A Walk Along the Beach by Debbie Macomber Page 0,90
to admit that I was proud of how it had come together. Doug knew I needed to leave and said I should go. He would finish up the last bit without me, seeing that I wasn’t offering him much at that point.
I was thrilled when I was finally able to connect with Willa.
Learning of Harper’s death had left me in shock. I was sick at heart. My stomach clenched with what a selfish, self-absorbed idiot I’d been. I’d gotten caught up in my career the same way I had back when I played baseball. The entire world revolved around me. Everything was about me and my work, my goals.
In my stupidity I might well have lost the one woman I loved. With everything in me, I prayed I wasn’t too late and that I could make it up to Willa, that I could help her through this dark tunnel of grief. I refused to believe she meant it when she said we were finished.
As soon as the plane landed, I raced to get home. I collected Bandit first thing, thanking Logan once again for watching the dog. Bandit didn’t seem all that eager to go with me. After my long absences, he was probably more comfortable with Logan than with me. It looked like Willa wasn’t the only one I was going to have to win over.
On the way from Logan’s I stopped off at Willa’s apartment and knocked, hoping to see her, talk to her. I knew I wouldn’t be able to rest until I could make things right between us.
No answer.
Next I checked in at Bean There and was shocked to see the sign on the door that read: TEMPORARILY CLOSED.
One of her regular customers worked next door at the candy store. The window displays never failed to attract a crowd, especially when they featured the homemade saltwater taffy.
I walked over and stuck my head in, grateful to see that Allison wasn’t busy. “How long has Willa’s shop been closed?” I asked, thinking the closure was probably due to Harper’s death.
Allison, busy at the counter, paused as if to count the days. “Must be more than a week now.”
“That long?” Willa hadn’t mentioned anything about needing to close. It left me to wonder what else I’d missed with my selfish ambition. What else hadn’t she felt comfortable enough to share?
“Did you hear?” Allison asked, her welcoming smile vanishing. “About Harper Lakey, Willa’s sister?”
“I did.”
Allison shook her head. “Damn shame, you know. She was young, so full of life. And they were especially close. Willa is going to take her death hard. We’re all shaken by it.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have seen Willa in town, have you?”
Allison shook her head. “Not since I heard the news.”
“Do you have any idea where I might find her?”
Again, the shopkeeper had no answer. “If anyone in town would know, it would be Pastor McDonald.”
I briefly remembered meeting the man. I’d liked him. He was personable and down-to-earth. I located his address on my phone and drove to the nondenominational church where he preached.
Leaving Bandit in the vehicle, I went to the church and found the doors locked. On my way back to the car, I noticed a parsonage behind the church and decided to check there.
I knocked several times before anyone answered. A middle-aged woman opened the door to me. “Can I help you? Before you ask, we’re not interested in buying anything.”
“I’m looking for Pastor McDonald,” I explained, amused that she thought I resembled a door-to-door salesperson. Sleepless, hours in the air, plus the long drive to the ocean from Seattle—no doubt I looked disheveled.
“Pastor is with the Lakey family.”
“Do you know where that might be? I’m a friend of Willa’s,” I said, hoping that would explain my interest.
She looked me up and down, her eyes narrowing. I must have passed muster, because she said, “Heath mentioned something about them all meeting up at the funeral home.”
“Thank you,” I said, grateful for the help.
My impulse was to race there, but then I paused, having second thoughts. I had Bandit with me, and I was a mess. This was a private time for Willa and her family to plan Harper’s burial. Now wasn’t the time or the place for me to go bursting in like some savior and sweep Willa into my arms.
Following our conversation from the night before, I feared Willa never wanted to see me again. As eager as I was to resolve this distance between us,