Notes

A compulsion had driven her here, and for the first time in three
weeks the feeling was gone. She’d needed Noah to know about her
engagement, to understand, to accept it—she was sure of that now.
While thinking of him, she was reminded of something they shared
the summer they were together. With head down, she paced around
slowly until she found it—the carving. Noah loves Allie, in a heart.
Carved into the dock a few days before she’d left.
A breeze broke the stillness and chilled her, making her cross her
arms. She stood that way, alternately looking down at the caning and
then towards the river, until she heard him reach her side. She could
feel his closeness, his warmth.
“It’s so peaceful here,” she said, her voice dreamlike.
“I know. I come down here a lot now just to be close to the water. It
makes me feel good. Come on, let’s go. The mosquitoes are getting
vicious, and I’m starved.”
THE SKY had turned black and they started towards the house. In
the silence Allie’s mind wandered and she felt a little light-headed.
She wondered what he was thinking about her being here and wasn’t
exactly sure if she knew herself. When they reached the house a
couple of minutes later, Clem greeted them on the back porch.
Noah set the bucket by the door, then led the way inside to the
kitchen. It was on the right, large and smelling of new wood. The
cabinets had been done in oak, like the floor, and the windows were
large and faced east, allowing the light from the morning sun. It was a
tasteful restoration, not overdone as was so often the case when
homes like this were rebuilt.
“Do you mind if I look around?”
“No, go ahead. I did some shopping earlier and I still have to put the
groceries away.”
She toured the house for the next few minutes, walking through the
rooms, noticing how wonderful it looked. She came down the stairs,