A Walk Along the Beach(2)

“Sit down, Willa,” Harper insisted.

As if unsure what to do, Sean remained standing with a look akin to a deer caught in headlights. I hated that Harper had put him on the spot.

Carefully watching me, Sean pulled out a chair and joined us at the table.

Harper shot me a look that said I should make my move.

Yeah, right. My little sister had yet to realize I had no moves. Our mother died of a brain aneurysm when I was thirteen and in junior high, so I’d completely missed out on those carefree teen years. As best I could, I’d taken over the duties at home, cooking and cleaning for our older brother, Lucas, Harper, and my dad. As soon as Lucas had graduated from high school, he’d joined the Army. In the years that followed losing Mom, our dad had slowly fallen apart, sinking his woes in the bottom of a whiskey bottle. After Harper’s bout with cancer, he’d gone to AA and was mostly sober these days, although he had occasional slips. He lived in a trailer park and worked as a dealer at a tribal casino just outside of town.

After Sean joined us, silence circled the table. Harper glared at me, waiting for me to lead the conversation.

I couldn’t. My mouth went dry and I stared down at my cooling coffee as if it held the answer to world peace. Rarely had I felt more awkward. Harper was a natural when it came to drawing people out. She, more than anyone else, should recognize how uncomfortable this situation made me. I couldn’t begin to imagine what she hoped this would accomplish. Already I could feel the heat warming my cheeks.

    “So, Sean,” Harper said, dragging out the sentence. “You must be new in town? I don’t remember seeing you around.”

He stretched his arms out in front of him and held his coffee with both hands. He, too, seemed keenly interested in its contents. “I’ve been living in Oceanside about a year now.”

“That long?” I asked, surprised. He’d come in for coffee a time or two a few months back, but then I hadn’t seen him again until just recently. For the last week, not that I was counting or anything, he’d been in every morning. He always ordered an Americano, and every so often took a bakery item to go. Generally, he stopped by around ten, after the morning rush.

“I bought a place about a mile outside of town, off Harvest Road.”

“The Andrews house,” Harper said knowingly.

The Andrewses were good people and their home was beautiful. I’d gone to school with their youngest daughter, Lenni, although we were never good friends. Because I was involved in caring for our family, I was unable to participate in a lot of school activities. Lenni was a class officer and a cheerleader. We didn’t exactly run with the same crowd.

“Funny I haven’t seen you around before and now you’re here,” Harper continued with enthusiasm, as if meeting him was predestined. She continued to send me encouraging looks, apparently in hopes I would pick up her line of questioning, learn all I could about him.

Sean’s gaze bounced back to me. “I travel quite a bit for work.”

“How does your wife feel about that?”

I kicked my sister under the table at her blatant attempt to find out his marital status. She couldn’t be any more obvious had she tried.

    “Unfortunately, I’m not married.”

“Really? Neither is Willa.”

I nearly groaned aloud from embarrassment. “Sean,” I said, taking up the conversation, “I apologize for my sister, I…”

His knowing smile stopped me. “It’s fine, Willa.”

“You say you travel,” Harper continued, ignoring my censure. “What do you do?”

“Photography.”

“Really?” That spiked Harper’s interest, and she straightened in her chair.

“I’ve always liked the name Willa,” he said, in an abrupt change of subject, cutting Harper off before she had a chance to drill him about his career. It was clear to me, if not my sister, that Sean preferred not to talk about his work.

“My mother had an aunt named Willa,” he continued. “You rarely hear that name these days.”

Again, it was Harper who answered. “Willa was named after Willa Cather, who was one of our mother’s favorite authors.”

“And Harper then for Harper Lee?” Sean asked, making brief eye contact with her.

Harper grinned. “Yup, and our older brother is Lucas. He isn’t named after anyone. From what we understand, Mom and Dad made an agreement before they married. Dad got to name the boys and Mom got to name us girls.”

“How long have you had Bean There?” he asked, looking to me.

“Almost six years now.” I had a small inheritance from our grandparents that had originally been set aside for college. I’d attended the community college in Aberdeen, daily driving the twenty-three miles each way. I’d taken every business class available and used the rest of the money to buy equipment and set up shop. It hadn’t been easy those first couple of years, but now Bean There had a faithful clientele. I did a brisk business, especially in the mornings. I took my coffee seriously and baked nearly everything myself. That meant a lot of early mornings, not that I minded. I loved what I did, and it provided enough income for Harper and me to share an apartment without worrying about how we would pay the rent.

    Seth Keaton walked in and glanced my way before he stepped to the counter. Alice was in the back, collecting cookies from the dough I’d made earlier that morning. I welcomed the opportunity to escape this uncomfortable situation.