Chapter 22: Frank's Girls

Casey's POV

Pelican Landing at nine in the morning smelled the way I remembered, of bait, rope and warm wood.

The sign still said Plowright Kayak & Bait, and the dock still creaked at every step.

I walked down it with my sister beside me, carrying a paper bag of doughnuts from the bus stop.

"It's smaller than I pictured," Lindy said.

"You came here for six summers."

"I mean it's smaller now. It used to feel like the whole world." She looked down the length of boards. "Is that where he sat?"

"At the end. Kurt showed me."

We stopped there for a while.

Neither of us said anything, and the gulls did the talking.

A small woman in a sun hat came out of the shop with a mug in each hand.

She had a limp, and she didn't bother to hide it.

"You're Frank's girls," she said.

"Yes, ma'am," Lindy said.

"I'm Kurt's mother. He told me you'd come by." She handed us the mugs, looked us over, and sniffed. "The chin is a little unfair. Both of you."

I laughed. I couldn't help it.

"Coffee's weak," she said. "My son won't make it the way Frank did. Said it'd kill someone."

"It would," I said.

She nodded, satisfied, and went back inside.

Kurt was behind the counter with the guest ledger open in front of him and a pen in his hand.

He looked up when we came in.

His whole face changed, and Lindy elbowed me.

"Don't," I whispered.

"I didn't say anything."

"You made a noise."

"It was a very supportive noise."

Kurt turned the ledger around on the counter.

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