Chapter Three

“Can you drive a car?”

Elise nodded, and then remembered she was on the phone, and not meeting the woman in person. “Yes, of course.”

“What about a snowmobile?”

Elise shifted uncomfortably in her seat. This was without a doubt the strangest set of interview questions she’d ever heard, and yet, she continued to find herself intrigued by the potential teaching job in the wilds of northern Michigan (thank you, Mapquest). She had cleared her throat, dialed the number, and was now engaging in a pleasant, simply odd, job interview, sight unseen.

“Um, I’ve never driven a snowmobile, but I’m sure I could figure it out,” Elise answered after a slight pause.

“Well, that will have to do,” Rose Raisenen, the woman on the other end of the phone replied. Her voice was musical, and with a slight accent – it sounded English or northern European to Elise, but she wasn’t positive. “What about a four wheeler?”

#

Elise gently replaced the phone in the cradle, a faint smile about her lips. Despite the set of strange questions: could she drive a four wheeler? Did she like the changing of the seasons? How did she feel about solitude, nay, total isolation? Why wasn’t she already teaching in a classroom somewhere? What was her favorite dish to cook?

Elise found herself wanting the job more than ever.

It just sounded – challenging.

Mrs. Raisenen – “call me Rose, my darlin’, everyone does” – seemed friendly and upbeat, and had told Elise a bit more about the job.

“Betsy’s a sweet little young girl, just eight years old to have lost her parents so young. Mr. Hale took her in, you see, but she needs proper education because she’s smart as a whip, that one is, and schools can be quite unpredictable up here, what with the weather off the lake and all. And Mr. Hale insists on Betsy having a first rate education, you understand. His standards are very high, as Betsy is such a clever thing. And I’ve been caring for the house for years and years for Mr. Hale, but I have macular degeneration coming on, so I can’t clean and cook and drive like I used to, so we need someone to not only teach the wee one, but also to take care of the house, you see. Room and board is included, and the salary is quite generous, what with it being a bit of an unusual job, not just a cut and dried teaching position like I’m sure you’re used to interviewing for. I’m still about the place to help, of course, I couldn’t help but potter about whether Mr. Hale liked it or not, and there’s other help about the estate for the gardens and the like, but mostly… well, my child, it will mostly be you.”

Elise tried to process this as Rose paused for a millisecond for breath. “Not to mention it’s a bit wild up here, it is. Have you been to northern Michigan before? We have big water, big weather, big snows, big personalities, big appetites, and a lot of friendliness, but it can be a very lonely place – neighbors are a long way off, and if a big snow comes in, you can be isolated for ages. And it’s just not practical to be driving everywhere at the drop of a hat, what with gas prices as they are. You think you’re just running to get a two dollar carton of milk, but the gas to get to a place that sells it will cost you three or four times that, you understand? Do you get lonely, child?”

Elise swallowed, feeling her cheeks flushing a bit. “I’ve always been a creature of solitude, Mrs. Raisenen.”

“Rose.”

“Rose,” Elise parroted. “I was an only child, not a lot of time for friends in college, and just… I’ve always relied on myself, so I’m quite comfortable in my own company. Not that I’m unfriendly, just…”

“No, no…” Rose had cut her off. “I understand entirely, love. You sound as though you would fit in well, you would.”

“And to answer your previous question, no, I’ve not been to upper Michigan before, but I understand it’s quite beautiful. I’ve always been enchanted by beaches and waves though I’ve never actually been to one, and I understand you have a bit of both up there.”

Rose laughed, a high, tinkling sound that made Elise smile involuntarily. “Indeed we do – some of the most pristine, gorgeous beaches in the whole wide world, and when a storm blows in, the lake really does talk, she does,” Rose said, her voice almost reverent. “You’ll love it.”

“I’m sure I will,” Elise agreed softly. “If…”

“Yes, well, I’ll have to talk to the master, of course, but I’m quite fond of you already, so I’m sure he’ll take my opinion highly – he always does, as I’m the one that half raised him, I did, after his mother died when he was but a little one. The other applicants just haven’t been right – don’t have the right skills, don’t want to do the other work that’s part of the job, think it’s too far away from bars and nightclubs…”

“Well, I don’t think that at all,” Elise assured her. “Can you tell me a bit about… my potential employer? Mr. Hale?”

“Oh, the master is a fine man,” Rose said, her voice practically gushing. “A powerful man in his business, and well respected to all who know him. He’s smart, a bit gruff to those who don’t know him well, but generous and kind in his own way.”

Elise wondered what ‘his way’ was, having heard this song and dance before – in reference to potential foster placements. Foster families were always described as welcoming and warm and generous – instead of as money grubbing, hateful abusers and rapists. “Is there a Mrs. Hale?”

“No, no, the master is always too busy working to meet a nice girl, I tell him, but he just growls that he’s content with his life and for me to butt out,” Rose said, laughing again, not sound in the least offended at being spoken to that way by her ‘master’. “He’s set in his ways, he is, and as long as you abide by his ways, and can bend to his schedule, it will all be fine.”

“His… schedule?” Elise ventured, curious and concerned.

“Well, he works a lot, you see, so he’s often gone for long stretches from the home, so when he’s home at Timberline, he likes things to be just so. He likes the peace and quiet, doesn’t like a lot of fuss, and like things neat and tidy. He’s always tucked away, reading and some such when he’s home, instead of out courting a young lady. Do people say courting anymore?” Rose asked, a propos of nothing, and Elise bit back a small laugh at the abrupt change of subject.

“Perhaps ‘dating’ is more the right terminology,” Elise replied. “If I’m hired, I’m going to be a new person around the place – you’re sure Mr. Hale is fine with that, despite his set ways?”

“He insists upon it – ‘Rose’, he said, ‘hire someone to teach Betsy excellently, to cook winningly, to clean appropriately, and to stay out of the way as necessary’ – and I think I have. I’ll run it by Mr. Hale, but as long as he agrees to your credentials and hiring, I believe you’ve got the job.”

“I’d be ever so grateful, Mrs. R—Rose. I promise you, I’ll be a great teacher to Betsy and I’m sure I can keep Timberline tidy and food on the table in accordance with Mr. Hale’s wishes. I look forward to seeing the Keweenaw – please let me know once you hear from Mr. Hale, either way.”

“Absolutely, child, absolutely,” Rose said happily. “If I were you, I’d start packing your bags. Timberline is waiting for you.”

Timberline.

Elise pictured a cozy cabin nestled in amongst pine trees, a patch of grass in the back perfect for a hammock or a chaise for reading. The lake might be nearby, the sound of waves in the distance, an idle backdrop to day and night. She was already imagining herself pottering around a cozy kitchen, making hot cocoa even as she drilled Betsy in her multiplication tables.

A cozy forest cabin named Timberline – it sounded like heaven to Elise.

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