A Walk Along the Beach(46)

Relief flooded through me and I released a long pent-up breath. “Thank you, Willa.”

To have her hit my shoulder with far more force than she had before came as a surprise.

    “Don’t you dare get sick. I swear, if you return again with some tropical disease, I will never forgive you.”

It wasn’t like I intended to shop around for some deadly fever. “I’ll do my best to stay safe and healthy.”

“And I expect to hear from you as often as you can manage it.”

“Done.”

“You better miss me.”

“Every hour of every day.”

The beginning of a smile touched her lips, making her irresistible. Before she could make any further demands, I bent down and kissed her, letting her know how important she was to me.

Yes, this was an assignment of a lifetime and I was fortunate to get it. Nevertheless, that paled against what I’d found with Willa.





CHAPTER 18





Willa


I didn’t hear from Harper following her practice climb. That wasn’t a shock, although I’d hoped she’d at least call. She’d mentioned that she’d be staying at a cabin near Mount Rainier that night with her friends. No worries. There was sure to be a big party after the climb, and checking in with my sister wasn’t high on my priority list, given the busy day I had and my lack of sleep the night before. When she didn’t show Sunday afternoon, I decided she was flexing her independence and didn’t feel the need to connect with me.

Since she’d made a point of letting me know she didn’t appreciate my mothering her, I didn’t text or phone her, either. I worried plenty, but no way was I going to hunt her down to be sure she was okay. Harper would hate that. At any other time, I would’ve been on the phone so fast it would burn up the line.

Sunday afternoon Sean stopped by the apartment with Bandit. I packed us a light lunch and we headed to the beach. Tourists crowded the oceanfront. Kids raced up and down in the sand. Sean built me a sandcastle with the help of four or five kids. He was great with them. Spending time with him helped take my mind off my sister.

    After we ate, he threw a Frisbee for Bandit. We laughed, watching his dog leap into the air to catch the round disk. Children gathered and applauded. Sean let them toss it several times and there was fun all around. We tired out long before Bandit did.

When we returned to the house, we were both exhausted. Sean stayed for dinner and we watched a romantic comedy, snuggling together on the couch.

“Any word from Harper?” he asked.

“None. She’s going out of her way to show me what she really wants from me is to be her sister.” I’d failed her in that way and planned to do whatever was needed to show I’d taken her words to heart.

“Are you worried?”

“Not really,” I lied.

His smile was all too knowing.

“All right, maybe a little. She’s fine. If anyone was ready to conquer that mountain it’s my sister.” Harper had been climbing mountains her entire life, each one higher and more challenging than the last.



* * *



—

On Monday morning, when I still hadn’t spoken to Harper, my confidence wavered. I battled the urge to contact one of her climbing partners. If I did, I knew she’d never let me live it down. It wasn’t until I checked her bedroom that I discovered she’d made it home after all. Her bed was mussed. She must have arrived home late, because I hadn’t heard her. That morning, she must have snuck out early. By now it was apparent she was avoiding me.

Snowball wasn’t happy, either. Her food dish was empty. Before I left for Bean There, I fed Harper’s cat and refilled her water bowl. For the life of me I couldn’t imagine what was going on with my sister.

    She didn’t show up between her yoga and fitness classes for her special protein drink, either. Now I really was concerned.

“Is everything all right?” Shirley asked me during a late-morning lull.

“Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You tell me,” Shirley shot back. “You haven’t been yourself all morning. What gives?”

Shirley was a no-nonsense kind of woman and wouldn’t ignore my obvious distress. “I haven’t heard from Harper since she left for Mount Rainier last Saturday.”

To her credit, Shirley looked as stricken as I felt. “She didn’t call?”

“No. She’s been home,” I rushed to explain. “Her bed wasn’t made this morning, so I know she returned at some point last night.” To be fair, I’d been completely worn out after Sean and I had spent the day on the beach. Being in the sun did that to me. I’d fallen asleep halfway through the movie. Sean had to wake me before he left and saw me to bed.

“She can’t avoid you forever.” Shirley was ever sensible.

“Why would she avoid me in the first place?” I asked, not expecting an answer. Yes, we’d had a minor disagreement earlier, but we’d sorted everything out Saturday morning. I’d assumed we had. Perhaps I’d been wrong. I’d felt good about the progress we’d made. It was rare for us to fight. I was grateful Harper had sought me out before she’d left. If there remained trouble between us, I wanted it settled. I didn’t know what it could be, though.