Page 99 of Patio Lanterns

“I love you, you know,” she said.

“I love you, too,” Rick said, smiling as he swam over.

“And I really love our life here,” she added. “Isn’t it amazing how much has changed this past year? And yet, here we are, still happy and frolicking naked together.”

He laughed. “And they said it wouldn’t last.”

“Well, let’s be honest. No one said that except Lark.”

Lark hadn’t exactly warmed to Rick and Robin’s relationship, but at least it had reached a point where she could be in the same room with them without huffing and rolling her eyes. That was progress. If she’d stuck around Lake Whippoorwill longer, she might have really appreciated how good they were together. Instead, Lark ended her summer sabbatical last September, deciding it was best for Nova that they return to Calgary. She resumed practicing medicine and reconciled with Phil the Pill, much to the dismay of Robin, Dove, and especially Aidan.

Poor Aidan. Seemed he wasn’t willing to risk their friendship a second time by trying to dissuade Lark from making yet another a terrible mistake. Guess he reckoned he could continue waiting it out until she finally figured it out on her own.

Aside from his shitty love life, Aidan was doing quite well for himself. After telling Polaris North Property Development Corp where they could stick their partnership, he continued building custom cottages as a private contractor, and did it without knocking any existing cottages down.

Hunterbuilt Homes, of which Rick was a primary investor and partner, always had several projects on the go. Aidan was building a place for a Toronto television producer who told him that he had “rizz” for TV and he should consider shooting a pilot to pitch to the Canadian HGTV or DIY networks. Ha. Who’d have figured that Aidan Hunter might someday become Canada’s next Scott McGillivray? Well, other than Aidan Hunter.

But the client that really put Hunterbuilt Homes on the map was a real hot property himself: none other than Barrett Kemp.

Aidan and Dove teamed up to woo the action star’s business. Although it took some time to find property to suit his very particular needs, he settled on a modest little retreat—only a three-and-a-half acre private island—with a sprawling cottage, guest cabin, and boathouse.

It garnered a lot of talk amongst the cottage owners in and around Lake Whippoorwill. While most was positive, the project had its share of detractors too. It wasn’t so much that Kemp wasn’t welcome, but the entourage that accompanied him, and the paparazzi that inevitably followed, were already proving to be a source of friction, testing the patience and goodwill of the close-knit community.

Running interference between an international superstar’s cottage project and the community was a full-time job for Dove, who was also juggling the demands of her regular clients. But Dove enjoyed the hustle, and because she was constantly hopping between the city and Lake Whippoorwill, Robin got the benefit of sharing additional sister time together.

As for Robin, her life had done a one-eighty. She was no longer Merch Queen for the Dawn Cherries, having had the supreme satisfaction of telling a stunned Parker over video chat that she was quitting the band. Now, that was finished. Done. Gonzo. Finito, Benito. She didn’t miss life on the road, sleeping in her van, or showering in truck stops one bit, thanks to her late-blooming affection for Lake Whippoorwill that she’d inherited from her parents.

Along with the funds to buy Crawley’s General Store with Rick.

“This was a very good idea,” Robin told him as they leisurely swam back to the dock together. “I didn’t realize how much I needed this.”

He smiled. “I did. You’ve been working night and day.”

“We both have,” she reminded him. “But weren’t we supposed to be enjoying a leisurely retirement now?”

He gave her a playful splash. “I’m enjoying my retirement just fine, boss lady, thank you.”

“Good. Because we still have a lot more to do. Finish the expansion and install the new signage. Then we can announce our plans for the coffee bar and ice cream shop. What would you say to calling it Vera’s?”

“I think it’s a lovely tribute, and she would’ve loved it,” Rick said. “It would’ve meant a lot to her knowing that the name of Crawley’s General Store lives on.”

“I just want the people around here to remember Mrs. C, you know?” Robin said.

“They will. Because you’ll make sure they won’t forget.”

As they swam back to shore, Mutt Lange got up on all threes, yawned, and took a big stretch following his nap. His little brother jumped up, excitedly waggling his tail so fast his entire body shook. A mini Heinz 57, the scruffy ball of puppy energy was a rescue they’d adopted that spring. Robin wanted to name him Sebastian Bark. Rick wanted to name him Lui Passaglia after some football player. In the end, they compromised and called him Gordie.

Robin climbed out of the water first. “Kids are hungry.”

“Me too,” Rick said, hoisting himself onto the dock. “Steak tonight?”

“My favourite,” she said, reaching for a towel. “Question is, your place or mine?”

“That is the question. The same one we ask ourselves around this time every night.”

She sighed. “I know. And I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to fully move in with you yet. You know it’s not because I don’t want to, it’s just that I can’t bear the thought of the Blue Canoe Cottage sitting empty and alone on that hill.”

“Babe, I get it,” he said with a smile.

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