Friday. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings were a little more formal than the other days of the week, usually because of weddings, special events, and church services. But there were always a handful of people who tended to dress casually for breakfast at the inn no matter the day of the week, and Ben was in his swim shorts and a tee shirt, too.
Going back into the sitting room, she sat on the couch, picked up the newspaper and began to read an article in the Times about a housing boom in the Seattle area, one of the few booms after the Great Recession that hit the country a few years before. That would drive up the price of rents, and she wondered what she would find in her price range. She wanted to find a two or three bedroom house. After living in apartments for the past eleven years, she wanted to be back in a house. It would probably be better to buy, but she was leery to do that until she had a chance to check out the southern and eastern suburbs.
"Ready?"
Ben finished his conversation and was looking at her expectantly from the table he used as a desk. "Ready," she said and stood up. Leaving her purse behind, she walked beside Ben downstairs to the dining room and forgot all about telling Ben about the nasty note taped to the door.
* * * * *
Anne and Ben spent a relaxing day biking to the eastern side of the island and Moran State Park. From there they made their way up the road to Mount Constitution and wound their way up to the observation deck that had been built at the summit. The views from the top were breathtaking. The sky was clear again and they could see for miles. The rest of the San Juan Islands were the closest. Further out they could see Mount Rainer, the Cascade Mountains, and the port cities of Anacortes to the southeast, Port Townsend to the south, and Bellingham to the northeast. They stood for several minutes just taking in the splendor of the 360 degree view from the top.
Then they made their way back down the summit again and rode their bikes south to Mountain Lake along one of the many bike trails located in the park. The blue water surrounded by tall pine trees came into view long before they arrived. Several fishing boats and canoes were in the water further out and away from the shoreline. They stopped at a public beach along the lakeshore then ate a light picnic lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, and water after taking a swim to cool off. The food and cool water revived them. The warm sun and exercise were taking their toll.
Later that day, they made their way back to the inn and cleaned up for the wedding rehearsal taking place at the chapel. They drove her rental car to the chapel and to dinner at the steak and seafood house located in Orcas Village, so that they could leave when they wanted to do so. After the dinner was finished, they decided to leave before dessert, saying goodbyes to everyone before they left. Anne could not help but see the happy smiles directed at her and Ben from Ben’s family. On their drive back to the inn, they decided to detour and stop in Eastsound for some ice cream and a walk around the harbor. Walking arm and arm along the docks and the downtown area, they greeted several locals and the tourists they crossed paths with who were also out for a stroll.
The village was quaint and always warmed her heart when she was there. If she could have a vacation home, it would be in Eastsound, she thought as they stopped to look in storefronts. The buildings in town looked like cottages that could be found in a storybook, all neat with painted clapboard siding. Some sported gingerbread trim along the fascia and gables. A number of houses were owned by permanent islanders, but there were also several rental homes and B & B’s that could be found in the village.
The landscape was dotted with cabins and campgrounds further out of the small downtown area. Wild flowers growing in rock ledges along the shoreline and hills were juxtaposed with neat window boxes and flower pots on doorsteps. They could see both of the distant shorelines of the East Sound, a natural waterway that