Rise and Shine
Allison Jewell
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 Allison Jewell
Kindle Edition
Cover design by Kari Ayasha from Cover to Cover Designs. Stock photo © heckmannoleg | BigStock.com
All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Chapter Forty-four
Chapter Forty-five
Chapter Forty-six
Chapter Forty-seven
Chapter Forty-eight
Chapter Forty-nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-one
Chapter Fifty-two
Chapter Fifty-three
Chapter Fifty-four
Chapter Fifty-five
About the Author
The Shine On Series
Connect with Allison on Substance B
For my boys, Elijah and Jonah, who make every day an adventure and for Daniel, who is my friend, love and partner in this journey.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I could not have created this book without the help of several people. Thank you to Daniel, my live-in historian, for supporting and helping me every step of the way; Karen Lawson, my wonderful editor, whose comments and feedback always make me think, smile or both; Kari Ayasha, my very talented cover artist; to Letitia Hasser, for sharing your creativity with series; to Paul and everyone at BB eBooks for all of the hard work, guidance, and patience in getting these books formatted and ready for publication; to Tracey, Kathy, Shellie, and all of my readers who love these characters as much as I do; to fellow author Laramie Briscoe for encouraging and motivating me in all things writing and life; to the members of my writing group for sharing your wealth of knowledge; to Susan, Rachel, April, Nikki, Alex, Scott and Julie, for teaching me how to help my sweet boy learn to persevere against great challenges and answering my questions about therapy in the twenties; to my friends and family, for your love and support in this writing adventure. I couldn’t have done this without you and finally, thank you to my mother, Jamie, who believed in me even before I believed in myself.
Chapter One
Emmie’s body was stiff as she stepped out of the dark car and onto the city street. It was busy and loud. Nothing like the small downtown square back home.
“This is it?” Gabe grabbed Emmie’s old brown suitcase from the back of the car that had taken them from the train station to the hotel.
“Yep, that’s it. Why?” Emmie asked.
“I guess I’m just used to helping Ava with hers.” Gabe grinned and nodded toward the curb where Ava was talking with a bellhop for the Tealbach Hotel. The bellhop smiled and laughed at something she said while he loaded her belongings onto a shiny gold cart.
“Bless her heart,” Emmie laughed, taking in all six pieces of Ava’s red leather luggage. “Gabe, we are only staying the weekend right? You know, there is no telling what all she has hidden in those cases.”
He smiled and dropped her suitcase on the curb a few feet from where Ava’s were. Emmie noticed one of the other bellhops reached down to pick it up.
“Thanks but I can get it,” she said sweetly. The bellhop looked back at her confused. He still had one arm extended like he may take the suitcase right out of her hands. Pulling it closer to her body, she realized that she looked a little bit overprotective of her belongings. Really, she wouldn’t have minded letting the guy take up her things but it had just now occurred to her that this man wasn’t moving luggage out of the goodness of his heart. When he reached her room he was going to be expecting a tip and she refused to pay the man for something she could easily do herself.
“I don’t mind, Miss,” he said, taking a step closer to her.
“No…” she started but never got the chance to finish her sentence.
“Thank you, sir. She’s in room 233.” Silas came up behind her, took the luggage from her hand and tossed it to the man. Then he handed the young man a crisp bill. She couldn’t see the amount but from his smile she could tell the boy thought it a fair price.
Emmie turned around; trying her best to look annoyed, but had a hard time keeping up the front. “The good Lord gave me two arms and I can carry my own bags.”
He brushed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her in for a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. She breathed in his scent. Emmie felt herself relax. All too soon he let go of her and took a step back saying hello to Gabe and Ava.
They shared pleasantries. Ava asked about his family and if they had settled in. Silas and Patrick, or Trick as most folks called him, had taken a train earlier in the week to Louisville to meet their family first. Emmie was going to be meeting them all tonight at the Halloween party and her stomach was in knots. Other than Trick, he rarely talked about his family.
If Emmie thought her train car had been elaborately decorated, it didn’t hold a candle to the lobby of the hotel. From the outside, it looked like any other nice hotel they had driven past. But the inside was so unique—it was what set it apart from the others. The windows were huge with pointy gothic arches. The chairs were deep hues of green, blue, and red. An elaborate staircase with a dark wooden banister cascaded down from the second floor. White marble floors echoed her footsteps. It was relatively empty and though it was elaborate, the feel was like a cavernous medieval castle.
“You like it?” Silas asked.
“It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She’d never in her life set foot in a place like this. She forgot how to walk in its beauty, so she stood and gawked at her surroundings while Ava, Gabe, and Silas made plans to meet that evening.
“Well, if it isn’t Miss Emmie Shimmy,” Vince’s voice boomed. She’d missed his arrival. He was just releasing his sister and coming for Emmie.
“You better not,” she laughed, coming out of her stupor. There was no pool around but there was nothing Vince loved better than to find a way to razz her. She took a step bac
kward to no avail. He was there in no time. He gripped her in a bear hug and whispered in her ear, “You’ve done good, Emmie.”
She pulled back and looked at him surprised. I’ve done good? She didn’t ask the question aloud but it showed in her eyes. He gave her a quirk of a smile that answered her question. She could see it in his face. Somehow, he’d been filled-in on everything that had happened in his absence and he was proud of her. That was odd. As quickly as he appeared, he slapped Silas on the shoulder and led the way to the stairs, heading off to his room.
Silas and Gabe walked the girls to their room to get ready for the Halloween party. Emmie couldn’t believe she would actually meet Silas’s family tonight. Although the festivities were still hours away, her heart was already in her throat. When you live in a tiny town you rarely meet new people, much less new people who you hope will be your family someday. The thought caught in her stomach and swam around for a while making her feel more nauseous.
The hotel room was absolutely stunning. It was more of an apartment than a room and decorated in the same European-castle feel. The lush fabrics of the sitting area were so inviting. Ava squealed and clapped her hands, taking her costume from her luggage. She hung the dress in the closet and carefully smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles.
“Can you believe it is actually here? Oh, Emmie I love my costume, thank you so much for making it for me,” she cooed.
Emmie smiled. “You’ll be stunning.”
Emmie found her suitcase was already in the bedroom. She pulled out her own lovely black lace dress. Ava was right; it didn’t really look like a costume. Still though, she knew she’d made the sensible decision—black silk and lace should be worn more than one night. It’d have been a waste to turn this into a costume that could only be worn once. Emmie smoothed out the dress mocking Ava’s motions. She headed back to the living area and the small hallway closet. She hung her dress next to Ava’s. She turned around, watching Ava pour a tiny amount of something into cups from a little silver flask. She handed one to Emmie and kept one for herself.
“What is this?” Emmie asked.
“Oh, just a special autumn drink to kick off the celebration.” She grinned and held her hand out to clink glasses.
Emmie followed her motion and the girls tipped back the cup at the same time. She smiled before she even got the drink all the way down.
“How did you get it?” she wondered aloud.
“Silas. He left it hidden in the closet for us. He told me to check the closet for surprises while you were in your daze downstairs. I still cannot believe you made this,” Ava said, touching her lips.
Emmie could feel the warmth of the apple pie in her throat. He knew her well, she did need a shot of courage but more than that, she needed a shot of something that reminded her of home. She felt uncomfortable in her surroundings and that one sip of apple pie grounded her. How could he know that?
They’d come to know quite a bit about one another over the last few weeks. Just a couple days before he left, he had taken her to the barn to search for the mysterious box of photographs that Ronnie’s note had alluded to. Silas climbed into the rafters while she watched with bated breath. He’d found it relatively quickly. But then, she already knew he was a good snooper, didn’t she?
She had waited until they got back to his car to open the box. They sat in his front seat and dug through the secrets it held. At first, she thought Ronnie had led her to a bunch of nothing. The top had a few photographs of her as a very young child. But as she dug deeper into the white tattered box, its contents got more confusing. There was a ticket to some dance at a local cave that doubled as a nightclub, a program from an event at St. Joseph, and a couple more letters from her real father. They were always signed with his initials M.V.D. The first one was full of beautiful words, flowers, and promises, dated a full year before Emmie was born. The second was dated on Emmie’s first birthday. It was short and to the point, pretty much saying here is the money and how to contact me if you need more. Her heart broke for her mother. She dug deeper into the box. That’s when she saw it. A photograph dated the year before she was born. Her mother’s young face was smiling back at her. She was seated at a table, leaning back against a young man. He was handsome. Emmie was sure that she had his midnight black hair and maybe even his eyes. Their almond shape was reflected in her appearance.
Emmie walked over and picked up her purse from the coffee table, unzipped the side pocket and handed the photograph to Ava.
“What’s this?” Ava asked, taking it from her friend. When she got a good look at it her eyes widened and she put her hand on her heart. But for once the move was authentic rather than dramatic.
“Your mom. Oh Emmie, you look just like her.” Her eyes gazed down at Emmie and she gave a sad smile.
“Thanks.” That really did make Emmie smile.
Ava looked back at the photograph. Her brow creased as she took a closer look. “This man is so handsome. He looks familiar.”
“That’s because I think he is my dad. See the hair… and the shape of his eyes? It’s like me, isn’t it?” Emmie asked.
Ava held the photo closer to her eyes, bit her lower lip and nodded. “That’s true. You do favor him.”
“Yeah, and if you flip it over the date was 1902. It’s the year before I was born. So, the time makes sense,” Emmie said. She was surprised how strong her voice was.
Ava put the photograph on the coffee table and walked over to hug her friend. She cradled her head and spoke softly. “We’ve got his picture and we know he lives in Chicago from the bank address you found in the other letter. We will find him. I just know it.” She pulled back and held her friend at arm’s-length.
“Here.” She pulled out the flask again and poured another generous shot. “Sip that and…” she trailed off and moved back to the closet and returned with an enormous black box with an orange ribbon.
“What on earth is this? Don’t tell me you’ve already sent someone out shopping for you.” Emmie laughed.
“Not me. You’ve already had someone shopping. See?” Ava showed Emmie the tag with her name on it.
Emmie carefully pulled the ribbon and lifted the lid to the box. “Oh, my.” She covered her mouth with both hands.
“Told you he was carrying a torch for you. My family has great taste. I mean honestly, after seeing this dress, I have never been more proud to call him a cousin,” Ava rattled on and on.
Emmie had already tuned her out. She was lost in the beauty of the costume. She pulled it all the way out of the box and held it up to her body. The bodice was similar to the one she had made for Ava. Tight and fitted to her body. But it was a beautiful royal blue. The black underskirt wasn’t as full as Ava’s orange pumpkin but the soft peacock feathers that draped down from her waist made her costume just as showy. In the bottom of the box was a beautiful headband adorned with a few blue-green peacock feathers and a big silver gem where they crossed. It was the most beautiful costume she had ever seen.
“You think Silas did this?” Emmie asked, finally registering Ava’s ramblings.
“Look for yourself,” Ava said, pulling out a card from under the tissue paper.
Dear Emmie,
The blue made me think of your eyes. Ava mentioned (a few dozen times) that you didn’t have time to make a real costume for yourself. Hope this one is okay.
Love,
Silas
**********
The knock on the door came just as she put down her lipstick. She dropped the makeup in her clutch and headed to the door. She cautiously pulled it open. There he was. She was the one in the fancy headband, wearing a dress with feathers but he was the one that looked stunning. He was in a black three-piece suit with a hat pushed low on his forehead. She smiled up at him and her heart faltered when he didn’t immediately smile back. His eyes were wide and unblinking and his mouth was set in a straight line. She opened her mouth to suggest maybe she should change into the other dress but she didn’t
get the chance.
In one quick motion he pulled her in for a kiss. His mouth was on hers before she could take a breath. She tasted tobacco on his mouth; his hands slid down her bare arms and he quickly pushed himself away. The kiss was over before she was even fully aware it had started. There was no reason to change. He liked the dress.
He held a hand up and stepped away from her. “Sorry,” he shook his head and leaned down to grab her clutch. She hadn’t even realized she had dropped it. “You are beautiful.”
Emmie smiled. “It’s lovely. Thank you.” She was surprised how quiet her voice had gotten.
“You’re lovely,” he said, passing her clutch back to her. “We better go.”
Her heartbeat sped up and she could feel her emotions warming her neck and chest. She grabbed her black wrap off the chair and yelled bye to Ava who was still working on her makeup.
“See you at the party,” Ava sang from the bathroom.
As Silas and Emmie were walking out, Gabe came to the door. “She still getting ready?” he asked.
Emmie nodded and waved goodbye as Silas put his hand on her back to lead her down the hall.
“Surprise, surprise,” Gabe said with a laugh as he entered the room.
“Oh, hush,” Ava, said, “I’m almost finished. Here.” She rolled the flask down the hall. “Have a drink.”
Gabe decided to forgo the glass and took his swig right from the flask. He sat down on the lush navy sofa and settled in for the wait. Ava’s almost finished usually meant another half an hour. He didn’t mind though. Gabe leaned forward and picked up an old photo lying on the coffee table. It was a picture of Emmie with another man.
“She better keep that away from Silas,” Gabe said with a laugh tossing the picture back onto the table.
“Keep what away?” Ava asked.
“That picture of her with another guy. Sort of weird that she brought it with her,” he mused.
“Oh, that’s not Emmie. They look alike though don’t they?” Ava shouted.
Gabe grabbed the photo again and looked at it a little more closely. Ava was right it wasn’t Emmie. “Who is it?” he called.
Rise and Shine (Shine On Series, Book 2) Page 1