Sisters by the Sea, page 3
Leora rode into the grocery store’s parking lot on North Beneva Road and secured her bicycle next to another bike that had only one basket. She was thankful that hers had both a front and back basket, because she had quite a few items to get.
Once she had gone into the store and gotten a cart, Leora’s first stop was the produce aisle, where she picked out several avocados. After sitting a day or two on her kitchen counter, they would be ripe enough to make a batch of fresh guacamole. Her mouth watered at the thought of how good it would taste on a tangy taco salad or dolloped over a plate of scrambled eggs, which she often fixed for breakfast. Sometimes Leora ate sliced avocados with cottage cheese for lunch or breakfast.
She glanced at her grocery list and headed for the meat department to get three packages of frozen ground bison patties—another favorite of hers. From there she picked out two packages of cheese, one swiss and the other cheddar; a dozen organic, free-range eggs; and a carton of coconut-almond milk. She bypassed the baked-goods section. Being a baker, she made her own homemade bread and rolls but didn’t indulge too often in order to keep her weight down.
The next aisle Leora headed for had a variety of canned goods on the shelves. She’d just turned down the aisle when she collided with an Amish man’s cart. Leora let out a little gasp as her head jerked back. She was surprised to see that the man pushing the other cart was John Miller.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! Guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.” He quickly pulled his cart back. “You’re the Amish woman I spoke to at the bakery this morning, right?”
Leora nodded.
“Are you okay?” His thick eyebrows drew together. “I didn’t hurt you with my cart, I hope.”
“No, I…I’m fine. How about you?”
“Other than being embarrassed, I’m fine and dandy.”
“Good to hear. Do you shop at this store often?” she asked.
“No, this is my first time. I arrived in Sarasota yesterday.”
“Where are you from?”
“Clare, Michigan, and my name is John Miller.” He reached out his hand, and when she shook it, he said, “How about you? What’s your name, where’s your home state, and how long have you been in sunny Florida?”
“I’m Leora Lambright. I used to live in Middlebury, Indiana, and all of my family is there. I moved to Sarasota a little over a year ago.”
“Oh, I see.” John put both arms on the cart handle and leaned slightly forward. “You must like it here to have stayed that long.”
Leora felt beads of sweat erupt on her forehead. She wasn’t about to explain to a near stranger the reason she’d moved to Sarasota or why she had continued to live here. Just as with everyone she didn’t know well, Leora chose not to discuss her seasonal affective disorder. It would be embarrassing, plus John probably wouldn’t understand, same as a few other people she’d told and who had made light of her condition, saying they’d never heard of such a thing.
John cleared his throat a few times. “You said that your family all live in Indiana. Does that mean you’re a single woman living here by yourself?”
Leora was taken aback by his bold question, but she felt that it deserved an honest answer. “That’s right. I’m not married, and I’m perfectly happy to be unattached.” Her heart pounded like a drum beating an uneven rhythm. I just told this man a lie. But he shouldn’t have asked. My personal life is none of his business, and I wish John Miller would stop looking at me with those big blue-as-a-summer-sky eyes.
Leora forced a smile and said, “It was nice seeing you again. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get the rest of my shopping done and head back to Pinecraft.”
“Of course. I need to do the same.” He gave her a brief nod and went on his way.
Leora pushed her cart up the aisle, wondering why her legs felt so wobbly. Surely it couldn’t have anything to do with the encounter she’d had with John Miller. She pulled in a deep breath. I won’t give it another thought.
Chapter 4
Lido Beach
Leora paid her driver, grabbed everything she’d brought with her, and stepped down from the van. The clear blue sky and bright sun overhead had created the perfect day for a trip to the beach. Leora couldn’t think of a better way to spend her day off. Sometimes she came here on the bus; other times she rode her bike. Today, however, Leora had chosen to bring more beach things than usual, so she’d hired a driver who lived near Pinecraft to pick her up. Karen had planned to come with Leora, but at the last minute she’d been asked to fill in for someone at the bakery who had called in sick. Hearing that her friend wouldn’t be joining her, Leora had decided to forget about the beach and find something else to do today that was closer to home. But after looking out the window this morning and seeing the beautiful weather, she’d changed her mind and packed up her things.
Leora headed down the short boardwalk toward the sandy beach, pulling a beach cart filled with everything she would need for the day. When her sandaled feet touched the sand, she paused and breathed in the briny sea air. Almost immediately Leora felt a release of tension from her body.
She moved on, tugging harder on the beach buggy’s handle as she shuffled through the thick, white sand. It wasn’t long before her sandals filled up with shifting sand, so she stopped to take them off. Walking barefoot worked better, and Leora continued on until she drew closer to the water. A sense of joy and awe welled in her soul as the crash of waves and fizz of foam swept ashore and spread across the sparkling beach.
Leora found a spot among other beachgoers’ colorful towels, giant umbrellas, and a variety of beach chairs to make her own little campsite for the day. First, she pulled a reclining chair from the beach buggy and opened it up. Then she got out the big umbrella she’d bought recently and put the two pieces of the pole together. Next, she poked the sharp end of the pole into the sand and twisted the base of it several times until she felt sure the umbrella was secure. Her final step was to open the red-and-blue-striped umbrella by pushing it up until it was locked into place. She set her small cooler under the umbrella and placed a towel on the chair. After putting it into the reclining position, Leora took a seat and stretched out. Then she hitched her skirt up a bit and rolled up her dress sleeves.
It probably looks odd for an Amish woman to be wearing a dress and lying here with only her legs, arms, and face exposed, she thought, but I’m not about to put on a swimsuit like most of the non-Amish women are wearing. In fact, I don’t care what anyone thinks. I have always dressed modestly, and I’m not embarrassed of the clothing I wear.
Leora reached into her tote bag, which she’d set next to her chair, and pulled out a tube of sunscreen. She slathered some on her face, arms, and legs, then closed her eyes and let the warmth of the sun penetrate her skin. Oh, how good it felt to be here on the beach where seagulls cried overhead and children squealed with delight as they frolicked in the water.
“Thanks for the ride. I’ll call you when I’ve had enough sun and sand for the day,” John told his driver, Arnie.
“No problem. I have a few errands to run this morning, but I’ll be free the rest of the day.”
John grabbed his backpack and shut the van door. Although he’d never been to Lido before, it didn’t take him long to find a way out to the beach via one of the paths.
Snatches of people’s conversations carried on the wind as he stepped around beach chairs and towels spread across the sand.
With all these people, maybe it won’t be as peaceful as I’d hoped, but I’m here now, so I may as well make the best of it. John took his oversized towel from the backpack, spread it out, and then rolled up a smaller towel to use under his head. While lying in the sand wouldn’t be the most comfortable position, John didn’t own a beach chair, so this would have to do.
He was about to stretch out on the towel when a gust of wind came up, so strong that it blew sand in drifts and knocked several people’s umbrellas over. One, several feet out in front of him, was lifted into the air and carried down the beach by the wind. An Amish woman John hadn’t noticed before leaped out of her beach chair and stood shaking her head, as though in disbelief. Without giving it a second thought, John took off in hot pursuit of the umbrella, and the woman did too. They both reached out for the runaway object at the same time, crashing into each other. The next thing John knew, he was sprawled out on the sand, face-to-face with Leora Lambright.
Leora let go of the umbrella and clambered to her feet. John did the same. They stood staring at each other while repeating each other’s names.
“I…I didn’t realize the umbrella belonged to you,” he stammered.
“And I didn’t know you were here on Lido Beach.” Leora looked down at her umbrella. “Thanks for your help in rescuing it.”
“No problem. I’m glad I could help. Sorry about the collision, though. Are you all right?”
“Jah, I’m fine.” She brushed some sand off her dress. “How about you?”
“I’m good.”
Leora bent down to retrieve her umbrella, but John grabbed it first. “If you show me where you were sitting, I’ll set it back up for you.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. It’s not a problem.”
“Okay, follow me.” Leora released her grip on the umbrella and let him carry it. When they reached the area where her chair and beach buggy sat, she pointed to the spot where she had set up the umbrella. “That wind was either too strong for the umbrella to withstand or I didn’t get it secured well enough. I’ll have to try again or do without any shade.”
“I’ll make sure it’s secure for you,” John said.
She smiled. “That would be appreciated. I’m sure your grip is firmer than mine.”
John positioned the end of the umbrella over the hole then knelt down and twisted the base until it was firmly in place. Leora marveled at how easy he made the job look. She felt sure that even if the wind whipped up again, the umbrella would hold in place.
“Well…umm…guess I should get back to my beach towel.” John shuffled his bare feet in the sand a few times. “Unless you wouldn’t mind if I brought my stuff over here by you. Being on the beach might be more pleasant if I had someone to talk with.” He gestured to her chair. “I assume you’re here by yourself too?”
“Yes, that’s right. I was planning to come with a friend, but she had to work today. So I’d be happy to have you join me.”
A big grin spread across John’s clean-shaven face. “That’d be great. I’ll be right back.” He walked up the beach a ways, and Leora stood watching him. Although she didn’t know much about John, he seemed like a nice man. Leora wished she had another chair to offer him, but if all John had brought was a towel, maybe he’d be okay with that.
When John returned a few minutes later, he suggested they go look for shells and asked if she would mind if he put his things in her beach buggy.
“I don’t mind at all,” Leora replied. “And I like your idea of searching for shells. I’d planned to do that sometime today anyway.” While John put his backpack and towels in her beach buggy, Leora reached into her tote bag and took out two zippered plastic bags and handed one to John. “While I’ve lived in Sarasota, I’ve collected a lot of unusual shells, many of them here on this beach.”
“What do you do with them?” he asked.
“I mostly display the shells in jars or glass dishes, but I’ve also glued some on pieces of driftwood.”
“Sounds like you’re quite creative.”
“Maybe with the cakes I decorate, but my sister Alana is an artist, and she has always been the most creative one in our family.”
“I’m no shell expert,” John said as they began walking toward the water, “and this is my first time on Lido Beach. So you’re gonna have to show me what to look for.”
“It’s not too hard, really, because there are all kinds of shells on this beach. It’s just a matter of picking up the ones that look the most interesting to you.” Leora stopped and bent down to pick up a small shell. “This is called a kitten paw.” She held it flat in the palm of her hand. “It’s fairly common here in Florida, and if you’ll notice, it has radial ribs that resemble a kitten’s paw—hence the name.”
John leaned close and studied the shell. “Well, for goodness’ sake, that does look similar to a small cat’s paw.”
Leora pointed to another shell, this one lying close to John’s bare feet. “That’s a common cross-barred venus clamshell. It has a distinct cross-bar rib pattern, and it’s often the most abundant shell on the beach.”
John picked it up and rubbed his thumb over the surface a few times. “Mind if I keep this one?”
“Not at all. I have plenty of those, and I really don’t need any more. In fact, feel free to take all the shells you want.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Should we walk in the shallow water?” she asked. “We might find some good shells as they are washed ashore by the waves.”
“Sure, sounds good.” John leaned over and rolled his pant legs up to his knees. “Just in case I end up wading in deeper than I’d planned.” He looked over at Leora and grinned.
She smiled and nodded. “I know what you mean. Sometimes the hem of my dress can get pretty wet when I wade in too deep. But out here, in the wind and warm sun, clothes dry quickly.”
“Then I guess I won’t have to worry about how wet I might get.” John plodded into the water, almost up to his knees.
Leora stayed back a ways, watching this tall, muscular man prance around like a child enjoying his first taste of beach life and all that it had to offer. It was hard to believe this was the first time John had been to Sarasota or the beach.
She continued to watch until John beckoned to her with a backward wave. “Come on in! The water feels great!”
Feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, Leora went timidly into the water. This time she was spending with John almost felt like a date. But that’s ridiculous, she told herself. I hardly know the man.
“Kumme…come look at this.” John held up a shell and waved it around. “I found it right here in the water, but I have no idea what it’s called.”
Leora waded a little closer to him, where she could get a better look at the shell. “That’s called a ‘stiff pen.’” She gestured to the pointed end of the shell. “Oh, and look…there’s a barnacle stuck to some of the wide ribs on the outer shell.”
John opened his mouth, like he might comment, but before he could utter one word, a sizable wave rolled in unexpectedly, knocking them both off their feet.
Leora gasped as she went down and the water washed over her body. So much for trying to keep her skirt dry—every square inch of her dress was wet, not to mention her head. She reached up to grab the black scarf she was wearing and secured it firmly in place. Before Leora could manage to pull herself up, she felt John’s strong arm slip around her waist, lifting her to dry sand. With water dripping down her face, Leora looked at John and stifled a giggle. His shirt and trousers were as wet as her dress, and a lock of dark hair hung over his forehead like a limp rag. To her surprise, he still held the stiff pen shell in one hand.
“Looks like we’ve had our baths for the day, jah?” John’s grin stretched wide on his face.
Leora held her sides as uncontrolled laughter took over. She could only imagine what the two of them looked like, and she wondered what others on the beach must be saying about the Amish man and woman who couldn’t stay on their feet when an unforeseen wave came up. Well, she didn’t care. This was the most fun Leora had experienced since her arrival in Sarasota. She wished the day could last forever and wondered if there might be a chance of her seeing John Miller again. Would it be wrong to hope for that?
Chapter 5
Pinecraft
It had been three days since Leora spent time with John on the beach, and even though they’d exchanged phone numbers, he hadn’t called. She didn’t feel that it would be right for her to call him, so she’d waited patiently, hoping he would make the first move.
I don’t know why I care whether John calls or not, Leora thought as she got ready for work that morning. Even if he’s interested in me, nothing will ever come of it anyway, since our homes are miles apart. And since he hasn’t bothered to call, it probably means he isn’t serious about the possibility of us getting together again.
Leora moved over from the bed to stand at her bedroom window, where she looked out at the puffy white clouds feathered by the wind. It took her back to that enjoyable day when she’d met John on the beach and they’d spent a good portion of the day together. In addition to looking for shells, they’d sat under Leora’s umbrella and visited about a variety of things as their wet clothes dried. Leora had learned that John was an only child, had his own roofing business in Clare, and had recently turned thirty. He’d also told her that the reason he’d come to Florida for an extended vacation was because he’d been suffering from burnout and needed time away to rest up. So he’d asked his friend Wayne Yoder, who worked for him, to oversee the business in his absence.
When John asked Leora why she had chosen to remain in Sarasota this long, she simply replied that after coming here a little over a year ago she had liked the weather and decided to stay. She’d seen no reason to tell him about her seasonal affective disorder, which he probably wouldn’t have understood anyway.
“Why would he?” Leora murmured as she moved away from the window. “Hardly anyone else has.”
Leora reflected on how nice it had been when John offered to buy her lunch from the snack shack at Lido. She’d thanked him and ordered a green salad with crab meat, and John had eaten a burger with fries. Later that afternoon, John called his driver for a ride back to Pinecraft and invited Leora to join him. John reasoned that since they were both going to the same place, it made sense for them to ride back there together. Leora had agreed and called her driver, saying she wouldn’t need a ride after all.
