Levi and Brandon woke up the next morning as the early morning rays of the sun began to stream in through the windows of the cabin. Levi slept in his room, and Brandon slept on the sofa. Levi padded out to see if Brandon was awake. He reached out to Brandon’s shoulder and whispered, “You’ll have to go now. Grandma didn’t think you were spending the night. She usually doesn’t get up until a couple of hours from now, but you never know. I don’t think I could handle what she might think of me if she knew that you spent the night without her permission.”

Brandon heard about half of what Levi had to say. He crawled off the sofa and rubbed down his wrinkled T-Shirt and jeans. Smiling, he asked, “Did it really happen? Please tell me it wasn’t just a dream.”

Levi blushed. He slept fitfully through the night because he couldn’t believe it did happen, but he knew it was true. He whispered, “Yeah.”

“Can I have a kiss before I go.”

“Definitely.” Levi gestured toward the kitchen area. “I”ll get you a bag of our homemade granola to take for breakfast. I’m sorry I can’t do much more, but if we made a lot of noise, it would surely wake Grandma up.”

As he stuffed the granola into his jeans pocket, Brandon asked, “Are you sure you can’t come down to Arrowhead Falls with me today? We’d have a lot of fun.”

“I can’t. I’ve got to make my trip the opposite direction that I was planning yesterday. We need groceries. You don’t want us to starve out here. I’ll go with you to the dock. I usually sit out at the end every morning when the sun’s coming up. It’s my form of meditation. It helps me get ready for the day.”

Brandon reached out and wrapped his arms around Levi. He leaned in for a kiss. “You can get better groceries in the falls. I won’t tell anybody who you are. It’s our little secret.”

Levi considered it for a moment, but he knew that the most critical part of his trip was the delivery of Grandma Daley’s small paintings. He didn’t want Brandon to know about that just yet, so he stood his ground about the groceries. “Our friends live in Iron Crossing. They might send out a search party if I don’t show up. Let’s go out to the dock.”

They carried Brandon’s canoe together to the edge of the lake. Levi helped him push it out into the water and climbed onto the dock as Brandon settled himself into the vessel. He called, “Levi, thank you! You’ll see me soon.”

Levi felt nearly giddy when Brandon blew him a kiss. He slipped off his sneakers and dipped his toes into the cool water of the lake while Brandon disappeared around a stone outcropping before reaching the portage on the way to Arrowhead Falls.

It was one of Grandma Daley’s good days. She was out of bed and humming to herself when Levi returned. He tried to help her make breakfast, but she insisted that he sit at the kitchen table while she bustled around cooking oatmeal, frying bacon and scrambling eggs.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay with me gone today, Grandma?”

“I’ve made it through every day at the lake for over ten years. I think I can last through at least one more while you’re taking care of our needs at the crossing.”

Levi looked up and was happy to see the sparkle in her eyes when she set the breakfast plate in front of him. He dutifully waited while she prepared her own eggs.

“Levi, go ahead and eat. Your food will get cold.”

She said that nearly every morning, and he always waited. He knew that she was happy that he didn’t start without her, but politeness dictated that she offer him the option of starting early.

As Grandma seated herself at the table, she asked, “Do you know what you’re buying for yourself? I won’t tell you what to get, but I’m curious to know.”

Levi shook his head. “I haven’t decided yet.”

Grandma Daley had surprising energy. After breakfast, she pulled the all-purpose garden and kitchen shears from a drawer and headed for the flower garden. While she snipped fresh blossoms and gathered them in a basket, Levi wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and leaned down to kiss her cheek. She set the shears in the basket and reached up with one hand to rest it on his cheek. “You are a wonderful grandson, Levi. This old woman is blessed. I didn’t know what would happen to me after Walter passed. ”

“I’ll be home before it gets dark. Please be careful while I’m gone. ”

“I’ll get some painting done while you’re gone. Say hi to Don Wagner for me.”

The trip to Iron Crossing was uneventful until Levi took a wrong step. The most tricky portage had a downhill slope beside a rushing stream. With the canoe hoisted on his shoulders, he stepped onto a small stone. He was sure it was one he’d used for his pathway downhill a dozen times before, but it was damp, and Levi’s foot slipped. Before he could pull himself back into balance, he tumbled to the side and slid with the canoe at least twenty feet down the slope.

After digging his fingers into the mud and pine needles, Levi came to a stop and instantly worried about Grandma Daley’s paintings. He ignored the pain in his knee and worried about damage to the canoe, too.

Fortunately, everything seemed to come through the mishap without damage. After righting the canoe and scrambling along the ground to check the pack with the paintings, Levi rose to his feet and gingerly tested weight on his knee. A sharp pain shot through the joint, but it was bearable. He couldn’t lie in the woods and moan about the knee. He had no choice but to press onward.

While hoisting the canoe back up to his shoulders, Levi thought about the cell phone again. If he had one, he could call for help even after a small accident. It was a good idea regardless of what Grandma Daley thought.

When he reached the camp store in Iron Crossing, Mr. Wagner offered a breathless greeting. He was a short, stout man with a ruddy complexion. A few wisps of white hair crowned his head. He said, “You’re running late, Levi. You never run late. I started worrying that a bear got hungry for a sturdy young man along the way. I hope Isabel is hale and healthy, and that’s not a reason for your delay.”

Levi grinned. “No bears, and Grandma is fine. I did slip and fall along Gunflint Creek. I made a stupid mistake, but everything is fine.”

“Did Isabel send some more great work?”

“There are three paintings in the pack. She said that one of them is specifically for Mrs. Simpson in the Hamptons. She marked it on the back. I think they’re all beautiful, but I’m biased. Grandma works on them at least four days a week.”

Mr. Wagner shook his head. “She’s a genius. Have you convinced her to move to town yet?”

Levi followed Mr. Wagner into the back office of the store. Mr. Wagner always said it was best to keep their transactions away from the prying eyes of the general public.

With a gentle laugh, while he lowered the pack onto a chair in the office, Levi said, “She’ll never do that. I think she’ll die out there. That will make her happy, and she’ll be close to Grandpa when it happens. The cabin in the woods was their dream come true.”

“And how are you, Levi? You’re all alone out there, too.”

“I’m good.” Levi thought about mentioning Brandon, but he held his tongue. “I do wonder if you can help me with something.”

“Of course. Anything for the Daleys.”

“I want to get a cell phone, but if you come out to the lake, don’t mention it to Grandma. She calls it data pollution, but there is reception near the cabin, and I’d like to have it for emergencies.”

Mr. Wagner sat behind the desk and lined up the three small paintings in a row. “You know that you should have no worries about me leaking your secret. My joints are getting a little stiff and weak from age. I don’t know if I can make many more trips out to Lone Cedar.” He paused for a moment before adding, “These are, wow, Isabel never ceases to amaze me. She is getting even better with time. It’s like somebody pulled all the restraints off her and let her be herself.”

“That’s all good?”

“Fantastic is what it is. The collectors in New York are going to drool over these. I wish she could meet some of her biggest benefactors. Maybe Maurice could convince one to make the trip out here.”

Levi shook his head. “I don’t think that’s important. Grandma would probably tell them not to come. She likes the privacy.”

“I suppose so. I want to spend a little more time with these jewels, but if you go out to the front counter, Lisa will help you with the phone. We don’t have anything fancy, but they work, and that’s what’s important in a phone in the woods.” Mr. Wagner looked up and nodded approvingly at Levi. “Is there anything else we can help with?”

“I wanted to look around the store a little bit. I don’t know what I want. I’ll have to browse.”

Mr. Wagner nodded. “That’s all good. It will take some time for Lisa to activate the phone. Tell her to waive any of our usual set-up fees. That part’s on the house.”

Levi reached a hand across the desk and shook Mr. Wagner’s fleshy hand. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

Levi wanted something for Brandon. It was an old habit. He liked to buy small gifts for the important people in his life. Many times he’d gone to Iron Crossing with orders from Grandma Daley to buy something for himself. Instead, he brought back something for them to share or a new necklace for her.

Grandma would ask him what he bought, so he decided he could get some of the dark, rich chocolate the store sold on the little rack by the old-fashioned cash register. He wanted to bring home one of the flowered vases on the shelf behind the checkout counter, too. He would still have plenty of cash left to look for something else for Brandon.

Lisa called out, “I’ve got the phone ready!”

Levi listened politely while she explained the basic operation. He said, “It looks pretty easy.”

“They’re not bad. Haven’t you had one before?”

“Oh, I did before I moved up here, but it was a different brand.”

“Well, anything else I don’t show you is in this little booklet. You’ll catch on quick.”

Levi slipped the cell phone into the right pocket of his jeans, and he stuffed the booklet in the pocket on the left. Lisa started to turn away, but he stopped her. “Hey, if you were buying something as a gift just because, what would you get of what you have here?”

She turned back around. “Hmm, male or female?”

“Male. Just a friend.”

Lisa showed him the T-Shirts and jackets, but they were bulkier than what Levi wanted, and he thought Brandon was the type of guy who had a lot of clothes. He looked at the sport watches they had in a small locked case.

Lisa said, “Those are great, but they are expensive.”

Levi nodded. He didn’t want to spend a lot of money, and he didn’t have that much with him to spend.

She pointed at a box on a shelf on the opposite side of the store. “There’s the travel charms. Some people really like those. I’m not sure your friend would be the right kind. Women are often more into them. They usually get them because they’re worried about bears or accidents in the canoe. The charm makes them feel a little better if they are doing the traveling, or they feel better about their loved ones out on the lakes.”

Levi stared down into the box. It held a wide range of little trinkets. He saw a rabbit’s foot dyed orange and cringed. Then he spotted a small round, metal medallion with a shamrock engraved on one side. It gave him an idea. He knew the perfect thing for Brandon. It was in the top drawer of his dresser back in the cabin. He hoped Brandon would like it as much as Levi enjoyed sharing it.

As he had Lisa box up a whole pound of Grandma’s favorite dark chocolate to take back to the cabin, he said, “I’ll have to think more about the gift the next time I stop in. His birthday is still a long time away. I wanted to get a head start. At least I’ve got ideas I can think about now. Thank you.”