Page 20 of Waves of Reckoning (Echoes of Camano Island #1)

Chapter Nineteen

T hings were sort of sketchy following the incident with Jake, but as time passed, Amy was less shaken by the incident.

Maybe there was comfort in the fact that Jake was locked up, and he would finally be out of her life for good this time.

Amy was in the kitchen making breakfast when Nikki walked in. “I thought you said you wanted to be a pastry chef,” she teased when she noticed the breakfast sausages, the bologna, and the waffles.

“I do, but we can’t live off pastry,” Amy beamed. “I thought I’d treat you for once even though I’m sure this is nothing like the biscuits or muffins you make.”

Nikki laughed. “I had a lot more practice, but you, my dear, will be under the tutelage of a great pastry chef.”

“Oh my God, do you know how amazing that is.” Amy grinned. “I can’t wait. One day, my name will be on one of the most amazing bakeries in Camano, or Seattle, or wherever. I will be the Gordon Ramsay of baking.”

Nikki laughed as she watched her niece, who was filled with hope for the future. “I’m glad to see you like this.”

“Yeah,” Amy replied and handed her aunt a plate. She joined her by the breakfast counter, but Nikki could see that even though she had prepared the meal, she didn’t have an appetite for it.

“It’s a bad sign when the chef won’t eat their own food,” Nikki teased. “Should I be worried?”

Amy laughed weakly. “Not this time.”

“What’s eating you?” Nikki asked her as she bit into a sausage.

“I want to go visit her,” Amy said softly.

“Trish?” Nikki asked as her heart quickly filled with joy.

“Yeah,” Amy replied. “I need to.”

“Absolutely,” Nikki said as she covered Amy’s palm with her own. “You’re making me so happy right now.” Nikki brushed tears away.

“At least now I know why I cry so much.” Amy laughed. “Must be in the genes.”

Nikki shrugged. “Must be, and maybe from Mom.”

“When can we go?” Amy asked.

“She’s in a private room, so we can go whenever you like.”

“How about this morning, then?”

“Great!” Nikki beamed.

She might as well have been gliding to the hospital with Amy. Her heart was full to bursting, and the only missing factor was an awakened Trish. She needed to see her daughter, but for the moment, Nikki was just glad that Amy had agreed to go see her.

A somber mood greeted them as they walked into the room, and Nikki heard Amy gasp. She understood well what she must be feeling because similar emotions had overwhelmed her when she saw how Trish was strung up and seemed on the verge of death.

Amy walked gingerly over to her, and every few steps or so, she turned to look back at Nikki, who came up alongside her.

“Hey, Trish,” Nikki spoke first. “I have someone I’d like you to meet,” she said and paused before she looked at Amy. “Go ahead.”

Amy visibly shook as she took Trish’s pale and frail hand in hers. “She’s so thin,” she commented.

“I know,” Nikki replied. “A shadow of the vibrant woman I know.”

Nikki pulled up two chairs, and they both sat. Amy didn’t release Trish’s hand, and eventually, she covered it with her other hand.

“I’m Amy, your daughter,” she began. “I didn’t know about you until a few weeks ago, but I wish I had known you sooner.

Life, huh? Just as soon as you start looking for me, life said no, and here we are.

” She sighed. “It’s kind of messed up, isn’t it?

But I’m still hoping you wake up, and I get to see you and talk with you.

If you’re anything like Nikki, I know you’re awesome,” she continued.

Nikki tensed as she listened to Amy’s heartfelt words to her mother and placed her arm around her for support. “I’m going outside for some water.”

Amy nodded as Nikki left the two of them alone so she could have some privacy. She was in the waiting area, flipping through old magazines, when Amy emerged.

“I thought you were going to come back,” she said.

“I felt you needed some time alone, especially on your first visit,” Nikki said. “Are you done with the visit?”

“For now.” Amy smiled. “I’ll be back.”

They both walked out of the hospital, and Amy turned to Nikki as the car pulled into traffic. “Is it weird that I feel like she heard me?”

“Nope,” Nikki said. “That’s the same way I feel all the time I’m with her, and I refuse to believe it’s just wishful thinking. But when she wakes up, we can ask her for sure.”

Amy smiled. “Maybe it will be like a dream that fades when you wake up, so she won’t be able to tell anyway.”

“Maybe,” Nikki agreed.

The two grew closer as the days rolled by, and with Jake locked up, Amy resumed her job at Lot 28 as a server.

But that wasn’t enough for Nikki. One day when she got home, she confronted Amy. “I know you had an issue with this the last time, but what do you think about pressing charges against Jake once and for all and getting that restraining order?”

Amy sighed. “That didn’t do anything the last time with that other girl.”

“That time, he was a new offender. He got away with a warning. He’s now back with the same thing. He won’t get off so easily this time, and if they try, I will put them on blast for it.”

Amy laughed at her aunt using modern lingo. “I bet you would, but I think it’s what’s best. I’ve already given them a report of the incident. Now, I need to make it formal. I hate police stations,” she admitted. “There’s something so sinister about them to me.”

“They’re meant to serve and to protect,” Nikki told her.

“I know, but the ones I met neither served nor protected,” Amy declared.

“That’s not all of them,” Nikki reminded her. “Some of them care deeply about their jobs.”

“I guess.” Amy sighed. “Either way, I just want this behind me.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” They visited the precinct that afternoon, and Amy pressed charges against Jake. She would have to wait for a court date to obtain a restraining order, but she wasn’t in a hurry with him locked up.

“How about we go shopping?” Nikki asked when they left. “We haven’t done anything girly since you’ve been here.”

“I can definitely do that,” Amy replied excitedly. “You’re buying, right?”

Nikki laughed. “Yes, I’m buying. What are aunts for?”

They drove to the coast, where kiosks littered the beachfront. Vendors sold potted items, collectibles, keepsakes, T-shirts, jewelry, and household crafts. Nikki and Amy weaved their way through the throng of people searching for interesting pieces for their homes or persons.

They stopped by a kiosk that had pottery pieces, and Nikki picked up a beautifully painted jar that would make a nice attraction over the fireplace. “I love this,” she told Amy, who was busy looking at charm bracelets behind her.

“I like these,” she beamed, then noticed the jar in Nikki’s hand. “That looks nice too.”

“So believable,” Nikki teased.

“No, I really mean it.” Amy giggled. “Where’s the other one?”

Nikki gasped. “You’re right. Two would look better. Hmm,” she mused. “Maybe I’ll just find a place where one works.”

They continued checking out the stalls, picking up pieces as they went, until they wound up at The Oar, a pub and finger-food joint.

“I’m starving,” Amy said as she slid into the booth seat.

The air was rich with the charred smell of meat on a spit or roasted over an open fire. They salivated as they waited for the baby back ribs that they ordered, and in minutes, their hands and faces were sticky messes of grease and sauce.

“Does everything taste good on this island?” Amy asked.

“You’ve never been here?” Nikki asked in shock.

“Yeah, like on a day trip, and we’d have our own food and stuff, but now that I’m tasting the local food, I’m blown away.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Nikki smiled as she wiped the napkin across her mouth. “Maybe you’ll consider moving here for good.”

“I thought I was already here,” Amy said and winked. “How about you? I know you lived in Arlington. Is Camano now your home for good?”

Nikki smiled as she considered it. Back in Arlington, she had her job, but that was about it.

And she had a job she could take anywhere.

Camano represented a family she had always craved for but never had the opportunity to have and to reunite with a sister who had been estranged for so long.

It was a pleasant prospect in her mind’s eye, and she definitely would consider moving.

“It could be.” She laughed.

“It better be. I could love it here,” Amy observed. “Good food, the ocean, great friends. I’ve only just met Sarah, but I can already tell we’re going to be great friends. She invited me over for the weekend. She said we could do some outdoor stuff—whatever is happening this weekend.”

“That’s great,” Nikki said. “You’re already planting your roots. When we were kids, our parents used to rent a summer home here every year.”

“No kidding,” Amy exclaimed.

“Yep,” Nikki told her. “We practically grew up here. I just moved away because I was so hurt and bitter.”

“Maybe it’s time that you moved back. Speaking of which, what’s going on between you and Paul?”

It was Nikki’s turn to blush. “What do you mean? Nothing’s going on.”

“Exactly,” Amy said. “And why is that? You two had a thing back in the day. He’s single. You’re single. He’s attractive. You know, for a guy his age.”

Nikki laughed. “A guy his age.”

“You know what I mean.” Amy giggled. “We could all be one big happy family. And I think he’s still into you.”

“Oh stop.” Nikki blushed.

“Trust me, I know these things.” Amy grinned. “He wants you.”

“Stop making me think about him like that,” Nikki told her.

“I won’t,” Amy said and leaned forward. “Not until you both agree to go out on a date.”

“I don’t think now’s the best time for that,” Nikki said.

“It never is,” Amy pressed. “I’m not going to let up. You’re going to have to just let me win.”

And Nikki could tell she wasn’t joking, but the more she was forced to think about Paul, the more she wondered if it would be Amy who was winning.

Or her!