Page 38 of The Shell Collector
Maeve bent forward to get down to their level. “Well, hello there. How are you two today?”
“Better now that there’s no rain so we can come out and play.”
She raised a finger in the air. “But sometimes good things happen when you’re stuck inside.”
“We colored and read books.” Hailey folded her arms across her chest. “We took some naps, but the days were so long. It felt like forever.”
“Well, I made something for each of you.” She pulled her shell bag forward and dug into the front pocket. “One for you, and one for you.” She handed them each something.
Jesse held whatever it was in the palm of his hand, staring at it.
Hailey held hers by the fishing line tied to the top of it and let it dangle. “It’s Denali!”
“I’m glad you could tell.”
“It’s Denali made out of shells,” Hailey said. “See it, Jesse?”
Jesse swung his ornament in the air as he barked.
“I thought you could keep them by your bed at night. They can help bring you good thoughts and happy dreams.”
“I love it.” Hailey wrapped her arms around Maeve’s waist. “Thank you.”
“Me too.” Jesse pushed his hand forward, handing his gift to Amanda.
As she took the shell dog from him, she noticed the woman who’d been sitting across the way with her husband and toddler earlier. She was trying to wrangle the child, an umbrella, and a bag full of toys as the man walked over the hill ahead of them carrying only his cooler.
What a jerk.Amanda sat up on her knees. “Maeve, could you watch these two for a quick second? I want to give that gal a hand.”
Maeve seemed to register the situation. “Of course.”
Amanda ran over to the struggling woman. “Hey, let me help you with that. Boy, it takes a ton of stuff to keep the kids over here, doesn’t it?”
The woman gave her a blank stare at first, then let out a sigh. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Amanda helped her stack the things inside one another to make it easier to carry, and then the family toddled off. By the time they reached the top of the dune, the woman had caught her breath.
“Thank you. I’ve got it from here. That was really kind of you.”
“No problem. You’d have done the same for me. I’m sure of it.” She wished there was something reassuring she could say to her. “Have a great rest of the day.” But she doubted the woman was in for much of a treat when she got back. Why were some guys like that?
Amanda walked back over to her little spot, where Jesse was yammering to Maeve, who looked intent on pretending to comprehend what he was going on and on about.
“Thanks. Sorry. I just know how much of a hassle that can be by yourself.” She looked at her children’s sweet little faces. “I’ve been so blessed. These two are so easy.”
Yes, it’s been a season of unwanted change, but things could be worse.
Before she sat down, Amanda hung the ornaments from one of the spindles of the umbrella. “That was so thoughtful. These are adorable.”
Maeve bent down and sat on the sheet with Amanda. “It also kept me sane the past few days. I have to cut my walks shorter when it’s a downpour like that. It gave me something to do.”
“So you still walk on the beach in the rain?”
“Every day. No matter how hot or cold or wet. I love how the weather and time of day change the landscape of things, and the crazier the weather, the better the treasures. Of course, I have to plan around the weather if it’s lightning, but there’s always a little window of opportunity every day, if you’re flexible.”
“I don’t mean this to sound disrespectful, but I hope I have your energy when I’m your age.”Actually, I’d like to have it now!
“Ah, but I don’t have two babies to tend to. That seems like it would be exhausting. And no disrespect taken. I do love staying active. It’s part of what gives me purpose.”
