A Sweethaven Summer

by Courtney Walsh

  “That she does. Poor Suzanne. I don’t think she ever stopped feeling ashamed.”

  Jane nodded. “I would’ve loved to see her one more time.”

  “I had so much to say to her,” Lila said. “Starting with ‘How could you leave us like that?’ and ending with ‘I still love you.’ ”

  “I know, darlin’.” Adele sighed. “What are we gonna do about this scrapbook?”

  Jane met Adele’s eyes. “I’d love to see it all together again. It’s been so long.”

  “It’s pretty important, isn’t it?”

  “It’s everything.” Jane played with her tissue, rolled it between her hands.

  “But you know it’s not going to give Campbell any clue about her daddy,” Lila said. “We all tried to find some hint when Suzanne left.”

  Jane glanced at Lila. “You remember how shocked we all were. Suzanne didn’t even have a boyfriend. It was so unlike her. If it had been in the scrapbook, we’d have found it. One of us would’ve.”

  “You girls must have your suspicions.” Adele leaned back in her chair.

  Jane quieted. “Do you think he could’ve been someone we knew?”

  Adele shrugged. “You’d know better than me, hon. I’ve wracked my brain tryin’ to figure it out. Wondered if maybe it was someone older—married even?”

  Jane’s face twisted. “You think?” Her eyes glossed over as if she’d just gotten an idea.

  “What is it?”

  “Suzanne took an art class at the community college that summer. It could’ve been someone in the class. Or even the professor.”

  “Jane, do you really think Suzanne would’ve gone for an old guy?” Lila scrunched her face.

  “Why else would it have been such a big secret? And as far as we know, the relationship ended because Campbell never met him.”

  “And it must’ve been pretty painful for Suzanne if she didn’t talk about him at all.” Adele watched the two girls. “Maybe we should come up with a list.”

  “It’d be a pretty short list, Adele,” Lila said. “Someone in her class at the community college. That’s about it.”

  “Or the professor,” Jane said.

  “Or anyone she might’ve met while she was there.” Lila sighed.

  “Was there anyone here you girls hung around with that summer?”

  Jane shrugged. “The same boys we’d been hanging around with since we were twelve, but we would’ve known if Suzanne had something going with one of them. We saw them every day.”

  “And nothing ever seemed strange or awkward?” Adele leaned forward.

  Lila shrugged. “Not that I noticed. It had to be a guy we didn’t know.”

  “We should start with the community college idea. That’s Campbell’s first lead.” Jane sat up in her chair. “At least it’s something, right?”

  “It’s something, but I don’t know how helpful it’ll be,” Lila said.

  Jane sighed. “Try to think positive, would you? Maybe back then we just gave up too quickly. We should tell her. And then do some digging to see if we can come up with any other ideas.”

  Adele folded her hands on the table. “I agree. If she doesn’t have a lead to follow, that girl’s going to go straight back to Chicago—and something tells me more than anything right now, she needs to be here.”

  Adele had a feeling all of Campbell’s answers were right there in Sweethaven.

  TWELVE

  Campbell

  Campbell spent an hour in her room thinking about Jane and Lila and missing Mom even more than before. It all came back how unfair it was. Why had God taken her mom before they had a chance to say good-bye?

  Why? Why? Why?

  The smell of pork chops—the world-famous kind—wafted up the stairs and into the room. Her stomach growled and she realized she hadn’t eaten a real meal in a couple of days.

  Was it only two days ago they’d buried Mom? She’d left in such a rush, but it felt like days had already passed. If she stopped and thought about it, she knew she’d break down.

  She heard a knock on the front door and then a man’s voice filled the entryway. Luke. Her stomach flip-flopped, and she ordered it to behave. She wasn’t here to start a fling with a local boy. Just to find her father.

  Romance would only complicate matters.

  Still, she double-then triple-checked herself in the mirror and applied a fresh coat of lipstick. Exhaustion showed on her face. She looked closer at the whites of her eyes.

  Bloodshot like the eyes of a person who hadn’t slept in days. Fitting.

  The garlic-tinged smell of the home-cooked meal led her to the kitchen where Adele bustled from the stove to the sink and back again. Luke sat at the table, his long legs crossed at the ankles.

  “Can I help with anything?” Campbell took a step into the room and focused on Adele, but that didn’t keep her from feeling the weight of Luke’s stare.

  “Oh, darlin’. What kind of hostess would I be if I allowed my guest to work in the kitchen? Sit down. Would you like some lemonade?”

  “I’m fine, thanks.”

  “This is my son, Luke—”

  “We’ve already met, Ma,” Luke said, interrupting.

  “Oh?”

  “Earlier today.” Luke pulled his feet out of the middle of the kitchen and pushed the chair next to him away from the table. “Hey,” he said.

  She smiled a hello and sat down.

  “Well, okay. Good, you’re already acquainted, I suppose.” She directed the comment at Luke, then turned to her. “You really should have some lemonade. It’s just the right balance of sweet and tart. Taken me years to get it right.”

  “I will in a little while,” Campbell said.

  Luke still stared, unnerving her.

  “You changed,” he finally said. “No more scarf.” His grin hung sideways.

  She shrugged. “More comfortable this way.” She smoothed her hands over her jean capris and loose floral blouse. Did he think she’d changed because of his comment? Why did that matter to her?

  The front door popped open.

  “Hello? I’m back.” Jane’s voice rang out before they saw her. When she appeared, an oversized bag hung on her arm. “I brought the pages. ” She glanced at Luke. “Oh my goodness.” She held a hand to her mouth. “Look at you.” A giggle escaped.

  He stood, towering over her.

  Her eyes followed him upward, and she shook her head. “I can’t believe how grown up you are. What are you now—twenty-five?”

  “Twenty-seven.”

  “Twenty-seven. Unbelievable. I haven’t seen you in…gosh, years. Since your high school graduation. You went off to that fancy college and never came home for the summer anymore.”

  He pulled her into a hug as she wiped tears from her cheeks. Jane and her tears. Was it just the reunion or did she cry all the time?

  “Would you like some lemonade?” he asked as Jane sat next to Campbell.

  “Sure, thanks. Campbell, this boy was born when we were all fifteen. He was the cutest thing. I think we even babysat you a time or two. Suzanne and I.” She laughed. “I think I rocked you to sleep.”

  “Now you’re just embarrassing me.” Luke set the glass down in front of Jane. “You ready for some now, Cam?”

  His familiarity caught her off guard. Mom always called her Cam. Or Camby. Lots of people shortened names, she told herself. It didn’t mean anything.

  She nodded.

  The door opened again and Lila’s voice rang out. “I’m here.” Her sing-songy Southern tone carried into the kitchen. She appeared in the doorway and, like Jane, gasped when she saw Luke.

  “Isn’t he gorgeous?” Jane giggled again.

  “I can’t believe how grown up you are. Like, a real man.”

  Luke’s face flushed pink, and he shook his head. “Maybe I need to get my dinner to go—this looks like the kind of party I don’t want to crash.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Lila said. “You’re family. Don’t let us
chase you off. I’m sure you’re used to being surrounded by beautiful women.” She laughed.

  “Oh, not this one. Hasn’t found anyone who meets his criteria,” Adele said. “Or should I say, ‘his requirements.’ ”

  He glanced at Campbell, but she quickly looked away.

  “Oh? What criteria is that, Lukey?” Jane smiled and sipped her lemonade.

  “Lukey?” He chuckled. “No one has called me that since I was five, Mrs. Atkins.”

  “Now that’s just mean.” Jane laughed, her plump face lighting up at the playful banter.

  “I’m just not anxious to rush into something just for the sake of having someone in my life,” Luke explained.

  “You really are a grown-up,” Lila said. The large diamond on her finger caught the light from the window behind Campbell.

  “I’ve tried to set him up with three or four different girls. Adorable girls.” Adele stirred something on the stove.

  “Vapid girls, Ma.” Luke rolled his eyes. “The first criteria is that she has to have a brain.”

  They all laughed, but as Luke’s smile faded, Campbell noticed his eyes danced in her direction. She reminded herself to keep her head on straight.

  A phone rang.

  They all stared at her until Campbell finally remembered she’d turned her ringer on.

  “That’s me. Sorry.” She stood.

  “Boyfriend?” Lila’s eyebrows shot upward and Jane let out an “Oooh.”

  She escaped Luke’s watchful eyes and stepped into the hallway.

  The caller ID said TILLY, and Campbell almost didn’t answer. “Hello?”

  “Hi, hon. I’m sorry to bug you again. Just wanted to make sure you got the text I sent.”

  “I got it. I haven’t called the lawyer yet, but I will.”

  “Well, don’t bother. I just got off the phone with him. He asked if I could get you to his office tomorrow. I guess he’s got a big European vacation planned and they leave day after tomorrow.”

  “Oh.”

  “You sound disappointed.”

  “No, it’s fine. I can make that work, I guess.”

  Tilly paused. “Cam, can I ask what it is you’re doing up there? I’ve been thinking about you all day.”

  She sounded suspicious. And worried. Did she know something? Had Mom confided in her when she hadn’t trusted her oldest friends? It was possible. Tilly had become more like family to them over the years.

  “I had a few more days off. I figured I’d use them.”

  “That’s it?”

  Campbell sighed. “I’m hoping to find some answers, I guess.”

  Another long pause. “Answers to what?”

  Campbell knew Tilly meant well, but she didn’t want to burden her by making her feel like she had to be a surrogate mother in her mom’s place. She could take care of herself, after all.

  But if Tilly knew something…

  “I found a trunk,” Campbell said. “There’re about a dozen paintings of this place, Sweethaven. Plus, photos of my mom as a kid and scrapbook pages she made back then. I thought,” she paused, “I might find out who my dad is.”

  Now Tilly sighed.

  “What’s wrong with that, Tilly?” Campbell asked. “I have a right to know, don’t I?”

  “You know your mom would’ve told you if she wanted you to know. Didn’t you guys talk about this when she was alive?”

  “She said we were better off on our own.”

  “She had reasons for that.”

  “And I accepted those reasons, but now that she’s gone, I guess, I feel more alone than I thought I would. I just want to know where I came from.” Campbell tried to maintain her composure, aware that the others weren’t too far out of earshot.

  “Hon, I just don’t want you to get hurt. Going off on a wild goose chase, trying to find a father and unearth all of your mom’s secrets—it’s just not a good idea.”

  Campbell heard the concern in Tilly’s voice. Should she try to reason with her? To explain Mom had planned to tell her everything—she just ran out of time?

  “Tilly, she didn’t tell you, did she?”

  “No, Campbell. And I never asked.” She paused. “Call the lawyer, okay? Then get home where you belong.”

  She hung up, Tilly’s last words ringing in her ears. Home. Where she belonged.

  But without Mom, it didn’t feel like either of those things anymore.

  Was she crazy to hunt for a father she’d never known? A man who had quite possibly never wanted her? Was the search a bad idea?

  But Jane and Lila wouldn’t be in Sweethaven forever. This was her one chance to find out what she could, to hopefully find her father.

  “Dinner, hon.”

  Campbell hadn’t seen Adele pop her head around the corner. She startled at the sound of her voice.

  “You okay?”

  Campbell nodded.

  “We’re going to eat outside on the patio. You mind helping me carry a few things?”

  “Not at all.” She followed Adele into the kitchen, thankful for the distraction.

  “I sent them all outside because they were eavesdroppin’ on your conversation.” She laughed, but when she saw Campbell’s expression, she quieted. “Everything okay?”

  “It’s fine,” she said, forcing a smile. “It smells wonderful.”

  “Thank you, darlin’.” Adele handed Campbell a bowl of fresh fruit. “I’ll follow you out with the rest.”

  Greenery and potted plants surrounded a long rectangular table on a flagstone patio out back. Mugsy perked up when Campbell popped the door open but quickly lay back down, disinterested. Luke sat on one side of the table, Jane and Lila on the other. Only two places remained. One next to Luke and one at the head of the table.

  And she couldn’t sit at the head of the table.

  She set the bowl beside a platter of pork chops and potatoes. Two different cobblers rounded out the meal. Luke pulled the chair away from the table so she could sit.

  “What a gentleman,” Lila said, eyes on Luke. “Your mama taught you right.”

  “She sure did.” Adele walked out of the house, another platter in her arms. She set it down and took her seat at the end of the table.

  “She’s gonna cry,” Luke said.

  She swatted his arm. “I am not.” Her voice caught as she spoke the words. “All right, maybe I am, but I’m entitled to a few tears having these girls at my table.” She turned to Luke. “You’re just lucky we let you stay.” She laughed as she stretched her hands toward Luke and Lila, sitting on either side of her. “Can we bless the food?”

  Luke took his mom’s hand and then held an upturned hand in Campbell’s direction. She looked at it and then quietly slid her own hand in his. His long fingers wrapped around her hand, warming her from the inside out. She tried to focus on Adele’s prayer rather than the way Luke’s touch sent her insides whirling. No sense being sacrilegious on top of everything else.

  “Lord, I thank You for these children who’ve all come back home,” Adele said.

  Campbell bowed her head and stared at her empty plate. Luke’s thumb ran over the top of her hand, breaking her concentration.

  “I am so blessed to see them again, and my prayer is that they all find what it is they’re looking for here in Sweethaven. Bless this food and help us to always be thankful to the One who provided it for us. In Your name we ask it. Amen.”

  The others echoed with their own “Amen,” and Jane let go of Campbell’s right hand. Luke squeezed twice before releasing her left hand. She glanced at him, keenly aware of the absence of his touch.

  He radiated confidence. How did he do that?

  They passed the dishes around the table. Silverware clanked and clanged as plates were piled with food, food that, judging by the smell and appearance, promised to be delicious.

  “Who was on the phone?” Luke’s question broke the silence with all the grace of an oversized ox.

  Campbell cleared her throat and noticed the ot
hers stared in her direction.

  “Lukey, leave the girl alone. She can talk to her boyfriend in private if she wants to.” Lila winked at her.

  She shook her head and sipped her lemonade. “It wasn’t a boyfriend,” she said. “It was a friend of my mom’s. Same one who called earlier.”

  Luke sat up straighter. Did she imagine his relief?

  “I may have to go back tomorrow is all.”

  Adele frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, hon,” she said. “You’ll never find what you’re looking for if you leave before you give yourself a chance.”

  Campbell’s heart jumped. What was she saying? Did she know something?

  “Adele’s right,” Jane said between bites. “If you leave, we won’t get to tell you about the scrapbook. Did you bring your pages, Lila?”

  Lila nodded. “I thought Mama had thrown them away, but I found them.”

  “Remember when Suzanne came over here with her nutso idea to start a scrapbook?” Jane laughed. “We all thought she was crazy.”

  “She was crazy. She knew none of us were artsy like she was. And scrapbooking wasn’t exactly cool back then. I mean, who wants to sit in the house and scrapbook when we could be at the beach watching the boys pretend not to stare at us?” Lila’s smile faded at the memory.

  “But your mom had a way about her,” Jane said, her expression wistful, as though she were remembering something. “Remember what she said, Lila?”

  “She said, ‘You guys will thank me for it later. When we’re all old ladies and we come here with our grandkids you’ll take out this scrapbook and tell them stories of Sweethaven way back when and then you will thank me.’ ” Lila sipped her tea. “Then she carried that book around with her all summer. Every summer.”

  “She was right. If she were here today, I would thank her,” Jane said. “Those silly scrapbooking parties became the highlight of our summers.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Lila said. “I can think of a few other highlights, like the summer I won the Harbor City Pageant. The summer I got engaged.”

  “All in the scrapbook,” Jane said. “I still scrapbook now for my kids.”

  “You do?” Lila said, eyebrows raised.

  Jane nodded. “They aren’t artsy like Suzanne’s, but they’re mine. And the kids love them. Seriously, Sam used to sit in his diaper on the landing of the stairs and flip through it, page after page of ‘baby!’ ‘baby!’ ” Jane stopped. “I never would’ve done those books if it weren’t for Suzanne.”