Hold Her Heart (Words of the Heart) by Holly Jacobs Page A

to tag along. Let me go get changed.” He left and went back up the stairs.
    I started to go as well, but the chest that was still under the window caught my eye. I walked over and ran my hand over the top, tracing the faded lettering T. P. E.
    I thought about opening it but didn’t. I wasn’t sure why, but I couldn’t bring myself to. I was curious about what Piper had put in it. I’d read the excerpt of the journal that Ned had given me. What other stories had she told me in it?
    I turned away from the chest and hurried upstairs to get ready. I didn’t bother to put a bathing suit on. It was too late in the season for me to want to swim. But I grabbed a towel and wore some capris I could easily cuff.
    Logan came down in shorts, an Mercyhurst University T-shirt, and a small sports bag thrown over his shoulder.
    “Want me to drive?” he asked. “I know the way.”
    “Thanks. If you do, I won’t need my GPS then.” Fiona was out front in shorts and a T-shirt that read Fi Fly Flo and had a picture of a unicorn on it. I wondered if she’d chosen the shirt to feel closer to Piper. I didn’t ask, but I did tug at her braid. “Logan said he’d drive since he knows the way.”
    “Great!”
    Fiona was a mini-encyclopedia of knowledge. She spent the drive telling us that Presque Isle peninsula was once the home of the Eriez Nation. It was defeated by the Iroquois , but the name stuck to the lake and the city. The Eriez had a legend of the Sheltering Arm of the Great Spirit, who they believed sent them to the peninsula for the abundant wildlife, the clean water, and the cool summer breezes.
    She said that there was a chance we’d see some migratory birds today. The peninsula was a frequent stop for many of them. “Maybe we’ll see some eagles or osprey,” she said in a tone that most kids would use about Christmas.
    “She likes birds,” Logan said as he drove past a local amusement park. I could see a huge Ferris wheel, and then we passed under a section of rollercoaster track. “I remember coming to Waldameer when I was a girl,” I said. “But I don’t remember the rollercoaster coming out over the road.”
    “It used to, but then they tore it down years ago,” Logan said. “The park just put it back a few years ago. I haven’t ridden in it yet. Too bad the park’s closed for the season or we’d stop.”
    “We’ll go in the spring,” Fiona said. “Logan’ll be here because of school, and you’re gonna come visit a lot, right?”
    “Yes,” I assured her. “It’s not too bad a drive. I’ll come visit so much you’ll get sick of me.”
    She shook her head. “Nope. I waited my whole life for you. I won’t get sick of you.”
    Her words reminded me of what Logan had said. “You’re my sister, Fiona. Even when I go home, you can always call me, and we can Skype.”
    “Really?” she asked.
    “Really,” I assured her.
    That seemed to satisfy her. She went back to her running history of the park. She had the same sense of wonder and excitement of a tour guide.
    She made us drive out to the end of the peninsula and loop around to Beach 11. “It’s shallow like forever here,” she explained.
    She ran out on to the beach, threw her bag down, stripped off her shoes, and raced down to the water. She was up to her knees before Logan and I had made it to her bag.
    “Come on in,” she called.
    “I’ll come stick a toe in,” I called back. “But I don’t think I’m doing much more than that.”
    “Me, too,” Logan echoed.
    We stood in ankle-deep water and watched Fiona as she cavorted in the shallows.
    “She seems to be doing okay,” I marveled. “I can’t help worrying about Piper.”
    “Fi’s grown up with Ms. Pip’s illness. She wasn’t even in school when it all started. This is normal for her.”
    “It’s not fair,” I whispered.
    “I’ve spent the last few years working at clinics all over the world. I’ve seen so much . . . ,” he paused and his voice was shaky as