“Enough of all this serious talk,” Gage decided. “We need to get out of here because I have a surprise I’ve been setting up for you.”
She smiled. “Ooh, I love surprises.”
After saying their goodbyes to Glady, they returned to Gage’s floatplane and took off out of Juneau for whatever surprise hehad planned. Aurora had tried unsuccessfully to get it out of him when they were walking back to the marina where his floatplane was docked.
Aurora watched out the plane’s front windshield as they flew away from downtown Juneau, past the cruise ship terminal with its impressive ships that were there on their last runs of the season.
Aurora looked at Gage. “No hints, huh?”
“Nope.”
“Can I buy a vowel?”
He chuckled. “Why do I feel like your parents had to hide all your Christmas presents somewhere really good so you couldn’t find them when you were growing up? Because I’m sure you tried to.”
“Still do,” she answered with a grin as she turned to look out the window beside her.
“I knew it,” Gage replied. “But I’m about to verbally unwrap your surprise.”
Her head snapped around. “You are?”
He nodded. “We are currently traveling over part of Alaska’s picturesque landscape on our way to fifteen hundred square miles of the Juneau Icefield. Be on the lookout for wildlife roaming about the mountain peaks. Bear. Moose. Goats. To name a few.” He glanced her way. “Sound tour guide-ish enough for you?”
Aurora smiled. “Very professional and informative,” she replied as she retrieved her camera. “Now I know why you told me not to forget my camera.”
“As if that would ever happen.” He chuckled again. “Now pay attention. You might catch a glimpse of some waterfalls along the way. I’ll try and give you a heads up in case you want to snap a few pictures of them.”
“I would love that. Thank you.” She couldn’t imagine seeing the beauty of a waterfall among the lush forest from a view high above it all. A whole new perspective for her wildlife shots.
The view was even better than Aurora had hoped it would be. Gage not only pointed out two waterfalls, but he also flew her over several glaciers. The best one of all—the Taku Glacier.
“I never expected glaciers to be so amazing, but they are,” Aurora admitted in awe as she snapped pictures of the land below.
“Only thirty-six of the glaciers in this icefield are named. And only a scant few of those are accessible.”
“The Taku Glacier was definitely my favorite.”
“Understandable,” he said with a nod. “It’s the deepest and thickest alpine temperature glacier in the world. I believe it’s just under five thousand feet thick and thirty-five or so miles long.”
“How do you know so much?”
“I read a lot growing up and have always been able to store away even the most useless facts.”
“It’s a gift,” Aurora said with a smile as she glanced back out her window. “Gage! There’s a moose!” she exclaimed as she fumbled with her camera to get a shot.
“Good eye,” he told her. “Did you get it?”
She sighed, her shoulders sagging. “Not clearly. But it was magnificent all the same.”
“Hold on,” he told her. “We’re going back around to see if we can get you that picture. Then we need to head back to Conley Island.”
I love you!That’s what she came far too close to exclaiming in her excitement. Thankfully, she did not. “It’s going to be the most amazing shot,” Aurora said with forced calm. “I’ve never ever seen a moose before. Not in real life anyway.”
“Well, you have now.”
She had experienced so many new things since missing her flight that day. Who would have thought a road-blocking mudslide could lead to the wonderful adventure of a lifetime that she had been on since coming to Juneau? To a newfound friendship with a very special Alaskan pilot. To the kind of happiness she’d been seeking. Yet, the stars weren’t aligning for her and Gage as they had for her mother and father. They were both on different paths in their lives. She was trying to move up in her photography career. And Gage needed to be there for his family and their guests. Other than after the unexpected kiss they’d shared, one Gage had not sought to repeat, he’d made no mention of having any romantic feelings for her. Like those final grains of sand in an hourglass, her time there was running out. She had to get back to her life and responsibilities in Seattle, and Gage had to save his family’s business.
“Penny for your thoughts,” he said, glancing her way. “Better make that a dollar. Inflation and all, you know.”
