Seascapes Read online

  Kate’s mouth dropped open. Did he just say he had never heard of her store? If he had lived in town for any length of time, he would have heard of Seascapes. There was no way he had never heard of her store. She advertised all over town for crying out loud.

  Hunching her shoulders, she sniffed loudly and kept her back to him. Let him think whatever he wanted about that, but she was done talking to him. How dare he insult her like that!

  Drew sat in the pew chuckling at the reaction the woman was giving him. Of course, he had heard of her shop, in fact he had even gone in a time or two to pick up something for his mother or one of his sisters as a gift. He’d never seen her there though. It had always been a tall, pretty, redhead who could talk lobsterman into buying lobsters.

  How had he ever missed this woman? He felt like God was playing a cruel trick on him. He had become restless, searching for someone who might become his wife.

  Lucy hadn’t been that person. He was more than ready to settle down and begin his own family while she just wanted to have fun. There was something about this woman in the church that had him wanting to know more about her.

  Standing, he headed over to where she now stood by the windows and waited silently beside her. He wanted to see what she would do.

  Kate shifted slightly to her right. What was wrong with this guy? First, he insults her store. Okay, maybe not insult, but still. And now he’s standing far too close. Hadn’t he ever heard of personal space?

  “Hello, welcome back,” a voice called from the far doorway. “Is there anything you need from me, brother?” Peter had been standing just inside the door of the sanctuary watching his brother tease this poor woman. Drew could have seen him at any point if he had bothered to look his way, but he had been fully focused on her. Peter thought it might be a good time to intervene now that they were within spitting distance. He remembered well how annoying Drew could be and he didn’t want him driving the woman away.

  Drew jumped. Where had Peter come from? Then he flushed slightly knowing his brother had most likely seen everything. Shoot. He was going to get grilled later he was sure.

  “Nope. I’m good. I’ll see you later.” And with that Drew winked at the woman, turned on his heel, and walked out.

  Peter watched his brother leave and then turned his attention towards the woman. Peter knew Drew was expecting a conversation later. He mentally rubbed his hands together and grinned. He was going to have fun with this one.

  “Sorry about him. He sometimes can’t help himself.” Peter stepped near. “Do you know the story of this window?” Changing the topic, he pointed to the one she had been looking at.

  Kate breathed deeply. She was still a bit unsettled after her encounter with the blonde giant, as she had dubbed him, and his abrupt departure. “Not really. Obviously, it must have something to do with building.”

  “Well, yes and no,” Peter answered with a small grin on his face. “Yes, it’s about building, but there is a bit more to the story. As the top pictures show, if you build your house on the sand and a storm comes, the foundation is ripped out. Have you ever built a sandcastle on the beach and watched helplessly when the tide came in and destroyed it?”

  “Yeah, I remember doing it as a kid. I was so upset and tried hard to build walls to protect it.”

  “Did it work?”

  “Not at all. I was almost frantic trying to save it, but in the end the tide still washed it away.”

  “If you build your house on solid ground, like most modern-day houses, it will stand. A storm won’t hurt it. But there is a deeper meaning behind the story. The foundation we need to build our life on is God. He is the bedrock we are to stand firm on.”

  Uh-oh, Kate thought to herself, here we go. I knew it would only be a matter of time before he would start preaching. I guess it’s the price to pay for coming to the church. No wonder they leave it unlocked. She resigned herself to listen and sat down in a nearby pew.

  Peter sat in front of her and faced the windows as he continued. “Wise builders make sure their foundation is sturdy. It needs to be strong to withstand the storms. Foolish builders aren’t interested in anything long-lasting. Like children building sandcastles, they just want to get it done so they can enjoy it. It doesn’t matter if it lasts for any length of time.”

  He stopped and turned his gaze back to the window. “Feel free to stay as long as you like. I just need to go tidy things up a bit in the fellowship hall. The Ladies Auxiliary was here yesterday. They always mean well, but they tend to move things to places I can’t find. It’s always a treasure hunt for me after they leave.”

  Kate watched in disbelief as he walked away. Again, she had braced herself for a sermon, and again, he had simply told the story and walked away. He was the oddest man she had ever met.

  Chapter 10

  The small bell tinkled over the door and Kate looked up. She held back a groan. Agnes Johnson had just walked in like she owned the store.

  Mrs. Johnson, as she had informed Kate she preferred to be called, was one of the oldest woman living in their little seaside town. She had been married to the one-time mayor, so she felt she needed to be treated with some deference. It didn’t matter that her husband had been mayor twenty years ago for only one term, or even that he had been dead for ten years.

  She reminded Kate of the matriarch from one of her favorite TV shows, Downton Abbey. She could certainly teach Maggie Smith a few things.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Johnson. How are you on this lovely day?” Kate had learned to greet her quickly, and with as much sugar in her voice as possible.

  “Terrible. Simply terrible. The youth of this town have no manners. I was almost hit by a young hooligan riding a bicycle on the sidewalk. I’m simply going to have to speak with the chief of police about this matter.”

  “I’m sure the boy didn’t mean any harm.” Kate tried to soothe her before she went off on a long-winded tangent. She still was working on her never-ending to-do list. She did not have time to listen to Mrs. Johnson fret about the sanctity of pedestrian ways.

  Mrs. Johnson made a noise which could only be considered a huff. “Well, I’m certain he did. Children these days simply do not have the respect for their elders they should. It would appear no one is teaching them how to behave properly.”

  Kate resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was sure Mrs. Johnson would not find that proper either. Before she could again ask what she could help Mrs. Johnson with, the woman began speaking.

  “Now, where is that woman you employ?”

  “Fiona? She’s out back working on more jewelry for our display window. Did you want to speak to her?” Kate was puzzled since Mrs. Johnson didn’t usually ask for a specific employee. She would complain to whomever was in front of her at the time.

  “No, no, no. Not that infernal redhead. All she seems to do is talk,” Mrs. Johnson grumbled. “No, that new woman you hired. What is her name again?”

  “Oh, you must mean Nancy. She’s out running an errand for me. She should be back soon. Is there anything I can help you with instead?”

  “She needs to be told how to be polite to customers. I was in here the other day and heard her talking to Mr. Edwards. She was downright rude to him. I would think, as an employer, you would have done a better job teaching your employees how to treat the customer. Do you not tell them how the customer is always right? She obviously could use a refresher. One would think someone of her age would have learned something like that long ago.” Mrs. Johnson firmly nodded her head as she stated her edict.

  Kate couldn’t help but give a small sigh. Why did it have to be Mrs. Johnson who had seen the incident? It had been on a day Kate and Fiona had gone to the tide pools to look for more sea glass, the first day she had left Nancy alone in the store. She had already heard all about how Nancy had spoken to Mr. Edwards and planned to discuss it with her. Small towns weren’t known for keeping secrets.

  “Yes, Mrs. Johnson, I do teach my employees that very sent
iment. You remember she hasn’t been here long, and she’s never worked in retail before. I was already planning to discuss it with her today.”

  “Good. Now, let’s move on to your front window display. It simply will not do.”

  ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

  Drew couldn’t get the woman from the church out of his mind. What was wrong with him? He would never have treated a stranger the way he had treated her, but she became prettier and prettier the more frustrated he made her.

  Just as he had predicted, Peter had come over that night with some steaks for the grill and used the same treatment on Drew. He was squirming mightily by the time his brother had finished with him. Now Drew was even more determined to figure out who the woman was.

  He had thought he might stroll by Seascapes and see if she was inside. Then he might casually walk in and… And what? He’d told her he had no idea where her store was located and yet here he was, the very next day, at the store? Was it plausible? He thought he could spin it. Maybe.

  His feet slowed as he saw the store up ahead. He stopped as the front door was flung open and out marched Mrs. Johnson. Please go the other way. Please go the other way. He was rooted to the spot. He did not want to deal with Agnes Johnson about worship music or any other issue she might have. Not now.

  Thankfully, she turned away from him, sniffed loudly at whatever was annoying her this time, and marched in the other direction. Drew let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding.

  Continuing towards the store, he peeked in through the large display windows to see who was working. The woman from church was standing at the counter talking with an older woman. From the looks on their faces, it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. Drew guessed it had to be better than dealing with Mrs. Johnson and took a chance.

  He pulled open the door and heard a bell jingle. Stepping inside he glanced left and right quickly, like he might be looking for something as he waited to be noticed.

  “We’ll finish this discussion later, Nancy. Just please, you need to be more polite to our customers. And try not to antagonize Mrs. Johnson.”

  “Maybe if she wasn’t such an old biddy, it wouldn’t be so easy.”

  Drew swallowed his laugh. Well, perhaps it hadn’t been that serious of a conversation after all. Now he understood why Mrs. Johnson had left the store the way she had.

  “Nancy, that’s what I’m talking about. Respect. It goes a long way.”

  “Fine.”

  Drew turned to watch the older woman head to the back of the store. The other woman sighed and finally looked up, catching his eye.

  Kate groaned inwardly. Could this day get any worse? She had already had to deal with Mrs. Johnson, then had the conversation with Nancy about Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Johnson, which did not go well, and now this. Why was he here? He had said the other day he didn’t even know where her store was on the boardwalk. Had he come looking for it? For her?

  Shaking her head at the thought, Kate plastered a fake smile on and asked, “May I help you?”

  “Just thought I’d come check this place out. Seems a bit frou-frou for my taste.”

  Drew bit his lip as he watched her eyes spark. Yup. This was going to be easier than he thought. He also thought maybe he wouldn’t share this particular meeting with Peter when he saw him later.

  “I’ll ask again. May I help you?” Kate didn’t know why he was here or what he wanted, but he certainly wasn’t shopping. Unless it was for a girlfriend or a wife. She felt a quick kick in her stomach at the thought. What was that all about? She didn’t care if he had either, did she? She certainly wasn’t looking for a relationship with him or with any other man. She didn’t need that type of complication in her life.

  “Hi, I’m Drew. It’s nice to meet you.” Drew walked the short distance towards her and stretched out a hand. He waited to see if she would rebuff it or accept it.

  Kate glanced from his hand to him and back. Reaching out slowly she grasped it, “Kate.” She quickly pulled away and backed up two steps.

  What was that? She had felt a jolt from her fingertips to the top of her head at his touch. She flexed her fingers behind her back.

  Drew swallowed before trying to speak. Well, that was something he hadn’t quite expected. The electricity at her touch had stolen away any more joking he might have planned.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Kate. Would you like to take a walk on the beach with me?”

  Where had that come from, he thought. He didn’t even really know this woman. Go for a walk on the beach? Really?

  “Um, well…” Kate stammered, trying to pull her thoughts together. “You see…”

  “Well, hello there handsome! What’s your name?” Fiona breezed in from the back room, glancing between Drew and Kate. “Did I interrupt something?”

  “No, nothing,” Kate quickly replied.

  Drew looked at her and smiled. So, it had affected her, too.

  Chapter 11

  Walking to work the next morning, Kate sniffed the air. She loved the salty scent that lingered by the ocean. Gulls wheeled and screeched overhead as they made quick dashes down to the shoreline where there must be something edible. Looking out at the horizon, she watched as the sun continued to inch its way upwards. While she still wouldn’t call herself a morning person, she could appreciate the beauty found at this time of day.

  Approaching the store, she suddenly stopped. Propped against the door was another brown package tied with twine. It was similar in shape and size to the one she had found earlier with her mother’s necklace inside.

  Her breathing became shallow and her heart began to race. She knew she was close to having a full-blown panic attack. Fumbling in her coat pocket, she found her phone and hit the speed dial for Fiona.

  “Morning, sunshine!” Fiona chirped on the other end when the connection had been made. “What’s up?”

  Kate couldn’t get a word out. Black spots were floating in her vision. Taking a breath was starting to become impossible.

  “Kate? You there? Are you okay?” Fiona’s concerned voice seemed to be coming from miles away.

  “Store. Come.” Kate managed to get out between trying to breathe. Breathe in. Breathe out. Slowly. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Kate could hear Ms. William’s voice calmly giving her the instructions and talking her through the exercises she had given her all those years ago to help fight the panic attacks. Just breathe. Just breathe.

  Kate woke to find herself laying on the sidewalk with Fiona shaking her shoulders. “Kate! What happened? I’m calling an ambulance!” Fiona was frantic. She was trying to get Kate to sit up while also pushing her to stay down at the same time.

  “Fee, stop! I’m okay. I just fainted. It’s alright.” Kate took a shuddering breath and could feel her heart wasn’t racing like it had been. Lifting a shaking hand, she pointed. “There’s another package. There, at the door.”

  Fiona glanced over her shoulder. “Let’s get you inside.” She helped Kate stand and wrapped an arm around her for support.

  Kate’s head was still spinning, and the back of it had begun to throb. She gingerly reached back to prod the area and winced. She had the beginnings of a large goose egg.

  Fiona moved her arm to around Kate’s waist and helped her walk to the door. Taking her keys from her pocket, she soon had it open and Kate settled on a stool near the front. Just like a week earlier, they stared down at the mystery package.

  Taking a deep breath, Fiona grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the twine. “All right, let’s see what’s inside.” She peeled back the brown wrappings. Once again, there was a Seascapes box nestled inside surrounded by more brown paper.

  With a trembling hand, Kate removed the smaller box and lifted the lid. Inside were pieces of sea glass, lots of sea glass. They were all different shapes and colors, ranging from the more common ones to a few rarer colors such as lavender, amber, and some unique orange pieces. Kate was thankful she was sitting down.

  Fi
ona looked at her and saw how pale her friend had become. Without saying a word, she hurried to the back room and returned with a bottle of water. She handed it to Kate and then picked up the box of sea glass.

  “I don’t get it. Where did this come from? Do you think it was the same person who left the necklace?”

  Kate needed to find a way to stave off the second anxiety attack she could feel coming on. She didn’t understand what was happening. Her head swirled with possibilities.

  The last time she had seen the necklace was around her mother’s neck. Her mother was dead. She certainly couldn’t have sent it. And why had it been in one of her store boxes? It just didn’t make sense.

  And now the glass. Oh, gosh, the glass. She had vague memories of playing with sea glass as a child. It had been in a large glass container. It couldn’t be the same though. It’s not like it was distinctive. There was nothing to mark it as the same.

  Yet, it seemed familiar. The colors. The shapes even. But she had only been a young girl. It was impossible. And the box. Why had it shown up in another of her store boxes?

  As the thoughts whirled through her head about what it could all mean, she sat and focused on her breathing. Taking one last shuddering breath, she looked at Fiona with a determined look. She was done letting her past dictate her emotions. She was so tired of it.

  “Just go throw it away, Fee. I don’t want to see it. I just wish I knew what it all meant. I’m tired of all of this mystery.”

  “Kate, do you know how rare some of these colors are?” Fee had her finger inside the box pushing the glass around and even picking up some pieces to look at them more closely.

  Kate wondered if she should tell Fiona a bit more about her past. Should she continue to keep it a secret or should she confide in her friend? Maybe it would help to talk it out. It might help her gain some clarity about what was going on.

  Kate could still feel the panic attack hovering and knew if she didn’t gain some control, she might pass out again. “Fee, I’m done with this. Let’s just get on with the day. I don’t have time to keep feeling this way. We need to get the store ready for the summer rush. I’m going to go in the back and work on orders.” She stood abruptly, swaying for just a moment. Getting her bearings, she headed towards the back room.