Bailey kept the creeper in her peripheral vision until Eva disappeared into the one-holer between the stockroom and the office. He didn’t give the young waitress a second glance. Still, Bailey wasn’t leaving until he did. Eva probably couldn’t defend herself against him if she had to, but Bailey could protect her.
She turned to toss the rag in a pan of rinse water but stopped short when he quietly asked, “Bailey Colburn?”
Her face snapped toward him, revealing too much. She tried to play it off and dunked her rag into the tepid water with a splash. “That’s what it says on my nametag.”
He nudged the peanut basket away and reached for his beer. “You aren’t wearing a nametag.”
“Who are you?”
“A friend.”
“I doubt that.”
“Name’s Justin Mercer.”
“Are you with Global, Justin Mercer?”
His dark eyes narrowed. “No.”
“Because you look like Global.”
A flash of offense broke his proud expression. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Water dripped from the wet rag Bailey held limply. She wrung it over the rinse pan. “Never mind.”
He folded his arms and smirked. “No, tell me. If there is anything I don’t want to look like it’s one of Global’s puppets.”
The water poisoning, world war, and tuberculosis plague had left few survivors and even fewer men who looked like healthy pre-2022 servicemen. She tilted her head as she appraised him. “I guess it’s the close shave and clean clothes…”
He raised a questioning brow.
“And the military haircut. Everyone knows you are all siding with Global.” She lifted her chin at the dark aviators hanging from his collar. “And those shades scream military.”
He touched the sunglasses and a twinge of sadness darkened his eyes. “They belonged to a friend.”
She flicked a glance at the four remaining customers sitting at a table by the front door. One with a greasy ponytail held up his empty bottle. “Coming right up,” she called over the music. As she popped the caps off two cold bottles, she eyed Justin Mercer. “How did you know my name?”
“You’re on PharmaTech’s list of researchers available for contract.”
A foreign surge of joy flashed through Bailey, relaxing the vise grip of post-war depression. She tamped its warmth before it took hold. Justin was playing her somehow, but it was a risk she had to take. She held up a finger to him. “Wait right here,” she said as she left the bar to deliver her customer’s order.
When she set the bottles on their table, one man pointed his chin toward Justin. “Is that guy from Global?”
“Nah, old boyfriend.” Bailey forced a friendly tone as she collected their empty bottles. “He lost a bet and had to buzz his hair.”
As she returned to the bar, she felt their suspicious eyes still on her. She stopped in front of Justin. “You should wear a hat if you’re going to mingle with civilians… and old clothes. I had to say you were an ex-boyfriend to keep you from getting jumped. Better not make me regret it.”
His arrogant smirk returned. “An old boyfriend, huh? I knew I was your type.”
“Forget it.”
“Fine with me.” He checked his watch then asked, “So do you want the job or not?”
She turned to rinse the empties and avoided eye contact while she considered the possibility Justin was telling the truth. PharmaTech had never sent someone to offer her an assignment before. They had never even contacted her. Timothy Van Buskirk, her former plant biology professor at Eastern Shore University, had always requested her as his assistant when he secured research contracts with PharmaTech. Maybe Professor Tim had tried to call and couldn’t reach her because of the service outage. Maybe she’d proven herself to PharmaTech through her work with Professor Tim and they were coming to her directly now.
She pulled out her phone and checked the display. No missed calls and no service. “I suppose they couldn’t have called me since the cell networks are—”
Justin’s flirty grin had barely faded. “PharmaTech couldn’t call you, but I could.” He drew a phone from his jacket pocket and tapped the screen.
“Whatever.” She was mid-eye roll when her phone vibrated. Flinching, she knocked a bottle opener off the counter but caught it mid-air. Her phone vibrated again.
He winked. “Are you going to answer it, beautiful?”
The display screen on her phone showed an incoming call but no number. She raised it to her ear. “Hello?”
Justin kept his voice quiet. “PharmaTech didn’t send me. Your name was on their list of available plant biology researchers, but I’m here on my own.”
The bathroom door opened, and Eva slinked out looking a tinge better than when she went in. Bailey turned away and leaned close to the espresso machine’s mirrored panel. She combed the shaggy ends of her short sable hair off her forehead as she listened to Justin Mercer’s articulate voice through the phone. “I haven’t signed my project with PharmaTech yet. I need more information on the specimen first. It’s out of my field.”
“Why me?” she whispered. “There are other botanists who have more credentials.”
The phone went silent. She pulled it back to check the screen. The call was still connected and the display still read No Service. She glanced back at Justin. He tapped his phone and slid it into his pocket. She leaned against the bar in front of him. “Why me?”
He took a peanut from the basket and cracked it open. “I could have offered the job to Van Buskirk. Your former professor is more qualified than you. When I saw your last name on the list from PharmaTech, I did a little digging.” He popped the peanut into his mouth and dusted his fingertips. “I learned Colburn was your mother’s family name, there is no father on your birth certificate, and you were born in Accomack County, Virginia, where your ancestors settled three centuries ago.”
That was more than a little digging. She kept her expression neutral. “What does it matter?”
“I had the good fortune of meeting some Colburns from Accomack County recently. I thought if you shared a drop of their blood, you might be trustworthy.” He pulled a full money clip from his breast pocket and selected a bill worth ten times the amount of the beer. Standing, he laid the money on the bar along with a folded slip of blue paper. “Here’s my address. Be there tomorrow morning at eleven if you want the job. Keep the change, beautiful.”
Chapter Four
Peering through a microscope, Sophia focused on a decayed gray leaf specimen. The cells seemed the same as other plants at first glance, but she could spot the peculiarities quicker than she could name them. One of those peculiarities gave the gray leaf tree its healing power, and she was determined to discover which one.
Since beginning her training a month ago, questions fueled Sophia’s energy and kept her at the microscope for hours. It would all be worth it once she could define the gray leaf’s mysterious attributes in scientific terms. How did tea made from the gray leaf tree relieve pain and speed healing?
She had her theories—so many theories they often conflicted. Dr. Lydia Bradshaw had said the answers would come only through systematic research. Tedious to be sure, but answers would bring insight into myriad possibilities of use for the tree found only in the Land. Who knew what else such a miraculous plant could do!
Finishing secondary school under Connor Bradshaw’s teaching had filled Sophia’s mind with new ideas. It wasn’t until moving to the Colburn property she learned about the condition of the outside world, and that only gave her more ideas. Maybe the gray leaf could help purify the poisoned fresh water supplies of North America. Perhaps new medicines could be developed from it that could cure genetic diseases. Maybe someday she could travel outside the Land and deliver the gray leaf’s healing to the war-torn masses. She looked away from the microscope and began to daydream but caught herself. “Focus, Sophia.”
A baby’s giggly squawk resounded outside the medic
al office window. Sophia adjusted a dial on the microscope to get a clearer view of the gray leaf sample. Hopefully, she could write a few more notes before she had to babysit her boss’s son. Training to be Lydia’s medical assistant came with the opportunity for in-depth gray leaf research and with an unusual stipulation.
Sophia scribbled one last word about the gray leaf’s unique cellular structure. She stood from the worktable in Lydia’s office and met the doctor and her baby at the door. Smiling, she opened her hands. “Do I get the pleasure of minding Andrew this evening?”
“No need,” Lydia replied, stepping to her desk with little Andrew on her hip. The one-year-old pulled a wet fist from his mouth and tagged Sophia with it as they passed her.
She made a funny face at the baby then looked at Lydia. “Do you have a patient coming by?”
Lydia tucked a straying wisp of light brown hair behind her ear. “No, I need to check my calendar. I have to find time to alter my mother’s wedding dress for Bethany.”
“Isn’t it wonderful she and Everett are getting married!”
“Yes, but I have a thousand things to do before the wedding Sunday.” Lydia’s brows knit with preoccupation. She drew a silver pen from its holder on her desk and held it out of Andrew’s reach. “Are you going to join us or go to your sister’s house for dinner tonight?”
Sophia hadn’t thought of dinner. She wanted answers more than food, and since moving into the medical cottage on the Colburn property, she’d been avoiding unnecessary visits to Alice’s house. She only had two more months to prove herself worthy of this job, so she’d never have to live with Alice again. She pointed a thumb at the worktable. “I planned to finish my notes on the gray leaf’s rate of decay.”
Lydia’s face lit up. “Any new data?”
“Nothing yet. I’m going to compare the gray leaf cells at each phase to the oak, mulberry, and hemlock specimens.” She rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand, leaving her vision momentarily blurred. “Maybe if I observe the gray leaf in every phase possible, I will find the one element that makes it what it is.”
“Give it time. If doctors and scientists haven’t discovered how the gray leaf works after over one hundred sixty years of research, I doubt you will figure it out so quickly.” Lydia smiled as she changed the subject. “Connor and my father are both home tonight, and Levi and Mandy will be here soon. It will be our last week having Bethany in the house before she moves to Everett’s farm. Come to the house for dinner with us.”
“It would be nice to spend time with Bethany before she gets married.” An evening at the table with the family sounded too fun to pass up. Excited, she set down her pencil but then stopped. “But I wouldn’t want to intrude on your family’s private time together.”
The edges of Lydia’s smile curved up. “You live here, so you are family now.”
Sophia would have given anything to be part of the Colburn family. She glanced through the windowpane at the back of the historic two-story brick home. “Technically, I live here in the medical cottage.” And that might only be temporary.
Lydia grabbed a blank sheet of paper from her desk. She switched the baby to the other hip and walked to the door. “Bethany is baking sweet potatoes, and I made a chicken casserole.” Her voice held a singsong quality as if she were trying to lure a child. “I admire your dedication, Sophia, but you skip too many meals for work.”
“You’re right.” Sophia’s stomach rumbled as she followed Lydia out of the cottage. She looked back into the medical office at the microscope while she closed the door. Her research would be waiting for her after dinner. “It will be nice to sit around a table full of friendly faces, especially this adorable one.” She rubbed Andrew’s round cheek. The baby chattered a nonsensical response, making Sophia laugh.
Lydia glanced at Sophia over the baby as they walked the short path from the medical cottage to the back door of the Colburn house. “Are you getting bored with living up there alone already?”
Sophia shook her head. “I’ve never been happier with my living situation. The cottage rooms are lovely.”
The waning light of the summer evening softened the fuchsias and oranges of the flowering bushes outside the brick house. Gentle voices and appetizing scents wafted out of the open door. Their comforting combination had a smile tugging at Sophia’s mouth as she stepped into the wide, welcoming kitchen. Though grateful for the chance to work with Lydia, the best part of her training was living on the Colburn property.
“Sophia! Welcome!” John Colburn said with a tone more jovial than when he preached the Sunday sermons. He poured her a cup of cider. “Your joining us delights my heart.”
“Oh, my. Thank you.”
Bethany stooped to pull a pan of biscuits from the oven then tossed her mitt onto the counter. She met Sophia at the door with an exuberant hug and hope-filled eyes. “You will never guess what dress I get to wear for my wedding.”
“Your mother’s wedding dress. Lydia mentioned she’s altering it,” Sophia said. The top of her head barely reached Bethany’s chin. “You will be a beautiful bride.”
“A bride! Isn’t it thrilling!” Bethany clasped her hands together. Her expression changed briefly as she looked at Lydia. “Thanks for telling her about the dress before I had a chance.” The scowl disappeared as quickly as it had come.
“You’re welcome.” Lydia chuckled as she wrangled Andrew into his high chair.
Bethany twirled once. “It’s all happening so fast.”
Connor grinned as he set an extra place at the table for Sophia. “A one-week engagement might be the tradition in the Land, but in America it would raise eyebrows. In the old days, anyway.”
Lydia elbowed him.
“What? Just saying. The traditions here reflect the high moral standards. That’s one thing I hope never changes about this place.” Connor pulled Lydia into a kiss. He had once been Sophia’s teacher, and it was awkward to see him kissing his wife. Sophia tried to look away, but her eyes refused to turn.
Bethany stepped to the table with her long legs almost dancing. “I love being engaged to Everett. To think: he is preparing his house for me… for our marriage. I can’t believe I will be married soon!” Her wistful sigh drew laughter. She circled the table, dropping a baked sweet potato on each plate. “A weeklong engagement is perfect. I love the traditions of Preparation Week—”
“Now that it’s your turn,” Lydia interjected with half a smile. “When I was engaged to Connor, you said the traditions were ridiculous.”
Bethany teasingly narrowed her eyes as she carried the empty tray to the sink. “I was fifteen then. I thought every tradition was ridiculous. Will you curl my hair before the wedding?”
“Of course.” Lydia tilted her chin. “And you can borrow my pearls if you like.”
Bethany squealed and Lydia’s eyes glowed with sisterly affection. Sophia stared in wonder as the sisters wove their banter with playful jesting. She couldn’t remember a happy moment with Alice. Even when they were children, the floor seemed covered in emotional eggshells. Now as an adult who had found her own accommodations, she could avoid both Alice and the eggshells. Still, the craving to have a relationship like Lydia and Bethany’s made her miss her sister.
Footsteps shuffled behind Sophia, so she moved toward the long wooden table as Levi Colburn and his wife, Mandy, stepped into the kitchen. John greeted his son with a hearty pat on the shoulder and passed a grandfatherly hand over Mandy’s pregnant belly. “Any day now.”
Mandy blew a sweaty auburn ringlet off her puffy face. “I’m not sure I could get any bigger, but the baby isn’t due till the end of the month, right Lydia?”
Lydia sank a serving spoon into the casserole on the table and gave Mandy a sympathetic grin. “That depends. Am I answering as your doctor or as your sister-in-law?”
Mandy wobbled to the table. “Whichever one thinks the baby will come sooner. I’m ready for this to be over.”
“Just not before the wedd
ing,” Bethany said. When she and Mandy started discussing details of the bridal bouquet, Levi moved toward Connor and began a separate, quieter conversation. Something about starting a security team to protect the Land from the outside world.
Little Andrew smacked his spoon repeatedly against his high chair. It went unnoticed beneath the multiple conversations. Sophia watched the family in awe. Finally, John raised his cup and motioned to the table. “Everyone, take a seat so we can enjoy this meal together.”
After John said the blessing, dishes were passed and the family chatter swelled with the excitement about the upcoming wedding. Sophia looked down the table at John, stately seated as the head of the household. He had gray hair at his temples and interspersed in his trimmed beard but more light in his eyes than both of Sophia’s parents combined.
Connor sat to John’s right. His shoulders were squared with warrior’s confidence, yet his humor was magnetically casual. His dark eyes sent adoring looks to Lydia and little Andrew beside him, but he frequently glanced out the windows just like he had when he was Sophia’s teacher. He’d come from a world at war and never fully relaxed.
Levi sat to John’s left with his back to the stone hearth. He forked his food with one hand and kept the other palm protectively on Mandy. She barely ate and frequently shifted as if the baby inside her grew larger by the minute. Her discomfort didn’t break her attention to Bethany and the wedding plans.
Lydia cut finger food for Andrew while discussing wedding details across the table with Bethany and taking the occasional bite herself. Flecks of Andrew’s discarded potato covered Lydia’s paper. She brushed them off as she made notes. “Adeline and Maggie and their families will be here Friday. Maggie and Thomas can have Andrew’s room. I will make up Aunt Isabella’s old room for Adeline and Isaac. The kids can have the guest room.” She pointed her pen at Connor. “We will put Andrew’s crib in our room.”
Bethany swirled the cider inside her cup. “I told James Roberts his older brother could stay here.”
Uncharted Hope Page 4