Page 108 of Happy Harbor
“No, it’s not. And it doesn’t matter what anybody thinks, I know the truth. And you know you love Walker.”
“Stop saying that.” She started rubbing the counter again, her face feeling hot from embarrassment. Why was it bothering her so much that her daughter thought she loved Walker?
“Mom, when are you going to trust people? What do they have to do to prove themselves to you? Because it seems to me that Walker has gone above and beyond any reasonable expectation of a man who hasn’t known you for more than a few weeks.”
“Did you fall into some sort of coma after you got stung? I’ve seen documentaries where people come back with totally different personalities or they know another language.”
“Very funny. Stop changing the subject. What will it take for you to trust somebody?”
“I do trust him! That’s the problem!” Josie finally said, throwing her hands up in the air.
“What? It’s a problem that you trust him?”
Josie sighed and sank onto the barstool next to her. “Yes. My whole life, there were only two people I could depend on—myself and my grandmother. And most of the time, I really couldn’t even depend on myself. I learned how to get by in this world with no help from anybody. And now here’s this man who wants to be my partner and my rock. I don’t know how to do that.”
“You mean you don’t know how to let your guard down?”
Josie could feel her eyes welling with tears. Her daughter had become such an empathetic soul without her even realizing it. Happy Harbor seemed to have that effect on some people.
“I guess you could say that. He has given me every reason to trust him, but it’s still very scary for me.”
“Well, it seems to me you have a choice to make. Risk being alone for the rest of your life because you refuse to let down your walls, or drop them right now. Burn them to the ground. Put everything you have into building the life you want with the man I’m sure you’ve dreamed of since you were a little girl.”
Josie stared at her daughter. “When did you get this smart?”
“Maybe I did drop into a coma,” Kendra said, putting her finger on her chin.
* * *
Josie slowly walked down the hallway of the hospital. She’d been given her mother’s room number, but she didn’t know what to expect when she walked in. They had admitted her, which was unusual for somebody who was simply intoxicated.
Because she wasn’t on any of her mother’s medical paperwork, nobody had told her a thing. Ethel, as it turned out, was taking lunch to a sick friend, so she couldn’t even get information out of her.
When she finally turned the corner, she saw room two hundred. She thought about knocking, but the door was cracked, so she pushed it open and found her mother lying in the bed, her head turned toward the window. Her eyes were closed, and the TV wasn’t on. There were a couple of flower arrangements in the corner with a Get Well Soon balloon bouquet.
Josie quietly walked over to the flowers. One was from her church group, the other from her AA sponsor. That made sense. Her sponsor would have to work more closely with her in the future.
The balloons were from Bear at work. He said he hoped she got to feeling better soon.
“Are you snooping through my things?”
She turned to see her mother’s eyes open, a slight smile on her face.
“Just curiosity.” Josie crossed her arms and stood there, waiting for an answer. An explanation. An apology.
“I’m glad to see you. How was your trip?”
Josie’s mouth hung open. “How was my trip? That’s what you have to say to me? Aren’t you going to apologize? If you want any chance of a relationship with me, we need to start there.”
Diane looked confused. “Apologize? For what?”
“Do I really have to spell it out? After all these years, do you think I don’t know the signs of you being completely drunk? Did you have to do it in public again? To embarrass meandyour granddaughter now?”
“Josie, I?—”
“If you’re going to spout off a bunch of excuses, I don’t want to hear it. I almost left town. I almost let you wreck my life again. But I refuse. If somebody is leaving town, it’s going to be you.”
“You want me to leave town?”
