5. Beth
Beth
After getting the first couple of weeks under me at the rental shop, I was starting to get into it.
Megan had hooked me up with the owner, Mary, and she was thrilled to have a direct reference for an assistant manager for the summer.
Luckily, I didn’t need to know much about the boats since the shop’s handyman, Ted, would come every morning and do his rounds, along with getting everything set up.
He’d give the basics of driving and navigating to the renters, and all I had to do was give them the keys. Mostly, anyway.
On the bike side of things, we had a corral out back that had rows of different sizes and types—everything from little kids bikes with training wheels to a couple tandem bicycles.
The shop itself was tiny though. It was a glorified booth without much space to walk around, which made it that much better that I had a wide view of the marina every morning when I came in.
I’d lived in Michigan my entire life but never lived on the water, or even close to it.
The small farming community I grew up in was at least thirty miles inland, surrounded by fields, wind turbines, and century old wooden barns.
We weren’t one of those big farms. Instead, we focused on smaller operations—lots of farmer’s markets and a few key vendors.
Here, it was a completely different vibe.
The wind was always blowing, and I enjoyed watching the sunrise with my coffee when I started early enough to catch it.
I had even started running every morning along the lake before classes or working.
It was something I’d always wanted to do but never given myself the space to.
When coming here, I’d vowed to focus on myself and that’s exactly what I was trying to do.
It seemed like everyone was in a better mood here.
Maybe because it was a vacation town, or maybe because it was on the water.
I couldn’t put my finger on it. It just felt good.
I was surprised how quickly I was getting on with everyone in Port St. Clair and how much I was enjoying my busy schedule.
Ted and Mary had been out on the docks for a while that morning tinkering on things when they walked back in some kind of back-and-forth argument that I couldn’t hear the details of. Just then, I heard the backdoor slam.
“That Ted,” Mary said. “He drives me nuts.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Yup. Put your sign up. You’re going to be learning a little more about the business than I anticipated.
One of the other shops had one employee already quit for the summer, and I need to have Ted drive up to help until I find a replacement or two.
I need more of a buffer.” She ran her hand through her hair.
She owned three rental shops up the coast, and this was her prime season.
“But that means you’re going to have to start doing the walk-throughs in the mornings more often. ”
“Okay.” I placed my Be Back in 10 sign on the counter. “What did Ted do, though?”
“He just likes to get cheeky with me. Something I really don’t have time for.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t help give her half a smile as she huffed off. I’d seen them spat back and forth multiple times since starting, but I knew deep down they liked each other.
“That man.” She paused. “Come on. Let’s go.”
I followed her through the rows of boats. She moved so quickly, keeping up with her was more challenging. She zig-zagged in and out of the slips until she suddenly stopped at one of the tritoons.
“You’re going to get a crash course today,” she said. “Pull out your phone and take notes.”
She proceeded to give me a quick, yet surprisingly in-depth, crash course about how each of the boats started and operated.
“Whatever you do, make sure you get them to sign the waiver and the rules.” She put her hands on her hips.
“Last year, I had a bachelorette party that had a wild ride. When I came back out to check the boat the next morning, the entire pontoon was sunk to the ground. I had to call a tow boat to pull it out. Total shitshow.”
My mouth fell open.
“Yeah, so make sure they sign, and make sure they know where to go. Some of these people shouldn’t be renting boats at all, but what can you do?” She continued on like it was normal. “Luckily, we don’t get into too many issues though. Any questions?” Mary stopped talking and looked at me.
“Nope. All good.”
“It will be. It won’t be just us this summer, but we’re down a set of hands. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be good.” She patted me on the back, and I followed her in.
“We’ve got it,” I said. “I know this is different from what I did back home, but I’m used to having to pull my weight to figure things out on the fly.”
“That’s actually one of the big reasons I hired you. Outside of Megan’s glowing review, that is.” She laughed, shaking her head. “No one can say no to that woman. She’s a spitfire.”
“Are you going to have to spend more time at the shops this summer then?” I asked.
“That’s what it looks like. My daughter is about your age.
She’s pregnant and lives in the U.P. At the start of the summer, I had planned on spending some more time up there to help her get ready for the baby.
Guess it’s not in the cards.” She was brushing off her pants while saying that, glancing to the ground.
“Ugh, I’m sorry. I’ll try to get up to speed as quickly as possible, and maybe you can still take that trip,” I said.
“I’m just getting too old for this.” She grabbed the broom and started working on the fishflies on the outside of the building. “I’ve owned this place over twenty years, and it might be about time to hang up the keys. Unfortunately, I don’t have much of a choice at this point.”
I was taken aback a bit when she said that. Huron Rentals was one of the mainstays in town, and even before she owned it, there was another family that ran it. It was the only bike and boat rental in the little tourist town.
“Maybe you just need someone else to pull some weight for you.” I took the broom from her and started sweeping. “Besides, I’m looking to make some changes up on the farm back home. Might be good for me to see how you run things here—give me a few other ideas to take back.”
“You know what?” She hooked her thumbs on her beltloops. “That sounds like a plan.”
My chest swelled as my simple summer position became an opportunity instead of just a job.
Between my classes, work at the store, and just normal life, combined with her off-and-on work schedule, Megan and I hadn’t spent much time together.
When she found out we would be off the same day, she jumped up and down and insisted she take me to Port St. Clair beach.
I hadn’t been in years—probably since I was a kid—and I was looking forward to it.
Megan was running around packing her giant beach bag, and since I didn’t have one, she was packing a separate one for me too.
Sprinting all over the house, she gathered everything she thought we needed—beach blankets (towels weren’t nice enough apparently), giant umbrella (because, skin cancer), and all the other little things, including snacks.
She was one of those uber-prepared people who was in control of everything and had as much fun as she possibly could at the same time.
“Okay, I think we’re ready!” she shouted from down the hall. “This will be so fun! You’ll finally be able to enjoy the town.” When she came back, she grabbed a bag and headed for the car.
Following her to her SUV, I loaded up the other bags. “I’m not really used to downtime.” I was used to farmer’s markets on the weekends, working the greenhouse when I was home, and coordinating all the day-to-day with vendors.
“Well, today we change that.” Starting the car, she put her sunglasses on and looked at me. “Let’s roll.”
When we got to the beach, I was surprised how full it already was for so early in the morning.
Taking off her flip-flops, Megan pointed out a spot halfway between the water and the pavilion and made her way over.
I could tell she’d done this a few times because she set up in record time.
Once we were laying down, she got right to it.
“I have to ask since we haven’t talked about it… How’s it going with Johnny?” She slid her sunglasses down her nose, awaiting my reply.
“It’s fine,” I said, giving her a quick glance before shutting my eyes and taking in the rays. “We actually haven’t talked much. We still need to meet up about gathering donations for the festival auction.”
“Just ‘fine’? Come on. You know I didn’t just pair you up for no reason.”
I jolted up. “What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Johnny is the summer-fun guy.” She went on. “He’s the guy all the girls ogle when they come here on vacation. You need a break, girl. Thought it could be some good fun for you.”
“Oh, God,” I said, lifting my own glasses. “Are you serious? Come on, Megan.”
“Based on what I’ve seen, you need a little fun in your life. Too much work and not enough play.” She propped herself up on her elbows. “I should know. I used to do that too. Now, I take advantage of my surroundings.”
I shook my head, rolling my eyes at her. Yes, she definitely enjoyed it, and I had heard many stories over the years of her getting together with tourists or other people who’d come through town. She was always up for a new adventure.
“Let me tell you, there is a big benefit of living in a place where people come and go all summer. I can enjoy myself without having to worry about a long-term commitment. Win-win.”
I laughed at her gumption. “How long have you been planning this?”
“Oh, not long, but I saw you both sitting there in that meeting, and I had to do something. It was too good!” She kicked her feet like she was a kid on Christmas day. “You’re so in your head all the time. Don’t let these experiences pass you by. When is the last time you had a date?”
“I don’t know,” I said, thinking back. “Maybe New Year? Michael and I decided we needed to cool it after that.”
“Yeah, you’re due, girl.” She laid back down, grabbing a water bottle. “Johnny is the perfect person to get you out of your rut.”
“I’m not in a rut. I’m just doing my thing.”
“Please. You’re in a rut. This is your summer of freedom. Take the bull by the horns, seize the day, live life to the fullest.” She kept going.
“You trying to create your own inspirational greeting card collection?” I teased.
“Maybe I will!” She giggled, laying down. “What is it with you and Michael, anyway? It sounds like you need to cut bait with him.”
“We’re not dating. We’ve been over since winter.
It’s just… complicated,” I said, plainly.
“He’s always there. I thought we were done.
” I shook my head. “We are done. But he wants to start things up again when I’m back in town after Labor Day.
” I sighed, then continued, “It’s hard to say no to that with all the history between us.
He was my first love. We just want different things, even though, sometimes, I think things would be so much easier if we just wound up together. ”
“Don’t sound so excited about him,” she joked. “Who cares if that’s the case, anyway? You could have a nice summer fling, then head back north and do whatever it is you want with this Mike guy—not that he sounds that amazing, anyway—but you do you.”
“He goes by Michael.”
Megan raised her eyebrows at me. “It doesn’t need to be serious. You’ve got to let loose a little, especially if you plan on settling down, which you might want to think about, anyway. You don’t want to look back and think about what could have been.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just not that easy. I’ve always stayed in my lane, you know?” I paused, looking out at the waves crashing up onto the shore. “I’m so used to doing what everyone expects, I don’t even think about doing what I want.”
“Well, maybe it’s time,” she said.
“Maybe it is.”
Just then, she sat up and looked back over at the pavilion. “Someone’s ears must have been ringing.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, following her stare.
When I finally figured out what she was looking at, all I could focus on was the giant back tattoo of dark ink that crawled over a man’s shoulder and down his left arm.
He stood there, head back, laughing with his buddy, wearing some low-slung board shorts and his backward hat.
I knew exactly who’s back that was, and I was in trouble.