Home > One Sweet Day I Found You(6)

One Sweet Day I Found You(6)
Author: Jillian Walsh

Only a few hikers had come through since she’d arrived, and the parking lot was almost empty. The tourists hadn’t descended upon Door County for the summer yet, and the locals were mostly off at work. So there weren’t many people around on a Thursday morning, this being the first of June. She brushed some dirt off her sneakers.

The videographer would have camera equipment, right? Certainly, she’d notice cameras and kayaks when they showed up. Oh, well. She could wait.

 

 

Back at the marina, Nick finished loading the boats onto the shop’s pickup truck. Nick glanced back at the Inlet Outfitters building, with its log-cabin inspired motif. “Still no sign of her? And she didn’t call you or anything?”

Kira checked her smart watch. “No, and it’s already nine fifteen.” She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t expect the new girl to show up late for her first gig. Unbelievable.”

Nick shrugged, yanking on a bungee cord that held one of the kayaks in place. “These are good to go.” He eyed the boats now fastened to the commercial white pickup truck then scanned the road leading down to the shop’s small lot. “Maybe she got lost?”

“Late is late. And Beecham is not going to like this.” Kira ran her fingers through her shoulder length, dark hair and squirted sunblock onto the olive-toned skin of her arms. “Anyway, she was supposed to be moving here a couple of days ago. How do you get lost in a town the size of a postage stamp? I mean, come on—there’s only one marina.”

Kira adjusted the lens on the digital video camera and peered into it, making sure it was set correctly.

Nick threw his keys up in the air and caught them. “Well, I say we wait fifteen more minutes and see what happens. If she doesn’t show, we go without her. I’m not waiting around all day.”

Kira shrugged. “Works for me. I need the footage, regardless. They want to see a first run of this video by end-of-day Saturday.”

Fifteen minutes later, Nick stood up from the bumper where he’d been sitting, checking the day’s headlines on his phone.

“Let’s go. She’ll have to reschedule. You can just film me and the scenery, or whatever.”

“Agreed.” Kira hopped into the passenger side of the truck.

In another half an hour, Nick and Kira were winding down the narrow road of the moss-covered, shaded forest before it opened up to Cave Point County Park’s tidy parking lot.

 

 

Courtney slid off the narrow trunk of her car as an oversized pickup truck approached, carrying two kayaks and a dinghy. The side of the truck appeared to be marked. Courtney was able to read it as it came closer. Inlet Outfitters.

That’s it.

Finally.

But wait—that name sounded familiar. Where had she seen that logo before?

She grabbed her sunglasses and duffel bag, locked the car, and tossed her keys in the bag.

The truck pulled into a parking spot and Courtney ambled over.

From a few yards away, she watched as the driver jumped out of the truck.

She stopped. Her heart sank into her stomach.

No.

Way.

The guy was about her age. Sandy-brown hair peeping out from under his baseball cap. Tall. Good-looking. Athletic build.

Green polo shirt.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Courtney’s cheeks were flaming hot by the time she reached him.

He stopped and stared back as she walked up. Was it her imagination or did his cheeks also look a little pink?

“Well, well. If it isn’t butterfingers from the coffee shop?” He smiled and slammed his door shut with a little toss of his keys.

“Uh-huh. Guess so.” Courtney was still blushing but she kept a straight face and perked an eyebrow. “I see we’re stuck on that?”

“Are you the blogger for the Visitors Board?”

Courtney made a show of glancing at the logo across his shirt. She noticed there were no coffee stains. “I am. And I take it you’re the tour guide?”

“Yep.” Nick jingled the keys around and stuck a fist into the front pocket of his khaki shorts.

Courtney gave a nod and shot him her best grin. “I see you managed to get the coffee stains out?”

“Different shirt. Haven’t done laundry yet.” He seemed to be disguising a grin.

Courtney rocked on her heels and made a face. “Well, this is awkward, then. You’re late, by the way.”

“Come again?”

Just then Kira’s door slammed shut, and a moment later, she joined them on the driver’s side of the truck.

“You must be Courtney,” she said, all business.

Was that a smirk?

“Hi. Yeah, Courtney Price.” Courtney held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Kira Nash. I’m the photographer slash audio video nerd. We’ll be working together this summer. I see you’ve met our trusty guide?”

“Uh, yeah.” She shot him a look. “Sort of.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m Nick.” He held out his hand. Courtney shook it quickly then dropped it.

“Courtney.”

Kira narrowed her gaze. “So you’ve been waiting here for us all this time?”

Courtney twisted up her lip. “Yeah. Beecham told me nine a.m., Thursday. The state park. I was beginning to wonder what might’ve happened to you guys.”

Kira scoffed. “You were supposed to meet us at the docks in Heritage Bay. We were all going to ride here together, in this.” She motioned to the truck. “We waited there thirty minutes for you.”

Uh-oh.

Courtney’s cheeks went hot again. “You did?” She glanced at Nick. “We were?”

Now that made more sense. Gosh, she was on a roll this week. Good thing she could still blame the jet lag.

Kira rolled her eyes. “Didn’t Beecham tell you? We usually ride to these kinds of outings with our guide when it’s a trip like this, out in the woods or whatever.” She gestured to their surroundings. “With whoever the guide is each trip.” She flashed another ironic smile. “This time, it’s this handsome hunk of fitness.”

Both girls looked at Nick. He laughed off Kira’s comment but threw his hands in the air and took a step backwards. “Don’t look at me. I’m just following directions.”

Kira raised an eyebrow. “That makes two of us.” She shot a cynical expression Courtney’s way.

Courtney straightened her shoulders, surprised by the jab. “Excuse me, but I was never given those directions.”

Kira didn’t seem flustered at all.

Nick stepped back into the ring. “Go easy, Kir. She’s new.”

Kira opened the backseat door and began shuffling through her camera equipment. “Uh-huh. And?”

Kira remained indifferent.

What was it with Kira? Courtney had followed directions, too. She couldn’t help it if those directions were lacking.

Courtney turned to face Nick while Kira’s back was to them. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I obviously would’ve been there if Beecham had told me.”

Nick’s expression was calm. “It’s no big deal. It all makes sense now.”

“Okay, thanks.” Courtney let out a big sigh and glanced at Kira, who didn’t say anything.

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