by Cindy Kirk
Though David wasn’t well-acquainted with the man, his mother had dealt with Tim on many occasions, most involving commercial real estate. Just knowing she held Tim in high regard was a good enough reference for David.
“I love these events.” Tim smiled, showing a mouthful of straight, white teeth. “An excellent way to touch base with people you don’t get to see nearly often enough.”
David rubbed his chin. “Do you have a second to talk business?”
“Absolutely.” An excited gleam sparked in Tim’s dark eyes. “What can I do for you?”
“Tim.” The shrill female tone held more than a little exasperation. “I told you to wait for me.”
The irritated look on Anita Fishback’s face vanished when she spotted David.
David stifled a groan. Anita, owner of Crumb and Cake, mother to Cassie and Lindsay Lohmeier and former girlfriend of Steve Bloom, was one of his least favorite people in Good Hope.
Though he personally didn’t know her well, he’d heard enough about her antics from his mother to want to keep his distance.
“David, how lovely to see you.” She extended her hand in such a way that he found himself wondering for a second if he should kiss it or shake it.
Anita was a pretty woman in her fifties, with dark hair and hazel eyes in an angular face.
As he shook her hand, a calculating gleam filled her eyes.
“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of selling your beautiful home on Millionaire’s Row.” Before he could answer, Anita’s voice filled with faux sympathy. “I understand how difficult it must be for you and Brynn to live there without Whitney. I’m sure everywhere you turn, from the bedroom you shared to the dinner table, you see her.”
David wondered how she’d react if he told her Whitney had spent so little time in his bed and in their home that he barely recalled her being there.
He kept his mouth shut. Anita was a known gossip, and Whitney was Brynn’s mother. David offered a noncommittal smile and refocused on Tim. “I was going through my insurance papers, and I’m concerned the house may be underinsured.”
“How long have you lived there?” Tim cast her a sharp look when Anita opened her mouth.
“Five years.” David remembered vividly the beautiful spring day when they’d moved in. He’d carried Whitney over the threshold. Brynn had insisted he carry her, too.
“You built it new.”
David nodded. “The assessment was accurate at the time. However, a home down the road with less amenities recently sold for a lot more than I have mine insured.”
“Home values, especially in your area, have skyrocketed in the last few years.” Tim studied David’s face. “Are you interested in a market analysis or an assessment?”
“Either works.” David inclined his head. “Would you be able to stop out next week?”
“I’ll make the time.”
Out of the corner of his eye, David spotted Hadley. She slowed when she saw Anita. Apparently, she wasn’t a big fan of the woman, either. He motioned her forward.
“When you decide to sell, Tim’s your man.” Anita looped her arm possessively around the real estate broker’s arm. “He’s been the top seller on the peninsula for the past ten years.”
Her voice carried in the still summer air.
David saw Hadley stumble to a stop. She’d obviously concluded she would be interrupting business. Actually, what she was doing was saving him from a woman the Bloom sisters had not-so-affectionately nicknamed “the piranha.”
Slipping a business card from his wallet, David handed it to Tim. “Call me. We’ll schedule a time for you to come out.”
Quickly saying his good-byes, David hurried over to Hadley.
He’s having a real estate agent come out.
“Are you thinking about moving?”
David blinked, then appeared to catch the direction of her gaze. He swiped the air with one hand. “No. Just having the home assessed for insurance purposes.”
Hadley expelled the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Always smart to keep on top of insurance stuff.”
“I agree.” David smiled. “I’ve been meaning to call you.”
“Why?” she blurted, then flushed.
“If you have time, we can talk about it now.”
“Now?”
Amusement danced in his eyes. “If you have time.”
“Ah, sure.” When he began to walk, she fell into step beside him.
“I like the hat.”
Hadley touched her fingers to the brim. “I feel ridiculous.”
“The outfits add a nice touch.” He surprised her by taking her elbow. “You look thirsty. Brynn is serving up lemonade over there.”
He gestured in the direction of a refreshment stand under the branches of a large oak. “I need to warn you. The cup I had wasn’t the coldest.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
He studied her for a moment. “You’re an optimist. I like that about you.”
The warmth that surged through her body had nothing to do with the sun overhead. How long had it been since someone had come out and said they liked her? Especially someone she…admired?
Hadley slowed to a stop and lifted her face to the sun for several seconds. Though she was eager to see Brynn, she needed to know what was on David’s mind.
“I noticed you helping Cassie with the coffee cart,” he said.
“I worked as a barista at Starbucks in college.” Hadley spoke absently. What could he have to say to her? “Making lattes and cappuccinos was actually fun for me.”
“Where did you go to college?”
It figured he’d latch on to her past, the one thing she preferred not to discuss.
“In Illinois.” Hadley kept her answer vague. “That was a long time ago.”
“Not so long.” David’s gaze turned assessing. “You’re what, twenty-five? Twenty-six?”
The man had missed his calling. Instead of an architect, he should have been a detective. “I’m twenty-eight. Is my age what you wanted to discuss?”
David only chuckled.
“Then, what?”
Before he could respond, she heard a voice that was robust and capable of reaching the back row of any theater. “Yoo-hoo, David and Hadley. Over here.”
Confused, Hadley turned in the direction of the summons.
When she saw who was beckoning, Hadley knew she and David would have to postpone their talk.
She’d lived in Good Hope long enough to know that no one ignored Gladys Bertholf.
Chapter 7
David had adored Gladys from the time he’d been five and she plucked a frog from the edge of her backyard pond just for him. While his mother watched wide-eyed, Gladys had identified it as a northern leopard frog. Her lips had curved when she confided its call sounded just like her husband snoring.
After letting him hold it, she’d gently taken it from his hands and placed it back by the water.
Over the years, David had watched the accomplished actress perform in more plays and musicals than he could list. Last year, at ninety-six, she’d formally retired from the stage. It appeared from her current garb she’d taken on a new role.
Always one for the dramatic, Gladys stood at the opening to a tent decorated with moon and stars, dressed like an old hippie, er, gypsy. Her hair, dark as midnight with a bold strip of white, was partially covered by a scarf adorned with gold coins. To the right of where she stood, a placard proclaimed Madame Gitana, Fortune Teller.
David smiled. Trust Gladys to choose her name from the Spanish word for gypsy.
“Madame Gitana.”
The slight bow David added to his greeting had Gladys’s lips curving.
“What a pleasure to see you together.”
Before David could correct the misunderstanding, Gladys took control of the conversation.
“Madame Gitana has been busy, but now she has time for you.” Gladys stepped into the tent, motioning for them to follow he
r.
When Hadley hesitated, David gave her a wink.
“You will sit there.” Gladys pointed to a chair off to the side for David, then her gaze fell on Hadley. “You will sit there.”
The chair she pointed to was directly in front of the table holding a crystal ball.
For a second, David thought Hadley might refuse. With a wary look in her eyes, she sat.
The smell of sage and cedar hung heavy in the air, and the spiritual music playing in the background only added to the otherworldly atmosphere. It was as if, by merely stepping inside the tent, they’d left Good Hope behind.
“I’m not really into getting my fortune told.” Though Hadley’s tone was light, her voice quivered slightly.
Gladys, now seated on the opposite side of the table, reached forward and took Hadley’s hand in her bejeweled one. The older woman’s pale blue eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the tent. “You need to know.”
“If she doesn’t want—”
“Silence.” The sharply spoken word pierced the air. “Self-understanding is essential for healing.”
David fell silent from sheer astonishment.
“It’s okay.” Hadley appeared to force a smile, though lines of strain edged her mouth. “This might be fun.”
Gladys, er, Madame Gitana nodded approval and lifted the purple ball from the black obsidian stand.
David frowned. “I thought crystal balls were supposed to be clear.”
“It doesn’t need to be clear. It is merely a tool for freeing my third eye.” Gladys’s voice turned soothing, like water in a bubbling stream. “This is made from natural amethyst quartz. This type of ball is best for answering questions about matters concerning the past, for issues of guilt and blame.”
Hadley cleared her throat.
David nearly chuckled. Gladys sounded so serious, as if she believed every word she was saying. He played along. “What will you see?”
“I won’t know until I look. Until I ask the question.” Gladys turned and fixed those pale eyes on him. “Close the curtains. It’s time to begin.”
With the outside light cut off, the interior would have been dark except for the two candles flickering behind Gladys.
The old woman’s gaze fixed, unblinking, on the ball. A minute, then two, ticked slowly by.
When Gladys’s eyes became unfocused, Hadley shot him a worried glance.
David offered a reassuring smile. The older woman was a veteran actress. Gladys knew how to put on a good show. He wondered idly what had made her try fortune telling.
He was about to give in to temptation and check the time when the older woman’s gaze relaxed. She blinked rapidly, then picked up a pencil and began to scribble rapidly on a pad.
Hadley leaned forward, resting her forearms on the small table. “What did you see?”
“I saw a name, a man’s name, but not one I recognize.” Gladys rose, moved to the entrance and flung open the curtains. Sunshine spilled into the tent. “There was a bird in a cage.”
“What kind of bird?” David asked.
Gladys ignored the question. “The cage was unlocked, the door open, but the bird remained inside.”
The woman’s attention turned to Hadley, who was slowly rising to her feet. “The bird didn’t realize the door was open.”
Gladys nodded, appearing pleased.
“Well, thanks.” David paused, not certain how this was supposed to go. He pulled out his wallet. “How much do I owe you?”
“Whatever you want to give.” Gladys gestured to a large glass bowl filled with bills and coins. “All is being donated to the Giving Tree.”
David dropped in a twenty, then stepped out of the tent, relieved the strange experience was over.
“What name did you see?” he heard Hadley ask the “gypsy” in a low tone.
David didn’t catch the name Gladys whispered, and he didn’t ask. Right now, he had a more important question to ask Hadley. Was she interested in being Brynn’s temporary nanny?
“I can’t believe how everything fell into place.” With Sarah Rose playing at her feet, Ami neatly folded one of Hadley’s shirts and put it in a suitcase. “You not only have a place to stay, rent-free, you have a well-paying job that should be super fun for the entire month of August.”
“The offer was certainly unexpected.” Hadley looked up from the other suitcase she was filling with toiletries from the bathroom. Ever since her strange encounter with Gladys on Wednesday evening, she’d felt scattered. She hoped packing would settle her. “When David asked if I’d move into his home and be Brynn’s temporary nanny until school started, I agreed without taking time to think.”
“Do you regret your decision?” Ami paused, another shirt, blue this time, dangling from her fingers.
Hadley glanced around the cozy living room, taking in the overstuffed sofa with throw pillows of yellow gingham. “I love living here.”
“Once the demolition downstairs is done, you’ll be back.” Ami lowered the shirt. “But you didn’t answer my question.”
Hadley dropped down on the sofa, thinking of the emotions that had surged when David made the offer. Being under the same roof with him and Brynn would be a dream come true. “I’m excited. Brynn is a wonderful child. David is a good man.”
The tense set to Ami’s shoulders eased. “He’s also a hunk.”
“Am-eee.” Hadley punched her friend’s shoulder. “You’re a married woman.”
“Yes, and very happily. That doesn’t mean I can’t recognize a handsome man.” Ami’s lips twitched. “Don’t even try to tell me you haven’t noticed the way he looks at you.”
Hadley opened her mouth to deny it, then gave a good-natured shrug. “I may have noticed.”
“Well, I hope you two have done more than exchange smoldering glances.” Ami tucked the shirt on top of the other one in the suitcase. “How does he kiss?”
Hadley rolled her eyes. “I’ve never kissed him.”
“Disappointing, but no worries. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to remedy that now that you’ll be under the same roof.”
The sizzle was what worried Hadley. “I can’t get involved with him. He’ll be my employer.”
“You won’t be Brynn’s nanny forever.” Ami’s tone was matter-of-fact as she started on a pile of pants. “Even if you are the nanny, as long as you don’t get hot and heavy in front of Brynn—”
“Stop.” The socks, rolled into a tight ball, hit Ami in the chest. “I’m not going to make out with David in front of Brynn, or…or anyone.”
Ami scooped up the socks from the sofa, tossed them into the suitcase, then grinned wickedly. “You’ll wait until you’re alone to jump him.”
What did it say that Hadley could easily envision the scene? She and David on the sofa, talking and laughing, sharing a bottle of wine…
“No.” She blinked the image away. Not possible. Okay, possible, but not wise. Not with everything in her past between them.
Ami lifted a brow. “No?”
Only then did Hadley realize she’d spoken aloud. She thought quickly. “No more talk about David and me.”
While she watched, Sarah Rose reached into the suitcase and pulled out the socks, staring curiously at the ball.
“Sarah Rose.” Ami held out her hand. “Give those to Mommy, please.”
“She can play with them.” Hadley tossed several more the child’s way.
The little girl squealed with delight and pounced.
Hadley added yet another “ball” to Sarah Rose’s pile. “That should keep her occupied.”
“For another minute or two,” Ami said dryly.
There were a thousand and one things left to do around her apartment. Tonight, she’d move into David’s home on Millionaire’s Row. She needed to make the best use of her time while she had Ami around to help. But she couldn’t tear her gaze from Sarah Rose.
The thought of how Brynn must have looked at that age, wisps of pale blond hair sprouting up fro
m a band at the top of her head, had Hadley’s heart lurching. She wondered if Whitney ever thought about Brynn. If she thought about how much she was missing. If she cared…
How could Whitney stand to be so far away from her daughter? How could she not text Brynn back?
“What did you think of Gladys’s fortune-telling skills?”
Hadley inclined her head. “How did you know she told my fortune?”
“Lucky guess, but not difficult.” Ami sat back. “Everyone and their dog went into that tent. She brought in tons of money for the Giving Tree.”
“How did she decide on fortune telling?” Hadley kept her voice offhand, as if the answer was of no concern.
“She was tired of face painting, and there were others who were eager to take over that booth.” Ami shrugged. “Grandma Ruby told me that Gladys had been really into stuff like that when she was young. Ruby said Gladys has natural talent.”
A cold chill washed over Hadley.
“What did she tell you?” Ami asked.
“Nothing real concrete. An image of a bird in an open cage.”
Ami wrinkled her nose. “A bird?”
“Bird,” Sarah Rose repeated.
“That’s right. Bird.” Ami smiled proudly at her daughter before returning her attention to Hadley. “What did Gladys say about the bird?”
“What is there to say?” Since the living room and kitchen were combined in the tiny apartment, Hadley stepped into the kitchen and made a great show of retrieving her favorite teas from the cupboard. She added them to the suitcase.
“I don’t know.” Ami tapped a finger against her lips. “Maybe what kind of bird? Or why was it sitting in an open cage instead of flying free?”
Flying free.
A shiver traveled up Hadley’s spine. “The bird didn’t realize the door was open.”
“Now that’s interesting.” Ami’s eyes sparkled. “So the bird could have been flying free, but didn’t because it thought it was still caged?”
“I guess.” Hadley lifted one shoulder, let it drop. “Oh, and a name came to her.”