Page 19 of One Sweet Day I Found You

Five

Late morning in early summer on Door County peninsula’s eastern shores revealed clear blue skies and pleasant temperatures in the high sixties. Layered, rocky cliffs jutted out over the water, with trees lining up behind them, some with artfully twisted and misshapen trunks from years of wind and icy winter weather.

An hour and a half after they’d set out, Nick’s orange kayak was still slicing through the cool, blue waters of a calm, summery Lake Michigan. Several yards ahead of him, the travel writer he’d just met paddled onward with a steady motion. He watched her, struck by the way it seemed that nothing else mattered to her right now but the wide expanse of lake and sky.

She told him she’d only been kayaking once before, yet he would’ve believed her if she said she’d been doing this for years. She looked like a natural.

He wondered how much she knew about the area. He hoped they hadn’t given her a bad taste for it. She seemed like a sweet girl.

Kira should’ve gone easier on her this morning. It wasn’t Courtney’s fault their boss hadn’t given her the necessary details.

Nick glanced farther out over the water to find Kira. She was shooting a video of the two of them as they hugged the coastline with their kayaks.

The video Kira would make to represent Inlet Outfitters’ kayaking tours would feature the popular limestone cave formations of the park, where dramatic waves crashed against rocky cliffs.

Kira needed footage of the kayaks in action as well as footage of the coastline from the water. He watched as she expertly piloted the motorized dinghy, from which it was easier to use her equipment. Later, she’d lace the footage together into a video for the board’s website.

Nick and a handful of locals had appeared in a video that Kira did back in February about the snowshoeing tours offered by the shop. She did great work.

But Nick knew Kira could be a nightmare for the fainthearted. He ran into her frequently at the local watering holes. Thing is, she was usually a no-drama kind of girl. You couldn’t call her laid-back or easygoing, but you always knew where you stood with her. She was also a lot of fun, once she got to know you.

But she’d been pretty tough on Courtney, considering the circumstances. He hoped she would bring it down a few notches. He knew Kira had just been through a very tough few weeks as well. But she didn’t get a pass forever.

Nick paddled closer to Courtney. She was studying the shoreline and looked up as he approached.

He tried a smile. “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Great. It’s beautiful out here.”

He didn’t detect any more sarcasm, but her tone was flat.

Nick ought to try to smooth things over a bit. The tour guide act seemed to have lightened the mood earlier. He’d try it again.

“Isn’t it? We’re coming up on the main attraction of the trip. Those are the underwater cave formations.” He pointed at the depths in front of them.

“Really?”

Courtney looked ahead of her kayak into the water and gasped. Their kayaks had just begun to pass through a section of perfect turquoise waters. The formations were becoming clearly visible beneath.

“Wow. Amazing.”

That was more like it. He went on. “The shallows here are famous in this region for their crystal-clear views of the caves.”

Courtney gazed at the stunning views below. “I can see why.”

Nick studied her reaction. He had seen the formations dozens of times. Now he liked to see what other people thought of them when he brought them here. She seemed to be caught up in it.

“Look, Courtney,” he began before he could change his mind, “I’m sorry we got on your case this morning. It was an honest mistake. I mean, as far as you knew, we were the late ones, and you didn’t get all bent out of shape atus.”

Courtney looked surprised. She adjusted her sunglasses beneath her visor and tugged on her hair to tighten her ponytail before she answered him. “It’s okay. Thanks.”

No other response, but she had already apologized several times. She didn’t owe him anything.

“So did you say you just got back from Australia?”

“Uh—yeah. Flew back Tuesday. The day I saw you—” She let the sentence go.

“—At the coffee shop. Right.” Nick cleared his throat.

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