The drive to Harmony Island took longer than I’d anticipated. We stopped for meals and to fill up on gas, but that was about it. I was bone-dead tired when we pulled up to the Apple Blossom Bed and Breakfast on the island.
When I stepped out of the car, I could hear the crash of the waves and smell the salty water. The breeze washed over me, warming me and giving me chills at the same time. It was a strange sensation and made me smile.
Spencer shut the driver’s door and moved to the trunk to pull out our suitcases. I met him there and grabbed hold of my suitcase. His body tensed. I could tell that he was stressed.
I glanced up and gave him a small smile. “You’re doing great,” I said.
Spencer met my gaze for a moment before dropping it and returning my smile. “I hope so.”
We walked, hand in hand, to the front door. Soft yellow light glowed from inside and lit up the first-floor windows. The wraparound deck was full of rocking chairs and benches. Pumpkins and cornstalks decorated the front steps and the door. It made me smile.
I loved this time of year. It felt like the perfect backdrop to Spencer and his family reconnecting.
Spencer knocked, and we waited until the door opened. A woman who looked to be in her eighties appeared. Her pure white hair was pulled up into a messy bun with whisps of hair framing her face. She had on rainbow-speckled glasses, and her bright blue eyes sparkled when she saw us. “Spencer?” she asked as her gaze scanned over Spencer and then moved to me.
“Yes,” he said, reaching out his hand.
They shook, and then Spencer nodded toward me. “This is Penny.”
The woman turned to me. “Welcome. My name is Missy, and I own Apple Blossom.”
“Nice to meet you, Missy,” I said as we shook hands.
“Well, let’s get you two inside. I just finished making some apple pie and some sweet tea.” She pushed the door open further and then stepped back so we could enter.
“Leave your suitcases here. Harold will bring them up to your room.”
Spencer looked as if he didn’t like this idea, but Missy gave him a look that said she would brook no argument, so he left it in the corner next to mine. She led us through the living room, which opened up to the dining room. There was a long, dark wood table in the center of the room. The decorations continued in here. The smell of cinnamon and nutmeg filled the ar.
A steaming pie sat on the buffet that spanned the far wall. A large pitcher filled with amber-colored tea and surrounded by glass cups sat next to it. Missy waved for us to take a seat and moved over to the food. Soon the sound of a knife hitting the sides of the ceramic pie plate filled the air.
I glanced over at Spencer, anxious to know how he was feeling about all of this. I was having a hard time reading him. He looked uncomfortable but was clearly trying to hide it from Missy, so he just looked as if he were in pain. I knew he wanted to get to bed so he could prepare himself for tomorrow, but Missy was keeping him from that.
My heart went out to the man. I reached over and wrapped my hand around his, squeezing gently, which turned his attention to me. I gave him a soft smile. “It’ll be great,” I whispered, hoping he knew that I was here for him no matter what.
I was going to help him through this.
He cleared his throat and nodded, but before he could speak, Missy turned to face us. She was grinning as she held two plates with giant pieces of pie plopped in the middle.
“You two are going to love my apple pie.” She set the plates down in front of us. “I just picked the apples this morning.” She leaned in. “They don’t call this place Apple Blossom just because it sounds pretty.” She gave us a wink and then leaned back, laughing.
I kind of adored Missy. She was sweet and sassy, and she cracked herself up. She wasn’t a person who took herself too seriously, and it was refreshing. Having had the history I did—being stuck in a world where I constantly worried what others thought of me—the idea that I could be my own person was liberating.
“That’s amazing,” I said as I picked up my fork and took a bite. The crisp taste of the apples mixed with the buttery crust and was topped off with the cinnamon from the filling. It had my mouth dancing with pleasure.
I raised my eyebrows as I turned to Missy. She grinned and looked satisfied as she settled down on the chair across from us. It seemed she’d experienced this reaction before and knew exactly what it meant.
“I told you. I’m an award-winning pie maker.” She threaded her fingers together and then rested her hands on the table in front of her. “Now, why don’t you two tell me why you are here.” She focused her attention on Spencer.
I could feel his entire body tense. Whatever relaxed feelings he got from eating the pie had fled, and he was back to stressing. That frustrated me, but Missy didn’t seem like the kind of person who just let people keep to themselves. I had a feeling that she was the kind of woman who liked to be involved—with the purest of intentions.
“We’re just visiting,” I said, hoping that she would take her focus off Spencer and put it on me.
“Oh, I got that,” she said as she flicked her gaze in my direction. “Most people who stay here are visiting.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “Whom are we visiting? Can I help you locate them?” She leaned back in her chair and drummed her fingers on the table. “I’ve lived here my whole life. There isn’t a person here on Harmony that I don’t know.”
I had no doubt that what she was saying was true, and it might be useful to have a local help us with sussing out Abigail and Sabrina. But Spencer had turned into a statue; he was clearly not interested in telling this stranger his life story.
“I think we’re going to keep that to ourselves,” I responded, hoping that she wouldn’t get offended. After all, she had to be used to people not answering her questions.
“Ah, woman. Leave these two people alone. They don’t need you poking around in their private life.”
Surprised by the voice, I turned to see Harold standing in the doorway. He had a mug of what I assumed was coffee and a loving scowl on his face.
“Harold,” Missy hissed as she turned to glare at him.
Harold just shrugged. “You’re going to scare off all of our guests if you demand to know their deepest secrets.”
“I’m not demanding to know anything. I am a fountain of knowledge. I’m just offering my services.” She gave us a wide smile.
I could tell she was genuine, but that didn’t change the fact that this story wasn’t mine to tell. “We appreciate you offering, but we’d rather keep it close to our hearts.” I gave her a soft smile. “You really have a beautiful home, and this pie is to die for.”
I could sense Missy starting to soften as a smile tugged at her lips.
“It won first place last year at the Harmony fair.”
I nodded. “I bet it did.” Then I yawned. Spencer still hadn’t spoken, so I glanced over at him and patted his hand. “Ready to head to bed?” I turned back to Missy. “We had a long drive and need to hit the hay.”
Spencer was out of his chair before I could finish. He cleared his throat and nodded at Missy and Harold. “Thanks for your warm welcome, but it’s time for us to go to bed.” Missy moved to stand, but Spencer waved her away. “I think we can find the room.”
“Oh, okay.” She motioned toward the stairs. “First door at the top. The Cortland room.”
I gave her a smile to tell her I appreciated that she’d named the rooms after different types of apples and then followed after Spencer, who was already making his way out of the dining room. I hurried to match his stride as he headed up the stairs.
Once we were in the room, he shut the door and growled.
“Staying here was a mistake,” he said as he huffed and headed over to his suitcase.
“She was just trying to be nice.” I settled down on the bed and started to remove my shoes.
Spencer didn’t seem to hear me. He was throwing his clothes around as if he were looking for something. “Why did she want to know?” He growled again as if the memory was coming back to him. “The last thing we need is her poking around and spooking Abigail and Sabrina.”
I stopped and looked over at him. “You didn’t tell them we were coming?”
He glanced up at me. “No.”
It was my turn to scoff. “What if they aren’t even here?” My mind was whirling. “I gave you their numbers. You should at least have let them know we were coming.”
Spencer fisted his pajamas and straightened. “Well, I didn’t.” And then he headed into the bathroom and shut the door.
I flopped back on the bed and sighed. This wasn’t going how I’d pictured it. Which I should have known. With Spencer, nothing was exactly easy. I knew he meant well. He was just trying to process his history and figure out how he was going to have a future with his daughters.
When Spencer got out of the bathroom, he headed straight to the bed and got under the covers. I rolled myself off the bed and headed over to my suitcase. I located my pajamas and toiletries and headed to the bathroom.
By the time I got out, Spencer was snoring. I pulled the covers off my side of the bed and climbed in. After applying lotion to my hands and arms, I flipped off my light and snuggled down under the comforter.
My stomach was in knots as I thought about Spencer’s reaction to Missy. Sure, she was a nosy stranger who wanted him to talk about things he wasn’t ready to deal with, but it worried me.
If this was how he was going to be the first hour we were here, how was he going to react when we actually confronted his daughters? When they expressed their feelings to him?
Was he ready for this?
My heart ached for this man. I wished that I could take away this pain. That I could somehow make everything okay. But I knew I couldn’t do that. I needed to let him find peace on his own. It was the only way it would mean something to him.
He needed to take this journey, and I was here to support him.
One thing was for sure; I wasn’t going anywhere.
I was here to stay.