Page 74 of Silver Brewer

“But you prepared everything.”

He twists his lips and side-eyes me. “I was hopeful.”

My smile grows. “And why was that?”

“Because from the moment I met you, Cricket, I could tell you were something special. Spontaneous need, remember?” He quickly glances at me. He told me last night how he wanted something different, something he didn’t know he needed, and apparently, that’s me. I’m all warm inside with the thought. “And I don’t regret one minute of that decision to take you camping, even if I did it under false pretenses.”

He was never going to let me purchase the land.

“I don’t regret a minute of it either.”

He reaches for my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing my knuckles and then holding it against his thigh.

“I love you,” he whispers, shy and quiet.

“I love you, too,” I say. More than you know.

+ + +

Mr. Samuel Calder is an old man, full of stories and memories of the land—what it once was and what he hopes it can be again. A resort sat on the property once upon a time. Ironically, we can’t get to the site without taking a boat to the secluded location across the river—he corrects me, it’s not a lake—and Giant eyes me again, hinting at my lack of stranger danger. There’s no boat to transport us, but the remains of a landing on both sides of the river hint at what once was.

“I promised my Annie I’d restore it for her. I wanted her to come back to me.” Mr. Calder’s elderly expression speaks of lost love, and my heart breaks a little. With his advanced age, it might be too late to regain whomever the woman was to him.

However, I’m hopeful of the interest from the hotel company, considering there was once one there. Mr. Calder describes how the resort looked. It’s difficult to envision its past majestic until Mr. Calder shows us some faded pictures of a lodge, golf course, pond, and patio. With the verbal image Mr. Calder paints in addition to the worn photographs, my imagination sees a resort something the likes of Dirty Dancing. We spend an hour listening to Mr. Calder recount memories of the old place as we traipse along the opposite shore of the river. I don’t know what I was thinking because I’m not well prepared in my heeled boots and tight skirt. It reminds me of when I met Giant. I was equally unprepared for meeting the large man graciously walking next to me, discussing the land with my perspective client. Mr. Calder’s weathered skin and liquid blue eyes hold so much passion for this place and its memories.

“Been in my family for generations.” His voice drifts, and I’m not certain if he’s talking about the property or the company.

“Company moved upstream, but the resort went on for years after.” His eyes remain sad as he looks across the water. “Then it disappeared as well.” He already explained how the company razed the nearby community. His fingers shake as he reaches for his forehead and rubs. “But I’m going to bring it back. Bring her back.”

I look from Sam to Giant, whose brow pinches with concern. This man must be in his eighties. I fear his Annie might be dead.

“Where did Annie go?” I whisper, curious about the deep love he evidently felt for this woman.

“California.” His voice carries over the water like a greater distance divided them.

“I’m sorry,” I say, not certain why I apologize.

“Never let anything divide you.” Sam pauses. “Not family, money, business, or a river.” He chuckles to himself for a moment and then turns back for his car. I glance at Giant again. The two men have hit it off. He looks as confused as I feel over Sam’s references.

We each shake hands with Mr. Calder like old gentlemen did in a time gone by. An unspoken agreement sits between us although I’m not certain I’ve acquired the land. Sam mentions the name of his lawyer, who also happens to be his grandson.

“He’s about your age, so when you’re ready to ditch the giant, I’ll set you up.” He winks at me. He’s been a flirt all morning.

“You remind me so much of Annie.” Whoever she was, she held his heart for a lifetime, and mine pinches at the thought of such a memory. Our hearts retain true love, despite its end. Is this how Giant feels about his wife?

It’s sweet and sad, and I want to hug Mr. Calder to assure him she probably remembered him with longing, too.

“We didn’t have these fancy, newfangled cell phones. We communicated through pickle jars.” He chuckles softly to himself, reminiscing about the fodder of young summer love, and once again, his expression shifts to memories far away. Dirty Dancing returns to my thoughts, and I imagine a young Sam sneaking off to parties and kissing his lady friend down by the water. “Can’t remember where I placed the last one.” He looks around the late fall landscape, suddenly confused. “Don’t know if she ever got my message.”

After a moment, he reminds me once again to contact his grandson. “He handles all the money. Told me I wasn’t good with numbers.” I’m sensing his family took away his right to make decisions, but I don’t question why he’s the one meeting us instead of his grandson.

I’m quiet as we drive back to Appleton, my mind racing with Mr. Calder’s hints of once upon a time, and his loss of happily ever after. It’s the makings of a romance novel.

Giant and I stop at a Walmart to buy him a change of clothes, and I snoop around. I rarely go to one of these superstores, so I’m fascinated. I find odd things I don’t really need, like a daily planner, a notebook with a typewriter on the cover, some fancy markers, and a pretty pillow.

“How will you get that in your suitcase?” Giant teases. I shrug.

“Maybe you can keep it for me.” Two weeks and I’ll be seeing him again.