Coming Home (Norris Lake Series) (10 page)

The next morning after Dominic left for work in the same, always late but impeccably dressed state.  Cat called the pet sitter to care for her horses indefinitely, gathered Pattycake and a few of her belongings into her dually.  She pointed the bulky truck in the direction of Norris and her father’s house.  On the way, she called her godfather and asked for the use of his lake house.

Now she was nearly there.  She made a last left hand turn.  Her father’s driveway meandered through 100 acres of
well-manicured lush green lawn.  The house was a large rambling white dwelling with columns running from the roof to its red brick front porch.  A long balcony stretched across the front of the house on the second story.  Wrought iron railings allowed for step-outs on the second story windows.  To the left was a white combination porch and carport that stretched over the driveway.  The roof of the carport was a sixty-foot square porch with white railings.  The drive ran beneath the carport and behind the house to a large six-car detached garage. 

Directly in front of the house, the driveway made a circle and in the middle of the circle stood a three tiered 20 foot round fountain with a wide blue pool.  To the left of the house sat a large glassed in sunroom abundant with various exotic greenery.  The third floor of the house held a glassed turret which opened out on to another porch which was often used for cocktail parties and other social functions. 

The house was reminiscent of the chaotic Civil War and Gone with the Wind’s beloved Tara.  If it wasn’t the 21st century, you would expect to see a beautiful, but spoiled, pouting, high-tempered and strong-willed, 16 year-old Southern belle in a beautiful white crinoline gown with ruffles on the mansion’s porch. 

Gathering the small dog in her arms from the front seat next to her, she opened the door of the truck with her left hand and stepped out on to the cobblestone drive in front of her father’s house. 

Cat smiled as she thought of her father.  He was always teasing her of being like Scarlet O’Hara, determined and spoiled.  She hoped her father would be happy to see her as she stood in front of the house hesitant to go in.  He was the wealthiest man in town.  He had extremely high standards for not only his employees but also his children and anyone else within his sphere of influence. 

She climbed the steps of the wide porch still carrying the dog, opened the screen door and reached for the front door knob.  It was pulled quickly backward out of her grasp and she leaned back against the screen door startled.  There standing in front of her was her father, a stern look on his weathered face.  The stern look changed instantly into a wide grin as he recognized his visitor. 

“Come here, half-pint,” he growled pulling her close in a large bear hug.  She let herself be enveloped by her father’s large arms and pressed her face into the front of his shirt squishing the little dog between them.  His shirt held the sweet smell of cigar smoke and peppermints.  The cigars were his only vice and the peppermints were a habit from the days when his wife would catch him smoking in the house instead of out on the porch.  Despite all the years that her mother had been gone, her father still carried a handful of mints in his pocket to cover up the cigar smell.  

Her father reminded her of Ben Cartwright from the TV series Bonanza.  He was tall, gruff, intelligent, honest, respected, and had a strong sense of right and wrong which he wasn’t shy about voicing under any circumstance.  He hadn’t always been this way.  He often talked about when he was young and what a wild streak he had full of gambling, drinking and driving his business until it was one of the most profitable in the state.  Her father also looked like Lorne Green.  He was tanned with a healthy head of white hair cut neat above his ears. 

The little dog wriggled between them so Cat pushed away leaving the safe comfortable embrace that made her feel like a child again. 

“Hi Dad” she said.  “I am sorry to barge in on you like this but there wasn’t a choice”. 

“Nonsense.  You are always welcome.  Come on inside and let’s get you something to drink.  You can tell me all about what has made you come home so quickly.  The phone call didn’t shed much light, “he said ushering her through the front door.  They walked through the front foyer to the left into a large living room with a large red brick fireplace from floor to ceiling on one wall.  A flat screen 65 inch TV blared the roaring of a college football game as a class of orange and crimson jerseys filled the monitor. 

“Damn that Phil Fulmer.  He’s starting that young quarter back again.  I don’t see how he’s going to win switching back and forth between two sophomore quarterbacks.  Oh, for the days of Peyton Manning again.  If he were here, we just might make a bowl game this year,” her father went on about the Big Orange football game he had been watching.  Reaching for the remote, her father muted the game and walked to the oak bar to fix a drink.  She sat on the dark brown leather couch and put Pattycake on the floor.  Patty quickly ran off exploring the house. 

“What do you want?” he asked as mixed himself a drink. 

“A glass of white wine would be fine,” she said.  He handed her the glass and sat himself across from her in a worn rocking chair made of the same brown leather as the chair. 

“Tell me about it, Caitlyn,” he said with a steady stare. 

“I just needed some time to work things out, Dad.  There are some issues between Dominic and I.  They may or may not be serious.  I just don’t know what to do and I needed to be away from him in a place that I could have some down time and think.  He also needs time away from me to decide what is important to him,” she said in a small voice.  “Thank you for finding me the house. 

“Don’t worry about the house.  It belongs to your godfather,” her father said waiving his hand dismissively.

“Once I have had some time to settle in and think all of this out, I will come over and we’ll  talk some more.  Until then I just don’t have my head on straight enough.  I am too close to the situation to be able to make a good decision.” She reached for the glass and took a sip.

“That’s fair enough, Cat”, he said.  “I am here when you are ready and you can stay in the house for as long as you want.  If you want to stay for good, you can do that too.  You know you always have a home here at Dove Manor.” 

He looked out the window thoughtfully. “It’s quiet without you, your mom, or your brother and sister around, but I get along and Camille is still here taking care of me and the house.” 

“Have you talked to Mom lately?” Cat inquired.

“No.  It’s been at least two years since we spoke.  That would have been about the time your sister Lynn Marie had the baby.  You know we don’t speak that often.  She and her new husband can get along fine without my input,” Robert snarled.

Cat left the comment alone knowing that the break up between her parents seven years ago was still a sore spot for her father. 

“Where is Camille?” Cat asked. 

“She’s out shopping.  She’s determined to make dinner for your tonight and wanted it to be special” he answered.  “I do look forward to Camille’s cooking when we have guests.  It’s bound to be good.” 

Camille was originally hired to help take care of the children and the house, but over the years she had turned into the family’s adopted grandmother.  She lived in a small house on the other side of the property with her husband, Duane, who was the farm’s manager and all around handyman. They didn’t have any children, so they dotted on the ones that had lived in the big house. 

“So, how is the business going?” Cat asked. 

“Terrible, I wish you hadn’t asked,” he said with a pensive look of concern on his face.  “I don’t know what’s going on.  There’s been an onslaught of bad luck around the building sites, some of the construction crews have been scared off from working and I have even had threats to stop development on the new condos I am building along the north side of the lake.  If things don’t change, I don’t know if I am going to be able to keep the business.” 

“I didn’t realize things were so bad, Dad,”  she said leaning forward with concern.  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” 

“What could you have done?  Maybe I am just getting too old to keep it going.”  I hired a business manager and private investigator to try to figure out what’s going on.  I may sound crazy but I think there may be someone out there targeting me and my business just to see it fail.  I should have my first report this week,” he continued. 

“What can I do to help Dad?” Cat inquired. 

“You can always help me with the crew on the condo site.  You were always good with both the business side of things and with the crews”.  Help me keep track of the progress.  If I can finish the condos by the due date, I will still make enough to get out of this hole”.  

She looked at him for a moment and then took a sip in her wine.  “What about Michael?  I thought he was helping you with the business.” 

“Not
anymore; he’s unreliable,” her father said without offering any additional information and looked at her square in the eye for a moment then looked away.  He sat back and took a draw on his drink and turned the volume up on the TV just in time to see the Volunteer Marching Band take the field for half-time.

“Well, Dad, I just stopped by to check in with you.” Cat said moving towards the door.

“You’re not staying here?” He looked over his glasses at her and frowned.

“I have some thinking to do Dad.  I am going to go stay at the lake house.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek and squeezed his hand. 

He nodded but the frown never left his face.  “You be careful and give me a call when you get there.  Come back for dinner Sunday night.” It wasn’t a request but rather a gruff order.

“Yes, sir.” Cat agreed feeling 16 all over again.  She turned and left.

Fifteen minutes later, as Caitlyn drove down the winding road next to the Clinch River, she watched the fishermen standing thigh deep in the water.  The river was shallow for the most part due to the huge dam that had been built upstream. 

Once a day a loud horn would sound signaling the opening of the dam floodgates.  Water would begin rising and the water would come spilling down through the riverbed creating a true river. 

During the times when the river was shallow, the fishermen would congregate like churchgoers to a service on Sunday.  They would stand with rubber waders throwing flies towards shallow pools, hoping to catch one of the rainbow trout that inescapably lay in wait for an unsuspecting meal.  

The morning sunlight shone on the water and glistened off of the black rock of the exposed river bed.  An awning of trees draped itself over the road for as far as the eye could see giving her the feeling of tranquility and protection.  As she drove down the road towards the dam, she passed an ancient sawmill with a waterwheel.  The water ran down the side of one of the mountains which were characteristic of East Tennessee and across the old waterwheel into a deep pool below.  It was a quaint sight, untouched by the grasping hands of progress. 

She drove across the top of the dam and along a twisting, winding road.  It meandered through the dark woods, up and down the hills until it took her back along the side of the lake up above the dam.  Lake houses and summer cabins were nestled along the lake, some of them empty and some housing those who lived on the lake year round.  

She squinted at the house numbers looking for 1440 Riverside  Road, counting the numbers as she neared her destination.  Pulling into the gravel driveway, she patted the head of her dog waking her. 

"Wake up Pattycake.  We’re here,” she sighed and pulled the truck a stop alongside the house.  The little dog yawned, stretched and put her paws up on the side of the window peering out at her new surroundings.  A couple of squirrels ran from a nearby tree through the newly fallen leaves and across the driveway. 

"Bark. Bark. Bark,”  Patty yipped panting to look at her master as if asking permission to give chase.  Caitlyn walked around the side of the navy bronco and opening the door lifted the little dog out onto the ground.  Patty sniffed the dirt and then ran up the steps of the nearby house.  A wide porch encircled the entire house.  Another balcony angled out from the house’s second level.  Cat walked along the deck to the third flower pot on the railing of the porch and dug her fingers into the moist dirt just under the flowers.  Her fingers found her prize, the key to the front door.  

This house belonged to her godfather.  He was a huge man, easily over 300 pounds, who always smiled and had hugs for anyone who came near.  When she had finally swallowed her pride and called for help, her godmother had suggested the lake house. 

Her godfather owned a big trucking company in nearby Clinton.  Even though they kept the house maintained and had a cleaning lady come by once a month, her godparents seldom used the lake house now that they had grandchildren in Knoxville.  When her godmother had offered it to her, it was like offering a drowning man an island in the middle of the ocean.  Caitlyn had accepted the refuge right away.

As she walked through the house’s main door, the hallway opened up into a great room dominated by a stone fireplace and great glass windows.  It was an A-frame with a two loft master bedrooms one upstairs, one downstairs, two additional smaller bedrooms upstairs, a study, a living room, kitchen and utility room, all downstairs.  Across the back of the living room a set of sliding glass doors opened up on to a large wooden deck overlooking the lake.  Evergreens and huge maple trees sheltered the house and a narrow set of wooden stairs led from the back deck steps to a boat dock about 300 feet away.  She wondered how anyone could call a 6,000 foot lake house a getaway cabin.