Page 14 of Under the Northern Lights
“Oh, I’m not scared,” she told him. “I love to play games. My family and I used to have our own game night when Jade and I lived at home.”
“No one would blame you if you’re not feeling up to it,” he replied. “You’ve had a bit of a hectic day. It’s okay if you’d rather go back to your cabin and rest up after dinner.”
Aurora’s brows lifted. “Hmm ... sure sounds to me like someone is doing his best to get me to bow out of tonight’s competition.”
Gage appeared surprised by her accusation. “Who? Me?” he said, jabbing a finger in his broad chest.
“Sure sounded like it to me,” Reed egged on.
“I’m in,” Aurora announced.
“I thought you were hoping to get some pictures before the sun sets this evening.”
Reed chuckled. “Are you actually worried Aurora’s game-playing abilities will knock you off your winner pedestal?”
Gage frowned. “It has nothing to do with winning or losing. I don’t want her to miss taking the pictures she was hoping to get because she got hooked into playing games with us.”
“Easy fix,” Julia said. “We can play after she takes her pictures.” She looked at Aurora. “If you’re still up for it by then.”
Gage’s mother nodded. “Absolutely. There is no set time for game night. Do what you need to do. If you change your mind afterward, we’ll understand.”
“Maybe I could join you when you go out to get those pictures,” Julia said hopefully. “I’d love to see a professional photographer in action.”
Aurora smiled at his sister. “I would love the company.”
Aurora had taken pictures from the plane, but she’d mostly been turned away from him. Gage found himself wondering what she was like when she was free to move about, immersed in her element. Would she be focused and serious? Would she be smiling? Happy to be doing what she loved?
Gage fought a troubled frown. None of those things should matter to him.
Aurora would be gone as quickly as she’d arrived, and he’d be back to life as usual.
Besides, everyone knew what happened to the curious cat.
But there was also the saying, live and learn.
“I’ll go too,” he announced, his decision made.
Reed chuckled. “Since when are you interested in photography?”
Since their pretty little guest blew into the café in an oversized duck poncho. “Someone needs to be there to keep an eye out for Little John.”
“Little John?” Aurora asked, her head tipped inquiringly to one side.
“He’s Conley Island’s most renowned brown bear,” Gage’s dad explained.
“Don’t let the name fool you,” Reed added. “Little John is a full-grown grizzly. We just named him that because all three of us siblings loved reading about, and watching, Robin Hood when we were growing up.”
Aurora’s expression settled into one of concern. “So he’s really big?”
Laughing softly, Gage’s mom shook her head. “Not as big as some get. He’s only come around here every so often, but the boys run him off. Just be sure not to leave any food outside of your cabin, or he might be tempted to pay you a visit.”
“Him or one of his friends,” Reed said with a grin.
Gage could see the concern building on Aurora’s face. If they kept filling her in on all the dangers of the island, she’d be making a night swim back to Juneau.
“You’ll be safe with Gage along,” he heard his father say.
Aurora nodded as she looked Gage’s way. “I have no doubt.”
“So it’s settled,” Julia decided. “We eat. Then we go get some pictures. Afterward, we’ll come back here and play some games.”
“When you kids head off on your photographic adventure, I’ll get a fire going,” Reed offered.
“And I’ll get the g-games out and set them on the c-coffee table,” Jim said. “Aurora chooses who g-goes first.” He looked her way. “A perk of b-being a guest here.”
“I suppose I should have asked how Gage responds to losing before I fully committed to joining family game night.”
Gage arched an affronted brow as he fought to keep the grin from his face. “I can’t really answer that because I never lose.”
“Well, you know what they say,” Aurora replied. “Never say never.”
Gage’s dad hooted and then glanced down at his wife. “Looks like our son m-might have met his match in this young lady. I’m l-looking forward to watching our eldest son get his g-game confidence knocked down a notch or two.”
“Same.” Reed chuckled.
“If we play teams, I get Aurora,” Julia called out.
“We might be drawing straws for that privilege,” Reed said.
Constance clapped her hands together. “Game night is going to be so much fun tonight! I love a little friendly competition. Now everyone go ahead and take a seat at the table. Julia and I will start bringing the food out.”
“Can I help with anything?” Aurora offered.
“Thank you for offering, honey,” Constance said. “But we are used to feeding a table full of guests. We have a system all worked out. You just relax and enjoy your stay here.”
Jim released his loving hold on his wife and stepped aside so she could make her way past him to the kitchen.
On her way, she looked at Gage. “Go on over and find your seats. We’ll just be a couple of minutes.”
When his mother and Julia disappeared into the kitchen, Aurora asked, “Would you mind very much if I took a few quick pictures of this room?”
Gage looked around. “It’s not the wildlife you’re used to photographing, but feel free to snap away.”
“It makes me think of the outdoors,” Aurora told him as she glanced about the room appreciatively.
“It’s designed so perfectly,” she went on as she pulled out her camera and snapped several pictures.
“From the half log walls to the log beams spanning this big, open room beneath the vaulted ceiling. The floor-to-ceiling windows and the slender, lit pines tucked away in different areas of the room give the feel of standing out in the woods as the sun is setting.”
“Hmm,” Reed muttered as he looked around. “Never quite looked at this room in that way.”
“That’s because all you think about when you’re in here is eating,” Gage said with a grin.
“Fact,” his brother replied with an even wider grin.
Laughing at their playful banter, Aurora returned her camera to its bag.
“Mom and Dad came up with the idea for the fishing lodge when they were first married,” Reed explained as they made their way over to the dining table. “They designed it as well.”
“Actually,” his father interjected, “this l-lodge was much smaller to begin with. When the fishing retreat began seeing a steady fl-flow of guests in its first few years, we decided to expand the lodge during off-season.”
“We built this great room on and added several of the larger cabins to accommodate groups or families,” Gage said.
“It’s perfect,” Aurora said, making Gage’s father’s chest puff up ever so slightly. The effort he put into getting some of his words out combined with his slightly off-balanced gait made her wonder if he’d suffered a stroke like Emmy’s father had.
“Glad you like it,” Gage said as he walked beside her.
“I feel bad not helping your mother and sister bring the food out,” Aurora leaned over to whisper to Gage as they neared the table.
“Don’t,” he said. “I’m sure they appreciated you offering to help, but they have a routine for dinner they like to stick to. And tonight is easy. They’re only serving dinner to one guest. They’re used to serving a whole table filled with hungry fishermen.”
“The other guests aren’t coming?”
He shook his head. “Not this evening.”
“Their group is having hot dogs over the fire down by their cabins,” Reed said.
“I haven’t had a hot dog cooked over a fire since Jade and I were little. My family liked to camp.”
“So you really aren’t a stranger to the outdoors,” Gage noted in surprise.
“Not completely,” she replied. “As a wildlife photographer, I spend a lot of time outside.”
“And here I thought you were just a city girl with a really nice camera,” he told her with a playful grin.
“Like an onion,” she replied, “you have to peel back the layers.”
“Duly noted.” If only there were more time. Gage found himself wanting to know more about this beautiful woman who seemed to appreciate even the little things in life. Like lit artificial pines. He hadn’t even realized how many filled the room until Aurora had made mention of them.
Aurora gasped softly, drawing Gage from his thoughts.
Her gaze was fixed on the elk antler chandelier that hung suspended over the long, twelve-seater dining table.
“I promise that no elk were harmed in the making of this chandelier,” he said. “They shed their horns naturally.”
“I know,” she replied.
“You do?” he said in surprise.
She laughed. “I’ve learned a thing or two about the wildlife I photograph. I just hadn’t realized how grand this chandelier was until I was standing almost beneath it. It’s amazing.”
“Reed made it,” Jim said.
She looked at Gage’s brother. “You did?”
Reed nodded. “It was a good winter project.”
“And you paint, too,” she said. “Impressive.”
I can fly a plane , Gage refrained from blurting out. He tried to conjure up the image of his ex as a reminder that he didn’t want to vie for any woman’s attention, but his memory couldn’t be jarred.
His brother stood from the seat he’d taken and pulled out the chair next to his. “You can sit here,” he offered Aurora with a charming grin.
“Thank you,” Aurora replied, smiling up at him.
Gage felt a pinch of something that made him want to lift his lip into a snarl.
How ridiculous was that? Reed could charm away all he wanted.
Even if he’d be wasting his time. Aurora had a life in Seattle.
Maybe even a boyfriend, for all Gage knew.
Definitely no husband, because he’d overheard her tell Glady that she wasn’t married.
The door to the kitchen swung open, and his mother and Julia came out carrying food-laden trays.
“Are you planning to eat standing?” his mother asked Gage as she stepped up to the table next to him.
“Not today,” he answered, making his mother smile.
“Then have a seat so we can get everyone served.”
“Not there,” his sister said as Gage moved to take the closest seat. “I’m sitting there tonight.”
He started around the table only to be stopped by his mother. “I was going to sit by your father.”
Unless he wanted to sit separate from the others, his only option was to take the seat next to Aurora. Gage dragged the chair back and lowered himself into it, telling himself to focus on dinner and not the woman beside him.
Trays emptied, his mother and Julia scurried back to the kitchen, their stifled giggles followed by fading whispers.
They were up to no good. Of that, Gage was pretty certain.
He hadn’t missed the twinkle of delight that had come into his mother’s eyes when Aurora joked about knocking Gage off his game champion podium.
He could tell his family liked her, and he was pretty sure his mother and Julia were entertaining matchmaking thoughts as they had done a handful of times since his breakup two years earlier.
Well, they could scheme all they wanted.
He was not looking for a relationship. His focus needed to be on figuring out a way to keep their family’s retreat from being swallowed up by the bigger fish.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t enjoy an evening spent in Aurora Daniels’s company.