Harper smiled and stared down at her hands. “Thanks. She was a great mom.” A few moments of silence passed. She didn’t know what to say, she was just happy to have his company.
“Is there anything I can do? Any way I can help?”
“No, thank you. It’s all being handled. A friend is going with me. But talking to you is helping.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’m glad you called me, too. Anytime you need to talk, you call, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I don’t care what time it is. You get to my age, you don’t sleep anyway.”
She laughed softly. “I’m really glad you’re back in our lives.”
He cleared his throat. “So am I.”
“I have a lot going on this month, not just because of my mom but some other stuff. When things settle down, I’d like you and Glenda to come for a visit. If you want to. Would you want to?”
“We would be honored. You just tell us when and we’ll be there.”
“Great. I’ll let you know. Thanks for listening.”
“Anytime. You take care now.”
“Thanks. You, too.” She held the phone in her hands, a measure of peace returning to her soul. It was as if she’d been reminded that there were a lot of good people in her life, and everything was going to be all right.
Her grief remained, but the love that surrounded her on all sides had tempered it. Family, whether they were blood or not, meant everything.
She glanced over at Archie. “Come on, baby dog. There’s something we need to do.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Frankie exhaled, then took in a big breath of ocean air as waves crashed against the shoreline and gulls careened overhead. She was very glad she’d chosen the beach over painting. “This is living right here.”
“Amen,” Jack said.
He’d dug around in the storage closet and found something he’d called the beach tent. After he’d set it up, in a remarkably short amount of time, she’d seen that it wasn’t really a tent but more like a shade canopy.
The turquoise awning was supported on four sides by telescoping poles. It was far superior to the umbrella they’d been using. It made a lot more shade, while still allowing breezes through, and because it was a rectangle instead of a circle, there was room to spread out beneath it.
Besides the tent, they’d brought folding chairs, towels, and a cooler. They’d used the wagon to haul it all, but Jack had pulled it, leaving Frankie and Willa with nothing but their beach bags.
Frankie had brought her tablet and stylus but couldn’t bring herself to work just yet. There was something too relaxing about just sitting there, watching the waves, breathing in the saltyair, listening to the wind and water. She stretched her legs out, digging her heels into the sand.
She truly wished Harper had come with them. Frankie understood her not wanting to. She probably wouldn’t have either in the same situation, but there was something so…life-affirming about being here.
The ocean had a way of putting you in your place in a good way.
Maybe Jack was right about those negative ions. He’d brought his knitting, which amused her greatly. The Hollywood legend, The Rule Breaker, son of the great Arlington Marsh, was sitting next to her, knitting on the beach.
Life was crazier than fiction at times. At least hers was. Willa had gone down to the water for a quick dip.
Frankie pulled one of her library books from her beach bag. She just didn’t have it in her to work right now. She opened the book. It was a historical drama, set in the aftermath of World War Two and she was engaged from the first paragraph.
Until, a few pages in, a voice interrupted her. “Is there room for us?”
She looked up to see Harper and Archie standing beside her. “You came.”
Harper nodded, eyes hidden behind big sunglasses. She had a chair in one hand and a beach bag on her shoulder. “I have some time to kill before we head for the airport. I thought spending it with my family was a better idea than hiding away in my room being sad.”
