Page 79 of The Summer Request
Michelle grabbed them and pulled them toward the exit. “Our ride’s here.”
Outside, past the booths and the stinking toilets, Arthur was waiting in a minivan. The doors were wide open. “Get in!” he yelled.
Val had campaigned for something flashier, faster, something fun. Michelle wouldn’t budge, though, so here they were in their forest green escape van.
They piled in, Michelle pulling the doors shut, and off they went, cackling with laughter.
One year later
Thanks to Arthur’s connections, they’d managed to snag a rental house on the west side of San Juan Island at a bargain price. The couple who owned the house used it as a vacation home, but they were far too busy to spend much time there during the year. They were happy to rent it to their favorite baker and his friends for a week that summer.
It was less like a house and more like a San Juan estate. Tucked away on a humble nine acres, the home overlooked Haro Strait and provided clear views of all passing orca pods. In the mornings, all they could hear were birds. In the evenings, the sunsets were brilliant and bold.
The main house had six bedrooms, four bathrooms, and two kitchens. The basement had an indoor pool where one of the glass walls opened fully to the outside in warmer months.
The other two homes on the property were quaintly called “cottages” because they only had three bedrooms apiece. A six-car garage was a fourth structure, complete with a workshop and yoga studio.
The estate had perfectly landscaped grounds woven together with walking paths and gardens, all expertly designed to conserve rainwater and prevent erosion.
Val, Lisa, and Michelle opted to stay in the big house together for the week. Their kids even managed to stop by for part of the week, though they chose to occupy the cottages. Tyler had brought his girlfriend Eliza, who was a delight, and Sierra and Avery came as a bickering pair.
Arthur came along, of course, and he tended to Michelle most diligently. Lisa brought her boyfriend Steve, a guy she’d met on a dating website. He was laugh-out-loud funny and worked as a systems analyst at lululemon.
He loved lululemon almost as much as he loved Lisa. Coincidentally, when he showered Michelle and Val with free lululemon leggings, tops, and jackets, they felt like they might love him, too.
Val didn’t bring a guest, but she made sure to point out that no one should feel bad for her. “I’ve been so busy at the university! You wouldn’t believe it. To be honest, my dating life has never been better.”
“I hope you’re not dating any of the students,” Michelle said, serious faced.
Val was horrified at the mere suggestion. “Oh my gosh, no. I would never. It’s unsettling, actually, how some of the kids have a strange reverence for me. I feel like…I don’t know.”
Lisa poked her. “What?”
“Like…” she shrugged. “Like I need to live up to their expectations.”
“That’s a good way to feel,” Michelle said.
“It is.” Val tossed her hair back and smiled mischievously. “Why do you ask, Shell? I hope none of your professors have tried to make a move on you.”
Arthur shot her a mockingly alarmed look and Michelle laughed. “No, of course not.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been very lucky. All of my professors are focused and dedicated, and they even got me connected to volunteer with the Orca Institute here. I’m officially helping catalog the orca pods and surveying their health and food supplies.”
Lisa tapped her chin. “So you’re scooping whale poop out of the water?”
Michelle nodded. “When I’m lucky, yes.”
The air remained free of wildfire smoke, and the weather held magnificently for the entire week. Michelle managed to convince them to do a kayaking tour one day, which everyone enjoyed despite having to get their feet wet to launch their kayaks.
Sierra and Avery were able to join them for that, much to Lisa’s delight. Less delightful were Avery’s constant threats to tip the kayak. Luckily, he was bluffing and only intended to torture his sister. It worked.
To everyone’s shock, Val suggested a bike ride the next day.
“I need to redeem myself,” she said. After renting an e-bike, she kept up marvelously.
In the evenings, they sat out on the terrace under the twinkling lights, joking and laughing. The end of the week came too quickly, and on Saturday, they packed up the house and headed to the mainland.
They had to take a seaplane, much to Michelle’s chagrin, but the flight was short and offered beautiful views of the islands. Once in Seattle, they met up with Chloe and the remaining Emerald leaders for a celebration.
Lou had just been sentenced for his extensive fraud. He was going to serve ten years, but that wasn’t why they were celebrating.
