“Really?”the frown on her face deepened as she considered this.
“Really,” he assured her.“Now, why don’t you and I catch up to those two and make sure we get a good spot to throw in the traps?”
“Okay.”She ran ahead and stopped when she got to Sally’s side.
Sarah turned around and beckoned for him to hurry.“Look at the water.”She pointed at the sea sparkling in the mid-morning sun.“It’s so calm.This is a great day to catch crabs.”
“Couldn’t have ordered a better day if I’d tried.”He increased his stride to catch up with her while maintaining an eye on the girls in his periphery.
“Thank you for bringing me.I planned to do some housework today but this…” She waved at the park area and smiled up at him.“This is a far better way to spend the morning.”
“Riley told me her stepmother is on bed rest,” he said.“She thought that meant she was just sleeping, and was angry her father didn’t want her to visit.”
“Ah.And what did you tell her?”
“That her father and stepmother were likely afraid.That she needed to rest because of the baby and he was there to comfort his wife.”
Sarah swallowed hard before responding.“Thanks for that.I guess I should have been clearer about what ‘bed rest’ means, but I didn’t want her to worry about the baby.”
“Anyway, she seemed to think it a good reason for her father to cancel, so I think the crisis may be averted.”
“Yes.Unfortunately, I’ve had to make a lot of excuses for Graham.He has canceled before, though not after we got on the ferry like yesterday.I realize Tanis has had a tough pregnancy and that they’re concerned, but it’s hard on Riley.She is more sensitive than people realize, and she loves her dad so much.I want her to have a good relationship with him.I just wish it were easier.”
“I’ve made my share of excuses for my ex as well.Her mental health issues… Well, let’s just say things haven’t been easy for her or for Sally.She’s not in the picture much.We get a card sometimes around Sally’s birthday.Once in a long while, a phone call.Sally stopped counting on her.Which I find sad.Thanks for talking to her about the books.She loves reading.”
“Well, she’s a woman after my own heart,” said Sarah.“I remember reading all the Anne of Green Gables books when I was a girl.I loved them all.”
“I never read much as a kid,” he admitted.“Too busy trying to keep up with my older brothers.”
“How many do you have?”
“Three.The oldest is about seven years my senior, and the youngest is three years older.They gave up after me.I think they wanted a girl, but instead, I arrived.”
“Sally must have been a welcome granddaughter,” she said.
“Yes, though I don’t get home to Saskatoon very often.My parents do come out here a few times a year—usually in winter.”He laughed.
“I can imagine it.The rain can make things dreary, but it’s nowhere near as cold as Saskatchewan.”
“Mom comes out for about two weeks at a time.I should go back, though.Visit my brothers and their families.”
“Why don’t you go this summer?”
“Maybe,” he said, a pang of guilt pulling at him.It had been almost ten years since he’s been back to visit his siblings or the family farm—the farm they had once expected him to work on too.He pushed away the memory of his last trip there, with his wife.That had marked the beginning of her decline.The beginning of the hospital visits.Only a year later, she’d slipped away for good, leaving only a note of apology and saying she would be in touch.
“Do your brothers have kids?”
“Huh?”He turned to look at her, shaking away the old memories.
“Your brothers.Do they have children?”
“Yes.And, funnily enough, all girls too.”He smiled.“Mom is in heaven.”
“Glad she got her girls,” said Sarah.“Speaking of which, we should get out there on the pier with ours before someone ends up swimming.”She pointed ahead where the girls were leaning over the railing, laughing and pointing, and they picked up their pace.
Over the next two hours they baited traps, watched them, pulled them out, and measured the crabs.They threw back more than they took but eventually got their quota.
“So, are we ready to go?”Simon asked as he put the lid on the crab bucket.“We should be getting home to those kittens.”
