Page 18 of Happy Harbor
“Can I give you some motherly advice?”
“Can I stop you?”
“No. Don’t get so caught up in boys at your age, okay? There’s plenty of time for that stuff when you’re older. This time of your life should be about having fun—legal fun—and figuring out who you are. Boys just muddy the water.”
“You mean don’t get pregnant young like you?”
“Well, there’s that too. Being a young mother wasn’t easy, and I don’t want to see you struggle.”
“Also, aren’t you tired of us fighting all the time?” Kendra asked, going back to the original subject.
“So you’re saying if we move here, you’ll stop fighting with me and do well in school?”
“I’ll definitely try...” Kendra said, chuckling.
Josie couldn’t help but consider her offer. Kendra certainly hadn’t attempted to change her ways back home. Maybe a new start really was what they both needed. But in Happy Harbor? She wasn’t sure she could do it. Still, maybe this was one of those times a mother had to give in and do what was best for her child. After all, it was only for six months, and Kendra would be an adult in less than two years.
“I’d better pay this bill so we can get back to the hotel.”
“I’m going to hit the restroom,” Kendra said, standing and walking away from the table.
Josie picked up her purse, took out a twenty-dollar bill, and walked toward the cash register. Only in a small town could the two of them eat for less than twenty bucks. It wasn’t a full meal, of course. Coffee shops rarely had much in the way of food.
She stood at the counter for a moment before the woman finally appeared. She was looking down at her apron as she walked toward Josie, but then her head tipped up and her eyes widened.
“Josie Campbell?”
The voice jarred her memory before the woman’s face did. “Shannon Arnold?” Shannon had been one of Josie’s best friends at Happy Harbor High School, but she hadn’t been one to get into trouble. Her father was the local Baptist minister, and Shannon had been a good student. Still, she was one of the few people who’d been nice to Josie back then.
Shannon smiled as she held up her left hand. “Jameson now.”
“You married Harold Jameson?”
She laughed. “No, his brother Alvin. He played on the baseball team, remember?”
She didn’t remember. “Of course. I didn’t know you worked here. Last I heard, you left Happy Harbor to go to the University of Georgia.”
“Oh, I went to UGA. We moved back about seven years ago. Happy Harbor will always be home. We have two kids now.”
“Wow. Congratulations. And you work here at the coffee shop?”
Shannon giggled. “We own the coffee shop. In fact, we own five coffee shops across the Lowcountry. We have one on Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet, North Myrtle Beach?—”
“That’s wonderful,” Josie said, cutting her off.
“So, I guess you’re back for Adeline’s funeral?”
“Yes, partly.”
“We were so sorry to hear about her passing. She was one of a kind. I don’t know what the restaurant is going to do without her. I mean, people went there for a big dose of Adeline every day.”
She knew Shannon was right. Campbell’s had been successful because of her grandmother and her personality. Sure, the food was good too, and it was convenient being right on the riverfront, but what would happen to the restaurant now that Adeline was gone?
Josie decided not to tell Shannon she was the new owner just yet. After all, she still hadn’t made a final decision about staying.
Kendra walked up beside her. “Shannon, this is my daughter, Kendra.”
Shannon smiled. “Wow. She’s gotten so big. Adeline kept pictures tacked on the walls over the years. Nice to meet you.”
