Chapter 1
YOUare invited to attend the
Grand Re-opening Celebration
of the
Ursa Fishing Lodge and Resort
on Saturday, March 15
6pm – 12am
Oak Room
Gemini Island, Ontario
Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres (and by that, we mean beer and meat)
Families welcome
Featuring entertainment by the Lex Dawson Band
* * * *
Juneau, Alaska
Late February
It was the fifth time Elaine Gleason had read the invitation. It was also the fifth time she’d tucked it into a drawer, meaning never to read it again.
As much as she appreciated Ryland mailing her the details, as well as a hand-written note asking her to attend, she couldn’t. When she left Gemini Island two months ago, she’d left it for good. There was nothing keeping her there. If she’d stayed, she would have drowned in bad memories.
It was hard enough staying afloat five thousand kilometers away.
Even still, she understood why Ryland had invited her. As he’d said in his message, she “would always be part of the Ursa Lodge family.” They had ties, strong ones.
Unfortunately, some ties had to be severed.
“Mommy, Mommy!”
Elaine’s children, Andy and Layla, barreled into her bedroom, toppling over each other in their haste to jump on her bed.
“Hide us,” said Layla.
Their Aunt Toni had offered to bathe them this evening, and their favorite game was running away from her. Of course, Toni always found them, but it put a smile on their little faces for a few minutes.
They hadn’t had enough smiles lately.
Elaine cuddled them, breathing deeply, and pulled them down onto the bed with her. Andy, her youngest, scrambled over her body and tucked himself on her left side. Layla curled against her right rib cage. For a moment, Elaine closed her eyes and raked her fingers through their hair.
“Is Aunt Toni going to use the special no-tears shampoo again?”
“Yeah,” said Layla. “She says we’re the only ones who get to use it. She won’t even let Uncle Fred use it, not even when he pretends to cry.”
“Uncle Fred is a big man. I think he’ll get over it.”
When Andy sat up, his face wrinkled with curiosity, she prayed this evening would break the mold. For weeks now, he’d been asking the same questions before bed. She was weary of answering them, but she steeled herself and sat up.
