Beach Winds Read Online Free Page A

with anything helpful to say, so she didn’t.
    “ Now the silent treatment.” Laurel’s tone softened. “Sweetheart, you’re all I have. All that I have left of your father. You’re my daughter. I love you.”
    Frannie drew in a breath and held it for a moment attempting to reset the day. Beyond the sliding doors, the morning, serene and looking almost mystical as light picked its way through the water and the morning mist, called to her.
    She breathed out slowly and said, “I’ll tell you my plans when I know them.”
    Laurel was silent. After a long pause, she said, “Whatever you say, but please, keep me informed. Don’t leave me to worry until I have no choice but to track you down.”
    “ Bye, Mother.”
    She clicked off the phone and went back to the kitchen to enjoy her tea.
    Mother. She certainly knew how to take the shine from the morning, but this morning, Mother Nature had the better hand.
    ****
    Showered and dressed, Frannie boiled an egg and steeped more tea. She was more than a little apprehensive about going to see Uncle Will.
    As she settled at the table to enjoy her little breakfast, she felt a noise more than heard it. It was only a slight vibration, but on this quiet morning, it was enough to get her attention. She threw her coat over her shoulders and stepped out onto the porch. She bypassed the white rockers and looked over the end of the porch.
    A man was down below, kneeling by the lattice at the end of the porch. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt under a leather jacket, but the hood was pushed back to show sandy-colored hair. That was all she could see clearly from above. The jacket and sweatshirt rang a bell.
    He pulled and pushed against the latticework and, apparently satisfied, grabbed his tool bag. He started to rise, but then put one hand against the side of the house. It seemed to take him a while to stand. He was tall and moved stiffly.
    “Hello, down there.”
    He stepped backward with a slight limp and looked upward. “Good morning.”
    “ Are you the handyman? You got my message?”
    He paused before answering. “I’m Brian Donovan. You’re the niece, right?” He motioned toward the lattice. “Yeah, I got your message.”
    “ I’m Frannie Denman.” She crossed her arms and hugged them close. He had a nice face, but the stubble on his cheeks bothered her. It seemed a less than professional appearance, but then again, he was the handyman. “Were you out here yesterday?”
    He nodded. “Checking around after the storm.”
    “ I see. Well, you’ll send a bill? I’ll see that it’s taken care of.”
    “ Yes, ma’am. No problem.”
    T he timbre of his voice was calm and sure, but his blue eyes grabbed her. She sighed. Blue eyes and a nice smile had led her astray before. Not again. Never again. No third strikes for her.
    “ Thank you, Mr. Donovan.” She nodded and moved out of view.
    ****
    Will Denman had always been a lean man, but his legs and arms seemed outrageously thin. His bristly white hair defied combing. She sat in front of this man she hardly knew, perched on the edge of an awful padded chair with pink vinyl upholstery, and he sat in his wheelchair. His head was tilted to one side, almost in a questioning pose, but he couldn’t vocalize words she could understand, except three: take me home .
    Faded hazel eyes drilled those words into her. She didn ’t have any good answers for him.
    Did she think he ’d ever come back home? No, but he did, so she smiled and nodded. “You’ll be better soon.”
    She stared at the half-eaten lunch sitting on the rolling table next to him. A cloth, like a large bib, was tucked inside his pajama collar. What was she supposed to do? Pick up that spoon? Offer him assistance? He wasn ’t making any effort himself.
    A smell flooded the room as a woman entered. That anti-bacterial dispenser attached to the wall acted like an air freshener every time someone tapped it. Air freshener? Not unless you liked the smell of