She kept going at a slow speed as if looking for something. When she pulled into a narrow parking area above the lake, he let out a soft whistle. So that’s where she was headed! Her destination must be one of the houseboats nestled around the cove.
Well, what do you know? he thought. His real estate company handled the rentals on those particular houseboats. As he headed up the steep winding road to his home, he laughed softly. He was pretty sure he could come up with a good reason to drop by and check on his renters.
Courtney found a parking space marked with the number her aunt had written her. She sat in the car for a long minute before getting out. A brisk wind had come up and she could see ruffled water on the dark lake catching glimmers of moonlight as ripples moved restlessly upon the shore. The scene was a foreign one to her. Because she’d never been around the water very much, she’d never learned to swim. Living in a floating house would be a new experience for her, and she wasn’t sure she’d like it all that much. A strange sense of dread settled on her as she sat there and struggled with some undefined reluctance to get out of the car.
“I’m just tired,” she said aloud. “Come on, honey bun. Let’s go meet your auntie.”
Holding the baby securely, she descended narrow steps leading to a narrow dock and the houseboat snugged up to it. She’d unpack the car later when she had Jamie settled. She had brought only necessities with her and had stored her few possessions for the summer.
An orangish light mounted on a high pole above the stairs gave an eerie cast to the brown, boxlike structure. The name of the houseboat, Nevermore, was carved in a wooden sign swinging in the wind, and a small rowboat tethered at the small dock made a moaning, sucking sound.
A sliver of light edged one of the curtained windows and was the only sign of occupancy. Courtney knew Aunt Devanna had only taken possession of the houseboat a few days ago, but she’d written that she had hired a woman to help her get settled.
A relentless flickering of shadows on the surrounding lake, and the play of boards under Courtney’s feet, added to her growing uneasiness as she stepped on the narrow deck of the houseboat and approached the front door.
Shifting the baby, she freed one arm and knocked loudly on the weathered wood. Nothing happened. Not a sound from inside.
She knocked again and the door opened slightly. She sensed someone peeking out, but couldn’t clearly see who it was. Courtney knew her aunt hadn’t seen her since she was a youngster, and they’d never exchanged photographs, so she quickly identified herself.
“It’s me, Aunt Devanna. I’m sorry to be arriving so late. You gave good directions in your letter,” she offered the reassurance. “I found the houseboat without any trouble.”
The door slowly opened and a woman was silhouetted by the small light behind her. Courtney couldn’t see her features clearly as she opened the door wider and motioned her inside.
When she didn’t say anything, Courtney said, “I really appreciate your invitation to come and spend the summer with you.”
As they stepped into the light, Courtney could see that her aunt was a rather plain, sturdy woman, about five foot eleven, with hair obviously dyed to cover any gray. She was plainly dressed in slacks and a pullover, and looked a lot younger and healthier than Courtney had expected.
The frown on her aunt’s face eased as her gaze dropped to the baby in Courtney’s arms, and a visible warmth rose in her face.
“This is Jamie,” Courtney said quickly, pleased at her aunt’s reaction. As she reached for the baby, Courtney promptly handed Jamie into her waiting arms. “He’s probably ready for his nightly bottle and another diaper change.”
“A baby boy.” Her aunt’s voice was soft and loving as she gazed at the infant. “How old?”
“Four months,” Courtney answered. Her aunt must have forgotten that she’d told her his age in one of her letters. At the time, Courtney had been concerned that Devanna wouldn’t appreciate all the fuss and paraphernalia that a baby required, but that worry was put to rest as she watched her aunt sit on the couch, cuddling Jamie.
How sad that Devanna had never had any children of her own, Courtney thought, watching her with the baby. Her aunt had married a man twice her age, and when he died, she’d inherited a modest lifetime income that allowed her to withdraw into herself and live as a recluse. She must be close to fifty years old now.
Courtney’s mother had rarely heard from her sister. Apparently there had been some friction between them. After her mother’s death, an exchange of Christmas cards with her aunt had been the extent of their communication until Devanna learned of the death of Courtney’s husband and the birth of the baby. No one was more surprised than Courtney when her aunt made the effort to mend family ties. As Courtney watched Devanna with the baby, she was glad she’d decided to come.
Glancing around the houseboat, Courtney could see her aunt had made little, if any, preparation for their arrival. In fact, it didn’t even look as if Devanna had gotten herself settled in. A galleylike kitchen area at one side of the room had numerous boxes sitting on the counters. There were stacks of books on the floor waiting to be put on shelves. Clothes were piled on chairs in the sitting and dining areas.
“Haven’t had time to straighten up,” her aunt said as she watched Courtney’s gaze pass over the clutter.
“I thought you had hired a woman to help you.”
“She didn’t work out,” she answered flatly. “I had to get rid of her.” For an instant it seemed as if a faint smile hovered on her lips.
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Courtney answered, puzzled why her aunt would be pleased about the situation. “Well, I’m here now, and you can tell me what needs to be done.”
Jamie let out a wail that settled matters for the moment. Courtney hurriedly heated a bottle and accepted her aunt’s offer to give it to him.
“Thanks, I’ll go bring everything in from the car. I need to boil some bottles and water for a new batch of formula.”
“You’ll teach me how,” her aunt ordered in a commanding tone that startled Courtney. “You’ll show me everything.”
“Yes, of course,” she responded, totally surprised, not knowing exactly how to handle her aunt’s insistence on caring for the baby.
Courtney made several trips up and down the narrow steps as she unloaded the car. The houseboat was a big disappointment. All imaginary pleasures of living on the water quickly faded as Courtney realized what little privacy she was going to have.
Having seen Hollywood’s version of romantic life aboard such accommodations, Courtney had allowed herself a foolish hope that her visit would be, at the very least, a change from her humdrum routine. The present situation mocked those idle fantasies.
There was more living space in some of the modern RVs Courtney had seen. The houseboat sitting area was divided from a small galley by a counter and barstools. The kitchen included a three-burner cooktop and a small refrigerator crowded with just the things Courtney had unloaded from the ice chest. No dishwasher, but it was blessed with a compact clothes dryer mounted on top of a washing machine. At least she wouldn’t have go out every day to wash the baby’s soiled clothes.
There were two sleeping quarters, small but private.
“That’s mine,” her aunt said in a warning tone to Courtney and she quickly shut the door of one, as if to emphasize that it was off-limits. “You and the baby take that one,” she said curtly, pointing to a door opposite hers.
The sleeping compartment was postage-stamp sized with bunk beds, a small closet, and barely enough floor space to turn around. Courtney set Jamie’s bassinet on the lower bunk, settled him in it, and eyed the top bed with less than enthusiasm.
“It’s plenty big,” her aunt said in an argumentative tone when Courtney didn’t say anything.
“And