Author's Note: In order to preempt the e-mails I know I'll get about this story, I can tell you that only one of the chapters actually happened to me exactly the way I wrote it. It's your job to determine which one. Enjoy!
Chapter One: Mary and Dan
I take vacations—by myself—to relax. My job in TV news is stressful on the calmest days. Plus, having recently turned forty, I know the station is always looking for a cute, young thing right out of college to take my place that they can pay minimum wage to. So I'm constantly having to prove myself and keep myself in decent shape. I've done alright with all that so far, allowing myself to unwind a little on vacation.
This summer I chose to head for the trees and lakes of northern Wisconsin. I did my homework online and found a log cabin resort that appeared to have everything I wanted: seclusion; woods; lakes; and, about a half dozen cabins, meaning there would at least be other people to interact with if the mood struck me.
Two days of driving got me to the resort in the middle of the afternoon of the second day. Just getting out of the car convinced me I had made the right choice. It was considerably cooler than back home and the only noise I heard was that of my shoes on the gravel of the parking lot in front of the office.
I checked in and was happy to hear my cabin was waiting for me. The owner directed me to a central parking area which put me within easy walking distance to my cabin. That walk was the beginning of what would prove to be an eventful week. The woods got denser and denser as I neared my two bedroom log cabin, which turned out to be even prettier than the pictures on the website.
A small front porch that ran along the entire length of the cabin was only a tease of what I found once I got inside and started exploring. As soon as I put my bags down, I stepped out onto a magnificent deck in the back that offered a view through the trees of a huge, crystal clear lake. I was in heaven already before even checking out the bedrooms, living room, kitchen and eating area.
Then I noticed the loft and decided I might never leave. This would work.
It took an hour to unpack and organize, only because I'm a woman. It was only going to be few days in this wonderful wilderness, but I packed every conceivable weight of clothing knowing that it would be cold at nights and either warm or cool during the day, depending on whether I was in the woods or on the lake or in town or whatever. I had a swimming suit, shorts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters and heavy coats. I had it all.
My first task, I decided, was to go buy food to cook. I had noticed a grill on the back deck and the kitchen was as good as mine at home, so the range of options in food I could get was endless. That took another hour after a short drive into the nearest town, which was technically called a village where I came from.
Upon arriving back at the parking lot for the cabin, I had my first brief encounter with the neighbors as I unloaded the car.
"Can we help?" I heard a man ask while I pulled plastic grocery bags out of the trunk.
I turned and saw a man and his wife behind me. Or, at least, I assumed they were man and wife but the first impression I had was that she was fairly younger than him. He looked to be around fifty, and the woman was no older than me, if not younger.
"Oh, no, that's alright," I began to say, but they were approaching me with every intent of making sure it only took one trip to get everything.
"Here. We'll get those," the man said as I stepped aside. He and his wife split the last few bags between them and I slammed the trunk closed.
"Thanks," I said as we began the walk to the cabin. "You must think I'm cooking for a whole family, but it's just me."
"How long are you staying?" he asked.
"A few more days," I replied.
His wife said, "We've been here two days already and have a week left. It's so beautiful."
"I agree, and I haven't really looked around much," I said.
I managed to unlock the cabin and the three of us placed the bags on tables and counters in the kitchen and eating area.
"Thank you so much," I said. "My name's Charlotte, by the way."
They introduced themselves as Mary and Dan and I had a better chance to look at them up close. Dan was certainly a nice-looking man, but Mary was truly stunning. She had short, fly-away blonde hair that I would have killed for, gorgeous facial features, and a tall frame that was proportionally well filled out. She was just extremely cute.
"Would you like to come over tonight sometime after dinner and sit on the deck with us?" Mary asked after the introductions were complete. "The bar is well stocked."
I didn't need to know the bar was stocked to quickly accept the offer. They seemed like really fun people from the short conversation we had and they could probably give me some hints on what to do in the area, as well. We set a time, they made sure I knew which cabin was theirs, and they left. The week was starting off just fine.
The sun was sinking by the time I was ready to head over to the 'party' and it was getting cooler. I threw on a sweatshirt and jeans, matching the casualness of what Mary and Dan wore when I met them. I felt guilty not taking anything, but they had insisted.
It was a short walk along an eerily quiet trail from my cabin to theirs. I saw the glow from a fire in a fire pit as I approached and the smell of the smoke permeated the woods around me. This was exactly what I went on vacation for and now I only hoped that my new friends were as nice as they initially seemed to be. If not, there were other cabins with residents I hadn't met yet.
I was glad to see I had not underdressed. Mary and Dan were just as laid-back as myself and I eagerly climbed the deck steps to join them. I accepted Mary's offer for wine and we sat in chairs overlooking the lake.
Clearly, Mary was the extrovert of the two. Dan was attentive, but rarely entered into the conversation, choosing instead to listen and add a comment when prompted to. I mentally had already pegged him as a senior vice president somewhere and Mary as a corporate marketing person. I was certain that the talk would get around to jobs eventually.
For now, we concentrated on the cabins, the lake, and what Mary and Dan knew of the people in the other cabins.
"There are two guys in the next cabin over," she said, tilting her head in that direction. "Don't know their names yet. They fish almost all day. But I've seen their boat and it's huge. It's more like a catamaran than a regular fishing boat. I'd love to go out on it."
"But are the guys cute?" I asked with a smile.
"Oh, yeah. Kind of young, though," Mary said.
Dan never flinched. I began to think he was used to Mary's commentary.
That led the conversation into me having to admit I was divorced, although by my own accord, and the not totally surprising declaration that Mary was Dan's second wife.
Finally, we talked jobs and they were interested in hearing what it was like to be on TV. I am proud to say I correctly guessed Dan's job exactly, but Mary turned out to work for a public relations firm. I considered that a near miss.
