Barefoot on the Beach

Renee made a show of checking her phone. “It’s not morning anymore, and I did this with you last Sunday.”

“My time here is limited.”

Renee rolled her eyes at her father’s dark humor. It had been more frequent lately. Only one of them found it funny. “I’m taking tomorrow off. You know I do it to keep up with all the work coming in.”

Marcus shrugged before sipping from his coffee. Her dad’s veins were tainted with caffeine from the amount he drank daily, yet he somehow slept more soundly than her. Retirement suited him better than most.

“Did you get my text?”

“I did,” he said, glancing at his older-generation iPhone she had given him five years ago.

A high-pitched bark snapped from inside the house. It was a sound she’d only heard during Skype sessions with her sister.

Renee slowly turned as the sliding screen door opened.

Brandy backed away from the door, bumping her butt on the chair leg as Hunter, her sister’s brown and white Shih Tzu mix, bounded onto the porch. Renee did a double take at Cait standing in the doorway, paying no attention to her menace of a dog.

“Surprise!” Cait rushed into her arms for a hug.

Renee inhaled her sister’s hair, which hinted of raspberries and vanilla. Cait’s thin arms packed more strength than she remembered. Hunter’s sharp teeth gnawed on her toes. Even with the sincere regret in her choice in flip-flops, Renee couldn’t help how her heart filled with the presence of her sister.

Chapter 2

The rush of the ocean filled her ears as Renee tried to piece together her morning. “I thought you were on the way?” Renee held her sister at arm’s length. Cait’s cheekbones were sharper than Renee recalled. Cait had mentioned some wedding diet she’d seen on Instagram a while back. Apparently, she had ignored Renee’s insistence that she was already in great shape.

“I fibbed a little, Nay,” Cait said.

“I haven’t heard that name in some time,” Marcus mumbled.

“It’s going to be the last in a while.” Renee reached down and shooed Hunter away. He looked at her, his underbite on display, and then barked. Cait only used that nickname when she was up to something. Now the phone calls and surprise visit made sense. Cait wanted something, and it took a trip across the country for her to ask for it.

Cait had only visited West Cove a few times after Renee had moved back home after college. It was so like their mother to want to get rid of a child for a whole two months at a time. Renee never complained. Cait’s father, Jacob, had died when Cait was twelve—two years after his and Isla’s divorce—which made Marcus an adopted father during the summers. Marcus adored Cait. Most people did.

“I wanted to take the month and experience West Cove in the way that we did as kids,” Cait said.

Hunter started barking at a couple walking by. They were lugging two beach chairs, a massive canvas bag, and an umbrella to the beach.

“What about work?” Renee asked.

Cait lifted Hunter into her arms. She patted his head, and he angled his mouth to gnaw her vibrant pink, manicured nails. “Jorden and I found a temp to work in the office during the month before the wedding and for our honeymoon. It’s a win for everyone.”

Cait had gone to college for general studies where Jorden had gone for his business degree. He was on track toward taking over his family’s business while hiring Cait to work in the office after their graduation. From the Instagram posting several times a day, Cait had found her perfect job. She wasn’t ever tied down to any career in particular and liked going out at nights and on the weekends. Everything had fallen into place for her sister for her entire life. Renee wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, and she was desperate to keep Cait from the messy childhood that she’d had herself.

“When did you put this together?”

Cait glanced at Marcus. “About a week ago now.”

“I’m surprised either of you kept it to yourself.” Even though they weren’t related, Marcus and Cait had a shared trait that they were terrible at keeping secrets.

Hunter barked viciously at a jogger who ran too close to the house. Brandy started to whine. She peered up at Renee as if asking how long Hunter was going to stay.

“He’ll get used to this place,” Cait said.

Renee doubted it but said nothing. A whole month with that demon dog was well worth it if Cait was around. Though she wasn’t sure if Brandy would be so patient.

“Do you need help with anything?” Renee asked.

“Nope,” Cait said. “Papa Marcus already helped me.”

Papa Marcus was another nickname from their past. Cait had been around eleven when she came to visit West Cove. She couldn’t very well call him Dad. Papa Marcus came out one day, and it stuck.

“I need to go to the beach,” Cait said, handing over Hunter to Renee. “I’ve been waiting for it for so long.”

Hunter squirmed in her arms, and Renee kept him low against her hip in case he decided to bite her again. Her tight grip gave him enough of a warning to stop moving.

“Come, Nay.”

“I’ll be right there.” Renee loved the feel of the sand under her feet, but a crawling sensation skittered up her arms and she needed a minute alone.

“Papa Marcus?” Cait asked.

“I’m headed into town. Do either of you need anything?”

“Nope!” Cait floated down the porch steps toward the road. By habit, Renee made sure her sister was across and over the cement barrier before she walked inside the house.

Brandy and Marcus followed her. Renee double-checked the door before letting Hunter down. He yipped and sprinted through the living room and into the kitchen. He charged upstairs before he started barking again. He was in the room directly above her. Her bedroom.

Renee glanced at Brandy, and she stared back. “It’s only for a month.” She scratched Brandy’s head before the dog padded toward her bed next to the dining room table.

“I guess no one is eating,” Renee said more to herself. She placed the bags on the table and lifted the steamy containers from inside.

“I never said that.” Marcus walked over to the table and accepted the container from her. “She wanted to surprise you. And you seem surprised. Annoyed, too.”

“It’s fine.” Renee crossed the room and opened the refrigerator. The momentary burst of cool air relieved her flushed cheeks. The work schedule she had meticulously planned crept into her mind. There wasn’t a lot of room for entertaining Cait.

Marcus cleared his throat. “I know anytime someone says that, they aren’t. I lived with your mother for two straight years of ‘I’m fine’ before she filed for divorce.”

Renee grabbed three water bottles before closing her momentary oasis. “Well, I’m not going anywhere. And ‘fine’ is fine right now. I’m happy to see Cait. I’m surprised, is all.”

“I think having her here is a great thing. She brings a smile to your face.”

Renee handed over a bottle. “I smile all the time.”

“Not like you do when she’s around.”

Renee leaned against the counter and glanced out the front windows. The top of Cait’s head was visible from the beach. Being there for Cait from the moment she was born had certainly given Renee a purpose and helped distract her enough from her own life with Isla.

“It’s going to be tight in here.” There were only two bedrooms upstairs, and with Hunter around, it would be best for Cait to keep him in a locked room when she wasn’t there. Hunter could have her room for now.

“We’ll figure it out.”

“I’ll set up down here for the time being.” Renee returned to the living room and opened her laptop bag.

Renee pondered her life for the next month. She’d stay on the fold-out couch. While she preferred to work in her room during the week, Cait could make herself busy with the beach so Renee could work during the day. Maybe not in the morning, but she could shift her schedule if needed.

Her calendar stared back at her. The week of the wedding was light, but she had filled up her schedule for the summer since a lot of people were taking vacations or working from home while their kids were out of school. Renee looked for areas where she could plan for quality time with Cait during the week. There were intermittent chunks throughout her block scheduling, but not much. Cait required a lot of attention. Renee wiped a hand over her face, moving her hair away from her damp neck. It was possible to shift some of her client work to the evenings, leaving more time during the day.

“Take a break from work and go see your sister,” Marcus said from the kitchen.

Renee snapped the laptop closed. “I thought you were leaving.”

“You brought me home some delicious food,” he said. “I blame you.”

Renee cradled the two containers in her hand and balanced the waters in the other. “See you later.”

Her day off tomorrow gave Renee enough of a buffer to figure out what she needed to do. Having a plan prevented Renee from overthinking. With Cait in town, nothing was more important at that moment.

***

The sun was high in the cloudless sky, creating a sparkling effect on the water. Renee dropped her sunglasses over her eyes and crossed the road. The concrete barrier was short enough to straddle. Once her feet hit the sand, she kicked off her flip-flops and buried her toes in the coarse warmth.

To her right the private areas of the beach continued. Colorful towels and umbrellas peppered the sand while sunbathers sacrificed their bodies to the warm rays. A group of kids tossed a Frisbee around between shrieks of laughter.

The public beach had even more people. The warmer temperatures and holiday weekend gave way to more tourists flooding the shore.

Cait stood in the water with her jeans rolled up a few inches above her ankles. The edges were already soaked. Her hair was piled on her head. Like the water, the sun’s rays made her hair glisten.

“How was your flight?”

Cait sighed. “Long. I sat next to this guy who wouldn’t stop talking to me about his boring finance job.”

“You didn’t say anything?”

“Numerous times! And I was sure to mention Jorden like five times. He spoke more to my chest than my eyes, though. I have yet to figure out how to make them tell guys off.”

“Well, this is your vacation, and you can get all the rest you want. I’ll set up on the couch bed, and you can have my room.”

Cait wrinkled her nose.

Renee plopped down in the sand. “Your stuff is already in my room, isn’t it?”

“I knew you’d give up your room for a guest.” Cait sat too, reaching for a water bottle.

Renee couldn’t ignore the widening pit in her chest that told her Cait had more planned for her than she’d already let on.

Renee peeled the top from her container, revealing a chicken wrap.

Cait curled her lip at the thick grilled cheese and fries in hers. “Swap with me?”

Renee handed over her sandwich. “How are the wedding plans going? Everything all set?”

Cait bit into the wrap. Her words unintelligible around her bites.

Renee waited for her sister to finish, but Cait immediately took another bite. Renee’s stomach clenched, and the lunch no longer seemed appealing, even though it smelled heavenly.

It took two more bites before Cait spoke. “I can’t be expected to see a picture of a cake and decide. It’s the most important day of my life.”

“Do you need help? We can do a cake tasting while you’re here.”

Cait’s eyes widened, and a sigh floated from her lips. “Really? You would help me out?”

“Sure.”

Cait chewed on her lip. “Nay …”

It was the same almost-whine that Cait always attached to a problem. Renee ground her teeth. “It’s more than just the cake, right?”

Cait slapped her hands against her legs. “Planning an entire wedding by myself is hard.”

“All right, well, what’s left?”

Cait blew a raspberry, and her gaze slid away from Renee. “I only have the dresses picked out and the vendor deposits.”

“So, the flowers, food, music …” Renee trailed off, expecting Cait to stop her. She didn’t.

“You work from home, so I figured you’d be able to help me. I’m not good at organizing stuff. Besides, you know all the people here. I’m sure they would rather deal with you than some stranger.”

The excitement for Cait’s visit, which she had convinced herself was a welcome blessing, quickly weighed on her. “Freelancing doesn’t mean I don’t work, Cait. You can’t expect me to do all of this.”

Cait shook her head hard enough that wisps of hair fell from her bun. “I’m not asking you to. It’s my wedding after all. We could go to appointments together. I want to make this day perfect for Jorden. His parents had left money for his wedding in their will. They were so generous that I don’t want to ruin it.”

Renee bowed her head. Of course her sister wanted to make sure Jorden’s parents’ legacy was intact. “Nothing you could do would ruin it.”

“It’s a lot of pressure, Renee. You’ll never know that unless you give up your hatred of marriage.”

“I don’t hate marriage.” The lie fell out before she could stop it. Watching two marriages fall apart under different roofs had soured the sacrament. Over the years, she had to defend her view by denying it altogether. Not with Cait, though. “I support you.”

“I know you do. Which is why you could take this as an opportunity to help plan a wedding since you’ll never have one.”

There was nothing Renee could do other than help. But if it meant immersing Cait in her world in West Cove and making her sister happy it was worth it. “Okay, I’ll help you.”

Cait squealed and embraced Renee. “I knew you would help. This is going to be so fun!”

Renee wasn’t sure fun was the word she’d use. “I need to stay on schedule with work. We have to make a plan and stick to it.”

“You’re in charge. Like my personal wedding planner. Tell me where I need to be and when.” Cait ate more of her sandwich with a grin on her face.

As they ate, Renee counted the days to the wedding. It seemed much closer than it had a half-hour ago. Instead of only producing the website, Renee was now in charge of much more than that. Why hadn’t Cait been honest from the start? If she had told Renee about her problems a month ago, Renee could have easily adjusted her schedule. She instantly regretted filling her days before the wedding, but how could she have known this was going to fall on her?

The conversation drifted to Jorden. The smile across Cait’s face was the most genuine and excited she’d ever seen from her sister.

Renee would do anything to keep Cait happy. It was only a month. In the grand scheme of life, it was nothing but a blip. Besides, after Cait was married, Renee didn’t know when she’d see her sister next before marital obligations took over. With the idea of helping with the wedding settling in her chest, Renee shoved her doubts away for the moment. They could do this together.

Chapter 3

The next morning, Renee woke as a low vibration shuddered the bed. Her eyes peeled open to find a grumbling Hunter sitting inches from her face. Cait had warned Renee that Hunter was an early riser, yet she thought the dog was locked in her bedroom upstairs.

“Go back to bed.” Sharp pain radiated down her neck, and she remembered that she wasn’t in her own bed but on the lumpy mattress from the sleeper sofa.

Hunter answered with a bark.

“Shh, all right.” The night before, Cait had given Renee and Marcus instructions on how to care for Hunter if she wasn’t around. The twelve-pound ball of fluff ate three times a day with unlimited treats. Both the food and treats were some foul-smelling organic brand. Marcus and Renee had silently agreed to store the food in a cabinet closest to the door at the back of the kitchen. At least the fresh air from the screen door might lift the stench from the house.

Renee pulled at the sheets, and Hunter let out a yip. He was small, but his barks were forceful. Enough to startle a sleeping Brandy curled on her bed in the corner of the room.

The ache in Renee’s neck traveled down her spine as she sat up. Hunter leaped from the bed and skittered into the kitchen. She piled the blankets in the narrow pantry and folded the mattress back into the sofa and adjusted the cushions on top.

Marcus and Cait were notoriously late sleepers, but Renee did a double take at the clock over the stove. It was a rare day for her to sleep past seven, never mind eight. Last night after dinner, Cait had gone to bed early to cure her jet lag. Renee took advantage of the time and worked until around midnight on projects she had originally scheduled for later that week.

Brandy glanced up at Renee from her bed, and she rubbed a hand under her chin. “Good morning, sweet girl.” Brandy licked her hand and stood. She stretched out before padding behind Renee toward the kitchen.

Hunter sniffed at the cabinet with his food before running over to Renee with his sights set on her feet.

Since she wanted to keep all of her toes, she fed him first before filling Brandy’s bowl. Once the coffee was brewing, she headed upstairs to shower. There was only one full bathroom in the house, and Cait always took longer than necessary in the morning.

There was no rush as Sadie and her family were the party-all-day types, but Renee looked forward to relaxing by the pool, surrounded by her friends and family. The warm water flowing from the shower should have soothed the ache in her back, but tension rose within her as all she could think of was the to-do list swirling in her mind for Cait’s wedding. At the top of her list was recruiting Sadie for help with how to stay organized. Renee knew enough about her sister to realize that she would have to do most of the planning. If Cait hadn’t already done what was needed, she wouldn’t start now.

After gently rousing a blurry-eyed Cait, Renee left her sister to get ready on her own. Marcus was already in the kitchen, pouring himself a mug of black coffee.

In the corner of the room, Brandy and Hunter were at a standoff. Where Brandy usually ate a leisurely meal, Hunter had devoured his and he licked his chops for more. More specifically, the remainder of the food in Brandy’s bowl.

“Come on, outside,” Renee said to Hunter. Yesterday, she had looped a long cord around the railing outside.

Brandy perked up at the word outside, and ambled out first. She hobbled down the steps, and Renee closed the gate before hooking Hunter to the chain. He snorted and paced the edge of the railing, investigating the small patch of grass below.

It was Brandy’s only break from Hunter, and Renee wished there was a place she could hide from the devil dog too.

***

Later that evening, they arrived home, sun-soaked, and surprised to find two of Brandy’s toys ripped to shreds on the floor. Brandy coveted her stuffed animals. But Ricky the Raccoon, and Barry the Bear were no longer whole. Their parts and tufts of fluffy white stuffing were spread across the room.

Cait clicked her tongue. “Bad Hunty.”

Renee gathered the pieces of stuffing and fabric from the floor. Brandy watched her intently.

“Goodnight, girls,” Marcus said. “I’m off to bed.”

“Night,” Renee and Cait chorused.

Marcus was lighter on his feet after visiting Sadie’s hot tub more than once that day. The aches in his bones were usually less intense in the summer.

Hunter yipped and spun in a circle.

“You need to go out, boy?” Cait hefted Hunter into her arms and kissed his cheek. They vanished outside while Renee continued to clean the mess that Hunter had made. Brandy trotted over to Ricky’s head and sniffed. “We’ll get you some more toys when he leaves, okay?”

Cait reappeared and sunk into the recliner with a long sigh. One hand cradled her phone while the other flipped the leg rest open. “Hunter doesn’t like stuffed toys. He destroys them.”

“No kidding.”

“Do you have a pet store around here? I can pick up some rope or rubber toys.” Cait never took her eyes from her phone screen.

Once Renee cleared the room of the massacre, she piled up the cushions from the sofa and pulled out the bed. The edge bumped the open recliner.

“Oops,” Cait said as she swiveled the chair in the other direction.

“Did you have a good time today?”

Cait’s yawn formed around the word, “Yeah.”

“Why don’t you go to bed? You can catch up on sleep since you don’t have to be up early tomorrow.”

“Or any day if I don’t want to. This is the life, Renee. I wish I had a freelance job.”

Renee stiffened. “I get up at five every morning.”

Cait pulled a face. “Why? You can make your own schedule.”

“You know I’m not a night person.”

“Yeah, well, if I had your job, I’d never get up early.”

Then you wouldn’t make any money. Renee bit the words off as Cait’s phone rang. Her sister sprung from the chair, and it smacked the edge of the bed.

“It’s Jorden. I’m going outside to take this. He has to see how close we are to the beach. He didn’t believe me!” Cait bounded out the front sliding screen door and left it open behind her. She held her phone at arm’s length while Jorden’s tinny voice filtered into the house. Cait turned the camera around to face the direction of the water. The sun was almost entirely set. Even though it was pretty on the screen, it was nothing compared to real life.

“This is going to be great for all the pictures. I told you, Denny.”

Renee sneaked over and closed the slider, spotting several insects gathering nearby. Hunter was enough of a pest.

Cait walked across the street and sat on the barrier, showing Jorden the beach. A swell of pride filled Renee’s chest that her sister was as happy with this place as she was. While it had so many terrible memories from Renee’s childhood with Isla, she had lived there longer as an adult. Enough that the good replaced the bad.

Renee barely had the fitted sheet on the bed before Hunter started barking uncontrollably from the back of the house. Renee glanced outside, and saw that Cait was still across the street. She hustled over to the door and let him inside before he annoyed the rest of the neighborhood.

He darted to the cabinet and lifted his sharp claws and pawed at the wood.

Renee shooed him away. “Stop that.” He hadn’t marked the cabinet yet, but she didn’t want a physical reminder of him in her kitchen when he and Cait inevitably left. He sat once he spotted the bag of treats. Renee chose one shaped like a tiny bone. He gobbled it up and swooshed his tail for more.

Renee asserted her dominance and refused, closing the treats away. Hunter shimmied past her into the living room, and onto Brandy’s bed.

Brandy tried to scoot away, but she wasn’t quick enough before Hunter settled into a tight ball between her legs.

Renee sighed and glanced outside. At least when Cait came back in, she’d take Hunter upstairs.

“Only a few more minutes,” Renee said to Brandy.

Brandy harrumphed and made herself as small as possible against the intruder.

***

Those few minutes turned into forty before Cait came back. It was enough time for Renee to get ready for bed and read the first three chapters of her book club novel for the month. She was hosting the Wednesday after the wedding.

Once again, Cait left the door open a crack. She yawned again and then winced. “Oh, no.”

“What is it?”

“We didn’t have time to take Hunter for a walk today since we were gone.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.”

At the word “walk”, Hunter pounced and skidded to the slider door. With her dog’s life in danger of the road, Cait slammed the slider shut.

Hunter barked and jumped against her legs.

Cait chewed on her lip. “Nay?”

Renee dropped the paperback book on her face, willing herself to disappear for the next ten minutes.