The Shell Collector

left and right.
Denali ran halfway up the beach with his tongue hanging out but then turned and went back for more. The kids squealed and giggled as he chased them in and out of the ankle-deep surf.
The pooch tuckered out quickly and sprawled out on the sheet next to Amanda. She poured water into a bowl for him, which he ignored, but then he gave her a lazy wink she took as a thank-you.
Hailey ran back up, settling her hands on her hips. “Mom, make Denali come play.”
“Give him a break, Hailey-bug. Look, he’s worn out.” The dog’s tongue lolled out to the side.
“Okay. I’ll show Jesse how to draw hearts and flowers.”
“Excellent. That sounds fun.” Amanda dug through her beach bag and pulled out two spoons. “Here. You can use these.”
“Yay!” Hailey jetted off toward the surf, a willing Jesse following her wherever she went.
They moved near the water, and Hailey started giving orders. She was bossy for a six-year-old, or maybe all six-year-olds were. Amanda didn’t really have anyone to compare her to. But fortunately Jesse didn’t seem to mind being bossed about. He’d been born with a chill personality. Never crying. In fact, for a while she’d wondered if something was wrong with him. He was so different from Hailey. Amanda hoped he’d never change.
Watching them work so diligently together always made her heart happy.
A flash of color caught her attention. Down the beach a tall elderly woman wearing a skirt in a kaleidoscope of gem colors kicked her feet through the surf. She grabbed the edge of her wide-brimmed hat as she hopped over a crashing wave that soaked the hem of her skirt.
Amanda wished she could feel that carefree.
She watched as the woman crossed in front of where Jesse and Hailey were playing. Just then, Jesse pointed at the woman. In an instant, he was on his feet, running toward her.
Amanda jumped up. As she tried to get momentum in the soft sand, Jesse reached for the long tote hanging from the woman’s shoulder.
Lord, if he tugs that woman into the water, what will I do?

3
Maeve twirled around like a waterspout to keep from falling. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d been hung up in a blob of seaweed or someone’s towel that had been stolen by a wave because she wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking. She’d been focused on the horizon—the magical spot where the deepest parts of the sea met with the sky. Her arms flailed, but she caught herself.
A little boy with royal-blue eyes framed by dark lashes stared up at her with one hand still clutching her shell bag, and his eyes as wide as silver dollars. She wasn’t sure who had been startled the most, her or him.
She squatted to get to his eye level. People had always complimented her on her icy-blue eyes, light blue like the North Carolina sky, but his were like sapphires, bluer than she’d ever seen before.
“Hey there, buddy.” The bottom of her skirt floated around her legs like a colorful jellyfish. “You scared me.”
The little boy let go and leaped back next to a girl with the same bright eyes. “What’s that?” he asked, his finger pointing at Maeve’s bag.
“That’s where I keep all the treasures I find for safekeeping.”
A woman with long blond hair ran toward them, panic on her face.
“That your momma?” Maeve nodded her way, trying to calm her.
“Yes ma’am.” The little girl took her brother’s hand possessively.
A wave came in, churning foam and spray into the air.
“I’m Hailey. This is Jesse.”
“My name is Maeve.”
“Maeve,” Hailey repeated. “That’s a very pretty name. You look like a mermaid. Do you live in the water?”
Maeve noticed that the way her skirt floated in the water did look peculiarly like fins. “Being a mermaid would be pretty special, don’t you think?”
With an emphatic nod, Hailey said, “I do.”
“Would you like to see some of my treasures?” Maeve let them look inside her bag. Jesse reached in and pulled out a large scallop shell, his mouth forming a perfect O.
“Pretty neat, isn’t it? And that’s not even the best of ’em,” Maeve said.
The woman raced to Maeve’s side. “I’m so sorry.” The woman huffed, leaning forward to try to catch her breath. The dog that was following her had lost interest and was now biting at the waves, his tiny stub of a tail swirling in a circle so fast it looked like he might helicopter above the water.
“Thank goodness you didn’t fall,” the woman said, exhaling. “Jesse, you can’t do that, sweetie.”
“He’s fine. He was curious about my bag. They’re both delightful.” She offered the young woman a smile. “Really. It’s okay.”
“Thank you. I’m Amanda Whittier, their mother.” She seemed to collect herself. “This is—”
“Hailey and Jesse,” Maeve said, completing her sentence. “Yes, they politely introduced themselves.”
“Her name is Maeve,” Hailey explained.
“I see.” Amanda turned her attention from Hailey to the woman. “So nice to meet you, Maeve. I’ve seen you walking the beach before. We’re new to the area.”
“Yes, I know.” She stood and leaned in. “I’m a lifer. Born and raised here. I know everyone.” Maeve paused, expecting Amanda might explain her connection, but she didn’t.
Maeve finally said, “If you need to know anything, just ask. I can recommend restaurants, mechanics, a church. Whelk’s Island is a wonderful place to live.”
“We love it.” Amanda placed her hand on Jesse’s shoulder. The dog lay in the wet sand.
“That’s Denali,” Hailey said, pointing to him.
“He is quite handsome.” Maeve turned her attention back to Amanda. “It’s great that you chose Whelk’s Island. We need young families like yours to move in to keep this town alive.”
“These two are pretty lively twenty-four seven,” she said with a laugh. “We live in the first house on the right.”
“I know that house. It’s been empty a long time.”
“It’s a work in progress, but we’re slowly getting settled in.”
“It’s a wonderful location. Protected by the dune, and kind