Page 35 of Under the Northern Lights

Gage made sure Aurora gripped the fish correctly before wiping his hands off and then taking the camera from his brother.

Turning back to face her, he raised the camera and said, “Smile.” With a single click, he captured the image of Aurora beaming proudly with her prize catch.

One he wouldn’t need a picture to remember.

It was a memory that would be forever embedded in his mind.

Seeing how comfortable Aurora was while hiking through the woods, flying in his floatplane, even reeling in a fish for dinner, at least with the fish she’d caught after that first one, Gage found himself thinking about how well she would fit into his life if things were different.

Time was running out to sort through his feelings where Aurora was concerned. A part of him wanted to let her go to save himself the heartbreak of another relationship ending due to their two different worlds. But the other part of him already felt the gaping hole she was going to leave behind.

“Dinner was so delicious tonight,” Aurora said as Gage walked her back to her cabin.

“It tastes even better when it’s your catch,” he said as they stepped up onto the tiny rental cabin’s front porch.

They stood in silence for a long moment, before Gage said, “Aurora ...”

Her cell phone rang. She looked fretful. “I’m sorry,” she apologized.

“Answer it,” he told her.

She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket. Her face lit up. “It’s my editor,” she said excitedly.

Nodding, he stepped away to give her a bit of privacy.

“Hello ...? Yes, this is Aurora.”

Silence as her editor spoke on the other end of the line.

Gage suddenly felt as anxious as Aurora did, but for different reasons.

“You do?” she gasped. “Yes, I would be very interested.” Her gaze snapped up to meet Gage’s. “I see. Yes, we can talk more when I get back to Seattle.”

Gage couldn’t help but catch bits and pieces of her conversation. It sounded promising for Aurora’s career.

“That would be wonderful,” she replied. “Thank you for calling as soon as you’d made a decision. I know it’s fairly late there in New York. I’ll be in touch soon.”

Gage looked up to see Aurora return her phone to her pocket. “Good news?” he asked as he joined her back on the porch.

“Very,” she answered, her eyes alight with happiness. “That was my editor. He called to tell me that they love what I’ve sent them so far and want to offer me a full-time position with World Adventures Magazine .”

“That’s great news,” he told her.

“Except I’ll be traveling on their schedule instead of my own,” she added with a nervous frown. “To places far away from Emmy and my family in Oregon and here.”

Gage saw the panic come into her eyes. “This is your dream,” he gently reminded her.

“But what if it turns into a ‘be careful what you wish for’ situation? What if they don’t like my photos? What if I don’t like traveling so much?”

He smiled. “And what if it turns out to be even better than you dreamed it would be? I’ve seen your work, Aurora. They are going to love anything you give them.”

She looked up, meeting his gaze.

“As far as travel goes,” he went on, “I think you were born to do it. You happily soak up any environment you’re in with ease, and you will be doing what you love to do. Definitely what I’d call a dream job.”

Her mouth lifted into a grateful smile. “Thank you for talking me down. This truly is what I’ve wanted for so long. I can do this.”

“Thatta girl. I’d better head back to the lodge and let you get inside where it’s warm,” Gage told her. “I’m sure you’ll want to make some calls to share your good news with your family and friends.”

“And I’ve taken up your entire day,” she agreed. “I guess I’ll see you at breakfast in the morning.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Thank you so much for making my last day here so wonderful.”

“It was my pleasure,” he replied, looking down at her beautiful face. Trying to burn it into his memory. “See you in the morning.”

Aurora rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to his, taking Gage by surprise.

He returned the kiss, his heart filled with all the things he wanted to say to her, wished he’d said to her before that call came in and pulled her life in a new direction.

When the kiss ended, Aurora said, “I’ll never forget my time here. Or you, Gage. Good night.”

He nodded, unable to speak, and stood there until she had disappeared into the cabin.

Then Gage started back to the lodge, his heart heavy.

Aurora was sweet, kind, and beautiful, inside and out.

Where things had been off between him and Jess, Aurora felt right .

Emotions he hadn’t expected gnawed at his gut.

The retreat wouldn’t be the same when Aurora was gone.

Her effervescent energy and never-ending desire for adventure had breathed new life into his family.

Something that had been missing since his father’s stroke.

Hiking around the island wouldn’t have the same sense of adventure.

Gage had truly enjoyed seeing his world anew through Aurora’s eyes.

And family game nights would lack the challenge Aurora gave him with such glee.

Night walks around the retreat would be just that—walks.

No more shared laughter beneath star-filled skies.

Gage sighed. He’d known from the beginning that Aurora’s being there was only temporary. She had a life and a career she had to return to in Seattle.

“I’m so excited for you!” Emmy shrieked through the phone.

“It’s what I’ve wanted,” Aurora replied as she paced the cabin that had been her home away from home during her stay on Conley Island.

“For forever,” Emmy told her. “So why don’t you sound more excited about this job offer?”

“I am,” Aurora said, trying to have a bit more gusto in her voice.

“Well, that was convincing,” her friend said sarcastically. “Now, do you want to tell me what’s really going on here?”

Hot tears rushed to Aurora’s eyes. “I’m going to miss seeing you as often as I usually do.”

“We can video chat when you’re out of the country,” Emmy assured her.

“I know that,” Aurora replied. “So I’m not really sure why I feel so sad. I should be dancing around my cabin.”

“Maybe this has more to do with that handsome pilot you’ve been getting to know during your stay there ...”

“It has everything to do with Gage,” Aurora admitted with a troubled frown. She could always count on Emmy to be her emotional sounding board. She did the same for Emmy.

“So this really isn’t some sort of fleeting Alaskan vacation crush,” Emmy surmised.

“I wish,” Aurora groaned. “How silly am I? Falling for a guy who’s not at a place in his life where he’s free to put time into a relationship?”

“Why not?” Emmy asked. “People commit to long-distance relationships all the time.”

“Right now, Gage’s father and the family business have to come first. His father had a stroke last year, and when he came home to continue his rehabilitation, they made a family decision to close off new bookings for a brief period.

That allowed Gage, Reed, and Julia to help their mother with his care. ”

“I definitely get that,” Emmy replied. “Recovery can be a long process. Look at Dad.”

Aurora nodded with a frown. “Gage’s father was fortunate they were able to fly him to the hospital in Juneau as soon as it happened.

” Sadly, for Emmy’s father, his stroke happened while he was home alone, and getting to the hospital within hours of a stroke made such a difference.

“He’s made almost a full recovery. The retreat, however, is struggling to get back to what it was.

Mostly because guests are being lured away to the Reel and Relax Resort, another fishing retreat that recently opened not far from Conley Island.

One that has all the bells and whistles of a luxury resort, including guest spa services. ”

“Luxury isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.”

“Agreed,” Aurora replied. “Places like Living the Good Life Fishing Resort make you feel completely at home while away on a vacation surrounded by nature.”

“Sounds like the perfect advertising pitch,” Emmy said.

Her friend was right. That pretty much said it all. Aurora filed that away in her mind to run past Gage later.

“Getting back to Gage,” her friend said, “we know a lot of people who like to travel. Maybe we can send some their way. If we can help get things turned around for his family’s retreat, then he would be free to pursue something with you.”

“You’re assuming that’s what he would want to happen. But other than the kiss we shared, he?—”

“Kiss!” her friend exclaimed, cutting Aurora off. “Gage kissed you, and you kept that little tidbit of very important info to yourself?”

Aurora groaned. “I’m sorry, Emmy. I didn’t intentionally keep it from you. I’ve just been dealing with a lot of mixed emotions since coming here. This was supposed to be my honeymoon.”

“I know,” Emmy said empathetically. “I was hoping that being there would be enough of a distraction to keep you from dwelling on that. I know you have developed some feelings for Gage, but are you also having second thoughts about ending things with Ben?”

“I have no regrets about calling off my engagement. This trip has helped me know for certain that I made the right choice. It’s also helped me to discover a lot of things about myself, some of which were things I had forgotten that I enjoyed so much.”

“Like what?” her friend asked.

“Like being part of a family game night. And being able to reel in a fish that I caught all by myself,” she said proudly. “A really big fish.”

“You went fishing?”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Aurora told her.

“Sorry. I’m just used to you taking pictures of animals and sea creatures like dolphins or stingrays. I’ve never known you to actually go fishing.”