Footprints in the Sand Read Free

with all my heart that I had never, ever wandered.”

Chapter 3
    A fter consuming crab-cake sandwiches and sharing two huge pieces of Fisher’s famous peanut-butter cream pie, Piper and her parents got back into the rental car and headed for Siesta Key, one of the barrier islands off the coast of Sarasota. Though they usually stayed with their relatives when they came down, Terri had insisted on checking into a hotel this time, knowing that there would be so much wedding-related activity going on. The last things either Nora or Kathy Leeds needed this week were houseguests. Kathy had booked them rooms at greatly reduced rates at the inn where she worked as an assistant manager.
    “Welcome to Whispering Sands,” said the attendant as he opened the car door. “I’ll get your bags for you and have them sent to your rooms.”
    They entered through the double doorway to the Spanish-style villa and onto a spacious terra-cotta-tiled patio shaded by palm and papaya trees and edged with purple and pink bougainvillea. To the left of the patio was a large reception area furnished with rattan chairs and overstuffed sofas covered in lavender linen. Planters filled with purple dendrobium orchids were carefully placed around the room. Against the longest wall, there was a mosaic depicting a solitary white heron standing on one leg on the beach and serenely looking out at the blue-green water.
    The mosaic had been inspired by the view at the far end of the patio. Acres of soft white sand led directly to the Gulf of Mexico and an open expanse of blue-green water. Big brown pelicans floated in the gently lapping surf. Sandpipers and plovers skittered across the sand.
    “Look!” Piper pointed excitedly. “I saw a dolphin’s fin bobbing out there.”
    “Are you sure it wasn’t a shark?” asked Vin as he squinted to see.
    “No, Dad,” Piper said patiently. “It was a dolphin. Look! There it is again!”
    All three of them stared transfixed as the creature emerged for air, then quickly dove beneath the surface again, its tail flapping in a salute before it disappeared.
    “Isn’t nature wonderful?” asked Terri.
    “Amazing,” said Piper.
    A voice distracted them from the mesmerizing view. They turned to see a short blond woman with brilliant blue eyes walking toward them, her arms wide open and a bright smile on her face.
    “You’re here!” Kathy Leeds said, leaning forward to embrace her aunt. Piper noticed that her cousin looked thinner than the last time Piper had seen her, but she quickly wrote it off to typical bride shrinkage.
    “How was your flight?” Kathy asked when the welcoming hugs and kisses were completed.
    “It was fine,” said Piper. “But getting up at five A.M. is brutal.”
    Vin nodded. “Especially when you leave things to the last minute and stay up until one in the morning packing.”
    “I know,” said Piper. “I’m going to get around to being more organized.” She grinned, knowing she’d made that promise before.
    Terri reached out to take her niece’s hand. “Robert and Zara wanted me to tell you again how sorry they are to miss the wedding, Kathy. Zara is having such miserable morning sickness.”
    Piper spoke up. “It’s not just morning. It’s all day long. Some days she barely gets out of bed.” Her tone betrayed some skepticism at her sister-in-law’s behavior. Zara could be so dramatic, thought Piper. And not in a good way.
    “Well, we’ll miss them both,” said Kathy, “but we understand. You must be so excited about a new baby in the family.”
    “Oh, we are,” said Terri, smiling so broadly that her eyes squinted almost shut. “I can’t wait to be a grandmother.”
    “Now, your rooms are all ready for you if you want to get settled in and take a nap,” said Kathy. “Mom is having dinner for us at her place tonight. We’re just so glad you’re here.”
    As they walked back through the reception area, Piper pointed to the mosaic. “That is so beautiful,” she