Chapter 11
The sea gulls woke me up again, early the next morning. Their laughter was different somehow, making me to feel disoriented. I stumbled to the bath to splash some cold water on my face. Glancing out the window, I saw that I had mistaken a pair of giggling boys for sea gulls. The boisterous little boys were tussling on the walkway. Perry’s nephews, no doubt. From behind the curtain, I watched Perry and a slim lady with light brown hair herd the boys off to the beach.
While they were on the beach, I slipped out of the cottage. A trip to the mainland seemed like the perfect chore for the day. A blue van with a bumper sticker that said “Proud Parent of an Honor Student” was parked behind Perry’s truck. I smiled at the small handprints on the van’s windows.
It was a hot June day and tourists were flocking to the beach. I rolled down the windows and let the wind style my hair. As I drove past Wade’s real estate office, I noticed his jeep was there, so I stopped in. He was tickled to see me.
“Kerrie, come on in. What a surprise!”
“Hope you don’t mind me dropping by,” I said. Smiling, I watched him shuffle through papers looking for something.
“Actually, I’m glad you came by. You saved me a trip. I was going to drive over to the Pirate in a while.” He didn’t look up from his search. “Dagburnit! Where did I put that fellow’s name and number?”
“Perry’s sister and nephews are visiting. I decided to drive over to the mainland for the day. Since I saw that you were in, I wanted to stop by and say hi.”
“Sit down, baby doll. Excuse my manners. Kerrie, some guy called asking if I had rented a house to you for the summer. I played dumb but did take his number incase you showed up here.”
“What?” I asked in shock. Butterflies invaded my stomach. I knew who the caller was before he found the paper.
“Ah, here we go…David Harper. Do you know this fellow?” Wade handed me the paper.
I sighed. The day was now ruined. “Yes, I do. He’s someone from my past. I really don’t want him to find me, Wade.”
“Are hiding from something, Kerrie? Is this Harper man dangerous?”
“Just my past! Don’t worry; I’m not a fugitive. No, he isn’t dangerous. David isn’t one for letting go of anything. People change, relationships change.” I sighed again, not wanting to continue my thoughts. I rushed to reassure Wade. “When I gather my thoughts, I’ll deal with him. Right now, I need this time for me.”
“I haven’t asked many questions, Kerrie. My pa always told me that you couldn’t force a horse to drink. I figured you would tell me what you wanted me to know about your situation. If you are in danger, at least tell Perry about it. He’ll look out for you. Believe me, you can trust him!” Wade’s solemn expression was a rarity.
“Wade, it’s hard for me to talk about why I’m here, because I’m still figuring it out myself. I promise, I’ll call my editor and find out what David’s up too. And if I see that Perry needs to know about him, I’ll enlighten him.”
Wade sighed. “I’m not going to let this drop, Kerrie. I expect a report from you after you talk to your editor. Baby doll, I care about you. You’re the daughter I never had.”
My eyes misted. “You’re going to make me cry.” I reached over the desk to hug him.
“You best get going, if you plan to hit the mainland. The afternoon traffic is as bad as scales on a pinfish.” Wade walked me to the door. He watched as I drove away. I had the feeling he wouldn’t tell Perry, as long as I let him know that David Harper was under control. Little did he know that I wondered about that myself!
While they were on the beach, I slipped out of the cottage. A trip to the mainland seemed like the perfect chore for the day. A blue van with a bumper sticker that said “Proud Parent of an Honor Student” was parked behind Perry’s truck. I smiled at the small handprints on the van’s windows.
It was a hot June day and tourists were flocking to the beach. I rolled down the windows and let the wind style my hair. As I drove past Wade’s real estate office, I noticed his jeep was there, so I stopped in. He was tickled to see me.
“Kerrie, come on in. What a surprise!”
“Hope you don’t mind me dropping by,” I said. Smiling, I watched him shuffle through papers looking for something.
“Actually, I’m glad you came by. You saved me a trip. I was going to drive over to the Pirate in a while.” He didn’t look up from his search. “Dagburnit! Where did I put that fellow’s name and number?”
“Perry’s sister and nephews are visiting. I decided to drive over to the mainland for the day. Since I saw that you were in, I wanted to stop by and say hi.”
“Sit down, baby doll. Excuse my manners. Kerrie, some guy called asking if I had rented a house to you for the summer. I played dumb but did take his number incase you showed up here.”
“What?” I asked in shock. Butterflies invaded my stomach. I knew who the caller was before he found the paper.
“Ah, here we go…David Harper. Do you know this fellow?” Wade handed me the paper.
I sighed. The day was now ruined. “Yes, I do. He’s someone from my past. I really don’t want him to find me, Wade.”
“Are hiding from something, Kerrie? Is this Harper man dangerous?”
“Just my past! Don’t worry; I’m not a fugitive. No, he isn’t dangerous. David isn’t one for letting go of anything. People change, relationships change.” I sighed again, not wanting to continue my thoughts. I rushed to reassure Wade. “When I gather my thoughts, I’ll deal with him. Right now, I need this time for me.”
“I haven’t asked many questions, Kerrie. My pa always told me that you couldn’t force a horse to drink. I figured you would tell me what you wanted me to know about your situation. If you are in danger, at least tell Perry about it. He’ll look out for you. Believe me, you can trust him!” Wade’s solemn expression was a rarity.
“Wade, it’s hard for me to talk about why I’m here, because I’m still figuring it out myself. I promise, I’ll call my editor and find out what David’s up too. And if I see that Perry needs to know about him, I’ll enlighten him.”
Wade sighed. “I’m not going to let this drop, Kerrie. I expect a report from you after you talk to your editor. Baby doll, I care about you. You’re the daughter I never had.”
My eyes misted. “You’re going to make me cry.” I reached over the desk to hug him.
“You best get going, if you plan to hit the mainland. The afternoon traffic is as bad as scales on a pinfish.” Wade walked me to the door. He watched as I drove away. I had the feeling he wouldn’t tell Perry, as long as I let him know that David Harper was under control. Little did he know that I wondered about that myself!
penned by Painter Lady at 12:23 AM
1 Comments:
1st paragraph -
"making me to feel" maybe to "making me feel" ?
"glancing out the window" maybe to "glancing out of the window" ?
Later on during Wade and Kerrie's convo "Are hiding from something, Kerrie?" either to "Are you hiding from something, Kerrie?" or "Are you hiding something, Kerrie?"
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