A Walk Along the Beach(29)

“Well?” Harper asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

She’d been as concerned as me, although she hadn’t shown it until now. She’d fooled me.

“Everything looks good. There’s no sign of leukemia.”

Her sigh was strong enough to blow out all the candles on a retiree’s birthday cake. “Told you,” she said with a short laugh that I easily recognized as relief.

“Yes, you did,” I said, unable to keep the happiness out of my own voice.

That night I slept better than I had since Sean left for Bolivia. That didn’t mean I missed him any less, because I did miss him terribly. Despite everything I’d learned, my thoughts were constantly wrapped up in him.



* * *



—

    The following afternoon, I decided to check on Bandit. I knew Logan was taking good care of him. What concerned me was how, once again, Bandit had been abandoned by his owner. Just as he was beginning to adjust to his new home, everything had changed.

Teresa Hoffert’s house was less than half a mile from my own, so I decided to head there after my walk along the beach. To my delight, I saw Logan out front, tossing a ball to Bandit and another mixed-breed dog of about the same size. I remembered Sean telling me that Keaton had given the boy a puppy a few years back.

“Hey, Logan,” I called to him as I approached the front yard. “How’s it going?”

He tossed the ball and then turned his attention to me. “Okay, I guess. Mom’s home.”

“Actually, I came to see Bandit.”

Hearing his name, Bandit noticed me and immediately ran to the gate. Logan held it open for me to pass through. Bandit was on his haunches, looking up with dark, sad eyes.

“Oh Bandit,” I whispered, and bent down to wrap my arms around his neck. “I miss him, too.”

Bandit gave a low bark as if he understood.

“He hasn’t been eating much,” Teresa said, stepping onto the front porch.

I’d been worried how Bandit would handle having Sean away for this long. It appeared he wasn’t doing any better than I was.

“How about a glass of iced tea?” Teresa offered. She was cordial, always welcoming.

I nodded, appreciating the offer. Sitting on the top porch step, I looked out over the area, silently inviting Sean’s dog to join me. Bandit slowly wandered to my side and placed his head in my lap. I gently petted him and offered reassurances while Teresa went after the tea.

    “Logan, bring out his food dish,” I suggested, hoping Bandit would feel more like eating when he was with someone familiar.

Logan went into the house and returned with a silver dog bowl filled with dry dog food. He set it down on the pathway. Bandit briefly looked at the food and then returned his head to my lap.

“I wish I could bring you home with me,” I whispered, running my fingers through his short fur. Harper and I were already risking being evicted by giving Snowball a home. A dog, any dog, no matter what size, wouldn’t go unnoticed.

“Maybe you could stop by again,” Logan suggested.

“I will.”

Teresa brought out the cold drink and sat with me. We talked for several minutes and she mentioned she missed seeing me at Bean There on Wednesday.

“Harper and I were in Seattle.” I explained the reason and the good news about Harper and my brother.

“How’s your dad doing?”

Teresa had known my mother and what happened to Dad after her death. “The same. We don’t hear from him much.”

I’d reached out to Dad a couple of times since our dinner and left voicemails. I’d called with Harper’s test results and hadn’t heard back. I was afraid he was drinking again. That fear was always in the back of my mind.

Teresa nodded knowingly. I recalled she’d been married to a man with drinking problems. She understood.

“It is what it is,” I said, knowing Dad would eventually sober up. That was his pattern. He’d go days and often weeks without a drink and then something would happen to cause him to reach for a bottle. I didn’t need to guess what it was this time. He knew it was time for Harper to have her blood tested.

“I don’t know what your family would have done without you,” Teresa told me.

I chose to ignore the compliment. I’d done only what was necessary. Taking care of my family wasn’t a job I sought or even wanted. Given the opportunity, I would have done anything to escape the responsibility.

    Thirty minutes later I left Teresa and Logan with the promise to return soon. Bandit walked me to the gate and then followed the fence line as far as he could as I left. Seeing the sadness in his eyes nearly broke my heart.

Harper wasn’t at the apartment when I returned. Snowball was sleeping on my bed. That cat refused to accept that she belonged to my sister, not me. I noticed that her food dish was empty and filled it.

The front door opened, and Harper called out, “Close your eyes.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I won’t come in until you turn around and close your eyes.”

“Why?” If she’d brought another kitten home, I was putting my foot down.

“You’ll see in a minute. Now do it.”

Grumbling under my breath, I followed her instructions. “Can I look now?”