Page 104 of Happy Harbor
“Josie, listen to me and try not to freak out, okay?”
“What’s wrong?” She could feel her heart pounding in her chest like a jackhammer.
“Kendra’s in the ER. She’s going to be okay, but she got stung by a wasp and had an allergic reaction. She broke out in hives and couldn’t breathe.”
“Oh my gosh!” She started moving faster, sure she was going to leave half her things in that hotel room. “I’m coming!”
“Calm down, Josie. She’s in excellent hands, and she’s fine. I’m here at the ER with her. You have a long drive ahead of you, and I don’t want you to have an accident, okay? Just breathe for me.”
She stopped long enough to take his advice. She sat on the edge of the bed and took a couple of deep breaths. “What are they saying?”
“She’ll need to carry an EpiPen with her from now on, just in case, but she’ll be okay. They’re giving her medication now, and her hives are going away.”
“And her breathing?”
“Much better.”
“Where’s my mom?”
He paused for a long moment. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“She didn’t show up for work this morning. Nobody knows where she is.”
In a flash, Josie’s mind went to dark places, especially since she’d seen the search on her computer. What if her mother had reconnected with Dan? Even after everything he’d done? She decided not to muddy the waters by telling Walker. Her focus was on her daughter.
“I’m leaving right now. You call me if anything changes or if you find out anything about my mother, okay?”
“Do you want me to go look for her?”
“No! You stay with Kendra. This isn’t the first time my mother has done something like this. I wish I could say I was surprised.”
“Josie, you’re not going to leave town because of your mother, are you?”
She sighed. “I can’t promise anything, Walker. I care about you a lot, but I won’t live in chaos ever again.”
“Be safe driving.”
“I will.”
As she dragged her suitcase down the hallway and headed for her car, so many things were running through her mind. Would her daughter be okay? Where was her mother? Would she have to leave Happy Harbor? Was there any more forgiveness in her heart? Had she really changed enough to love her mother, no matter what? That last one didn’t seem likely.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
“You scared me to death,” Scotty said, leaning over Kendra’s bedside in the ER. Walker had left them alone while he went in search of coffee.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was allergic to anything. I hope they let me go home soon.”
“They want to monitor you for a bit, at least until the hives are completely gone.” He held her hand in his, and it made Kendra feel so safe. Scotty was a little odd, just like she was, but together they were a perfect pair.
“While we have some time alone, I wanted to talk to you about next year.”
Scotty tilted his head in confusion. “Next year? What about it?”
“I know you’re going off to college in Charleston, and I am staying here for my last year in high school, but that may change. Apparently, I’m gifted and I can take a test to skip my senior year. I can start college in the fall if I pass the test.”
“Wow! That’s amazing, Kendra! We can both go to Savannah.”
