Complete Pelican Lake Series

Chapter 6

Jared paced the parking area while he waited for Ashley, and second thoughts plagued him. He was only here for the summer, why start something that couldn"t last? Who knew it couldn"t last? There was nothing tying him to the city, he could live anywhere he could find work, and he had enough in the bank he wouldn"t have to worry for a while, even without work.

He was still recovering, he had no business dragging someone into the hell he was going through. He"d been clean for eight months, getting off the meds he"d gotten hooked on after his surgeries hadn"t been easy. His body still craved them, even though he hated the side effects and always had. When his mind was clouded with the medication, he"d lacked the motivation and energy to get through the withdrawal from the drugs. He was through that now, mostly. Once in a while, his leg would throb and burn enough that Jared considered taking something, but he knew better. It was a slippery slope he wasn"t willing to start down again.

The door to the store opened and the bell over the door rang, bringing him back to the present. Jared looked up and saw Ashley turn and lock the door, then close the security gate and secure it with a pad lock. She turned around and smiled at him as she tucked the keys into the pocket of her jeans. Jared"s heart thundered in his ears, and he wondered for a moment why she"d agreed to go out with him.

Jared shook his head, pushed the doubts away, and smiled back. If the date didn"t go well, then all his worrying was for nothing; either way, he wasn"t going to think about it any longer. He was going to do his best to enjoy every moment with her while it lasted. He had a feeling she was worth it.

"You look great." He wanted to take her hand and walk her to the Jeep, instead he opened the truck door. "You said it"s an hour away by car, right?"

"I did." She stepped into the 4x4 and settled into the seat. Jared closed the door, went around, and got in.

"I"m relying on you for directions. I didn"t have enough signal to download a map or anything."

"No problem. I know most every road around here. My family"s been here since I was a kid."

Jared started the engine and put it into gear. "It"s a nice place. It would be a good place to grow up."

"It wasn"t bad. The winters are a little boring, but we always found something to do. Take a right."

It took Jared about two seconds to catch her change of subject, but he followed her instructions. "What is there up here in the winter?"

"Ice, elk, trees. That"s about it."

Jared laughed. Glancing over, he saw she wasn"t joking. "Seriously?" he glanced at her again.

"Well, there are a few people around too, but not many."

"If there aren"t many here, where did you go to school?"

"There"s a school in between here and Brighton, it"s small but gets the job done. I didn"t mind going so much in the winter, but I hated going in the summer; there was too much I"d rather be doing than sitting in a classroom."

"It sounds like you had a good childhood." He glanced over at her, then back to the road.

"It was good. We ran wild in the forest, played hard and got dirty, learned to work hard and to work smart, and the difference between the two."

"Wow. Most people don"t realize there even is a difference until they"re much older, sometimes never."

They talked and got to know a little about each other over the next hour. They talked a little about their pasts, then their conversation turned to movies.

"That one was okay, but the book was so much better," Ashley said, talking about a movie that had only been out a few months.

"It was based on a book?" Jared wasn"t sure how he"d missed that. He knew the book was nearly always better, partly because the story was more complete than what could be crammed into a two-hour film.

"The book wasn"t nearly as popular, I mean it sold all right, but it didn"t have the push the movie has."

"I can see that, is it a series? Do you know? The way the movie ended, it could go either way."

“There is only one book, at least so far, but there could be more planned. It looked to me like they were leaving the option open to see what sales were like. Whether or not it would be worth the expense and time of making another."

"That may be, kind of like the Narnia movies - they made three, but the sales of the third weren"t high enough to make it worth filming the next one."

Their conversation shifted to favorite books and authors they"d both read until Jared pulled the Jeep into the parking lot of a small diner on the edge of the lake.

"This is it?" he asked. Somehow, he"d thought it would be bigger, especially after taking so long to get here. As soon as the thought ran through his mind, he realized how stupid it sounded. Why would the length of the drive have anything to do with how big the place was?

"This is it." Ashley released her seatbelt. "Most locals don"t hang around. The trip"s faster by boat, too. We always call our order in then take it home."

"Tell me again why we drove instead of taking a boat?"

"Several reasons, not the least of which being that your skiff has no lights or GPS. We"d end up lost on the lake in the dark. Besides, the drive is a nice chance to get to know someone."

"You"re right. It was a good chance to talk with no real pressure because there"s always the distraction of the scenery or traffic." Jared unbuckled and stepped out before going around and opening Ashley’s door. He waited while she got out and walked beside her into the small building. Once inside, they found an empty table, and a waitress brought them water and menus.

"Can I get you anything else to drink?"

"Just water for me, thanks." Ashley smiled at the teenager.

"Water’s fine for now." Jared looked at the girl, then back at the menu. The offerings were an odd mix of burgers, fresh fish, and Mexican dishes.

"All right. I"ll give you a few minutes then." The waitress walked away, leaving them alone.

"What"s good?" Jared asked, still looking at the menu.

"I"ve never had anything here that wasn"t good, but the burgers, the enchiladas, and the trout are my favorites."

"Hmm. I like fish, but I"m not sure I"ve ever had trout. I"m not huge on enchiladas, and I don"t feel like a burger tonight." He looked up to find Ashley watching him with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open. "What?"

"I"m not sure which is more horrifying, that you don"t like enchiladas or that you"ve never had trout."

"It"s not that I don"t like them, it"s more that it"s hard to find good ones."

"Still, never had trout?”

Jared chuckled. "You have to admit, it"s not something a lot of grocery stores carry. Occasionally, you"ll find it in with the fresh fish, but it"s not common."

"I have to admit, I"ve never noticed. Probably because I"ve never looked. I grew up eating it fresh from the lake, I"ve never had to buy it."

"Until this week, I"d never been to a lake." He gave her a half-hearted smile. "I’m a bit of a city boy."

Ashley scowled. "You"ve never been to a lake, yet you came up here planning to spend the entire summer?"

Jared understood her disbelief, it wasn’t normal.

"I did. I need to get away from everything, a break from the same old day to day. I had a buddy who offered me the use of his cabin for the summer, and I jumped at it."

"A chance to get out of your comfort zone?" she tilted her head to one side as she watched him. "Do you have a plan for the summer?"

"Not really. I want to get to know myself a little better, maybe put a little distance between myself and my recent past." He didn"t want to tell her about his battle with pain pills, it wasn"t the right foot to start things with.

She watched him without comment as if she was waiting for him to elaborate, he continued.

"I"ve had a rough year. It started with an injury and went downhill from there. It took a while, but I"m working my way out of the hole, but I still have a long way to go yet."

The waitress reappeared. "Have you decided what you"ll have yet?"

Jared looked at Ashley to see if she was ready, she smiled at the teenager and gave her order.

"I"ll have the trout," he said when it was his turn.

"Half or whole and grilled or fried?"

"How big are they?"

She held her hands about ten inches apart. "Half gets you one side, whole gets you both."

"Then I"ll take a whole."

"And grilled or fried?"

He thought about it a second. "Grilled."

"Potatoes and vegetable of the day okay?"

"That"s fine."

"I"ll put this in right away." She smiled and walked away.

"I"m glad to see you"re going to try the trout."

"I like trying new things." He glanced across the room, then back to Ashley. "It"s what led me to spend the summer at the lake, then ask the pretty girl I met there to dinner."

"Well played."