Page 31 of Under the Northern Lights

“I’m so glad the two of you stopped by for lunch during your outing today,” Glady said as she gathered up Aurora and Gage’s empty plates and bowls.

“Aurora was paying up on a bet she lost to me,” Gage told the older woman with a grin.

Glady looked at Aurora questioningly.

“I lost a bet and owed him lunch out,” she explained. “But I got to choose where we went.”

“And you chose to come here,” Glady said, sounding quite pleased by Aurora’s choice. “You’ve crossed my mind a time or two since I sent you flying off into the wild blue, or as is the case here now, gray yonder with Gage. I thought you’d be long gone by now.”

Aurora shook her head. “After visiting Conley Island, I knew there was so much more there to be photographed. I couldn’t leave. An evening spent with Gage and his wonderful family only reinforced my decision to stay on.”

“I take it you were able to get the pictures you were hoping for during your visit here?”

Aurora looked across the table and smiled. “I did. More than I ever hoped for. Gage, as it turns out, is not only a terrific pilot, he’s also a very knowledgeable tour guide. He knows all the right spots for the best wildlife shots.”

He shrugged. “Comes with having grown up on the island and being able to answer our guests’ questions.”

He kept saying that, but Aurora knew Gage put a little something extra into helping her.

Gage’s cell rang, playing a lively country tune. Pulling it from his pocket, he glanced at the screen and then stood. “I need to take this,” he said with a frown.

“Of course,” Aurora replied. “I hope everything’s okay,” she muttered as he stepped outside of the diner to talk.

“That boy is far too serious,” Glady decided with a shake of her head as she stared at the closed door. “But then Gage has been shouldering the responsibility of running the family retreat since his father took ill last year.”

“I know. And Gage is actually very funny,” Aurora said in Gage’s defense. “In fact, he’s always trying to make me laugh.”

Glady looked her way with a speculative eye. “Does he now?”

“I can’t ever remember laughing so hard so often before. And my best friend Emmy can be really funny.”

“I’m so glad to hear that,” Glady told her.

“I know Constance worries that they’re asking too much of Gage, but he insisted on shouldering most of the weight of running their business after Jim got sick.

I suppose his having a business degree along with his pilot license makes him the most qualified to step in.

Of course, Reed and Julia are also pitching in more. ”

“I’m so glad his father is recovering so well,” Aurora said. “It’s clear to see where Gage and Reed got their silly sense of humor from.”

The door to the diner opened, and Gage came back inside, the frown he’d worn going out the door cut even deeper into his face now.

“I’ll just take these dirty dishes to the kitchen,” Glady said before hurrying off.

Gage slid his phone back into his coat pocket and then settled into his chair once again. “That was Clive.”

“That look on your face when you came in tells me the call didn’t go well,” Aurora said with a worried frown.

“The private equity firm just upped their offer.” He met her tense gaze across the table. “It’s a good one. But it’s not about the money. It’s our home. Our business.”

“I hope you told him that,” she replied.

“I did,” he said with a sigh. “But was it the right thing to do? If the business continues to lose guests to these newfangled fishing resorts, my family could end up with nothing. I also know that the stress of financial issues could put my father’s health at risk.”

“Gage, I have some money saved ...” she heard herself offering, yet no regret followed.

“No,” he said adamantly, and Aurora found herself wishing she could take her well-meant offer back.

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to involve myself in your family’s business.” She hadn’t considered the embarrassment he or his family might feel by her offering to lend them some money until Gage turned things around. She had just wanted to help.

“We’re not at that place yet,” he told her. “Please don’t think that I don’t appreciate your offer to help if we need it. I just can’t accept it. That would be like me quitting on the promise I made my family to make things right.”

“I understand,” Aurora said with a nod.

“Enough of all this serious talk,” Gage decided. “We need to get out of here because I have a surprise I’ve been setting up for you.”

She smiled. “Ooh, I love surprises.”

After saying their goodbyes to Glady, they returned to Gage’s floatplane and took off out of Juneau for whatever surprise he had planned. Aurora had tried unsuccessfully to get it out of him when they were walking back to the marina where his floatplane was docked.

Aurora watched out the plane’s front windshield as they flew away from downtown Juneau, past the cruise ship terminal with its impressive ships that were there on their last runs of the season.

Aurora looked at Gage. “No hints, huh?”

“Nope.”

“Can I buy a vowel?”

He chuckled. “Why do I feel like your parents had to hide all your Christmas presents somewhere really good so you couldn’t find them when you were growing up? Because I’m sure you tried to.”

“Still do,” she answered with a grin as she turned to look out the window beside her.

“I knew it,” Gage replied. “But I’m about to verbally unwrap your surprise.”

Her head snapped around. “You are?”

He nodded. “We are currently traveling over part of Alaska’s picturesque landscape on our way to fifteen hundred square miles of the Juneau Icefield.

Be on the lookout for wildlife roaming about the mountain peaks.

Bear. Moose. Goats. To name a few.” He glanced her way. “Sound tour guide-ish enough for you?”

Aurora smiled. “Very professional and informative,” she replied as she retrieved her camera. “Now I know why you told me not to forget my camera.”

“As if that would ever happen.” He chuckled again. “Now pay attention. You might catch a glimpse of some waterfalls along the way. I’ll try and give you a heads up in case you want to snap a few pictures of them.”

“I would love that. Thank you.” She couldn’t imagine seeing the beauty of a waterfall among the lush forest from a view high above it all. A whole new perspective for her wildlife shots.

The view was even better than Aurora had hoped it would be. Gage not only pointed out two waterfalls, but he also flew her over several glaciers. The best one of all—the Taku Glacier.

“I never expected glaciers to be so amazing, but they are,” Aurora admitted in awe as she snapped pictures of the land below.

“Only thirty-six of the glaciers in this icefield are named. And only a scant few of those are accessible.”

“The Taku Glacier was definitely my favorite.”

“Understandable,” he said with a nod. “It’s the deepest and thickest alpine temperature glacier in the world. I believe it’s just under five thousand feet thick and thirty-five or so miles long.”

“How do you know so much?”

“I read a lot growing up and have always been able to store away even the most useless facts.”

“It’s a gift,” Aurora said with a smile as she glanced back out her window. “Gage! There’s a moose!” she exclaimed as she fumbled with her camera to get a shot.

“Good eye,” he told her. “Did you get it?”

She sighed, her shoulders sagging. “Not clearly. But it was magnificent all the same.”

“Hold on,” he told her. “We’re going back around to see if we can get you that picture. Then we need to head back to Conley Island.”

I love you! That’s what she came far too close to exclaiming in her excitement. Thankfully, she did not. “It’s going to be the most amazing shot,” Aurora said with forced calm. “I’ve never ever seen a moose before. Not in real life anyway.”

“Well, you have now.”

She had experienced so many new things since missing her flight that day.

Who would have thought a road-blocking mudslide could lead to the wonderful adventure of a lifetime that she had been on since coming to Juneau?

To a newfound friendship with a very special Alaskan pilot.

To the kind of happiness she’d been seeking.

Yet, the stars weren’t aligning for her and Gage as they had for her mother and father.

They were both on different paths in their lives.

She was trying to move up in her photography career.

And Gage needed to be there for his family and their guests.

Other than after the unexpected kiss they’d shared, one Gage had not sought to repeat, he’d made no mention of having any romantic feelings for her.

Like those final grains of sand in an hourglass, her time there was running out.

She had to get back to her life and responsibilities in Seattle, and Gage had to save his family’s business.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said, glancing her way. “Better make that a dollar. Inflation and all, you know.”

Aurora managed a weak laugh, despite the slight heaviness in her heart. In a few days, she wouldn’t be seeing that warm, knee-weakening smile every day.

“Aurora?”

She gave her troubled thoughts a mental shove aside.

“I was just thinking about how much I’m going to miss all of this,” she replied.

And you. “Thank you for being such a thoughtful and helpful host. Without you and your knowledgeable tour guidance, I wouldn’t have taken some of the best nature shots I’ve ever taken. ”

“It was a nice change of pace,” he said with a nod, his gaze returning to the cloud-dotted sky view in front of them.

“Seeing the things I’ve come to take for granted through your eyes, and your lens,” he added with a grin, “has given me a whole new appreciation for the place I have, and always will, call home.”