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“Hey stranger.”
Vanessa couldn’t believe Heather was standing in front of her, a smile coming to her lips. “Hi,” she said, leaving the cloth behind and wrapping her arms around Heather. “What are you doing here?”
Heather smiled, her eyes bright. “Well, I knew you couldn’t make it into the city this weekend, so I thought I’d come to you instead. Anna was kind enough to pick me up at the train station, and here I am.”
“So I should be glad for my sister’s meddling this time?” Vanessa teased, even as happiness bubbled up inside her.
“I would say so, yes.”
“Are you just here for the day?”
“I’m planning on calling in sick tomorrow,” Heather said, her hands in the pockets of her jeans. “If that’s something that would interest you.”
Vanessa smiled. “You staying at mine tonight? You don’t have to ask. Of course.”
Danny appeared with two takeaway cups. “You should go to the parade.”
“Oh, I was going to ask you about that,” Heather said. “I saw signs on the drive here.”
“Oh right, the Saint Patrick’s Day parade,” Vanessa said. “It starts in about an hour. I haven’t been in years, but it’s always a big event around here.”
“Do you want to go?” Heather asked.
Vanessa hesitated. “I don’t know...I should really be here at the shop. It’s maybe fifteen minutes into Wilkes-Barre, but I?—“
Right on cue, Danny insisted they go. “Go,” he said easily. “It’s gonna be dead in here once the parade starts anyway. You two go have fun.”
Vanessa drove, parking on the edge of town and walking in. People were already gathering along the sidewalks and in fold-up chairs. The atmosphere was festive, with lots of green clothing and Irish flags.
“Do you have any Irish roots?” Heather asked as they walked.
They found a spot to stand near the beginning of the route. A high school marching band decked out in green and white came first.
Vanessa glanced over at Heather as they watched the marching band go by, considering her question. “I don’t have any Irish in me that I know of,” she said. “My family’s been in this area for a few generations, but before that, who knows. What about you?”
Heather shook her head, her eyes following the band. “Not that I know of, but maybe somewhere back there,” she said with a light laugh. “I actually have no idea. My mom died when I was in college, and I never knew my dad, so...” She gave a small shrug. “I’d have to do one of those DNA tests to find out for sure.”
Vanessa’s heart sank a little as Heather’s words registered. She’d known Heather was an only child, but she hadn’t realized just how alone she was in the world. A pang of sadness washed over her at the thought of Heather not having any family, and then she felt ashamed that she hadn’t known, hadn’t asked about her family.
But Heather’s tone was easy, her focus still on the crowds and the parade floats going by. She didn’t seem troubled or bothered. Still, Vanessa wished she had known. She slid her arm around Heather’s waist, the sun coming out from behind the clouds as the parade continued, a feeling of spring in the air after such a long winter.
More than once, Vanessa caught herself just gazing at Heather’s profile, memorizing the way the sunlight brought out the different shades of brown and blonde in her hair.
When Heather slipped her arm through Vanessa’s waist, Vanessa’s heart did an involuntary flip in her chest. She still couldn’t believe Heather had come all this way just to spend time with her. She didn’t think she’d always be the one to travel, but at the same time Vanessa had more control over her schedule, and she would have thought that the city offered them more than rural Pennsylvania did, but maybe she was wrong.
Vanessa spotted a familiar figure waving at her from across the street as the final band marched by and the crowds lining the street started to disperse.
“Anna!” she called out, waving her sister over. Bob was with her, and the two of them crossed the street. They stood in the afternoon sunshine and caught up. Vanessa didn’t see Anna nearly enough considering they lived just a few minutes from one another, and if Anna didn’t come into the coffee shop, they might not see each other for a week or two.
When they went their separate ways a few moments later, Heather found Vanessa’s hand as they walked back to Vanessa’s car. “I meant to say it the last time I was here, but your family is so nice. Everyone I met. I know they thought I was with Megan at the time…”
“That’s been cleared up now,” Vanessa said, clearing her throat. “I told my parents first, and then the rest of my siblings.”
“How did they take it?”
“They were surprised until they realized that Anna was the one that basically caused the whole mix up. That certainly didn’t surprise anyone. But no, they were all just happy for me.”
“Even your parents?” Heather asked as they walked. “I mean, I knew Megan said that she had an accepting family.”
