Page 51 of Happy Harbor
“Compromise. I like it.”
He moved a few steps to the left and Kendra joined him, nerves in her stomach. She didn’t know why they were there. Was it the fact that others might see them? Or was it that she liked Scotty more than she cared to admit?
He slid a hand around her waist and held her other hand in his. Scotty was a surprisingly good dancer, taking the lead with ease. Within seconds, Kendra felt a smile on her face. “You’re not a bad dancer,” she said, looking up at him.
“Thanks. My mom made me take some lessons when I was a kid.”
“Why?”
“She said men needed to learn how to lead, and that started with dancing.”
“Your mom sounds interesting.”
“She is.”
They swayed back and forth for a couple of minutes, and Kendra found herself not wanting to stop. Scotty was nothing like any guy she’d ever been interested in, but somehow it felt natural and comfortable.
The song ended and he abruptly let go, walking straight back to their area. He sat down and waited for her. She had to get used to Scotty’s differences when it came to social cues and interacting with others. She could see how it might offend other people, but it was just who he was.
“I guess it’s my turn,” she said, sitting down. “Truth.”
“Okay.”
“Have you ever kissed a girl?”
“Yes.”
“Who was the first girl you kissed?”
“That’s technically two questions, but I’ll allow it,” he said, chuckling. “Amy Peters. Fourth grade.”
“Wow. What a stud you must’ve been.”
“She didn’t see it coming. I got sent to the principal’s office.”
“Oh, you poor thing.”
“Back then, nobody knew I was on the spectrum. Looking back, it’s obvious now. I was always doing inappropriate things without thinking. I’m better about it now, I think.”
“Are you getting hungry?”
“Yes. You wanna go get a burger?”
“Sure,” she said, standing up and grabbing her bag. Being with Scotty was easy, and Kendra appreciated easy right now.
CHAPTERTWELVE
Diane sat on the terrace of her apartment over the restaurant. One of her favorite activities was watching storms come in over the ocean and then across the river. Tonight she could feel it in the air, like a warm blanket hanging over the area. This was a bad one coming in. She knew it in her bones.
The sun had long since gone down, and she could see the sky light up in the distance as lightning pierced the dark clouds over the ocean. Although she couldn’t see the beach from where she lived, she could see the clouds hanging over it and knew that was coming her way soon.
She took the last sip of her coffee and sighed. What was she going to do about her daughter? Josie had always been pigheaded and stubborn. It ran in the female DNA of their family, after all. But now, working with her at the restaurant, Diane could see so much more in her daughter.
Years of therapy and AA meetings had taught her to look past the surface emotions. Anger was almost always caused by deep-seated fear or frustration. She knew a lot of that was her fault. Josie had been so angry as a child and then as a teenager because her mother had let her down over and over. Diane had beaten herself up over it for many years until her sponsor encouraged her to forgive herself. Not forgiving herself put her sobriety in danger, and she had to give herself some grace.
Forgiving herself had taken a long time, and some days she reverted back to beating herself up, especially lately. Seeing how much her relationship with Josie as a kid had harmed her as an adult triggered a lot of feelings. Regret. Sadness. Shame. Sometimes the emotions washed over her and felt suffocating, much like the thick, warm air the impending storm was bringing.
Still, she had good memories with her daughter. Her brain hadn’t been the best given the amount of alcohol that soaked into it over the years, but she had memories nonetheless. She wondered if Josie had good memories as well, buried under all the bad ones.
