Page 30 of The Shell Collector
“We were just talking about you,” Amanda said.
“Were your ears itching?” Hailey asked. “That happens when people talk about you.”
“Nope. But they were tickling. Were you saying nice things? I think nice things just tickle.”
Hailey’s mouth dropped open. “That must’ve been us, then.”
Jesse lifted his bucket at Maeve’s side. “Look!”
“My. You have found some really good stuff.”
“Mm-hmm.” His cheeks pouched with pride.
“I found this one in the pile here.” She handed the giant tun to him. “This is a pretty cool shell.”
“I like this.” His head bobbled in appreciation. “Thank you.”
“We’re doing your hobby,” Hailey announced.
Although for her it wasn’t a hobby. More of a way of life. She’d become a bit of a hoarder of shells. A shell collector gone cuckoo. But that wasn’t a point of contention. Instead of commenting, she stooped down to see how they’d done.
They took turns showing her their favorites.
“It so happens that I brought something for you, Miss Hailey.”
“For me?”
Maeve nodded. “For you and your brother. Just different things.”
She pulled the smaller version of her shoulder bag out from under her own and handed it to Hailey. “It’s a bag. Like mine. Only Hailey-sized.”
Hailey grinned. She slipped it over her neck and shoulder like Maeve had hers. “I’m Hailey-sized.”
“Yes, you most certainly are.”
“Help me put my shells in here.” Hailey glanced over at her mom and then rephrased the demand. “I meant to say, Can youpleasehelp me put my shells in this bag?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Maeve said, winking at Amanda. “You are such a kind and polite young lady. That makes you fun to be around.”
“You’re fun too.”
“Thank you.”
“How did you know I wanted one of these?” Her eyes were wide and clear.
Maeve delighted in the little girl’s energy and excitement. “Just a lucky guess. So, what are you going to do with all those shells?”
Hailey finally looked up and grinned as though she’d found the winning answer. “We’ll look at them.”
“Of course.”
“But before we go home, we try to pick out three to take back with us.”
Maeve tapped her finger against her lips. “That’s hard.”
“It is.” The little girl nodded slowly, the words lingering.
Jesse splashed through the water in front of Maeve.
