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“Oh,” he replies, his face brightening up even more than when he talks about fishing. “It’s the day that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opens up the locks for people to tour them.”
Oh, thank God. Not a forward romantic suggestion. But also, I didn’t come here to look at water go up and down.
“Tour the locks? Why though?”
Joshua looks nonplussed. “To see how they work.”
I glance out the window at the beckoning water of the lake. “So I can walk in and see how water lifts boats? I think I have an idea.”
He laughs. “Good point, but it is pretty cool if you find that kind of stuff interesting. I kind of always wanted to be an engineer, but I didn’t want to saddle myself with a mountain of student debt, so I never bothered. So this kind of stuff excites me; I know it seems dumb.”
I am such a jerk. My mouth falls open. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
He waves off my apology with a congenial smile.
“Nah, it’s fine. If you want, we could drive to the Soo together on Lock Day. I could drop you off downtown, wherever you want to go, while I do the tour. Save on gas.”
I feel like I’ve offended him even though he shows no sign of that. “Maybe. Depends on when I can get tickets for the ferry to Mackinac Island.”
He nods. “Nice. Watch out for the horse poop.”
I smirk. “I kind of love it that they don’t allow cars.”
Josh clicks his tackle box shut and stands, his tall frame stretching in such a way that the hem of his T-shirt lifts, showing a slightly fuzzy tummy. My eyes linger too long on that bare skin. He catches me but says nothing, only grins and rubs a palm over his shirt.
“Mack Island is pretty, I’ll give you that.”
“And I’m going to tour the Grand Hotel. I’ve always wanted to go, ever since I was a kid.”
Josh warns, “Be careful. That joint is a tourist trap. They’ll have you dropping money just to look at a window.”
I touch my breastbone because that is where the pain of losing my mother resides. “It’s the sight of me and my mom’s favorite movie of all time.”
Josh doesn’t know he’s pushing too far. I know he means to be protective of me, a tourist, but he doesn’t get it. “Sorry, but you know they charge money just to walk in front of that building.”
Haughtily, I reply, “As they should. It’s that beautiful.”
He shakes his head. “Nothing is that beautiful.”
I stare down at my half-empty coffee cup, trying to hide my hurt feelings.
“Well, Somewhere in Time was filmed there. I used to watch it with my mom. Whenever I was sick as a child, she would pop that DVD in, and we’d sit together and watch it, and she would cry. One day, she told me how I got the name Penny. It’s from the movie. That box…I wanted to bring her with me, to…” I have to stop talking now. He didn’t mean any harm, and I don’t want him to see me cry.
“The box is…your mom’s ashes?”
I nod silently, keeping my eyes down and squeezing my lips shut.
Josh is agonizingly apologetic. “Oh my God. I am such an ass. Penny, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to crap all over your favorite movie. Or your mom’s memory. It’s fine if you like it. I was a dickbag. I am a dickbag. Please accept my apology.”
I recover, setting my emotions aside for a moment. “I guess we both learned a lesson today. Don’t shit on things other people like. You never know what it means to them. I’d love to get a lift into town with you. Thank you for offering. And if you want a ride to Saint Ignace when I go to catch the ferry, just let me know.”
He grins. “Saint Ignace? Sure, drop me off at the Mystery Mansion.”
Now I have to laugh. “And you’re warning me about ripping off tourists. We went there as kids, you know it’s all an optical illusion,” I say, referring to the house designed to trick the mind into thinking gravity works differently, with all sorts of weird angles built into the floors, walls, and ceilings.
He nods and lifts one shoulder in acknowledgment. “Yeah, but I broke my crooked souvenir shot glass. Where else am I gonna find that?” The wink he floats my way flutters all the way down my body. I am not prepared, and I know he sees my cheeks turn red.
“I can’t let you live without a crooked shot glass. Consider it a date.”
