The Heart Between Us

by Lindsay Harrel

  Chapter 22

  It was too bad Crystal was missing this, because Galway was quite the treasure trove of awesomeness.

  Megan crossed her legs as she sat in the grass at an overlook surrounded by a short stone wall, taking in the Corrib River below. To the left, rows of blue, yellow, and gray buildings stretched out toward the place where the river emptied into the Atlantic. A breeze worked its way through her hair, brushing strands across her cheeks. She let the smell of the sea roll over her as she jotted a few details from the day in her journal.

  She hadn’t wanted to leave Crystal behind today, but once they’d arrived back at the hotel in the wee hours of the morning and slept some, her sister had insisted on Megan taking the walking tour of the northern Irish city they’d already arranged.

  So she’d spent the day with fifteen strangers and a tour guide named Bridget exploring sites like the Spanish Arch and sacred landmarks like the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas. They’d promenaded down the gray-brick streets filled with colorful storefronts, watched artists paint masterpieces along the walkway, and listened to traditional Irish folk music in a centuries-old pub filled with open fireplaces and stone hearths.

  It had been a delicious sort of day so far—and the fact she’d experienced it more or less by herself was all the more amazing. How far she’d come already from the girl who could barely handle an international flight alone.

  Still, she should get back to Crystal soon.

  Megan’s phone interrupted the distant ha-ha-ha of seagulls. She dug in her backpack until she found the offending device. Kara. Why was her boss at the library calling? “Hello?”

  “Megan! How are you?”

  “Considering the fact I’m sitting by a river in Ireland journaling, I’d say pretty good. How are things there?”

  “I’m barely surviving the summer rush. We’ve had a lot more patrons visiting lately, and the summer kids program is going full force. I really miss you.”

  She didn’t exactly relish the idea of returning to work after this adventure, but it was nice to be missed. “Lucky for you I’ll be back in less than three weeks.” In the distance, a smallish white cruise boat with a red base approached from upriver.

  “About that. I simply had to hire an aide to replace you for the summer, and she is doing a great job. I’m not sure I can justify offering you your position back. Maybe if Debra decides to quit once school starts, but I can’t be sure she will.”

  Megan had known this was a possibility when she left. Still, she needed a job when she got home. Freelance writing wasn’t going to pay the bills for quite some time, if ever.

  “But I have something even better in mind.”

  That caught her attention. “I don’t follow.”

  “Since Little Lakes is growing so rapidly and has started pulling in more patrons from surrounding cities, I just got approval from the city to add a new position—assistantlibrarian.AndI can’t think of anyone more qualified than you.”

  “But I don’t have a degree in library science.”Anditwas quite the step up from library aide.

  The cruise ship got closer. Passengers topped the decks, some dancing, some lounging, almost all with drinks in their hands. Lively music lilted across the expanse of water.

  “That doesn’t matter. Your English degree is more than enough. The job is full-time and comes with a substantial raise over your current salary, plus better benefits, like a 401(k), paid time off, even some tuition reimbursement opportunities if you’re ever interested in getting a master’s in library science.”

  Before leaving on the trip, Megan had only worked part-time, about twenty-five hours a week. She’d kind of been counting on the other hours in the week to continue building her portfolio, even querying other online publications and magazines for freelance opportunities. But she could still do that with a full-time job, couldn’t she?

  Plus, a full-time job with more benefits would help her finish paying her medical bills more quickly, move out on her own, save for the future. Even if it wasn’t her dream job, it’d be silly not to consider the possibility. “What would I be doing?”

  “More administrative stuff than you currently do. I can send you the job description.” A phone rang in the background. “So what do you think?”

  “I’ll have to think about it.”

  “Yes, of course. But the city wants me to hire someone quickly to get more help around here for the rest of the summer. So if you don’t want the job, I need to post it and start taking applications.”

  “Okay. When do you need to know?”

  “Next week, if possible.”

  The cruise ship glided out of sight, and the carefree vibe of the day tagged along.

  If Megan wanted to land a writing-related job, Crystal was going to do all she could to help.

  She tapped the arm of her Adirondack chair and soaked in the beautiful Irish sun, her computer resting on her lap. The castle loomed to the west, and its acres of greenery sprawled as far as her eyes could see. A large stone fountain bubbled, a group of businesswomen played croquet, and golf carts occasionally drove past, coming from or going toward the hotel’s nine-hole course.

  After an early discharge from the hospital, Crystal had parked herself in this chair all day. She’d convinced her sister to continue with their planned sightseeing of nearby Galway so she could build Megan a real website. It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely a step above the “measly little blog” she’d had before. Now, editors looking for potential writers wouldn’t be distracted by the design and could focus on the content instead—which, frankly, was amazing. How had she never known how talented Megan was before this?

  The website redesign plus the phone call Crystal had made earlier would surely give her sister an infusion of confidence, just what she needed to keep fighting for her dreams.

  She added one final detail and saved the draft. Her fingers itched to check her e-mail, but she closed her laptop. She’d promised no work for several days. Once she’d informed Tony about her hospital visit, he’d said he could be patient for a while given her physical condition, though he’d clearly been unhappy.

  Maybe she should head to the spa and really take advantage of this chance to relax. Megan wouldn’t be back until late tonight.

  Crystal gathered her things and headed back to their room. She changed into her bathing suit and robe—the super-soft cotton wrapping around her body—and swung the door open. Megan stood in the hallway, her key card extended as if she was about to come inside.

  “Shouldn’t you still be out touring Galway?” Crystal opened the door wider, and her sister entered. Then she closed the door behind them and sat on the edge of her bed.

  “I felt guilty leaving you alone all day.”

  “I’m good. Really.” After eighteen hours on antibiotics, she was feeling so much better already. “Since you’re done for the day, want to join me at the spa?”

  “Sure.” Megan slipped off her jacket and rummaged in her suitcase. “What did you do today?” She shimmied into her blue tankini.

  Crystal snatched her laptop from the side table and opened the website design. “I mocked up a new website.”

  Megan’s nose wrinkled. “For what?” She grabbed the second white robe from behind the bathroom door and began to swing her arms through it.

  “For you. For your blog.”

  Her sister stilled. “What? Why?”

  “Because yesterday you implied that you weren’t happy with it. I thought this might help.” Crystal brought the laptop to Megan and handed it over.

  Megan used her index finger to scroll through the mockup. She bit her lip and remained quiet for a moment longer than normal. Did she not like it?

  “Of course, I can change anything you don’t like. I was going for a travel motif, but—”

  “It’s perfect.” Her sister closed the laptop and set it on the bed. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  Megan’s words said one thing, but her tone of
voice said another. “I wanted to. Oh, and I totally forgot until today, but I have a friend from college who works at the Minnesota Republic in Minneapolis. She said she’d pass your résumé along to her editor. They don’t have any job openings right now, but it doesn’t hurt to have your résumé on file for future openings, right?”

  “Wow. That’s . . . great.” Her sister smiled, but it seemed forced. She finished pulling on her robe and tied the sash tight across her body. “Are you ready to go?”

  Hmm. “Sure.”

  They headed out the door and took the elevator to the ground level, walking to the spa. They entered a foyer that smelled of eucalyptus. Light jazz music swayed across the airwaves. A beaming redhead with porcelain skin greeted them and took their information. They deliberated over a handful of services and the receptionist scheduled them for facials, assuring them that they were lucky to have received last-minute appointments.

  “Your treatment specialists will be ready in fifteen minutes. If you’d like to wait beside the relaxation pool, it’s just down the hall.”

  They thanked the receptionist and made their way toward the relaxation pool. When they opened the door, Crystal could understand how the pool received its name. First, they were alone. Second, the pool itself was tranquil, as smooth as the satin sheets on the beds in their room. On the ceiling hung three seashell chandeliers. A tree of life mural stretched across the wall behind the pool. Six padded lounge chairs rested along the opposite wall.

  Megan headed toward one and stretched out. She was much quieter than usual.

  “What’s wrong?” Crystal poured two glasses of cucumber-infused water from a large glass pitcher.

  Megan played with the belt of her robe, flopping it back and forth on her lap. “Nothing.”

  “Now you sound like me.” With a few quick steps, Crystal joined Megan and handed her one of the cups. “Spill it. And I don’t mean the water.”

  Megan didn’t even chuckle at Crystal’s poor pun. “I really appreciate all the effort you put into designing the website and contacting your friend.”

  Crystal raised the glass to her lips and sipped. The faint taste of cucumber danced on her tongue. “I can tell.”

  “No, really.” Megan’s brow furrowed. “But the truth is, today I talked with my boss at the library. She said they can’t offer me my old job back till fall, and maybe not even then. But she did offer me a new position.” Megan explained what the job entailed.

  “Are you going to take it?”

  “Maybe.” With the pad of her thumb, Megan traced a figure eight in the condensation on her cup. “I mean, I need a job. I can’t just go home and loaf around.”

  “Why not take the job but continue to work on your writing and apply for other jobs on the side?”

  “I could definitely keep trying to write on the side, but I’d feel bad agreeing to a job and then not staying on if something else came along that interested me more.”

  “I get that, though people do it all the time.”

  “True, but Kara has been so good to me over the years, even when I was such an unreliable worker during the height of my illness.”

  “But that means she cares about you and wants you to be happy. And it doesn’t really sound like this is the job you ultimately want.”

  “It’s not.” Her sister stared at the mural on the wall. “But maybe I’m hoping for too much, trying to pluck too many stars out of the sky at once. I’m going to complete Amanda’s list. And I started a travel blog. Those things are huge in and of themselves. If that’s all I get to do, I’ll be content.”

  “Content, sure. But happy?” Crystal raised an eyebrow at Megan. “You reach for those stars. You don’t have to settle for just one, because you’re strong enough to hold them all.”

  Megan’s chin trembled. “I’m not strong, Crystal. Not like you.”

  Strong? Crystal couldn’t keep it together at her job, had made a mess of her marriage, and had run the other way when emotions got too deep and the hurt too hard. “You’re the one who lived with an illness for two decades. You’re a survivor, Megan. There’s nothing stronger than that.”

  Megan stared at her, eyes wide with something like wonder. “Then why am I so afraid?”

  She chose her words with care. “I think maybe being strong doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t ever afraid. It means you face your fears anyway.”

  But as Crystal said the words, she wondered who really needed to hear them more—Megan . . . or her.

  Chapter 23

  12. Try to make a guard at Buckingham Palace laugh.

  My parents say I was such a happy kid . . . before. The goofy kind, who’d put underwear on top of my head and dance around when my favorite song came on the radio. Who’d make up bad jokes with terrible puns and laugh myself silly.

  Uncle Joe stole that laughter.

  After him, I think I went a whole year without laughing.

  I don’t remember it happening, not consciously. But I remember the darkness of life, how nothing felt good, how it all felt cold and confusing and scary.

  And I remember my mom looking at me one day and saying, “I so miss your sweet laugh.” I’ll never forget her face, how it was sad and nostalgie and full of guilt.

  So I started laughing again, for her. But I’m not sure it was ever real.

  I want to laugh again. After all, they say laughter is the best medicine. There’s something healing in laughing—and especially in laughing with someone else, together. Laughter breaks down walls, and maybe that’s what we all need.

  Maybe it’s time to take the focus off myself.

  Because when you try to make someone else laugh, you usually end up laughing too.

  Chapter 24

  July 16

  Blog Post Title: Laughing in London: Antics Across the Pond

  Post Content:

  London is everything I dreamed it would be and more. Today we discovered just how difficult it is to get a Buckingham guard to smile . . .

  12. Try to make a guard at Buckingham Palace laugh.

  Thank goodness the word try was part of this bucket list item, because members of the Queen’s Guard were notorious for their poker faces.

  Megan put Amanda’s journal back into her pack. From where they stood in the crowd, she could see the wrought-iron gates and Buckingham Palace rising from behind. The gates were about to open for the day’s tours, and they had to be inside to get close enough to talk to a guard.

  The sun kissed her skin, and the few clouds in the sky were mere wisps. Everything she’d read said it often rained in London, but they’d experienced nothing of the sort since they’d arrived. She’d been hoping for—and dreading—the chance to mark 19. Kiss a handsome stranger in the rain off her list. Crystal had suggested she could merely kiss a guy on the cheek, but that wouldn’t really comply with the spirit of Amanda’s list.

  She was running out of time, but she couldn’t deny the apprehension that overtook her every time she thought about kissing someone she didn’t know.

  Kissing anyone, for that matter.

  Her thoughts sped rebelliously toward Caleb. Oh, for goodness’ sake. He probably didn’t think of her in that way. Maybe she’d know more once they finally met up again. But that wasn’t till tomorrow. For now, she’d put aside her jitters and focus on the task at hand.

  Today she was going to complete number twelve on the list, not number nineteen. And that would be that.

  Beside her, Crystal studied a map of London they’d picked up from a visitor’s center. “After this, let’s be sure to head straight to St. James’s Park.”

  “Sure, if you’d like.” They had a busy day ahead of them, and the park seemed like the perfect place to catch a reprieve in the midst of it all.

  Crystal peeked at her over the top of the map. “You sure are calm about all of this.”

  “I’ll admit, comedy isn’t my strong suit. I’m not really sure how we’re going to get a guard to crack a smile, much less lau
gh.”

  “No, I mean about—”

  “They’re opening.” A woman nearby shouted in excitement as the black-and-gold gates swung wide. The crowd behind them surged forward.

  “Everyone just needs to take a chill pill.” Crystal put her map away, and they let the crowd sweep them through the gates. Once inside, people dispersed toward the ticket counter, and finally they had some breathing room. “Over there.”

  Megan looked in the direction Crystal pointed and saw a pair of guards standing on either side of the doorway, each in front of a small house-like structure. They wore the regal red uniform, white leather buff belt, and dark-blue trousers with the iconic bearskin atop their heads. The one on the right had a baby face. “He looks like he just left high school.”

  “Let’s talk to him then.” Crystal grabbed Megan’s jacket sleeve and started walking.

  A few other tourists took pictures in front of the guards, so the sisters waited their turn. But now came the hard part. “How in the world are we going to make a guard laugh?”

  “Don’t look at me. I’m not funny.”

  “Understatement of the year.” Megan winked at Crystal.

  In response, Crystal’s lips tipped into a smile. Before their time here, that smile had been a rarity. But over the last few days, Crystal’s guard had slowly lowered. And it had all started because they’d finally let themselves get real about some things.

  “I think maybe being strong doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t ever afraid. It means you face your fears anyway.” Her sister’s words resonated in her head—and her heart. Megan still hadn’t made a decision about the library job, but she’d need to soon.

  “Didn’t you come prepared with jokes?” Crystal brought Megan back to the present.

  Megan shook her head. “I’ve been trying to come up with something, but . . .”

  “I have an idea.” Crystal strode toward the now unoccupied guard. He stood at attention, his gaze straight ahead. “I’m Crystal, and this is my sister, Megan. We’re hoping you can help us with something.”