Page 73 of The Shell Collector
“Well, thank you.” Maeve sat back in her chair, letting the two fuss around her. “That’s quite wonderful. I feel like a queen for a day.”
“Queen mermaid,” Jesse said.
“That’s our secret.” As the two youngsters walked through the door toward the kitchen, Maeve sat there enjoying their delight. “Oh, Amanda. Remember when we were talking before and you said you had no gifts?”
“Yes. And I still don’t have any.” She took a sip of water and set her glass down with a bump.
“I beg your pardon. You, my dear, are a gift. Seriously, just the pure joy of being in your presence is a gift.”
Amanda sputtered. “Oh right.”
“No, I’m being serious. There’s a sincere and gentle nature about you. Your honesty comes through, and it’s…refreshing. Yes, you’re refreshing.” She understood exactly what Paul had seen in her the first time he and Amanda had met.
“Refreshing? Like a lemon-lime soda?”
“Ah, with effervescent bubbles. No, wait. Hailey and Jesse would be the effervescent bubbles.” She reached over and took Amanda’s hand into her own and gave it a squeeze. “I’m not trying to flatter you, and this isn’t just some old lady spewing random thoughts.”
Amanda sat back, looking a little uncomfortable.
“Listen to me. You bring light with you. You’re bringing this old lady joy right now, and trust me, people who come into your path feel it too. I saw it when you were at the diner. The waitress. Tug. And even your friend Paul. I saw it in him. You think it has to be more, but what we get is enough. It’s always enough. You just need to be yourself and listen to those brief whispers. Don’t hesitate. Things are changing for you.”
“Oh goodie.” Amanda clearly thought she was joking.
“I’m serious. You wait. There is good change on your path. I feel it.” Maeve sat forward. “I saw you help that woman on the beach that day. The one with the husband who’d left with his cooler while she had to get everything else. That made a difference to her. It wasn’t a craft or art or singing; it was you being you. You bolstered her when she needed help. You didn’t think twice about taking action.”
“Of course not. She needed a hand.”
“The awe you inspire in your children as you share nature’s bounty with them, at the ocean or anywhere—that’s a gift. You have gifts you don’t even recognize yet.”
Amanda’s laughter slowed to a thoughtful smile. “Thank you, Maeve. I hope you’re right, but I will say this. Your friendship, you being on my path, has already touched my life in a very beautiful way, and for that I am grateful.”
19
The next morning, Amanda readanother passage from the book Ginny had given her.I should have read it sooner.She picked up the phone and dialed her. “Hey, gal. How are you? Did I catch you on your commute to work?” Amanda asked.
“Yes, lady of leisure, lounging on the beach. Some of us do have to work.”
That was the nice thing about Ginny. No matter how much time passed between their chats, they were always easy. “I’ll be doing it come fall. Of course, my commute is like two miles. I could ride my bike if it weren’t for Hailey needing to get there too.”
“You could get her a bike with a basket and a cute little pink helmet. You two would be adorable. Pink streamers on the handlebars, and playing cards clothespinned to the spokes.”
“Yeah, that went out with our parents’ generation.”
“My dad put them on my bike,” Ginny said. “I thought it was cool.”
“Well, you always were a trendsetter.”
“Thanks. So, what’s new?”
“Settling in. Good routines. We love it here. The kids seem so happy. We spend a lot of time on the beach. It’s heavenly.”
“What’s not to love?” Ginny teased. “Playing on the beach every day? I could suffer through it.”
Amanda had thought to keep it to herself about Paul showing up, but she couldn’t hold it in. “Guess who I ran into on the beach right in front of my house? You’ll never guess. It was so unexpected.”
“Don’t tell me your parents finally came down.”
“No. Not in a million years. Paul.”
