Chapter 8 – Storm
“Come in. Thank you for knocking,” Grace called from the closet.
“I’m trying to dress warmly. It’s colder up here than I thought.
” She had jeans on, pulled a turtleneck over her head, then put on the green corduroy shirt and walked out past him in her stocking feet.
“Wish I’d brought a base layer. Not that I have one.
” She took the lid off a pot and stirred it with a wooden spoon. Robby was still standing by the door.
“You have on enough layers.” Robby walked over. “I brought sausage.”
“Oh, good. It’ll go great with the grits. I’ll freeze the leftover steak. There’s coffee. Could you fix me one, too? How’d you sleep?” She looked at him. He had a strange look on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Grits?”
“You gotta problem with grits?”
“I’ve never had them . . . And they don’t sound appealing.”
Grace walked around him, getting a pan for the sausage.
“Try them. They’re good, especially with sausage .
. . or cheese . . . or shrimp — they’re really good with shrimp.
I’m going to miss shrimp. And Olsson’s didn’t have a great selection of grits.
I shouldn’t complain — I was surprised to find any.
I’ll put garlic and cheese in these, and they’ll be edible.
She stopped and looked at him again. “Fix yourself some eggs once the sausage is half done, in case you don’t like grits.
So, did you sleep? You still haven’t fixed our coffee.
Come on, rock star, get a move on. We got places to go.
You’re the one with the shrieking fan base we have to avoid. ”
He moved toward the mugs and coffee, muttering.
“I didn’t catch that. What’d you say?” Grace stirred the grits again.
“I said, ‘You could be nicer to people who have a hard time sleeping.’” He was over by the coffee. He came towards her. “Here’s your coffee. With extra sugar because you need it.” He handed her a mug and stood in front of her.
“Your thinking I need sweetening, doesn’t persuade me that I need it. I think that need belongs to you,” she said, looking at him over the rim of her mug.
“I can’t do this now — spar with you — until I’ve had more coffee.”
“Why do you have such a problem with sleep? You should’ve slept like a log. You had so much exercise.”
“I didn’t used to. Used to adjust quickly.
But not anymore. My body’s gotten used to collapsing whenever there’s a chance — but only for a couple or three hours.
I wake up after that, and I can’t get back to sleep.
I don’t think you have any idea what my life was like, basically from the time I was twenty.
Sixteen years constantly on the road . . . with one band or another.”
“I won’t argue that. Maybe sleeping with a teddy bear would help.”
“That’s not what I need to sleep with.”
“Oh my god. Are we already there? At this hour? Go feed the woodstove, then sit in a recliner and drink your coffee. I’ll fix breakfast. Do you have a preference on your eggs?”
“No, but three.”
*************
At the lodge, Robby was concerned about causing a scene.
He’d run into fishermen earlier, but they apparently didn’t listen to pop rock and asked him about secret fishing holes.
They thought he was a guide. Now he had his braid under a wool hat and sunglasses handy.
Grace opened the door and looked inside. “Coast is clear.”
“You know, it just occurred to me, if I brought Covid up here yesterday, you’ve got it now, because that was a good kiss.”
“Robby! You’re smiling. It took thinking you gave me Covid to get you out of your funk?”
“Yep.”
They went into the empty dining area. Grace looked through the pass-through and saw Nan. “Good morning!”
“Almost ready. Any allergies or preferences on the candy bars, or shall I surprise you?”
“No allergies, and I’ll take a Butterfinger if you have one. Let me ask Robby.” She turned. He was looking at the lake. “Robby, do you care what kind of candy bar?”
“Mounds. But it doesn’t really matter.”
Nan nodded. “Got it . . . Sit out there, and I’ll bring it all right out in an insulated bag. Here’s your coffee. You can fix it in advance or do it as you pour.” She handed Grace a large thermos through the pass-through.
Grace turned to Robby. “Let’s get sugar packets and do it as we drink.
You like yours sweeter than I do,” but he was staring out the window again, not hearing, so she went to grab a handful of packets from the coffee bar.
Nan was coming through the swinging door when she got back.
“Nan, you’ve met my friend Robby?” Robby turned from the window.
“I haven’t, but I’m pleased to. How’s the cabin working for you?”
“Just right, thank you. Exactly what I need. And thank you for this.” He took the bag from Nan.
“Of course. ‘Hope you two have a lovely day. Looks like the weather’s going to be good.” She glanced at Grace.
“Are you going to be warm enough? That’s a nice jacket, but I’m not sure it’s going to be enough out on the water.
Come with me.” She turned to Robby, “You come, too. It’s right by the front door.
” She walked off saying, “We keep some clothes for just these times.” They went to the mud room where a variety of jackets were hanging.
“Try this one.” Nan handed Grace a dark green down jacket.
Grace took hers off and handed it to Robby.
She put on the down one. “Good fit,” Nan said.
“Take that. ‘You’ve got hats and gloves?” Robby nodded and Grace retrieved hers from her jacket.
“Now you’re set,” She opened the door. “Enjoy!”
Grace saw Billy on the dock as they walked down and called to him. “Billy, thanks so much for the firepit and the Adirondacks! It’s all perfect!”
He grinned. “Glad you like them. Jim had it on the list. Robby asked about a campfire ring. Said he’d help. So I figured it was a good time. The chairs could use a new coat of paint, but I can do that on the point as easy as in the shed.” He looked at Robby. “Going for a paddle?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Which one you want?” Robby looked at the line of canoes and quickly pointed to one.
“You want to come with me to choose paddles and PFD’s?
” The two walked up the dock to the nearest outbuilding.
When they reappeared, they had all the gear including gloves.
Billy asked where they planned to go. “Jim’ll want to know, for safety. ”
“We’ll stay on Gunflint this time, till Grace gets her paddling skills up to my standards.” Robby laughed, and Grace remembered from the lighthouse how much he liked being around water.
Watching Robby put on his gloves, Billy said, “I see you got the fingerless ones. You got those long fingers. Did you play basketball?”
“Some. I could palm it before I was twelve. That said, I was never into ball sports. I ran and played music.” He looked up and saw a family coming out of one of the A-frames. “Time to go.”
Billy looked back, nodded, and untied the canoe. Robby swung the lunch bag in, got in easily, then put his hand on the dock to hold the canoe steady while Billy helped Grace in. Robby paddled away from the dock. Grace turned around, smiling. “Isn’t this the greatest?”
Robby smiled and nodded. They passed his cabin, then came even with Grace’s.
He stopped paddling and they coasted. “Such a great spot. And a great cabin. It’s been here a long time.
If walls could talk . . . I used to come up here as a kid to visit some grandfathers and their sister, farther up the shore on the Canadian side. It was here then and long before that.”
“You haven’t told me that.”
He started paddling again as they pulled even with the point.
There was a small area of open water to their left.
“Grace, look left. That opening directly across leads into a smaller lake, eventually a river. We’re not going there today, but if you stay up here, there’s places to practice running rapids up there and portages, too.
It’s the way to Saganaga, a great canoe trip.
We did it once as a family. I did it again when I was a teenager with a bunch of friends.
That was a wild time.” He laughed and looked forward.
“Now you need to put that paddle in the water . . . hone your skills.”
They paddled for miles, a slight breeze at their backs.
It was a great day to be out on the lake, but they saw only a handful of other boaters — not nearly the norm for Memorial Day Weekend.
Robby told stories he’d heard growing up and talked about the fire over a decade ago whose damage was still in evidence, but a lot of the time they enjoyed the silence.
Eventually, Grace turned around. “I need something to eat, some cover to pee, and something to lean my back against.
“I was wondering.” He scanned the shore on the US side and pointed, “There. The rock.” They headed for a rock jutting out into the water, which made for an easy target.
When they were about thirty feet offshore, Grace lifted her paddle and let Robby navigate.
Up close, the rock was even taller. He aimed for a small, fairly clear patch of lakeshore on one side of it.
Once they were out, he pulled the canoe up farther.
“I haven’t done this with a girl since I was maybe sixteen.
Pretty sure I’m not going to get as lucky today as I did back then. ” He smiled.
Grace shook her head. “Poor rock star. My heart breaks for you.”
“I can tell. Don’t go far and come back to the canoe and stay here. I’ll look around for a clear spot where we can eat and come back for you.” Grace stood where she was and held Robby’s gaze. “What?”
“I admit I don’t know as much about the woods as you, but I’m not clueless, and I’m not six years old.”
“Oh. Sorry. Duly noted.”