have to.”
She shook her head. “I’d love to.”
When the kids were finally in bed, Linney and Derek shared a glass of cider in his front room.
“Thanks for tonight,” Derek said. “I’ve never been able to take them out before.” There was silence while he gathered his thoughts. “Sometimes it’s really hard being a single parent.”
“You’re a great dad,” Linney reassured him. And it was true. From what she’d seen, he lived only for his children.
Derek looked at her with a touch of melancholy in his eyes. “Even here, where it’s easier than the city, I sometimes feel I’m not measuring up. There’s just not enough of me to go around and I can’t always give them what they deserve.”
“You’re doing a great job. But Derek, you need to put yourself first sometimes.” Linney shifted in her seat to look Derek directly in the eye. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but the only way you’re going to find someone else to be in their lives is to start dating.”
“Linney.” His voice was tight, warning her not to continue.
“Derek, you at least need to think about it. You deserve someone in your life.”
He shook his head. “I’m too busy. And they’re too young.”
Linney stood up. “I’ll let it go for now, but not forever.”
* * *
Linney invitedher brother and his family for the long weekend in August. Bringing family now meant including girlfriends and boyfriends. The kids pitched tents on the lawn between the house and the lake and the waterfront was busy with kayaks, canoes, and even a jet ski that they rented from the marina in town. The noise level was high as they played games of horseshoes and lawn darts, the young people mixing with the adults.
When they ran out of ice on the second day, Linney popped into town for more and added extra marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate.
“You’ve got everyone home this weekend, I hear,” said the woman who cashed her out.
“I do. It’s nice to have them at the lake.” Linney was surprised the news had spread so fast. This town was quite something. She hurried back with the ice and makings of s’mores.
Linney found herself telling her brother about the renovation plans she was drawing up with Danny to update the kitchen and refresh the hardwood floors.
“Are you doing anything big enough to need my help?” he asked.
Linney shook her head. “Nothing structural that would need an architect, but thanks. This is just some simple upgrades—but you’re welcome to have a look.”
“Are you thinking of selling?” Rachael asked with interest. “Both those projects would help your resale value.” Rachael had taken her realtor courses when she’d been downsized from her company a few years ago.
Linney shook her head. “I could never sell this place. No matter where I am, it’s home.”
“Well if you ever change your mind…” Rachael said, trailing off.
“She won’t,” Jake said firmly. “If I know my sister, no matter how infrequently she comes back to Canada, she’ll always want to come to the lake. She grew up here. I just visited.” He had a sad, faraway look in his eyes and Linney knew he was remembering times before their parents’ death, something she had only fleeting memories of.
“I want you guys to be able to visit whenever you want. Even when I’m not here. You know that, right? The renovations will make it more comfortable for you too.”
Jake nodded and gave her a hug. He cleared his throat. “I think it’s a great plan.” He helped Linney put away the last of the lawn chairs.
She waved as all the cars pulled out of the driveway and then collapsed onto the porch swing. It had been a lot of work having the whole family, and she was exhausted.
* * *
The next week,Derek and Linney sat out by the dock one evening watching the fireflies. The night had turned chilly and Linney was thankful for the warmth from the mugs of tea in their hands.
“It’s strange,” he said pensively, one ear tuned into the baby monitor he’d brought down so he could hear if the kids woke up. “All the things I hated as a kid here are the things I appreciate now.”
“What do you mean?” Linney asked with a furrowed brow.
“This town really cares about people. It’s so reassuring to know that if, say Leo ran off at the park, someone would make sure he found me again. Or like when Ivy got sick, and I had to go to court, the KnitWorks ladies took turns rocking her while they knitted until I could get back.
“And you don’t find that stifling?” While she appreciated it more these days, Linney still chafed at the town’s embrace.
Derek laughed. “Not like I used to. You wouldn’t understand. You’re loving your life abroad and you don’t have kids. Things change.”
“They do.” Linney saw an opening. “Olivia’s been gone a long time now. You really should start dating. I can babysit while I’m home. You deserve a night out.”
“Linney.” Derek clenched his jaw. The tone of his voice in that one word gave her pause. “I do not want to talk about this.”
“It’s not working,” Linney reported back to Kirsten and Anna over coffee and treats at the Doughnut Hut. “I can’t get through to him!” She huffed in frustration and sat back in her chair. “He just won’t talk about it.”
Kirsten licked her fingers. “I think we’re just going to have to spring it on him.” She didn’t love the idea, but Derek was being obstinate. “I can bring Will too, so there won’t just be one new person there.” Kirsten was dating an insurance adjuster from Bridgegrove.
Anna snapped to attention. “Wait, is it getting serious with Will?”
“We’re having fun for now, but I don’t think it’s going anywhere.” Kirsten sighed dramatically. “I’m beginning to think your girls will have partners before I do.”
“Don’t even say it!” Anna looked aghast and the women burst into fits of laughter.
“Seriously,” Linney said after a minute, wiping the tears from under her glasses. “I’ll try again, but he gets really annoyed at me when I bring it up.”
“You don’t have much time left,” Anna said. “I’m going to send email invitations about the picnic in a few days.”
Kirsten and Anna lingered after Linney left.
“You know,” Anna began, “if Linney would ever come home, she’d be perfect for Derek. They’ve known each other forever. I bet they could finish each other’s sentences.”
Kirsten looked over at her, her mouth hanging open. “I thought I was the only one who thought that! You’re right, they’d make a great couple. The kids already love her, and imagine what beautiful babies they’d have.” She sighed, to Anna’s amusement. “Of course, that will never happen. Do you suppose they’ve ever thought of each other that way?”
Anna shook her head. “Linney’s never said anything and Danny would have told me if Derek had. I guess it’ll only ever be in our imaginations.”
* * *
“What’s this about a picnic?”Derek asked Linney a week later as he scrolled through his email after putting Leo and Ivy to bed. He’d dodged the raindrops on the way to her place tonight with his laptop and the baby monitor, and they sat in her sunroom, listening to the rain and enjoying each other’s company while they worked.
“A surprise party for Danny. So don’t say anything.” Linney didn’t want him spilling the beans on one of their basketball evenings. “It’s small. Just a few people. You, me, the kids, Kirsten. I think she’s bringing a date.”
“You can be mine,” Derek jested.
“I’d make a pretty bad date. I’m going back soon, remember?”
“No chance I can convince you to stay in Silver Lake?” His eyes danced, teasing her, and knowing that was out of the question.
Linney stood up and looked out into the darkness. “I’ll admit it’s been good to have all this time at the lake. And I’ve loved spending time with you and your kids. But my job is waiting for me. I’ll be back—but never to stay.”
They lapsed into silence, Derek continuing to clean out his inbox and Linney sketching out kitchen ideas. She had a meeting with Danny soon to finalize what she wanted him to do. She’d assured him already that he could do it over the winter when things were slower. She wouldn’t be back until next summer at the earliest.