Dinner was perfect, as it always was. Jeffrey never showed up for the meal, and Lois was a little relieved by his absence. It was clear that the two men did not get along and Lois did not want another uncomfortable scene like at the bar. It hadn’t been so much their words, but the way they had looked at each other with hatred.
Conner left a little after nine, with a wave and a kiss that left Lois nearly desperate to ask him to stay with her. Lois walked back in with a smile on her face that could not be matched.
“See I told you I would know,” Beth grinned. So how did you end up meeting Conner Vern of all people?”
“I am renting his boat while I’m here for my research. I actually met him at Jimmy’s last night. Apparently he and Jeffrey don’t get along.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it. You know that Conner is into wildlife retention. He made a big stink when they wanted to start developing the coastline. Conner spent a lot of money to keep it the way it is. The whole reason all the visitors come to see the animals would have been gone if the oil companies would have had their way.”
Lois nodded, deep in thought. She liked the idea that he was active in saving the animals. It somehow made his wealth seem less intimidating, if he was utilizing it in such admirable ways. Big money made Lois nervous, but with Conner, she hadn’t really noticed. He did not carry many of the same airs that most affluent people did. Lois felt comfortable with Conner, and she could tell his full attention was on her when they were together. He didn’t seem like a workaholic, or the kind of person to lord their money over others. After spending the day with him, Lois could not think of when she had enjoyed an afternoon so much.
That evening her thoughts were full of Conner and the hope that she would get to see him again. She saw him in her dreams, but they were full of strange things that did not much make sense to her mind.
***
Monday was there before Lois knew it and she woke up feeling like she had not slept a wink. Her mind was active the whole night, dreaming up dreams that made her blush to even think about them in the daylight. Her mind and body were going through an awakening, and it was all because of Conner’s touch. The man was full of secrets and she wondered how many more he had up his sleeve.
She was supposed to meet him at the dock, so she went to pick an outfit that would grab his attention. She knew that he liked her hair down, so she let it fall in waves around her face. There was a skip in her step and lightness in her heart that she had never felt before. Lois was walking on air with the idea of seeing him again. A girl that helped Beth around the boarding house on weekdays greeted Lois at the bottom of the stairs.
“Here, you got a message real early this morning.”
Lois read it and her hopes were dashed. Business had come up and Conner was not going to make it. Her whole disposition changed and she no longer wanted to go. The whole reason that she had grown up looking forward to summers in Barrow more than any other part of the year was to study and whale watch, but in the space of two days, the activity had become bland outside of enjoying the sights and discoveries with Conner. It would have been even more wonderful now, knowing that he felt so strongly about the wildlife. Somehow after such a short time of experiencing things with him, imagining the day without him was colorless and depressing.
She headed to the dock, deciding to walk in the crisp air. The cold made it seem longer, but soon she was standing in front of ‘Fate’ wishing that the owner could be there too. She kept telling herself that she had to pull herself together, but it was hard to find the motivation. Taking a look up at the clouds, it was mostly overcast, but the sun was sure to peek through any moment. Lois started the boat and left the marina, headed towards the ice.
The first sighting of the day was filled with excitement. Her enthusiasm for the sea creatures was rekindled as she marveled at their grace and agility. The grey whales were doing a show as they came closer to her tiny boat. She was amazed how close they were to her. Suddenly it felt as though they were too close. Lois could feel the boat rocking from the waves created by the large animals. Her heart started to pound in her chest, panic rising. Another bump from one of the large creatures caused her to let out a short yelp. The boat sloshed around and she almost lost her footing. The movement of the whales almost felt aggressive. Lois was nervous and tried to steer the boat away from the large mammals, then one large hit from the side of the boat made her fall down. She hit her head on the edge of the table as she fell, knocking herself out. The wind picked up and it started to rain, the wind biting into her body.