Footprints in the Sand by Mary Jane Clark Read Free Book Online Page B

Day . . . Four Days Until the Wedding
    P iper was awakened by a knock on the door. At first she was disoriented, but quickly it came to her: Sarasota and Kathy’s wedding. They were going downtown this morning for the dress fittings. She had to get up.
    She rolled out of bed and went to the door, opening it a crack. A bellman stood in the hallway holding a tall vase of pink roses.
    “For me?” asked Piper, smiling brightly she opened the door wider. “Hold on a minute. Let me get my wallet.”
    The bellman stepped into the room and set the flowers on the dresser.
    Piper pressed a couple of singles into his hand. “Thank you,” she said. As soon as the door closed again, she unsealed the small envelope attached to the arrangement.
    HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, PIPER
    LOVE, JACK
    She smiled as she studied the card, realizing that it was the first time Jack had actually written the word “love” to her. He had yet to say the word. Neither of them had. But Piper had sensed it was coming. She closed her eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of the roses.
    She wondered where it would go with Jack. Piper knew he wanted to go further, and in many ways she did, too. But her last foray into love, and the ones before that, had ended with disappointment. Piper was afraid of making another mistake.
    Deep in her heart, she acknowledged that love involved taking risks. Being guarded and closed was not the route to happiness. By nature she was open and affectionate. Yet something inside her warned her to be cautious.
    Piper laughed out loud at that thought. Her father was always complaining that she was too fearless for her own good, constantly warning her to be careful. Little do you know, Dad, how careful your little girl can be.
    Several of her friends had already gotten married. Now, at twenty-seven, Piper was making wedding cakes, watching more couples pledge to spend their lives together. Were they brave? Did they analyze everything the way she did? Or did they just know and merely follow their hearts?
    Piper did know one thing: Jack Lombardi was already her best friend.
    She walked over to the window and looked outside. It was still raining. Though the lightning and thunder had stopped, the sky was gray and there were whitecaps on the water. She watched a big brown pelican circle before making a clumsy landing on the Gulf. Once settled, the bird floated gracefully, rising and falling with the waves, undeterred by the raindrops.
    After a quick shower, Piper started to pull on a pair of jeans but thought better of it. Instead she took her favorite leggings and a light blazer from the closet. She had no idea what Kathy would be wearing this morning or where they’d go for lunch, so she thought it best to dress in something that would be appropriate anywhere.
    When she was ready, she proceeded down to the inn’s small café, where a continental breakfast was being served. Her parents were already there, lingering over their coffee.
    “Hey there, lovey,” said Vin when he saw her.
    “Happy Valentine’s Day, you two,” said Piper as she kissed both her parents on the cheek.
    “How’d you sleep?” Terri asked.
    “I died. Nothing like sleeping to the sound of the ocean.”
    “The thunder didn’t keep you awake?” asked Terri. “It did me.”
    “Nope,” said Piper, pouring herself a bowl of cereal. She took a banana and a container of skim milk from the buffet table.
    “I don’t think you should leave your windows wide open at night, Piper,” said her father. “You’re on the ground floor, and anybody could climb right in.”
    “Okay, Dad,” said Piper as she peeled the banana. It was easier to agree than to argue. She was accustomed to her father’s preoccupation with safety. Why cause him any more worry than he already had? Piper sometimes wondered what it must be like in her father’s mind, always looking three steps down the road to the dire possibilities ready to beset everyone and everything. It exhausted her to