Page 78 of Happy Harbor
Josie barely slept as she thought about her moment with Walker. Maybe it was the night air or the weight of exhaustion, but it had been nice. Safe. Warm. All of that seemed dangerous to her. Trusting someone felt like stepping right off a cliff into the abyss.
“Are you about ready?” Diane called up to her. They were going to walk to town together. The fundraising event, which she knew little about, was already starting. It definitely wouldn’t look good for the woman who owned the restaurant to show up late, no matter how tired she was.
She ran downstairs and was thankful her mother had a nice big thermos of coffee for her. “The nectar of the gods,” Josie said, as she took it from her. “Did you already put cream and sugar in it?”
Diane rolled her eyes. “Of course I did. What do I look like? An amateur?”
They opened the front door and stepped out onto the wide front porch. It was already hot and humid, yet barely eight a.m. Such was the South Carolina Lowcountry. The Spanish moss hung in the tree above them, swaying slightly in the ever-present breeze. Of course, the breeze didn’t help. All it did was move around the hot air.
“Kendra had a great time at prom. She said they danced for hours and then went to Fishies to eat.” Fishies was a local diner decorated much like one from the fifties with black-and-white tiled floors, chrome-and-red barstools, and a real jukebox from the era. Besides the regular burgers and hot dogs, their claim to fame was their fried fish sticks and hand-cut French fries. The place had been around since Josie was a kid, although not quite as long as Campbell’s. Happy Harbor was big on maintaining history.
“I’m so glad she had a good time. I tried to stay awake, but that’s getting harder and harder with each passing year. Last time I looked at the clock, it was just after ten.”
“Do you think this event is going to come close to raising enough money?”
“I don’t know. It’s a lot of money, for sure, but I also know Walker is one determined man. When he wants something, he generally gets it.”
Josie chuckled. “Turns out, he wants me.”
Diane stopped in her tracks, right in the middle of the road. No one was coming, of course, as the roads in Happy Harbor were pretty quiet at this hour. Most people walked, rode a bike, or used a golf cart to get around.
“He told you that?”
“Pretty much. Last night he found me on the porch waiting for Kendra, and he laid it on the line.”
“And? What did you say?”
“I didn’t say much of anything. I was in shock.”
“I don’t want to say I told you so, but... I told you so!” She bumped her shoulder against Josie’s.
“There’s so much going on in my life right now. I can’t start a new relationship.”
“Josie, maybe this is God’s way of finally showing you it’s okay to love someone with your whole heart and depend on them for support.” They started walking toward town again.
“I thought you also said never to depend on any man.”
“There’s a difference between depending on a man and having a partner you can depend on. In a good relationship, you’ll depend on each other.”
“How do you know all this? No offense, but you haven’t exactly had stellar relationships in your life.”
“No, but I was in love once.”
They stopped again. “Oh yeah? Who?”
“It was before I met your father. His name was Luke Madden, and I was head over heels in love.”
“You were a teenager. All teenagers think they’re in love.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t fall in love. Like with Scotty and Kendra. I see love there. Don’t you be surprised if those two end up married one day.”
“Hush your mouth!” Josie said, walking again.
“Luke was beautiful with these hazel eyes and dark-brown hair. We were truly in love.”
“What happened?”
“His dad got relocated for his job, and then he was gone. By the time he wrote to me, I was pregnant with you and didn’t respond. He sent a few postcards over the years, but I never wrote back. Then we lost touch.”
