Chapter 2: Acadia National Park - August 18
The family van barely pulled to a stop in front of Thunder Hole at Acadia National Park when the Stetson boys flew from the vehicle like they'd been shot from a canon. "Hold it, guys," Lee cautioned, but he was too late to snag his sons before they raced toward the jagged rocks overlooking the ocean. "Damn."
"Lee, I'll catch up with them," Amanda said, summoning the needed patience to keep her husband on an even keel. "Why don't you wait here and flag down Phillip and Jamie when they show up with the rest of our troops."
"Fine, but try to grab our hooligans before they fall in the water." Adjusting his sunglasses, Lee gave a half wave and headed back to the road to watch for the others.
Hurrying down the walkway after her youngest sons, Amanda failed to spot the imminent collision with a distracted senior citizen. "Oh, excuse me," she said as she bounced off the lean frame of the innocent passerby. "I'm so sorry." Bending down, she retrieved his cane that had fallen to the ground.
"No harm done," he said, handing over her purse that had slipped from her shoulder to the flowering shrubs by the walkway. "You'd think someone like me, who's taken the tour dozens of times, would learn to pay attention and keep his wits about him."
"And so should I." Smiling at the stranger, Amanda couldn't help but notice his polite demeanor, piercing blue eyes, and impish grin. No doubt, he knew how to charm the ladies, even if his clothes were outdated by today's standards. Shrugging off the odd encounter, she raised her hand to wave good-bye. "Well, if you'll excuse me . . . ."
"Ah, before you go," he said, "allow me to inform you of a wonderful opportunity."
"Oh?" Amanda halted her forward progress while still keeping an eye out for the boys.
The gentleman reached into the coat pocket of his vintage 1970s leisure suit and produced a pamphlet and calling card. "I've lived here for years and have gotten to be something of a local historian. Maybe you and your family would be interested in my art collection and presentation on the 1947 Mount Desert Island fire."
"Yes, that does sound interesting." Amanda hastily accepted the information and stuck it in her purse. Then inching away, she prepared to hurry down the path. "I'll be sure to read your pamphlet later, but I really must catch up with my family, Mr. . . ."
"Oliver Wendell Baxter," he supplied, proffering a handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. . . ."
"Amanda Stetson," she said, shaking his hand. "I'm sorry to run off, but I need to find my sons."
"Of course." Politely tipping his faded fishing hat, he revealed a tangle of springy curls, pure white with age. "By all means, find your children. Thunder Hole can be a dangerous place when the waves kick up. On a few occasions, people have been swept out to sea."
"Oh my gosh." Without another glance, she hurried toward the rocky alcove that overlooked the ocean.
"Boys, boys, come back." Amanda waved her arms and beckoned to her twins as they leaned over the railing above Thunder Hole. "You're too close to the water."
They waved back at her, but scarcely surrendered their perch.
Amanda sighed with exasperation. Matthew and Robert Stetson exhibited the same risky behavior she remembered from Phillip and Jamie's teen years. However, by all appearances, the twins took first place in the "boys will be boys" category.
As a huge wave tumbled onto the rocks, tourists jumped back in vain. Everyone within ten feet was sprayed with icy water. Matty and Robby stomped partway up the ramp, slapping the water from their sneakers as they vigorously shook the moisture from their hair.
"It serves them right." Phillip suddenly appeared, carrying his sleeping daughter against his shoulder. "Man, it's a wonder my little brothers didn't fall in the drink."
"Well, they're trying, I'll give you that." Amanda reached around her eldest son and touched the tousled curls of her granddaughter. Mandy, officially known as Amanda Lee King, was a treasured gift after three decades of "snakes and snails and puppy dog tails."
Even Jenny, raised in the midst of four brothers, had become something of a tomboy in order to compete in her siblings' world of sports and creeping critters. However, when Mandy was born, Jennifer had been ecstatic to welcome a rare female relative into the family. The little girl was the perfect substitute for a longed-for sister.
As if aware of her mother's thoughts, Jennifer quietly appeared by her side. "Mom, I hope Phillip and Jamie weren't that foolish at thirteen."
"Close, but not that close," Lee said with a grin as he joined the group. Placing his long arms around the shoulders of his wife and daughter, he surveyed the action of his sons. "Matt and Rob should be okay. The ocean is fairly calm today, so we won't hear the clap of thunder when the waves rush into the cavern, forcing out the air and water."
Amanda shot her husband a wary look. "The boys don't know what to expect. They have no sense of danger."
"Yeah, that's why they're wearing the 'No Fear' t-shirts Lee bought for them." Jamie elbowed his stepfather as he joined them by the railing. Then positioning his camera, he began snapping pictures.
While the boys continued their flirt with fickle Mother Nature, Lee finally cut loose with a shrill whistle - his usual mode for capturing their attention. However, this time his attempt fell on deaf ears. "When did Matt and Rob become 'Dumb and Dumber'?"
"Sweetheart, don't ever let the boys hear you say that."
"Humph, then they'd better shape up." When the twins playfully shoved each other toward the gaping hole, their father jogged off to collar them. Whatever he said apparently reined them in, because they nodded in agreement and fell into lock step beside him. With an arm across each boy's shoulders, Lee steered them back to the family.
Coming to stand by their mother, the twins looked repentant. "Sorry," Robert said through chattering teeth as he wrapped thin arms tightly against his lean body.
Amanda resisted the urge to brush the dark strands of hair off his forehead. Of all her handsome sons, Robby was the one who looked most like his mother and sister. He had the same dark brown hair and eyes and the same slender bone structure.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, too," Matthew grumbled, running long fingers through his sandy blonde hair. Taller with broader shoulders than his twin, he was clearly cloned from the Stetson line. He had his dad's temperament, too. Sometimes their sameness could punch Lee's buttons, especially when the father recognized his own faults mirrored in his child. "I don't want him repeating my mistakes," Lee often said when he lost all patience with his impulsive boy.
Amanda smiled at her youngest sons, marveling that her babies were growing up in a blink of an eye. They were life's ultimate surprise. Totally unexpected, she'd found herself pregnant at the age of forty-two and then, unbelievably, the mother of twin boys at forty-three. Once everyone had gotten over the shock, Matty and Robby had quickly become the delight of the whole family.
"His and hers," that's what Dotty had called them when the twins were born. Ironically, right from birth, Lee's broad shoulders proved useful in comforting Robert's sensitive nature, while Amanda's serene presence was the perfect balm for soothing Matthew's hair-trigger temper.
"Hey, look at this," Jamie called to his mother and stepfather. "Tell me what you think." As Lee and Amanda peered over his shoulder, he scanned through the latest pictures on his camera. "There's a dude in my shots who seems to be hovering near Jenny and the twins at different points on our tour."
"Yeah, you're right," Lee said. "I didn't want to alarm anyone yet, but I noticed him earlier at Otters' Cove and then again when the kids played Frisbee at Sand Beach."
Looking closer, Amanda sighed with palpable relief. "Oh, for heaven's sake, you're talking about Oliver Wendell Baxter. He's a charming gentleman with impeccable manners. Mr. Baxter is a resident of the island and a history buff of sorts."
"How would you know?" Lee locked his arms over his chest and gave his wife an incredulous look.
She stepped forward and slid her fingers along his shoulders, trying to release the tension that radiated from his body. "I've talked to Mr. Baxter, sweetheart. In fact, I nearly knocked him off his feet."
"What?"
"It was an accident. We apologized to each other and exchanged some pleasantries."
"Amanda, accidents can be arranged."
"Good grief, Lee," she said with a sigh. "Dozens of people have been with us all day, so you can't single out Oliver Baxter. After all, everyone is touring the same sights highlighted in the Visitor Center's travel guide."
"True, it's probably nothing, but I've had an uneasy feeling about the guy hanging around our children. He was particularly nosing around Jennifer when she sat on the rocks to sketch Otter's Cove."
"Oh, Daddy, we were just talking about the scenery . . . and, you know, the rising of the oceans. He's very concerned about global warming, too."
"Ah," Lee said, the slight tic in his jaw betraying his annoyance. "I hope he's not some kind of climate change fanatic or worse. Keep your distance from the man, Jennifer."
"Sweetheart, I think you're overreacting." Amanda crossed her arms and glared at Lee with exasperation. There was nothing like an extended family vacation to bring out her husband's obsessive vigilance. "Just what is it about Mr. Baxter that makes you suspicious?"
"I honestly don't know," Lee said, already herding his clan toward the parking lot. "I've never seen the man before; however, I intend to keep an eye on him. Safe is better than sorry."
Sea View Resort Condo:
Amanda stepped from the shower and wrapped her lithe body in a terry cloth robe. Rubbing the steam from the mirror, she studied her tousled hair and creamy complexion, noting with satisfaction that her skin was still smooth and firm despite her fifty-six years.
Through the paper thin walls of their rented condo, she could hear the television blare the music from the classic movie, "West Side Story." As Maria's soprano voice sang, "Tonight, tonight, I'll see my love tonight," the words filled Amanda's mind with thoughts of love and desire.
"Did you come clean?" Lee's deep voice startled her from her reverie as he poked his head around the door of the master bath. There was no mistaking the smoldering message his eyes conveyed.
"Are you getting hungry?" she asked, knowing he knew exactly what she meant.
Lee came all the way into the bathroom and closed the door. "How's tonight," he whispered as he slid the top of her robe down one shoulder and burned a kiss into her collarbone. "It's been way too long since we had any privacy on this trip, if you get my drift."
"You're as transparent as cellophane," she said with a wicked laugh. Amanda turned in her husband's arms, pressing her body against his solid frame. "I'll pencil you in for later. If the kids follow through on their plans, we may have a few hours to ourselves."
"You mean everyone is going out, including the twins and Little Miss Muffet?"
"Yes, Jamie and Phillip mentioned taking the girls and the children into town to shop this evening."
"Hallelujah," Lee said, throwing his head back in triumph. "There is a God." Then moving closer, he brushed his lips over hers. Instantly, the fire ignited and the kiss became all consuming. As he upped the ante, his need became quite apparent. Wordlessly, he reached between them, fumbling blindly to untie the sash of her robe. "Amanda . . ."
"Lee," she whimpered, between quick breaths. "We'd better wait." The words barely cleared her lips when the bathroom door flew open, slamming against the wall with a bang.
Taking a defensive posture, Lee shielded her as if a bomb had exploded in the room. "Not again," he groaned when recognition dawned.
There stood three-year-old Mandy with her Strawberry Shortcake doll under one arm and the companion dog, Pupcake, under the other. "Nanny and Poppy, what are you doing?"
"Well . . . hello there, pumpkin," Amanda said, in a voice as rough as sand paper. Turning on her brightest smile, she held her robe together with a death grip. A quick glance at Lee confirmed that he was still laboring to breathe under duress.
"Hi, sweetie," he managed to sputter. Quickly distracting the child, he gave Amanda enough time to secure the sash on her robe. "Ah, do you need something, Mandy?"
"I need you," she said with a petulant cry. Dropping her companions, she ran to his arms. "My tummy hurts. I wanna watch TV in your bed."
Lee held the tyke against his side while he shot Amanda a helpless look. "Here it comes - a full evening of Blues Clues, The Wiggles, and Dora the Explorer."
"Oh, there you are." Phillip stood in the doorway, beckoning to his daughter. "Sorry about the escapee. She's not feeling well and wants her grandparents."
Heather nudged her way into the bathroom and stood next to Phillip. "Did you ask them?"
"Ask them what?" The muscles in Lee's jaw twitched with annoyance.
Phillip turned his gaze toward his mother, knowing full well who the real pushover would be. "Ah, we need a favor. Mandy has an upset tummy, so we'd better not take her with us tonight. Would you mind babysitting?"
Silently kissing the romantic interlude goodbye, Amanda turned on a smile with practiced cheerfulness. "We'll be happy to take care of our little Mandy."
"Sure," Lee added with a hint of sarcasm. "We have nothing better to do." Taking command, he pointed toward the door. "Now if everyone is finished in here, maybe we can give your mother a moment to get dressed."
"Oh, right," Phillip said, suddenly realizing they'd overstepped their boundaries.
As everyone filed from the cramped bathroom, Amanda gave Lee's polo shirt a tug. "I promise we'll find some private time," she whispered against his ear.
He shot her a purposeful look. "You'd better believe it."
TBC
