to Leo as I reached his side. “It’s already six o’clock, and the last boat comes back to the island at eight. So dinner will have to be fast. I would’ve told you that earlier but I didn’t get a chance.”
A flash of disappointment touched his face. “The last boat is at eight? I checked the schedule, and it said the last ferry’s at nine.”
“It’s at nine during the tourist season, but from November until April, the last boat is at eight.”
He seemed flustered by the error and gazed over at the mainland as if it were calling to him. Some people got a little stir-crazy from being stuck on the island, and he was clearly one of those people. That did not bode well for any potential long-term connection, but I decided to not overthink that at this particular moment.
“Well, that’s no good,” he said finally. “That only gives us two hours.”
“How about pizza?” I asked. “I know a great pizza place over there where the service is fast. We can definitely get back to the boat in time if we eat there.”
He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “You realize I’m from Chicago, right? Pizza is a bit of a religion there. You think this Northern Michigan place can compete?”
“Probably not, but when in Rome. Or in this case, when in Manitou . . .”
He smiled. “Okay, pizza it is. There’s a line for the ferry. Do you think we’ll make this one?”
“No problem. Follow me.” We wound our way over to the little shed where boat workers waited in inclement weather, and I found just the man I was looking for. “Hey, Stanley. Can we catch a ride?”
Stanley Burrows was another longtime resident and, for as long as I could remember, he’d worked on this dock—and lucky for us, he owed me a favor.
“Why, if it isn’t Brooke Callaghan. How are you, toots? How’s life as the mayor? June Mahoney giving you trouble?”
“She is. So are Vera and Olivia Bostwick, but that’s to be expected.”
He nodded sagely and hooked a thumb in the red suspender of his pants. “Yep, it is. You need a lift, you say?”
“Yes, please. This is Leo Walker, by the way. A friend of mine.”
As they shook hands, Stanley said, “Any friend of Brooke’s is a friend of mine. If it weren’t for her, my son would never have graduated from high school.”
“Is that so?” Leo looked at me with approval in his eyes.
“Sure is. She tutored my boy every week until he passed all his final exams. Now he’s in college and doing just fine. Come right around here.” I blushed under the praise and realized that, although not often, sometimes a parent did thank me. Stanley led us to the spot where the workers stood at the edge of the dock waiting to catch the lines and let us board on the front of the ferry. We found seats next to the window because it would be far too cold sitting on the top.
“Thanks, Stanley!” I called out and waved as we left the dock.
“That’s pretty nice of you to tutor somebody. Do you do that often?” Leo asked. We were sitting close, and I liked the feel of him pressed against my side. He didn’t really need to be that close, but I wasn’t going to ask him to move. That would just be rude.
“I usually have a couple of kids each year who need a bit of extra help. I don’t mind. All in a day’s work, and hey, it scored me front-of-the-line ferry service for life. Or at least until Stanley retires. Then it’s back to the end of the line, I guess. After that I’ll have to pay money like a regular customer.”
“Something tells me you didn’t tutor those kids for the financial perks.”
That made me smile. “No one becomes a teacher for the financial perks because there are no financial perks. But I do love working with the kids. I love seeing their transformation as they learn things. That moment of realization when they finally understand something that didn’t make sense to them before, and you can see it on their face and you know that you helped make that happen.”
He smiled, and I suddenly felt self-conscious, talking about my job, my old job, as if it were something miraculous. It wasn’t. It was just me doing my part, but his expression was earnest. Leo Walker had a way of looking at me that