A Walk Along the Beach(41)

    “Do you want me to continue walking with you?” Mellie asked.

She had a young family, and while I appreciated the offer, I didn’t mind walking alone. “I’m good. Thank you, though.” My gaze went to the luminaria bags at the edges of the track. How grateful I was that Harper’s name didn’t appear there. I prayed it never would.

Before she left for home, Mellie and I hugged. With a farewell wave, she jogged toward the parking lot. I could walk more than three miles in that hour. In years past I’d brought along an audiobook or my music to help pass the time. Not this year. This rift with my sister continued to plague me, and I needed to think it through. Something was going on with Harper and I didn’t know what it was or how best to deal with it.

During the ceremonies, no one would have guessed Harper was upset with me. She hid it well. I knew, though. When she looked at me, her smile was tight, and she hung with Leesa instead of helping me the way she normally would. She did exactly what I asked of her and was friendly and affable to all. But I knew, and that was enough to put my mind to racing on what I did or didn’t do that was the underlying problem.

As I continued to walk the track, I sorted through my memories, thinking hard over the last month. Going through the events of the weeks prior, I tried to think of what I might have done that Harper found objectionable.

Hard as it was to face, she was right when she accused me of being controlling, even if it was in minor ways. I’d never said she couldn’t or shouldn’t do any of the crazy things she was intent on doing. Half the time I didn’t know until afterward and was thankful for it.

Selfishly I hated the thought of her moving out. I didn’t want to live alone. We’d always been together, and close, more than ever since losing our mother and her leukemia.

    A car door slammed in the distance, the sound echoing in the silence of the night. I couldn’t possibly have been walking an entire hour. I checked the time and saw that I was only fifteen minutes into the time I’d promised. I walked two entire rotations around the track, caught up in my thoughts.

As I returned to the starting point, Sean jogged over to join me. “Morning,” he said, and rubbed his palms together as if to chase off the morning chill.

I nearly stumbled in surprise. “What are you doing here?” I had to admit that wasn’t the most welcoming of questions.

His grin was wide. “I can’t let my best girl walk alone, can I?”

How he even knew the time slot I’d volunteered for, I didn’t know. Perhaps I’d mentioned it in passing without realizing it. “You should be home in bed, Sean. You’ve been sick.” He needed his rest, and this exercise couldn’t be aiding his recovery.

“I’m feeling great.”

Unsure if I should believe him, I muttered under my breath.

“You looked absorbed in your thoughts,” he said, matching his steps to my own as we continued around the track. “You walked all the way around the track without seeing me.”

That car door I heard closing had been Sean. He was right, I’d been deep in thought. “Harper’s upset with me,” I said, and explained the circumstances.

“It isn’t like my sister to slam doors and make a big fuss,” I told Sean.

“Sounds to me like an overreaction.”

It was, and it’d taken me this long to unravel the reason. “I believe Harper’s been wanting to break free and get her own place for some time now. This tiff is the perfect excuse.”

Sean mulled over my words. “You’re a wise and thoughtful woman, Willa. Are you going to let her do it?”

    “Of course. I have no control over her life. Looking back, I think she tried to tell me what she wanted earlier when she brought Snowball home. I should have read between the lines then.”

“You’ll miss her.”

“I will. She’s right, though, she needs to be on her own. I’m more mother than sister,” I said, even though it was difficult to admit, even to myself. The time had come for Harper to soar on her own without her big sister constantly looking over her shoulder.

“She’s fortunate to have you.” He reached for my hand, entwining our fingers.

The compliment was sincere. I wasn’t sure I agreed with him, seeing how long it’d taken me to make sense of what Harper really wanted. My chest tightened at the thought of her moving out of our apartment. When she returned from her practice climb later today, I’d do what I could to smooth matters between us.

For the rest of the hour’s walk, Sean kept pace with me and didn’t show any signs of fatigue. We chatted back and forth, at ease with each other, joking and laughing. When we’d finished, what we both needed most was a hot cup of coffee. I was scheduled to do the baking that morning, as Shirley had the day off. I invited him to join me in the café’s kitchen before I realized he might want to go back to bed.

“Unless…Listen, don’t feel obligated.”

“Coffee with my girl. Not turning that down.”

His girl. I liked the sound of that.

Pastor McDonald, a family friend, was scheduled to walk the next hour. He arrived right on time.

Before I had a chance to introduce him, the pastor stretched out his hand to Sean. “Heath McDonald.”