Page 17 of Happy Harbor
As Joe walked them out and watched them go to their car, Josie’s mind was spinning. Could she really pick up and move back to Happy Harbor after spending her whole life trying to get out of there in the first place?
* * *
Josie knew she should go over to the restaurant and face her fears. The problem was, she didn’t even know what she was afraid of. Her guts felt as if they were writhing and twisting every time she thought of standing on the riverfront boardwalk, staring at her grandmother’s beloved restaurant, aptly called Campbell’s Café. It wasn’t that she didn’t love that old restaurant and the wonderful memories it held. It was more that she had specific memories of her mother drunkenly walking down the boardwalk, making a fool of herself and her family. It was a weird feeling to love and hate a place at the same time. Like a film playing in front of reality, she could see these memories in every corner of Happy Harbor.
Their family name, straight from Scotland, had been a source of pride for Adeline Campbell. The restaurant was full of Scottish decor. The food, however, matched the locale with some of the best seafood in the Lowcountry, as well as other Southern specialties. People came from everywhere to eat Adeline’s cornbread, which was a secret recipe she hadn’t even shared with Josie. Of course, now that she owned the place, she’d finally know that recipe.
Ifshe stayed in Happy Harbor.
She sat at the coffee shop on Main Street with Kendra, staring at the people as they walked by. Nobody really looked familiar anymore, of course. Everyone, including herself, had aged many years.
“This muffin is amazing. Want a bite?” Kendra asked, holding out the blueberry muffin toward her mother.
“No thanks. I don’t have much of an appetite.”
“When are we going to Nana’s restaurant?”
“I don’t know. Before we leave, I’m sure.”
“Mom, we can’t leave.”
She looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“Nana gave you her house and her restaurant. We have to stay here.”
Josie stared at her daughter like she had two heads. “Honey, we’re not staying in Happy Harbor. I spent my first eighteen years trying to get the heck out of here, and I’m not staying.”
Kendra sighed and put down her muffin. “We both need a fresh start, Mom. You have to see that.”
“This isn’t a fresh start for me, Kendra. Not by a long shot.”
Still, she could see where her daughter was coming from. Kendra had hated every school in the Atlanta metro area. But was Happy Harbor really going to be any different?
No matter what, she couldn’t entertain the idea of staying there. It felt like a gigantic step backward.
“Six months. You can do six months. Aren’t you strong enough for that?”
“Don’t try reverse psychology on me, my dear daughter.”
Kendra laughed. “Whatever. I learned it from a TikTok video.”
“I know six months doesn’t seem long to you, but I can’t just abandon my lease, and you can’t leave in the middle of the school year.”
“School is almost over. Just a couple of months left. I have to finish it online anyway. Or I could start school here.”
“Why are you so eager to start in Happy Harbor? You hate school.”
“I hate where we live. All those kids are rich and snobby. I don’t fit in.”
That felt like a knife through Josie’s heart.
“I’ve worked as hard as I can for you to have a nice life. Sorry to hear it wasn’t enough.”
Kendra reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s not that, Mom. I’m not blaming you. I don’t care about having a bunch of money. But those kids do, and they make me feel bad about myself. The people here look normal. They wave at you on the street. They smile. And there’s a beach twenty minutes away, probably with a bunch of cute guys on it.”
Josie laughed. “Ah, now we get to the actual truth. Cute boys.”
“Well, that doesn’t hurt.”
