Page 82 of Happy Harbor
Josie had to admit that this was probably one of the best days of her life. As stressed out as she was about getting the money together to pay off her grandmother’s debt, she was also more relaxed than she had been in a while.
People in Happy Harbor really were nice. More than nice, they were caring. They truly seemed to have each other’s best interests at heart. How she hadn’t been able to see that as a kid was beyond her. She’d been too focused on getting into trouble.
Not that Josie thought people who lived in cities and suburbs didn’t care about each other, but this was another level. There wasn’t one person on the street who hadn’t smiled at her. Of course, maybe they just felt sorry for her for being in the predicament she was in, but they were still very nice.
“So you’ve got a big surprise tomorrow? All of this is pretty surprising to me.”
“I’m just glad it’s going well. It seems like a lot of money is coming in today.”
She took a bite of her funnel cake, swallowing it with a smile on her face. Man, those things were good. “You know, I don’t understand why all these people, many who don’t have a lot of money themselves, came here to help us.”
“They really are great people.”
“I feel like I need to do something to pay them back.”
“Keeping Campbell’s open and providing jobs is a great way to do that.”
“I guess you’re right. I am going to try my very best to keep the place open. Though even if I pay off the past-due payments, I’ve still got to make the restaurant more profitable.”
“One thing at a time.”
There was something about Walker that put her at ease. He never added to her stress. It felt like he was standing next to her, trying to carry more of the load than she was. A true Southern gentleman was the only way she knew to describe him, and before Happy Harbor, she didn’t know any of those existed anymore.
Sometimes, when she was out in town, she would see men opening doors for their wives or walking closer to the street to keep the women safe. She knew those were chivalrous things to do, but she hadn’t seen them since she was a little kid. Happy Harbor had been frozen in time, the act of chivalry still an important part of the fabric of everyday life.
Walker cleared his throat before saying, “I wanted to ask you... when this is over tonight, would you like to take a walk along the river with me?”
“A walk? Won’t you be too tired?”
“I need to check on a couple of boats before I go home. I just thought you might like to keep me company.”
She smiled. “You know what? I’ll do that. You’ve done so much for me, I don’t feel like I can say no.”
He moved slightly closer, his face near hers again. “You can always say no to me, Josie. I may not like it, but I will never push you past your limits.”
With that, he walked off again, just like he had the night before. Maybe he was more dramatic than she thought, but it certainly was working.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
Kendra and Scotty strolled along the Riverwalk as the sun started to lower in the sky, looking at each of the boats. Scotty knew a lot about boats because it was his family’s business. His uncle and grandfather had built boats for a living, and Scotty spent a lot of time in their shop.
“Look at that one! I love the red stripe down the side.”
“Looks like a race car,” Scotty said. Kendra liked the feel of him holding her hand as they walked. The prom had been more than she could’ve ever asked for, the most romantic night of her life.
“Want to sit down?” she asked, pointing at one of the many park benches lining the Riverwalk. There weren’t many people along the river, surprisingly. That was probably because everybody was pitching in on the main street, trying to raise the money for Campbell’s.
“Sure.” They sat down, still hand in hand, looking out over the river.
“Did you have fun last night?” she asked, smiling over at him.
“I always have fun with you. But if you’re asking if I enjoyed walking into the prom with the most beautiful girl in school, I absolutely did.”
She swooned, her face turning red, as she laid her head on his shoulder. They sat that way for a few moments before a group of teenagers walked over to them. There were two boys and three girls. Josie didn’t recognize any of them, but that wasn’t surprising given she had only been at the school for a short time.
“Hey, y’all,” one girl said. She had long blond hair and a face caked in makeup. “You’re Kendra, right? I’m Kiki. This is Amber, Kimmy, Dusty, and Billy.” She smacked her gum as she waited for a response.
Scotty looked at them with confusion. “Okay...”
