Mayne Attraction: In The Spotlight (35 page)

Gray looked at his watch and said, “Why
don’t we get a bite to eat? The meeting’s going to start in about
five minutes.”

Then he guided me away from his dad and
toward the food. I don’t think I was supposed to see it, but there
was a look that passed between them, some wordless but meaningful
communication that only they understood.

There was a buffet set up against the back
wall replete with every kind of pastry and fresh fruit imaginable
along with a broad variety of juices, coffees and teas.

I selected a cheese Danish and garnished my
plate with a few big chucks of fresh pineapple and a huge, bright
red strawberry. Then I made myself a cup of Earl Grey with extra
cream and sugar.

I must have been hungrier than I’d realized
because the meeting did begin within the next five minutes, and my
breakfast was long gone before Dan called it to order.

It was a mostly informal affair. Using a LCD
projector, a map of the survey area was displayed on the screen and
Dan used a blue laser pointer to identify portions of the photos
and maps as he spoke about them.

They discussed the pattern and scope of the
survey in the various locations it was to be conducted including
goals and checkpoints and then a recap of the various minerals
known to be present in the areas we would be visiting. They were
looking for surface deposits especially at the confluence of major
drainage areas. A summary of their findings would ultimately be
submitted to the Canadian Government, for whom this initial survey
was being conducted.

Each seat had a set of maps and handouts
from the presentation and Gray leaned over to point out the survey
assignment we would be covering: the Allenby Pass area between
Bryant and Brewster creeks. There appeared to be some elevation on
our way in and out, but that would make for some beautiful views,
he assured me.

After about an hour and a half of briefing
and planning they took a break and Gray suggested that we head
outside while the sun was shining. We’d been in a hurry to make it
to the meeting on time and hadn’t had a chance to look at the lake
of Lake Louise.

It was breathtaking—too beautiful to be
real. At the head of the very long, somewhat narrow, deep blue lake
was a mountain pass with its crowning glacier high above, inching
its way to lower elevations, year after year since the dawn of ice.
There was a paved path all the way around the lake, probably a loop
of a mile and half or more, with benches thoughtfully spaced so
that one might sit and enjoy the incomparable views from every
angle.

Gray’s object in bringing me out here was to
tempt me with this spectacular view and release me from the next
part of the meeting that had to do with the financials of the
upcoming survey and a review of the bidding and permits process if
the survey work should yield the desired results.

Gray explained that as an intern, I was only
here to look at rocks, (though the truth was probably more like, I
was only here to be looked at, by him) and I wasn’t required to
waste time inside on a gorgeous morning like this, if I didn’t want
to. He however, was responsible for presenting portions of the
meeting, and had to return and be involved for about two hours
more.

“Are you sure I shouldn’t be in there? I’d
kind of like to hear you make a presentation to the group. I don’t
want to abandon you, plus what will your dad think of me if I
do?”

“He’ll think you’re smart and he’ll be
jealous, wishing he could ditch too. Just take your time and really
get the feel of this place, then we can take the hike up to the Tea
House later on today. I’ll meet you inside the restaurant at noon.
We have lunch reservations.”

Then he hugged me tight and kissed my
forehead. The blush burned on my cheeks as the emotion transferred
from his lips directly into my mind and quickly found its way to my
heart, stirring it up and melting it at the same time.

“You know something? You’re the most
beautiful intern…ever. I’m so lucky that you were assigned to my
team.”

Smiling at his joke, he cradled my chin in
his hand and chuckled softly at my deer in the headlights
expression. Then he let me go and walked across the plaza toward
the hotel. I watched his back until he was gone.

There were a few people milling around in
the plaza outside the hotel and walking around the lake. Although
the paved path was carved straight out of the forest in some
places, it did not seem too remote or dangerous for me to walk it
by myself. So I began to make my way around the loop.

Though the view was unimaginably beautiful
on a titanic scale, I was seeing nothing as I thought about what
just happened, and how I could still feel the pressure from Gray’s
arms where he’d hugged me and the warmth from his lips on my
forehead where he’d kissed it. Being hugged and kissed by him felt
far better than it should and I scrambled around in my mind for a
way to banish what felt like very unfaithful feelings blooming
inside me, fed by my inability to turn off the replay reel, looping
continuously in my mind.

I made myself focus on the water and the
mountain slopes all around and the look of the sharp blue sky where
it touched the white of the snowcapped peak many thousands of feet
above. I breathed in the cool air, concentrating on how it felt on
my skin when the wind would blow and how it smelled like pine and
lake and snow.

I had made it to the farthest point of the
loop, just at the place where it began to turn and reach back
towards the beginning. I decided to sit down and view the lake from
this angle. I had the bench to myself. The morning sun was warm and
bright and I leaned back to let it warm my face. The sound of the
wind in this place was like nothing else—high and far away and
timeless. As I was contemplating the idea that the wind had sounded
exactly like this on a day like this ten thousand years ago, my
reverie was interrupted with an unexpected but wonderful sensation:
the feel of warm lips kissing my own.

My tendency toward cataplectic reactions
wasn’t always associated with scary situations. Over time it became
clear that romantic situations could trigger the response as well.
That being the case I remained perfectly motionless as I felt my
kisser settle in beside me on the bench and then take my left hand
in his, fiddling with it actually. I couldn’t keep motionless for
long though because a huge smile burst across my face and broke me
out of the trance as it dawned on me that he had put a ring on my
finger. I sat up and blinked, still seeing spots from the sun
shining through my eyelids.

When the spots in my vision finally cleared
and I got a good look at my present, I gasped. Then I looked over
at its presenter, Ash. He was looking at me with deep feeling,
something more than happiness to see me. I looked back again at the
ring. It was THE RING! The aquamarine from who knows how long ago!
The one I had stared at and dreamed about. The one that someone
bought for his lucky girlfriend….as an engagement ring!

I don’t know why, but my tears always seemed
to surprise me. If ever there was a moment to weep with joy it had
to be this one. I knew what this gesture meant and it was deeply
moving. He’d been watching me from the start. He’d bought the ring
for me, making plans for me, long before I even knew he existed. He
was so kind and thoughtful and romantic and perfect! And somehow
through some mix-up of destiny he was mine and no one but the two
of us could know about it!

The tears just rolled. I had so much I
wanted to say but I was speechless. I looked deep into his eyes
trying to transmit my joy and love and need for him. He brushed my
hair back behind my ears and wiped away my tears with his fingers.
He smiled reassuringly, though his expression was mixed with deep
emotion too, and his eyes were wet, though not leaking, like mine.
Then he pulled me in to his side, wrapped his arms around me, and
buried his face in my hair, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

A few quiet but sublime moments passed as I
composed myself, feeling his warm and secure hold on me, while
staring at the fabulous piece of jewelry wrapped around my finger.
It was a perfect fit. He reached up and held my hand, moving it
closer to himself to share the view.

“The last time I was sitting on a bench like
this, you were staring at your ring from behind thick glass. I’m
glad to finally place this where it’s belonged since it was first
made.”

He brought my hand up to his lips to kiss
the ring, and I could feel the warmth around the edges of my
fingers on either side.

“Though I’m not going to ask you to make any
promises to me, I want you to be sure about my promise to you: that
you will always own my heart and my love. I want this ring to
remind you of the way I have always, and will always see you:
precious, rare and stunningly beautiful.”

And he kissed my lips again, but with more
emotion this time. It was glorious. The high of this moment put me
right up where the ice was touching the sky—a dreamlike moment,
enriched with more beauty and pleasure than my most elaborate
crystalline fantasy. I let my mind drift and glide in the joy.

Eventually, I passed back over into reality
again, but somehow Prince Charming was still sitting on the bench
with me, and I spoke to him as an ironic thought occurred in my
mind.

“So I guess all along I was jealous…of me!”
I laughed and sniffed in quick succession.

“What do you mean?” he asked, intrigued.

“When Mom and I went back to see the ring,
the sales lady said that a man had bought it for his girlfriend, as
an engagement ring. I was jealous….of me.”

I smiled and sniffed again, wiping away
fresh tears.

“You didn’t need to be, did you? This ring
is one of a kind, just like its owner. It could never have been
anyone else’s. It was meant for you, Ellery.”

He was being very earnest, but his eyes were
happy.

“Well then, since I’m planning on keeping
it, and you, forever, you should consider yourself engaged, Mr. Ash
Ryan.”

The joy and triumph transforming his
features was even more beautiful than the ring or this place. It
took my breath away. Then he took my breath away some more with a
huge kiss. A kiss that nearly made me faint with pleasure, or
perhaps it was because I forgot how to breathe. In fact, I wouldn’t
have known my own name if he’d asked me.

I tried to steal a moment to etch this time
and place and feeling in my mind. It was the happiest experience of
my life, possibly from now on. But it was still a secret: a
magnificent, dazzling, splendid secret.

How in the world was I going to keep the
glow in my soul from showing through, or worse, from being
misinterpreted? How in the world was I going to explain it when the
time came to let it shine?

Chapter 30
–
Lake Oesa

I didn’t think the beauty of Lake Louise
could be outdone. Yet, once I saw it for myself, I had to admit
that Lake O’Hara was something more…or maybe the key was that it
was less—less crowded and commercialized, but more private and
tranquil. It was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful spots on the
planet. Because of that, the flow of visitors was tightly
controlled to minimize the impact of curious humans and their
footprints in this majestic yet delicate place.

Only a short busload of people drove in each
day, by reservation, usually made months in advance. The quiet
exclusivity of the place added to the natural beauty and
appeal.

The bus ride meant time standing around
together in the parking lot before and after, which meant that Ash
would probably not be accompanying us today. I was curious what the
security solution would be, but I didn’t have to wait long for my
answer, in fact I heard it before I saw it: a familiar Austrian
accent, two of them, conversing in low tones from somewhere behind
me, during our shuttle ride on a private road through the woods and
over to the lake.

Our group was made up of about two dozen
visitors, here to enjoy a day of hiking and views singular in all
of nature. Petra and Max maneuvered themselves to be as far away
from me as possible, a reminder that only Ash knew I was aware of
my security team. So I behaved obliviously and tried to make it
easy for them. Gray was not making it easy for me, though.

It was misty and kind of cold for June and I
must have been too open with my temperature issues because without
a word he came from behind and wrapped his arms around me,
cocooning me inside his jacket. At the same moment, from my
peripheral vision I could have sworn that Max took a picture of
us.

Great.

But I had to concede that the increasingly
physical relationship I seemed to have with my host would be an
important development, from their perspective.

I reached into my day pack and pulled out
one of Hoyt’s most treasured possessions, second only to my mother
herself: a Nikon D700 Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. I
hadn’t even considered asking him for it, since I knew for a fact
that it actually cost more than the huge fifty-two inch flat screen
TV he’d bought when they finished the basement, a four digit figure
that appalled and upset my mother much more than her gadget loving
husband would ever know. But just before I had walked out the door
with Gray, he handed it to me, with meaningful purpose, as though
it was the reason for my trip in the first place.

Mentally, I was hesitant to accept it, but
it was obviously a very significant gesture on his part and I
didn’t dare step on his feelings by refusing it. It would
definitely make documenting the journey more enjoyable, and the
memories, aided through visual reference, could have no better
source. I accepted Hoyt’s temporary bequest gladly, with enthusiasm
and profuse offerings of thanks, which apparently made an
impression upon Gray.