Page 7 of Waves of Reckoning (Echoes of Camano Island #1)

Chapter Six

“T his town is like a dream,” Ava said as she and Nikki returned from their morning run. “Why don’t I live here?”

Nikki laughed. “I practically lived here all my summers growing up.”

“Lucky you,” Ava told her.

“It’s not that different from Arlington if what you love are the beaches,” Nikki told her. “There’s plenty of that there.”

They got back to the room and ordered breakfast because neither wanted to go out.

“Hey, remember the event with the Humane Society I told you about?” Nikki asked as she tilted her head sideways to dry her hair with the towel.

“Yeah,” Ava replied. “It’s that community outreach thing to raise money for the shelter.”

“Right— Furs are Friends.” Nikki smiled. “I can understand in a sense why Trish and I never got along. We are so different.”

“I can see that because no way would you have joined a society like that,” Ava said.

“I know, right? Yet here I am, and it’s not even so bad,” Nikki admitted. “I’ve always loved animals from a distance, but working so closely with them, I can see the appeal.”

“Is it all about animals?” Ava wanted to know.

“No,” Nikki said, sitting next to Ava. “It’s more about a better quality of life for everyone, including animals. Today’s event is all about the animals, though, so they have a competition lined up for the best-dressed dog, the best show dog, the purest breed, and stuff like that.

“That sounds like fun.” Ava smiled. “Wish I had a dog to enter.”

“There will be other activities. You can go into the dunk tank.” Nikki grinned.

“Uh, me? At my age?” Ava scoffed. “Although I don’t look so bad in a bikini. Maybe one of the…help…might take a fancy to me,” she said and patted her hair flirtatiously.

Nikki erupted into laughter. “Some things never change, do they?”

“I’m guessing it’s going to be by the beach? I hope so,” Ava said.

“Yes, by Camano Island State Park. I remember going there as a child,” Nikki said nostalgically.

“I can see how much you love this place.” Ava smiled seconds before there was a knock on the door. “I wonder who that is.”

Nikki had an idea. There weren’t many people who knew her. She was pleasantly surprised when she saw Paul. “Hi,” she said. “Come on in.”

“Oh, who do we have here?” Ava said as she got up and fluffed her hair.

Paul laughed. “Paul,” he said and extended his arm.

Ava looked over at Nikki quickly. “ The Paul?”

Paul narrowed his eyes. “What does that mean?”

“Ignore her. This is my best friend, Ava,” Nikki replied.

“Pleasure’s all mine,” Paul said and then immediately looked at Nikki. “Do you need help getting to the venue?”

“No, I have the rental,” Nikki replied with a smile. “But thanks.”

Paul nodded. “I’ll see you there, then.”

“Nice meeting you,” Ava called as he headed through the door. “Wow,” she said as soon as the door closed. “You mentioned there was a Paul back in the day but…wow.”

“Yeah.” Nikki blushed. “He’s just a friend now, though. High school was years ago, and I was the one who walked away.”

“So?” Ava asked as she came around the sofa. “He’s still super cute.”

“I know, but let’s focus on the event,” Nikki said and walked to the kitchen.

“How’s Trish doing? I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you this morning.”

“It’s okay.” Nikki sighed. “There’s nothing much to see, and you’ve gone with me for a couple of days now. Nothing’s changed.” Nikki sat on the barstool by the island. “Nothing except finding Amy.”

“Her long-lost daughter,” Ava said.

“Yes,” Nikki said and wiped her hand down her face. “I know it’s something I must do, but I’m a little anxious about it. What if I find her, and she doesn’t want anything to do with Trish for giving her up? Or me?”

“Well, don’t worry about that now,” Ava consoled her. “You can’t control any of that. All you can do is try. Clearly, Trish wasn’t worried about that. Maybe Amy will be over the moon.”

“You think?” Nikki asked as her spirit slowly lifted.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. She’s grown now. Who wouldn’t want an aunt like you or a mother like Trish?” Ava smiled.

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am. So chin up, and let’s get ready to have some fun.”

Nikki was in much better spirits when they pulled up at the venue. The air was festive with music from the local band, laughter, dogs barking, and children cavorting all over the mossy green. Kiosks were set up all over, and various vendors displayed food and keepsakes.

Barbecue grills were smoking, and it felt a lot like being at a carnival. “I haven’t been to anything like this in forever,” Nikki observed as she walked toward the booth sheltering members of the Humane Society.

“Oh, bingo,” Ava said as she veered to the right.

Nikki laughed. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

Three members were at the booth, including Reed, one of the leaders. Each had a name tag in bold red color that was impossible to miss. Paul had gotten her up to speed about Reed and vice versa and what she would be doing to help out.

“So good to meet you, Nikki,” he beamed. “It’s a pity that Trish couldn’t be here to see what she made happen.”

“She’ll hear about it when she wakes up,” Nikki told him optimistically.

“That’s the spirit.” Reed smiled, and the wrinkles at his eyes creased. “I hope you’re ready to man the dunk tank. And there are many contestants in that raffle.”

“I hope I’m up for it,” Nikki replied and turned to check out the surroundings. “It seems we’re going to get a good crowd.”

“We usually do at this time of year,” Reed said as he came up to her, his hands shoved into the pocket of his jeans. “With so many seasonal things here on the island, people look forward to the summer festivities. Believe me when I say you’ll have your hands full.”

“I have no doubt about it. This place is all too familiar for me,” Nikki replied.

“Trish used to say that all the time too,” Reed muttered, and when Nikki looked over at him, she could see the sadness in his eyes.

He missed her. “I’m having a hard time doing all of this without her.

We are, I mean,” he said, motioning to the man and woman behind him busy handing out pamphlets about recycling and protecting the coral reef.

“I know,” Nikki told him. “We just have to have faith that she’ll pull through.”

“She will.” He smiled. “She’s as tough as nails.”

She could see his admiration for Trish, and her heart warmed that she had been surrounded by so many great people. It only made her hope even more for her recovery.

“Okay,” Reed said, rubbing his hands together. “I think it’s time for a little fun.”

It was early afternoon, and the patrons kept pouring in. A slight wind countered the sun's heat, and Nikki was grateful for it. She passed by the bingo table to see that Ava was having fun. She ruffled her hair and kept going.

She climbed the steps to the large, portable pool and picked up the megaphone. She had never done that sort of thing before, but she was feeling excited. Maybe it was contagious because the air was buzzing with it.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!” she called over the loudspeaker. “Are you ready to have some fun?!”

“Woo-hoo! Yay!” they screamed.

“All right then.” Nikki laughed. “How about we start by getting these officers wet!”

“Oh yeah!” a woman close by screamed.

“That’s your cue, boys,” she told the group of men who’d already stripped down to their swimming trunks. “You know the drill. Who’s first to take the hot seat?”

Everyone hollered and hooted as one of the officers stepped forward. “Okay, let’s get this over with. It’s a hot day anyway.”

“That’s the spirit,” Nikki said as she held up the officer’s hand. “Now, let’s see who’s got an arm strong enough to take this man down!”

One by one, the men standing around the pool took their shot at the lever.

Some of the balls barely tipped the seat, and the officer gripped the sides to keep from falling.

When a large, heavyweight man stepped forward, he knew he was done for.

The crowd cheered hard and loudly as the first officer hit the water with a great splash.

It continued in the same way until it was the police chief’s turn. “Do I really have to?” he asked as he stood next to the hot seat.

“Do you even have to ask?” Nikki goaded him.

“Get on the seat!” someone shouted.

“I hate to agree, Chief,” Nikki told him. “You have to take the seat, or I’m going to have to make you.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” the chief asked as he stood with his hands on his hips.

“Should I show him?” Nikki asked the jeering crowd.

“Yeah!” they hollered back.

“Alright,” she said as the chief looked at her suspiciously. She inched a little closer.

“Hey, what are you doing?” he asked and stepped back.

“Nothing,” she said as she lunged forward and tapped him on the chest. He tipped backward, and his arms flailed as he tried to grab something to hold. The crowd celebrated as they watched his inevitable fall, and Nikki unwittingly got too close.

She shrieked when he caught her arm, and she managed at the last minute to ditch the megaphone as both she and the police chief hit the water, much to the amusement of everyone.

Nikki bobbed to the top and wiped her hand down her face as the chief joined her, laughing uproariously. “You didn’t think I was going to take the fall alone, did you?”

Nikki laughed as some of the other men helped her out of the tank, but it was a rousing way to start the games and shenanigans.

The food was great, and she visited a couple of the tables for games before the evening rolled around and it was time for the raffle. The prize was one thousand dollars and some small appliances for runners-up.

Nikki called the winning numbers to an attentive group of people, and cheers erupted when the winners came to collect their prizes. It was an eventful day, and by the end of it, Nikki was exhausted.

She was making her way to one of the kiosks to get a drink when she ran into Paul and a beautiful young woman. “Nikki,” he exclaimed. “You did such a great job out there.”

“Tell that to my wet clothes.” She laughed. “Ava had to get me a change of outfit.”

The young woman laughed. “It looked like fun, though.”

“Oh, this is Sarah, my daughter, and her fiancé, Aaron,” Paul said as he introduced them.

“Oh,” Nikki replied with surprise. “She’s beautiful, Paul. Nice to meet you both.”

Sarah blushed. “I’ve heard about you.” She nudged her very embarrassed father.

“Babe, maybe we can go and get a drink,” Sarah suggested to Aaron and pulled him away from them.

“Is she…?” Nikki asked with amusement and pointed at the hastily departing couple.

“Yep,” Paul said in answer to her unfinished question. “Trying to play cupid.”

Nikki laughed. “Kids.”

“Not so much these days,” Paul replied. “Now she’s off to get married.”

Nikki got quiet as she thought about the child she never got to have. Paul must have noticed, and she blushed when she realized he was looking intensely at her.

“The private investigator came to the restaurant yesterday. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow and talk about how we’ll handle the news about Amy.”

“So you do know something,” Nikki said.

“I never said I didn’t, but I didn’t have all the information. I still don’t. Not until I meet with him. But what I do know is that she has been trying to find her daughter for months. Maybe longer. She was very anxious about meeting her and what it would be like.”

“I can’t say I don’t know what that feels like.

” Nikki started feeling nervous all over again.

“I’m curious to know more about her. What if she doesn’t want to come here, like Trish thought?

Trish only mentioned that if I didn’t want a stake in the Nestled Inn I could sell it to Amy.

But what if Amy doesn’t want it or anything to do with either of us? ”

She remembered what Ava had told her before but couldn’t help feeling doubtful again.

“Don’t worry about that now. I would suspect that the inn would fall to you if that’s the case, but let’s wait until we get to that bridge, okay?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she told him. “Listen, I had a long day. I need to get back and wash off some of this sweat and dust.”

Paul laughed. “Okay. We’ll catch up.”

She walked away, and before she could get to Ava, a middle-aged woman approached her. “You’re Trish’s sister, right?” she asked.

Her dark eyes flashed with concern at Nikki. “Yes, I’m Nikki.”

She took Nikki’s hands in hers. “She’s in our prayers. She’s a wonderful woman, and I know she’ll pull through.”

Nikki choked back the tears as the woman expressed her heartfelt sympathy regarding Trish. “Thank you.”

It was the same as she continued to where Ava was. Several of the townspeople encouraged her and expressed their sympathies. It was a very emotional evening, and though a very entertaining day, she was glad it was over.

She met up with Ava, and they left, but as they pulled out of the parking lot, she saw Paul standing a little way off, watching her leave.

And for a moment, she thought there might still be something between them.