The Carrier (The Carrier Series Book 1) (9 page)

He finally pulled open the door and sat
down. “It’s no Cutlass, but I hope it’ll do.”

 “Yes, I suppose I can handle it,” I
teased.

He set the keys on a spot near the console and
then pushed a button that I could only assume was the ignition since the car
hummed to life, and he smoothly pulled out of the driveway. I knew nothing
about cars, but I was totally impressed.

“I say let’s take your car whenever we go out.”
I moved my hand over the console and placed my palm on his arm.

“So you’d like to go out with me more?” He
moved his arm so his hand could hold mine in his.

“I don’t know what it is, but I feel very
comfortable with you. I really enjoy your company.” The cutest smile slid
across his lips. “So where are we going?” I said, not taking my eyes off his.

Nolan took me out to one of my favorite
restaurants—High Rock Cafe. A classmate of mine from high school had studied in
culinary school, and then a friend and he were able to open a two-story
restaurant in a prime location on Broadway in the downtown area of the Dells.

We had plenty of conversation at dinner
exploring each other’s history. He shared with me information about his family,
high school experiences, and past relationships. I did the same, but left out
most of the info about Aaron, especially the drama involved with that
relationship. Besides, I had plenty of stories to share from high school.
Almost three hours flashed by and we didn’t even notice the restaurant had
cleared out. Our waitress finally hinted that we’d have to leave soon since
they were closing.

We decided to take a little walk around and
check out some of the shops that lined the main drag downtown. A four-lane
bridge crossed over the river near the power dam and then under the railroad
bridge that was still in use. Taking this former bridge was the only way to get
to the downtown shopping area. Following the road past the bridge in the
opposite direction for a few miles would run you straight into the town of Lake
Delton. Along this road, you could see all the major water parks, go-kart
tracks, mini-golf courses, and about fifty hotels. This road wasn’t very
pedestrian friendly, though, so most of the shops and bars were in the downtown
area on Broadway.

We walked all the way through the crowded
sidewalks and down to the train bridge where we stopped to rest on a bench near
the old Upper Dells dock building. This cream-colored, two-story building was
original to the turn of the century when the boat tours were one of the few
attractions in the Dells. It was big and beautiful and oozed tradition and
history in my mind. I looked up at the humongous train bridge over our heads.
“Did you know this bridge is the main reason the town of Wisconsin Dells was
settled?”

“Once
a tour guide
,
always a tour guide,” Nolan teased. I gave him a playful slap on the leg, and
he said, “Okay, okay, go on with it. I’d love to know some more Dells history!”

“In the mid-1800s, a town called Newport sat
several miles down the river from this point. In 1855, construction of a new
railroad from Milwaukee to La Crosse was being planned to pass through the
little town. The people of Newport knew the railroad’s passing would bring considerable
wealth with new shops and factories. The men of Newport who owned land the
railroad company desired jacked up their prices, looking to make a profit, but
the railroad company saw through these men’s high prices and decided to build
the railroad upriver about three miles at this exact site we sit at today.
Knowing that a railroad would bring them wealth, the people of Newport packed
up their things and moved their town to the site of the railroad, leaving the
city of Newport a ghost town almost overnight. Old newspaper articles say
entire houses were moved over the frozen river, pulled by mules. All that’s
left of the lost city of Newport is a few stone pillars on the riverfront.
Pretty cool, huh?”

“Interesting.”

I was sure he was only humoring me. Did anyone
besides me think this stuff was incredibly neat? I went on purely to torture
him. If he humored me more, then perhaps he was a keeper.

“You’re a very good teacher, you know. You make
things that are boring sound interesting. I could sit here and listen to you
all night long. I mean it!” He winked and put a hand on my knee. A pleasant
chill ran down my spine. So he was either a keeper or very good at buttering me
up.

“Well, I’d be happy to sit with you until 12:30.
I know you are out on your own, but I have a curfew, you know.”

“Ah yes, 12:30.
Don’t
worry—I told you parents love me. Do you know why?”

“Um, because of your
undeniable wit and charm?”

He didn’t expect that and laughed adorably.
“No!
Although that does make a lot of sense.
Parents
love me because I’m always respectful of the curfew.”

“Ah, the curfew.
Right.”

“You will be home not a tick past 12:30, young
lady! What time is it now, anyway?” Nolan pulled his phone out of his pocket
and pressed the button on the side.
“Midnight already?
Man, I’m going to hate to bring you back so soon.” Then he leaned over and
kissed the side of my head, right above my ear.

I felt the same way. I stood up from the bench
and said, “Well, mister, we better get walking back to the car.” He stood up
and grabbed my hand in agreement. We happily walked hand in hand all the way
back to the parking lot.

“What time do you have to work tomorrow?” I
asked along the way.

“Tomorrow...” He was thinking. “I have tomorrow
off. I almost forgot.”

“You do? So do
I
,
actually!” Come on, Nolan, take the hint. I wanted so badly to spend the whole
day with him.

We had returned to his car and I leaned my
lower back near the bumper, while Nolan stood in front of me. I looked up at
the clear sky filled with tiny sparkling stars and a half moon shining down on
us from space—another beautiful night in the Dells. Nolan surprised me by
picking me up by the hips and setting me down on the trunk of his fancy car.

“Really...you have tomorrow off?” he asked. I
let my knees fall out and invited him to fill in the space with his body. I
rested my arms on his shoulders and he wrapped his arms behind my waist. “Do
you have any plans with the family?”

“No. I have nothing planned for tomorrow.” I
ran my fingers through the hair on the back of his head. “Do you?” Our lips
were almost touching, and I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead he
said, “I do now. I’ll pick you up in the morning around ten,” and then he
leaned in, gently rubbing his lips on mine. He reached up and stroked the side
of my face with his warm hand. His body inched closer and closer until I could
feel his broad chest on mine.

“Oh, Ava,” he breathed. Then he wrapped his
lips tightly around mine, knowing how to make me fall undone.

It was a good thing I was already sitting, or
my legs may have given out on me. I let the kiss continue, but too soon my head
fought with my heart. “I have to get back,” I murmured through the kiss, not
wanting to stop.

“One more minute,” he whispered back, still
kissing me sweetly.

I wanted to never stop. I wanted to stay right
there in the parking lot under an umbrella of summer stars forever.

Oh, what this man does to me.

The next morning I woke up early, the kiss
replaying over and over in my head. I was anxious for the day’s activities,
although Nolan wouldn’t tell me what we were doing, only to be ready by ten. I
took a shower, cleaned up my bedroom, and then headed downstairs to see what my
parents were up to.

My father had taken a day off from work and was
reading what looked like a very old scrapbook. My mother was at the stove
frying eggs. I sat down on the couch next to my dad.

“What are you reading?” I looked over at the
book.

“Haven’t I ever shown you this before? It’s
been on our shelf in the living room for ages, and now I’m just getting around
to looking closely at it. It’s a family document scrapbook. I’m interested in
researching our family’s history. Your grandfather spent much of his short life
interviewing family members, reading family documents, and visiting graveyards
to try to trace our roots back as far as he could. He collected the items in
this book before he died. I’m trying to honor his memory and continue on his
quest.”

“That’s really cool, Dad,” I told him as he
turned the pages.

“Your grandfather was able to go back one
hundred years to your great-great grandfather Arthur Gardner. I figure with
today’s technology, I could go back another hundred!”

I watched as Dad turned the pages in the old
book. I spotted a picture of a man and a woman holding a tiny baby in front of
an old farmhouse.

“Who is that?”

“That’d be Edna and Arthur Gardner. Edna is
holding your great-grandfather, Robert. They lived on the outskirts of the
Dells in the early 1900s. I think Robert was born in the latter part of 1913.”

I looked closer at the old black and white
photo and noticed something in the window of the house. It looked like the blue
rock I found a few years ago in the basement and is now sitting on the
bookshelf in my bedroom. I always thought that rock was something my parents
found on one of their vacations abroad, but now that I thought about it, both
rocks looked an awfully lot like the strange blue rock I almost tumbled down
the hill to gather.

My father noticed me studying the picture and
interrupted my train of thought. “It was unusual for families to get their
photo taken in front of their own homes. Most people had to go to the
photographer’s studio. In this case, H.H. Bennett was probably one of the only
photographers in the Dells at the time, and his studio was downtown.” He
flipped the photo over to look for markings on the back but didn’t find
anything. Then he went back to studying the front of the picture, presumably
looking for hints. “What’s this in the window?”

“Oh, I think that’s that blue rock. I’ve been
wondering
,
Dad, what is the story on that?”

“Well, you know, I’m not exactly sure myself.
Your mother and I found it in a box of junk at your Grandma’s house several
winters ago. She must have packed it up when we moved her into the nursing home
and the box has sat all closed up in the cellar of our basement for many years.
I took it because I remember looking at it as a kid. It was on the mantle above
the fireplace for many years, until one day my mother took it down and boxed it
up.”

“I found it in our basement, and now it’s up in
my room on my bookshelf.”

“It’s in your room?” He looked startled, and I
heard my mom drop a dish in the sink.

“Oh, sorry, Dad.
I
guess I should have asked first. Do you want me to put in back in the
basement?”

“No, no. You won’t be here much longer before
you have to go back to school anyway.” He went back to flipping through the
book. 

I wondered what that meant. Obviously the rock
had sentimental value to my father. I had taken it up to college with me this
past year, as a memento of home, but now I would have to remember to put it
back in the basement instead of taking it with me back to school.

Back to school.

I hadn’t mentioned my academic failures to my
parents yet. I was legally an adult, and old enough to make my own decisions
about my life, but somehow I still felt like a child under my parents’ rule.
They would be disappointed when I told them about my academic
probation, that
was for sure. Maybe they didn’t have to
know.
At least not yet.

I looked over at my dad, still paging through
the scrapbook and taking notes. I was so proud of my father. He was always a
goal-orientated person and never a quitter. I was sure he wouldn’t stop until he
traced our family line at least a hundred years further than my grandfather
had.

I couldn’t quit, either. I had to do better
next semester.

“Good luck, Dad.” I said. “Let me know if I can
do anything to help.” I kissed him on the forehead and walked into the kitchen
to say good morning to my mother.

“How was your date last night?” she asked.

“It was good, Mom. I really like Nolan.” I
picked up a piece of toast and began to butter it.

She poured a glass of orange juice and handed it
to me. “Nolan seems like a very nice young man.”

“Thanks, Mom. I think so too.” I took a bite of
toast, chewing for a few seconds before I continued. “I’m going to spend the
day with him. You don’t think it’s too soon, do you?” I knew not a lot of people
were able to have an open relationship with their mother, but I was happy that
I felt comfortable talking with her about my love life.

“If it feels right, then it’s not too soon.”
She took a drink of juice from her own cup. “You have a good head on your
shoulders, Ava. I’m not at all concerned that you are jumping into anything
before you are ready.” She scooped up some eggs with her fork and poked them in
the air at me. “But with that said
,
make sure you
aren’t jumping into anything before you are ready, if you know what I mean.”

I knew exactly what she meant.

Later I sat on the couch in the front living
room pretending to read the paper. I was really stealing glances out the front
window at Animal Island. Nolan’s car wasn’t parked outside of his cabin. I
wondered where he was and if the clock could move a bit faster so ten o’clock
could roll around. 

I tried to busy myself with the newspaper until
I noticed Nolan’s car pull up in front of the house. I jumped up, grabbed my
bag, and yelled to my parents that I was heading out.

Nolan was out of the car and coming up the
walkway when I met him. He kissed me quick on the lips and said “Good morning,
beautiful.”

“It was a long night without you,” I said
flirtatiously.

“I agree. But at least we have the whole day to
spend with each other.”

I smiled at him, and then he turned and we got
inside the fancy silver car. “Where are we off to this morning?” I inquired
while I buckled my seatbelt.

He
pulsed
his eyebrows
but said nothing as we pulled away from my house and drove down Minnesota
Avenue towards Oak Street. I was proud of Nolan for learning the local back
roads so quickly. He’d be a true native in no time. But then a thought hit me.

“Hey, what’s today’s date?”

“It’s June 30th, I think.”

“Oh
my gosh
. I can’t
believe it’s almost July! Do you have any plans for The Fourth? They usually
take a boat out on the Upper Dells to watch the fireworks. Then they beach it
and build a big bonfire for the rest of the night. It’s a pretty cool party.”

He smiled while keeping his eyes on the road
but then said nothing for a few seconds, and I thought perhaps I had jumped the
gun. Did he not want to plan something with me a few days into the future? A
small panic stirred up in my stomach, until he said, “There is nothing I’d
rather do that day than be by your side.” He moved a hand over and placed it
gently on my leg. The panic in my stomach was easily pushed aside as some
lovely butterflies of excitement took over.

We had arrived on the top of a hill behind the
popular Pirate’s Cove mini-golf course. Within seconds I realized we weren’t
golfing and I could not control my excitement. My jaw dropped to the floor. “Oh
my gosh
! I’ve always wanted to do this!” How did he
know?

We both got out of the car and met at the
ticket booth. Nolan told the attendant, “Hi, I’m Nolan Hill. I called ahead.”

I looked at the price chart and realized he was
spending a pretty penny on me. I suddenly felt a little guilty and offered to
pay for my own fifty-dollar ticket.

Nolan pushed my hand aside and said, “You
simply are adorable, but absolutely not.”

I couldn’t argue with those eyes, so I quietly
put my credit card back into my purse and waited patiently as he paid the
hundred dollars with cash. Soon, a man in a pilot’s shirt, much like the ones
we wore to work at the boats, led us to the landing pad behind the booth.
Sitting up on top of a small hill on a square of concrete was a helicopter. Its
propellers were already in motion and the sound was so loud I covered my ears
with my hands. I had always wanted to take a helicopter ride over the city but
never got around to it, so I was very excited to take this trip and to be able
to sit right next to Nolan while I experienced it!

They buckled us in tightly and handed us
headphones with little microphones attached so we could communicate with each
other while in the air.

We took off and flew east toward my parents’
neighborhood. Instantly I realized Nolan was nervous. He had his eyes closed,
taking deep breaths with his head leaning back against the headrest. Of course,
he was afraid of heights. And yet he knew I would love this and took me up here
anyway. What a sweetheart.

I grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly,
placing my other hand on top. “Thank you,” I whispered, not knowing if he could
hear me through the microphone.

A few minutes into the trip I saw Nolan relax a
little. I peered out the window and quickly found the railroad bridge and
bustling Broadway. We flew over my elementary school, the Catholic
church
, post office, and community pool. We followed
Minnesota Avenue past the library. Nolan pointed out his window saying he could
see my house and Animal Island, so I leaned over, pressing into him as I
looked. It was such a great new perspective from up above, seeing everything I
was so familiar with in a completely different way. I could see my mom’s
vegetable garden that takes up the second lot adjacent to our house. I could
see all the way down Capital Street to Ted’s house. I thought for a moment I
could even see Mr. Kitty lounging in the front lawn.

Then the pilot changed directions and headed
down River Road until we met the river. Nolan spotted the place I had brought
him on our first date and pulled me back over to his window. He kissed my
forehead as we relived the magical night from a few days ago.

I imagined myself as an eagle stretching my
wings and soaring over that handsome brown channel. The towering stone cliffs
looked a little less impressive from above, but I still was amazed by the
beauty of the sight. I noticed a tour boat making its way downriver, but
couldn’t quite tell which one it was from above. There were many tour Ducks,
one after another, slowly swimming their way downriver, indicating great crowds
for that attraction today. We finally made it back to the docks where I could
see a tour boat being loaded. Tiny little heads made their way down the loading
stairs and onto the dock. There were several gates open on the dam, and it was
interesting to see the water rush in from above the dam through the gates and
then crash down into the Lower Dells.

The helicopter tour ended more quickly than I
wanted it to. We landed back on the hill, the crew unbuckled us, and we jumped
down from the helicopter. We thanked our pilot, I gave him a tip, and then
Nolan grabbed my hand and walked me over to a field behind the landing pad. On
top of the hill, the view was almost as gorgeous as it was from the sky.

“That was amazing,” he commented.

We stood looking over the Lower Dells docks. “I
completely agree. It was so cool for me to see my town from up above. It was
perfect. Thank you so much, Nolan.”

“You’re more than welcome.”

I looked back over the city, but soon felt
Nolan’s stare on my face.
“A penny for your thoughts?”
I said.

“Oh, I was just wondering what I ever did to
gain the attention of such a wonderful woman.”

I think I
blushed
three shades of red.

“Anyway, are you ready for our next
destination?”

“Absolutely!”

Nolan had sought Suzanne’s advice on the best
beaches on the river and she had raved about her favorite spot called Birchwood
Beach on the Upper Dells. We drove down the scenic and winding River Road and
parked in a gravel parking lot. To my surprise, he opened up the trunk and took
out a blanket and picnic basket! We walked up a dirt pathway through a prairie
bursting with wild flowers and into the woods. I had taken the pathway a few
times with my sister before, but I had forgotten how long of a walk it was.