The Path to Sunshine Cove (Cape Sanctuary #2) - RaeAnne Thayne Page 0,28
way to have a dog of her own.
Her rambling life wasn’t very conducive to caring for a pet who needed a yard and space to run. Maybe she could pick up a senior rescue who wouldn’t need as much activity and might be more content spending long stretches of time in the trailer while she worked.
“How did things really go with my mother today?”
She sent him a sidelong look, wondering why he was asking. She shrugged. “Progress is progress, right? We still have a long way to go but it’s a good start.”
He took the stick from Charlie and tossed it again, just shy of the surf.
“How is my mom handling everything?”
“Emotionally or physically?”
“Both. Either.”
“She seems to get teary every so often over something we find that brings back memories. She has told me a few stories about your father as we work and it’s clear they were deeply in love.”
“Yes. These past six months have been hard on her.” He paused. “You seem inordinately concerned about her health. Have you noticed anything unusual?”
She was reluctant to tell him, though she wasn’t exactly sure why. She couldn’t fault the man for being concerned over his mother’s welfare.
“She had to stop to rest a few times. She said she was tired. But when she returned to help me, she seemed fine. Is there something I should know about her health?”
“I’m wondering the same thing. She doesn’t tell me much. I think she doesn’t want to worry me, probably because Dad’s cancer was tough on all of us. She doesn’t realize that I end up worrying more because my imagination goes in all directions.”
“I can understand that.”
“You’ll tell me if you see anything you think I should worry about, right?”
“I...sure.”
The dogs seemed to have lost track of the piece of driftwood they had been using to play catch. They started sniffing at something in the sand on the far side of the cove and Cinder let out a concerned bark.
“I’d better go see what they’ve found. It’s probably a crab.” Nate rose and headed toward the dogs.
The sun slipped down another notch and the colors seemed to intensify, oranges and ochre and purple.
Her phone suddenly buzzed with a text. Apparently her cell carrier had slightly better service here at the cove than Sophie’s.
She thought about ignoring it then suddenly remembered she had meant to reach out to her sister that day and had completely forgotten. Guilt pinched at her like the crab the dogs were bothering.
So much for her intentions to spend more time with her sister and her nieces and nephew.
The message was indeed from Rachel.
Sorry. The day got away from me. I meant to text earlier. Want to catch dinner tomorrow? Cody can watch the tribe.
Did she? Her relationship with her sister was so layered with complication that the idea of a few hours of conversation, just the two of them, left her suddenly tense. At least when the kids were along, they provided a buffer of sorts.
No. She was a big girl. She could handle a few hours alone with her sister.
I can make that work. What time? I can pick you up.
I’ll pick you up, Rachel replied. How about 7?
Sounds good, she answered. See you then.
She sent her answer and, wishing things could be different between them, she gave a heavy sigh as she shoved the phone back into the pocket of her hoodie.
Nate, returning to the bench, caught the tail end of it.
“That sounds serious. Everything okay?”
“My sister wants to meet for dinner tomorrow. We were working out details.”
He raised an eyebrow, probably because her sigh had sounded anything but pleased at the prospect.
“My mother told me your sister is Rachel McBride. I’ll admit, I was surprised. You’re very different, aren’t you?”
That echo of old pain resurged, regret that their lives had diverged so widely. “We have led quite different lives since our parents died.”
“You took the military route while she seems pretty happy being a mom and social media influencer.”
“Yes.”
They had always been different, Rachel quieter, happy to have a good book and somewhere comfortable to read it while Jess always wanted to go on a hike, go swimming, ride her bike around the neighborhood. Something active and away from home.
Despite that, they had been best friends, only two years apart. Rachel had known the deepest thoughts inside her.
Shared trauma should have brought them even closer together. Instead, it had ended up driving a wedge they couldn’t seem to bridge.