Free Stormy Cove by Bernadette Calonego Page A

family, which he obviously enjoyed.
    Andrew was giving a detailed account of his new position in soccer when an increasingly loud roar drowned him out.
    “That’s wonderful, Andrew,” she shouted. “One sec, something’s making a racket here.”
    She looked at Noah, who pointed skyward.
    Above them, a helicopter hovered, an overstuffed net dangling from it.
    Noah shouted something that she only heard after three attempts.
    “Polar bear!”
    “Oh my God! Hang on, Andrew, I’ll be right back!”
    She thrust her phone into her jacket and fumbled around in her camera bag. The helicopter was flying past. Lori couldn’t believe what she saw and clicked the shutter like mad. She zoomed in on a black nose with dirty yellowish fur. Her rapidly beating heart was in her throat.
    She didn’t snap out of her frenzy until the chopper disappeared over the horizon. Then she fished the cell phone out of her pocket.
    “Andrew? Are you still there?”
    “What’s going on?” His voice sounded amazingly close.
    “If you can believe it, I just saw a helicopter with a polar bear in a net!”
    “There are polar bears there?”
    She knew he’d jump at that.
    “Yeah, several of them. They walk across the ice and go into the villages. The game wardens knock them out and take them off somewhere by helicopter.”
    “Did you get some shots?”
    “What do you think? I’ll send you some.”
    “Cool. Germans are nuts about polar bears. They line up to see them at the zoo.”
    “They’re all yours. But you send me pictures of yourself—playing soccer or whatever.”
    “It’s a deal, Mom. Gotta go. Bye!”
    She stood there for a while in a daze, phone in hand. She’d wanted to tell him about the snowmobile and that she was going to go ice fishing with Noah’s family. That would certainly have impressed Andrew. She felt the cold air on her face.
    Let him have his own experiences in Germany, Lori. He’s still your son no matter what happens. Hard to let go, that’s normal. But he needs his dad as much as he needs you, especially now that he’s a teenager.
    She felt Noah’s eyes on her.
    “Everything OK?” he shouted.
    She nodded, swallowing a lump in her throat.
    The snowmobile glided up to her, and she put on her helmet as she climbed on. Noah tore off, and Lori ducked behind his shoulders to escape the cold wind. As they bounced over stones and roots hidden by the snow, she held on with all her might. The trip seemed to take forever. They crossed a level surface that she recognized as a frozen lake, then she saw some black and colored points moving back and forth on it. Noah finally slowed down, and the snowmobile came to rest. Lori slid off her seat, feeling like she’d been through the wringer, and pulled off her helmet.
    Her mood improved when she saw people all around her, holding rods over holes in the ice and waiting intently for a bite. A young man squatted down to show his young son how to move his rod back and forth to lure fish. A group of young women in pink, turquoise, and bright blue ski jackets eyed her, but were distracted when a man with an ice drill almost slipped and fell on the slick ice.
    “Nate,” Noah shouted, “maybe you should’ve brought a cane!”
    The man came over to them.
    “At least I’ve got the proper equipment to drill with; you might need some yourself very soon.”
    The bystanders all laughed, while Lori pretended not to understand.
    “My brother Nate,” Noah said. “Always has to have the latest gadget. An iron bar is good enough for the likes of us.”
    Nate looked at Lori. “Have you ever gone ice fishing?”
    She shook her head.
    “Well, then, it’s about time. Everybody has to donate a fish today. Here’s a good spot.”
    He revved the drill, and water gushed up through the hole in no time.
    Noah put a rod in her hand.
    “I need to take pictures,” she protested.
    “Lots of time for that. Hold the rod at this angle, then wiggle the line back and forth in rhythm.”
    She