Hard Candy Christmas by Billings Hildred

Author:Billings, Hildred
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barachou Press
Published: 2021-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

The break in the soggy weather was welcomed, with or without a date on the horizon. Tamryn left her blinds up for the first time in a few days, adorning herself in the jeans and sweater that had become a comfort whenever she wasn’t expected to meet up with one of the Bigelow kids at their late father’s houses.

She hadn’t spoken to Sandy since their last meeting. Kevin remained scarce. The second sister, whom Tamryn never met, showed no signs around town. Soon enough, Tamryn would be heading back to Portland. She knew that like she knew she was nervous to meet a woman she already knew. At the beach, no less.

The day may have been partly cloudy and dry, but the wind still bit when it blew. Right through Tamryn’s sweater. I can feel every prick on my skin. Yet it was too late to turn around and grab her denim jacket from the back of a chair in her room. She was already running late after showering and doing herself up in the mirror for her second date in as many days.

She had also underestimated how many entrances to the sand there were in Cannon Beach, a town right at sea level. Other towns on the coast Tamryn had visited often required long-cut trails that weaved between the hillsides before finally spilling onto the dunes that pushed up against the cliffs. They didn’t suffer fools. If someone didn’t have their footing, they could easily eat sand by the time they arrived.

Not Cannon Beach. Some of the beachfront resorts had steep staircases pushing into the sand, but most of the townsfolk easily accessed the pristine shoreline via paved and grassy trails that made it easier than ever for Tamryn to arrive in one piece. She knew this already, though. Of course, I’ve taken walks on the beach since arriving! Just not… recently. Not since the endless days of dark gray skies and rain brought with them other distractions.

It took a few minutes to coordinate her location with Emma’s. While she waited, Tamryn sat on a piece of sturdy driftwood and gazed at the busy day at the beach.

Had everyone in a one-mile radius shown up for the fun? Tamryn hadn’t seen this many people on the beach since crossing the Coast Range via Highway 26. It wasn’t only the usual beachcombers and tourists, either. It was locals with their dogs and baggy sweatshirts. Kids in leggings and jackets splashing each other in the frigid surf. The occasional person slamming a stick into the sand and claiming this or that shell that may or may not show up in their shop later that afternoon.

So many families. Be they kids on vacation or locals skipping school on a nice day, all Tamryn could think about was the last time she came to the beach with her family. My father grumbling about traffic and parking. My mother slathering us with sunscreen and telling us to run off and not bother her while she napped in the sun.

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