A Walk Along the Beach(79)

CHAPTER 30





Willa


Life was supposed to return to some kind of normal now that Harper had been laid to rest. My sister might be resting, but those of us who had been left behind had to find a way to return to our lives again. The task felt overwhelming, if not impossible. The one thing that would save me, I decided, was my daily routine. That meant getting my business up and running again. I would need to do that in stages.

My first step was to approach the local bank to see if I qualified for a loan to cover rent until I was back on my feet. This wasn’t something I looked forward to doing. I delayed as long as I could. My only assets were a car, which I was still paying off, and my business, which was in danger of folding.

I knew the loan officer, Leon Bent, was sympathetic, but this was business. A few years back he’d briefly dated Harper before she’d introduced him to the woman who eventually became his wife. That was Harper, the matchmaker.

    Part of me believed my sister somehow knew she wasn’t long for this life. That helped explain why she never allowed any relationship to continue for more than a few weeks. She’d never let herself fall in love. The one exception had been John Neal. She had fallen head over heels for the wonderful doctor and he had fallen hard for her. It hurt to think of all Harper would be missing in life. She would have been a terrific wife and a fabulous mother.

Pushing thoughts of my sister out of my mind, I squared my shoulders and opened the glass door that led into the local bank. Leon was expecting me, and stood when I approached his desk.

“Willa,” he said, and extended his hand for me to shake, reminding me this was all business. “What can I do for you?” He gestured for me to take a seat.

I lowered myself into the chair and clasped my hands, which were trembling. Unsure where to start, I struggled to hold back the tears. “As you might have guessed, the last few months have been tough.”

“Ellen and I were terribly sorry to hear about Harper.”

Glancing down, I swallowed hard and held my breath, fearing if I tried to speak, I’d fall apart emotionally. After several tense seconds, I looked up and managed a weak smile.

“As I was saying, being away from the shop was detrimental to my cash flow.” No need to delay the purpose for my visit. “I’m here about a loan, Leon, otherwise I’ll be forced to close my doors.”

“You’re already closed,” he reminded me.

“Close permanently,” I whispered, nearly choking on the words and the thought of losing the years of hard work and sacrifice I’d put into Bean There.

Leon asked all the questions I knew he would, then gave me the paperwork to fill out and leave with him. Once I laid it on his desk, he said, “I’ll do what I can, Willa, but no promises.”

    “Thank you.” I appreciated his honesty and left with little hope.

Suspecting the bank would refuse a loan, my second and less desirable step was to approach my shop landlord. The property owner lived in Spokane, and I knew Lewis Johnson and his wife depended on the rent money for their retirement. Making that phone call was even more difficult than approaching the bank for a loan had been.

“Willa,” Lewis said, answering the phone. “Julie and I are so sorry to hear about your sister.” Then, getting right to the point, he asked, “What do you need?”

My mouth was dry. “With everything that’s happened, I want you to know I won’t have the rent money come December…I’ve gone to the bank and asked for a loan, but—”

“Willa, stop. Your December rent has already been paid, but you should know I wouldn’t have hounded you for the money either way. You’re a good tenant and I don’t intend to lose you.”

Stunned, I found myself unable to speak. “Who…Who made the payment?” The question squeaked out of the tightness in my throat.

“They asked to remain anonymous.”

It could only have been Sean.

“You don’t have a thing to worry about. There are a lot of people who want to support you.”

“Thank you,” I said, stumbling over the words before we disconnected.

While relieved that I had one less worry, I was angry that Sean felt he could step in at the last minute and play hero. Clearly he was looking to absolve his regret and rescue me. If he assumed he could buy his way back into my life, he had another think coming. I wouldn’t stand for it. I may not have much, but I wasn’t about to forfeit my pride.

    Before I could even consider what I intended to say, I leaped into my car and drove out to Sean’s place. I slammed the car into park so hard I jerked forward until the seatbelt snapped across my upper body.

I marched up to his front door and pounded against the wood. It didn’t take him long to answer. The moment he saw me, he broke into a wide, warm, welcoming smile.

No doubt he’d been expecting me to rush to his side weepy and grateful. Well, that wasn’t happening.

“Willa, I’m so glad you’re here.”

He brought me into the house, and Bandit, who was curled up in front of the fireplace, came to me, his tail wagging with welcome.

“Why would you do that?” I demanded. Then, because I found it impossible to contain my anger, I paced his living area.

“I’m sorry?” He looked confused. He was a good actor.