Page 29 of A Thistle Beyond Time
“Follow me,” Jenna ordered as she made her way from the kitchen to the garage. Cormac was right in step behind her. She pointed out the cooler, which he picked up. “Bring it over here to the freezer, so we can fill it with ice.”
Jenna opened the freezer and Cormac’s eyes grew wide. “This is just a bigger version of the one in the kitchen,” Jenna pointed out. “You look like you’ve never seen one before.”
“I havnae. We have none of these things at Breaghacraig.”
“Sounds like you live in the Stone Age,” she teased. “Can you grab those two bags of ice and we’ll put them in the cooler.”
Cormac hesitated for only a second and then did as she asked. Jenna signaled him to follow her again and he brought the cooler into the kitchen.
“Set it here by the sink, please,” she requested. “I’m going to make some sandwiches. Do you like tuna, egg salad or cold cuts?” From the expression on his face, she figured it might be all, or none, of those. “I’ll just make some of everything,” she suggested.
Dylan entered the kitchen looking happy. “Jenna, I’ll get the chairs into the truck. Anything else you want me to grab?”
“The beach bag, towels… the usual. Cormac, why don’t you go help him with that?”
Cormac nodded and followed Dylan back into the garage.
Jenna got to work making the sandwiches and filling the cooler with water, sodas and beer. She had some nice, late season peaches she had purchased at the Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Building when they had been in the city and she packed those as well. Jenna looked in the refrigerator for anything else that might be good to bring along. She knew Dylan was a big eater and she assumed that based on the size of him, Cormac was as well. She didn’t want anyone to go hungry. As the final items were placed in the cooler, Dylan and Cormac reappeared to take it to the truck.
“What have you got in here, Jenna?” Dylan grunted as he picked the cooler up and Cormac grabbed the other end to help him.
Jenna just rolled her eyes at them. “You know how much food you eat, Dylan. I wasn’t sure even that was going to be enough.”
They finished loading the truck and Dylan secured his surfboard to the roof. Chester, who had been out in the backyard, was barking at the sliding door to be let in. As soon as Jenna opened the door, he made a beeline for the truck, beating everyone as he dove into the backseat.
“Well, Chester, it looks like you and I will be sharing the backseat again,” Jenna said. Chester answered by licking her face and panting heavily in her ear. “Thanks for that,” Jenna laughed.
“We’re outta here,” Dylan hooted. “Dude, I can’t wait to teach you how to surf.”
Cormac was looking apprehensive and Jenna teased, “Don’t worry, dude, you’ll probably be a natural.” She smiled to let him know she was joking.
“She’s right, Cormac. I’ll bet you pick it right up,” Dylan said, as he backed the truck out of the garage. He hit the button in the truck to close the garage door and Jenna watched the wonder on Cormac’s face as he reached for the button and sent the door back up. He pushed it again, closing it and looked like he might give it one more try, when Dylan stopped him. “It opens and closes the garage door, bro. Let’s leave it closed, okay?”
“Dylan, did you set the alarm? We still need to get the locksmith out here, you know.”
“Don’t worry, my friends and I got the key away from Jonathan when we tossed his ass last night. He’ll have to break in, if he really wants to get in and I’ve got the alarm set. Besides, the neighbors know that if they see him around they need to call the police.”
Jenna was relieved. She had worried he would come back while they were out. Their neighbors were the best and she could always count on them to keep an eye on things when they weren’t around. She let out a long sigh. Now she could relax and enjoy her day at the beach. She just hoped she didn’t do anything stupid, where Cormac was concerned.
Chapter 9
Cormac still couldn’t believe the pace at which they were travelling. The scenery was whizzing past them so fast he could barely take it all in. Back home it would have taken them days to travel this distance. The hills they had been travelling past on their journey were a velvety golden brown and had obviously not seen rain in quite some time. There were many other cars and trucks travelling the roadways with them and he wondered, were they all going to the same place? The truck left the flat black road and they climbed uphill through densely forested land. It was the first real greenery he had seen since his arrival. Cormac couldn’t believe his eyes when they drove past two eight-foot tall cat sculptures guarding an entry gate. His head whipped back to catch another glimpse as they swiftly faded from sight. Jenna must have noticed, because she was quick to explain their presence.
“Those cats have been guarding Poet’s Canyon since the early 1920’s. Their names are Leo and Leona.” Jenna offered a bit of local history to Cormac, who merely nodded in response and silently went back to watching the road curve its way to the summit.
“Don’t worry, Cormac, I’ve driven this same road too many times to count. You’re in good hands,” Dylan reassured him.
“I’m nae worried, Dylan,” Cormac lied – he’d be daft not to fash.
“Good. We’ll be there in no time flat. You’re gonna love surfing, won’t he, Jenna?”
“I wouldn’t know, Dylan. I’ve been asking you to teach me for years, but you’ve never had the time,” Jenna retorted with her usual sarcasm.
“You got me there, cuz. Maybe today will be your lucky day.”
Cormac glanced back at Jenna in time to see her shrug at her cousin’s words. She looked so beautiful back there, with the sunlight streaming through the windows creating streaks of gold through her hair. She was focusing all of her attention on Chester, who was sound asleep in her lap. He wondered if the dog knew how fortunate he was and he tried to imagine what it would be like to have Jenna focus that kind of loving attention on him.
“Jenna,” he asked. “Do you mind having to sit back there with Chester?”
