The Inn at Willa Bay: A Willa Bay Novel by Nicole Ellis

Author:Nicole Ellis [Ellis, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Leaping Rabbit Press
Published: 2020-03-08T18:30:00+00:00

13

Shawn

Shawn left Willa Bay about two hours after Zoe stopped by. Tacoma, the city where his father lived, was about a three-hour drive from Celia’s house. He couldn’t believe how much the Seattle metropolitan area had grown in the years that he’d been away in the Army. In the late morning, the traffic on Interstate 5 was manageable, but he wasn’t looking forward to the drive home in rush hour traffic.

He’d finished mowing the lawn, but he’d have to edge the flower beds another time. It seemed like everywhere he turned, there was something else to do at the Inn. It gave him something to do, though, as he waited for Celia to wake up. He wouldn’t let himself think of the possibility that she might not come out of her coma.

Unlike Zoe, he wasn’t under any misconception that Celia would be able to live alone at the Inn when she was released from the hospital. With the condition of her home, it just wasn’t safe for her. He wasn’t sure how he was going to convince Zoe of that though.

The traffic slowed to a crawl as he neared Seattle. The Space Needle rose above the city with Lake Union sprawling at its feet. Sun glinted off the metal siding of the watercraft floating on the lake, including houseboats, pleasure boats, and commercial vessels. The air quality in this part of the freeway was diminished, with car engines spilling fumes into the narrow, almost tunnel-like passage through the skyscrapers of downtown.

When the traffic broke free, he was well south of Seattle and closing in on Tacoma. His father lived in an older part of the city, close to Point Defiance Park, in a neighborhood composed primarily of Craftsman-style homes from the early 1900s. The tree-lined lanes hadn’t changed much since he’d lived there as a teenager, although he approved of the newish ordinance that eliminated parking on one side. As a freshly licensed driver in his mom’s new car, he’d accidentally sideswiped a vehicle parked along the crowded street. He’d spent way too many hours working off that debt.

Finally, having parallel parked in front of his dad’s house, he got out of the car and stood on the grass median for a minute, stretching out the kinks in his arms and legs from the long drive. Jack Curtin’s cheery yellow house was two stories tall, with a half story above it in the attic – Shawn’s old room. Well-groomed flowering shrubs surrounded the porch. From the scent of freshly cut grass permeating the air, it appeared his dad had spent some time with the lawnmower this morning, just as Shawn had.

Shawn climbed the four stairs to the front porch and rang the doorbell, feeling like a stranger in front of the home where he’d lived for many years. Heavy footsteps plodded along the hardwood floors in the entry hall, and the door swung open.

“Shawn!” His dad pulled Shawn against his chest, hugging him tightly. “It’s been too long. How’ve you been?”

Shawn smiled.

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