“I like it!” Nick blurted before he could stop himself, and soon, everyone else joined in a chorus of affirmation. Abby rewarded Nick with a warm smile as Mark rapped his knuckles on the table to get everyone’s attention.
“The Treasure Hunt Club it is then! Thank you, Abby, for your suggestion. Now, we need to elect a board of officers for our corporation. Do I hear any nominations?”
Immediately, Kenneth nominated Mark for president, but Mark shook his head emphatically “no.”
“I won’t accept the nomination for president. In fact, I want to nominate Nick for president. It was Nick who found the book. He first discovered the book’s ability, and Nick who had to convince me that it could indeed find lost money and valuables. I can’t think of a more qualified person to take the position of president!” Nick looked up at Mark in surprise. Mark winked at him as Steve seconded the nomination. It left a warm feeling inside Nick knowing that his friend had such confidence in him. A slate of officers was nominated and voted on, with Nick as president; Mark, vice president; Patti, treasurer; and Kenneth as secretary.
One of Nick’s first acts as president was to move that Abby be included in the Treasure Hunt Club. Despite her protestations, the measure passed unanimously.
“Call it fate, Abby, but depending on your point of view, you happened to be in either the right place at the wrong time or the wrong place at the right time tonight,” he said jokingly to her.
The next item of business was the unresolved disagreement between Nick and Mark as to compensation for property owners on whose property any “lost” treasure was found.
Both Mark and Nick gave their sides of the argument, and it was discussed for the next half hour without coming to any conclusion. Finally, Patti raised her hand, and Nick recognized her.
“I can get a contract drawn up that we could get a property owner to sign. In return for their signature, we could offer them ten percent of the value of any discovery we make. Then we could legally claim any lost valuables we find on their property.” Although the rest of the club thought it was a good idea, Nick raised an immediate objection.
“What happens if they refuse to sign, Patti? The book’s rules state that we must find and recover any lost treasure before we can move on to another! If they refuse to sign, we can’t look for another lost treasure!” Mark grudgingly agreed with Nick, and more discussion immediately ensued on the topic. Kenneth, who had The Book of Lost Treasures open and was studying the listed rules intently, raised his hand.
“The chair recognizes Kenneth!”
“One of the rules says to be as specific as possible about the lost treasure sought. What if when we write a request in the book, we include a statement saying it must be a lost treasure on the property of someone who would willingly sign the legal contract Patti described?”
“That’s it! You’re a genius!” Nick cried.
Steve pounded Kenneth on the back enthusiastically, and Kenneth’s cheeks grew red at Nick’s compliment. Everyone else quickly agreed, and so the statement and contract were voted in as part of their normal operating procedure.
“I guess it goes without saying that no one here can reveal the book’s secret or how we use it to find lost money and other things,” Nick warned. “None of us, no matter how tempted, can tell anyone—not family, not friends, not even your pastor or clergy. It must remain our secret! Do we all agree?” One by one, Nick went around the table until each and every person agreed to keep the book’s existence a secret.
“Good! It’s unanimous! Let’s take Sunday to think of all that we have discussed here, and let’s meet again Monday night to decide how to use the book next.” A motion was made by Patti to adjourn, and it was seconded by Mark.
The first meeting of the Treasure Hunt Club came to an end.
Chapter 17
As the meeting broke up, Kenneth and Steve followed Patti and Mark to the workshop’s doors, where they continued to talk about the night’s proceedings. Nick had picked up a couple of the chairs and was carrying them up the stairs to the second-story platform when Abby’s voice stopped him.
“Did you make this table and these chairs?” she asked.
Stopping, Nick put the chairs down and turned around to face Abby. She was looking at him inquisitively.
Smiling, he nodded. “I’ve made pretty much everything you see in here.”
Running her hand over the table’s smooth surface, Abby said, “I’m no expert, but you obviously do good work.”
“Well, I don’t know about that … but thanks.”
“I’ve never met anyone who could make furniture before. How did you learn how to do it?” she asked curiously.
“That’s kind of a long story, but my granddaddy taught me.”
“Really? He must have taught you well. Your workmanship is fantastic! I wish the furniture at my old apartment was half as well made.” Abby’s compliment caused Nick’s face to turn red, and she laughed at his reaction. It was a rich, easy laughter, and Nick soon found himself chuckling along with her.
“Surely, I must not be the first person to ever tell you that your craftsmanship is superb, Nick.”
“Well … no, but I guess my friends are just used to seeing everything in here.”
“Do you mind me asking why you haven’t finished any of the pieces you have made? It looks like all they need is to be, you know … stained and varnished.”
“That’s a long story too,” Nick admitted.
Abby laughed again, and Nick felt a pulling at his heart toward her. It was a different kind of feeling, and one he hadn’t felt for anyone in a long, long time.
“Tell you what, Nick Hollister. Why don’t you come to church with me tomorrow, and afterward, you can tell me these long stories of yours. Is it a deal?”
Nick blinked. He hadn’t been to church in years—not since his mother had moved to Dallas, in fact.
“Well … sure,” Nick finally managed to say.
“Good! I’ll pick you up at ten thirty in the morning!” With that, both of them walked toward the workshop doors, where Mark and Patti were looking at them with undisguised curiosity.
As they stopped at the doors, Abby turned and took one more glance at the shop. “You know, this has possibilities, Nick—your furniture making, that is. Who knows? If you put your mind to it, you could probably make a pretty good living at it.” With that, Abby turned, and she, Mark, and Patti got into the Expedition and drove off. Moments later, the throaty roar of Steve’s GTO filled the air, and he and Kenneth also drove off, leaving Nick standing alone at the workshop doors.
Although from Nick’s standpoint the establishment of the Treasure Hunt Club should have been the night’s crowning achievement, Abby’s last words kept coming back to him. Nobody, and that included all of his friends who were here tonight, had ever suggested to him that the woodworking and furniture he made as a sideline or hobby was good enough to make a living at—or even to sell at all! It was like they lacked confidence in him, while Abby had no such doubts.
The feeling—the tugging at his heart—returned as he thought of Abby, and he found himself looking forward to going to church with her tomorrow.
Nick turned out the lights and locked the workshop doors, and as he made the short walk through the night air to his trailer, his thoughts were not on the potential riches to be had through use of The Book of Lost Treasures but on Abby Summers.
Nick slept much later than he intended the next morning, and it was almost ten o’clock when he awoke. He had to scramble to take a quick shower and then look for something appropriate to wear to church. Rooting around in his tiny closet, he finally found an old tan-colored pair of Dockers. They had been in his closet so long that he had to clean a thin film of dust off of the pants crease where it had hung from the hanger. Further searching produced his one and only polo shirt, as well as a pair of brown shoes and socks. One of the socks had a hole in it, but as he didn’t own another pair that color, he was forced to wear it
. Once dressed, he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. The polo shirt and Dockers were wrinkled, but not as badly as he had feared. He was in the process of combing his hair when he heard a car honking outside the trailer.
Taking a look through the window, Nick spotted a maroon Toyota Corolla that had pulled up to the trailer. Abby was behind the wheel, and she honked again as he scrambled to get his wallet and keys. Exiting the trailer, Nick locked the door and got in the passenger side of the Corolla.
“You look very nice, Nick!” Abby complimented him as he slid into the seat.
“Well, it’s been a while since I had to wear anything but work clothes or jeans, and I was lucky to find this,” Nick admitted. “By the way, you look very nice too,” he added as he glanced over at Abby. She was wearing a white wrap-around skirt and matching blouse. It was a rather simple outfit, one which could be thrown on in minutes, but on Abby, the effect was stunning. The skirt fell to just above her knees, but had hiked up somewhat as she had sat down in the car seat, thus exposing more of her long, tanned legs. Her light brown hair fell to just below her shoulder blades, and it gleamed in the morning light. What little makeup Abby wore served to simply emphasize the natural beauty she already possessed. Nick found himself so mesmerized with Abby that he didn’t hear her speaking to him.
“Nick!”
“Huh?” he managed to say.
“I said, don’t you want to know where we are going to church this morning?”
“What? Oh … yeah, where are we going?
“We are going to First Baptist, where Mark and Patti go. They are going to save us a seat next to them in the pew.”
“Hey, that’s great!” Nick replied as they turned off the dirt road and onto the farm-to-market road.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into the First Baptist Church parking lot. Nick felt somewhat self-conscious as they walked through the doors and into the church foyer; after all, he hadn’t darkened the door of any church in years. He was sure the second he walked into the church auditorium, heads would swivel in total disbelief at the sight of him. Fortunately, they were a little early, and the pews were only sparsely filled. It was with great relief that he slid in next to Mark and Patti without incident.
“Good to see you, buddy! See, the sky didn’t fall, and the ground didn’t crack open.” Mark ribbed Nick good-naturedly.
“Yeah, very funny!” Nick managed to mumble.
“Congratulations, Abby! We’ve tried for years to get Nick to go to church with us, but he always had some excuse!” Mark said, grinning.
“I guess you just have to know how to ask, Mark,” Abby said, smiling impishly at Nick. Fortunately, the church organist and piano player began playing, thus sparing Nick further ribbing from Mark.
The service went by faster than Nick thought it would, and soon they were exiting the church and walking back to Abby’s car. They met Mark and Patti at Tres Pesos for lunch, a Mexican restaurant in town known for its great fajitas, and they talked, laughed, and shared ideas on what to first ask The Book of Lost Treasures to find. Nick found himself disappointed when they finally left the restaurant and Abby began to drive him home. He didn’t know the last time he had had such a good time. While he always enjoyed Mark and Patti’s company, Abby had made going to church, and then to lunch, a special experience for him. Besides being pretty and obviously intelligent, she was a good listener, often sitting with her chin cupped in her hands and her complete attention on Nick as he spoke. It wasn’t so much that she waited breathlessly on what he had to say next, but simply that she had an interest in what he said! It had been a long time since a girl took a serious interest in anything that Nick Hollister had to say.
The Corolla pulled onto Nick’s dirt road and, a short time later, rolled to a stop before the trailer. There was a moment or two of uncomfortable silence before Nick invited Abby in. To his surprise, she accepted, and they both got out of the car. Instead of walking to the trailer, however, Abby walked around to the back of it. Holding her hand up to screen the sun from her eyes, she gazed at the land and trees that surrounded the trailer.
“What’s that?” Abby asked, pointing to a scummy pool of water some one hundred yards away that was surrounded by weeds and bushes. Nick, who had followed Abby around the trailer, squinted in the bright sunlight at what she was pointing at.
“Oh,” he said recognizing the sight, “that’s a stock pond. I was going to try and hire a bulldozer to expand it and make it bigger, but I just haven’t had the money to do it.”
Nodding her head, Abby asked curiously, “How much land do you own, Nick?”
“About thirty acres, counting the land my shop and trailer are on.”
“What are you going to do with it?”
The question took Nick by surprise. No one had ever asked him that before, and he wasn’t sure how to answer her.
“Well, er, to be honest with you, I haven’t … really thought about it that much,” he stammered.
“That’s too bad, because your place here has possibilities,” Abby commented. That was the second time Nick had heard Abby use the word “possibilities.” She had said the same thing the night before about his shop.
“What do you mean?” he asked with a puzzled expression on his face.
“I mean your whole place here has potential and, you know … possibilities!” Abby’s face was so animated when she said this that Nick started laughing before he could stop himself.
“Okay, I’ll try to explain so that even you can understand!” Abby said in mock anger. Grabbing Nick by the arm, she pulled him around so that he faced his workshop.
“Now, imagine that you take all the tables, chairs, footstools, etc., that you have made and you actually finish them! Then you advertise and begin to sell a few pieces. Then, the people who bought your furniture begin to tell others until your reputation for quality craftsmanship has spread all over the county. Then you get more business! You decide to diversify by learning how to upholster, and before you know it, you are selling couches, love seats, and divans. Soon, you have more business than you can handle, and now you begin to choose your customers!”
Turning Nick back toward the scummy pond, Abby said, “Can’t you just see a five-acre lake? Next to it would be a pavilion for having cookouts and picnics on nice days.
Of course, a small dock or pier would have to be built on the lake. Then you could sit on the edge of the dock and fish or just sit barefooted, splashing your feet in the cool water. Around the lake, you would plant wildflowers, like Bluebells and Indian paintbrush, so that in the spring, the land around the lake would be a riot of color.”
Spinning Nick back toward the trailer, Abby continued, “Instead of a trailer, envision a grand country home standing in its place! And not just any home, but the one of your dreams! It will be two stories tall with an old-fashioned winding staircase leading to the second floor.
The kitchen will be huge with a walk-in pantry, a breakfast nook, and a serving island. The cabinets will, of course, all be made of hand-carved oak, and the kitchen floor of a rose-colored porcelain tile. The doors and doorways throughout the house will be oversized, with enormous picture windows on the front of the house. The den will have a polished hardwood floor, wood-paneled walls, and contain a fireplace with an antique mantle placed over it. The bedrooms will all have four- poster beds with canopies. Of course, each bedroom will have a different theme and color scheme, but the master bedroom will have a small balcony accessed by French doors, his and her walk-in closets, and a bathroom that’s to die for!
The bathroom will contain a wall-to-ceiling mirror and a marble vanity, with two sinks with gold fixtures, a modern glassed-in shower, and an old, but beautifully restored, antique claw-foot tub. Finally, the house will have a large elevated porch that completely encircles it. It will be filled with comfortable rockers, wicker furniture, and of course, a wooden porch swing for two.”
“Well, what do you think?” Abby asked as she turned towar
d Nick. Smiling broadly with arms crossed on her chest, she looked at Nick expectantly. Her cheeks were flushed slightly, as if the act of describing her “possibilities” had caused a sudden rush of adrenaline in her.
“Wow!” Nick said. “And I’ve been told I have an overactive imagination!” Giggling, Abby punched him playfully in the shoulder.
It was hot outside, and even in the short time they had been standing behind Nick’s trailer, sweat had begun to trickle down his face. Motioning to Abby, Nick led them both into his trailer. Fortunately, he had left the little window unit air conditioner on, and it was reasonably cool inside the trailer. Fishing a couple of soft drinks out of the refrigerator, he handed one to Abby, and they both sat on the seat behind the tiny kitchen table. Like the rest of the trailer, it was cramped, and they both sat squeezed in next to each other.
“What improvement suggestions do you have for my current ‘mansion?’” Nick asked tongue in cheek as he waved expansively at the trailer’s interior.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to get back to you on that one!” Abby said, laughing. Grinning, Nick laughed along with Abby. They shared small talk for a few more minutes as they each asked about the other’s family, with Nick telling Abby his mother and sister were both living in Dallas, while Abby said most of her family still lived in and around the Tyler area.
At that point, the conversation seemed to dry up until Nick, clearing his throat, finally asked the question he had wanted to ask Abby since she had picked him up earlier that morning.
“Why … why did you ask me to go to church with you, Abby?” The question sounded blunter than he had intended, and quickly, he added, “Not that I didn’t want to go or that I didn’t have a good time!”
Abby turned her head and gazed at Nick. Gone was the smile she had worn earlier, and in its place was an uncertainty, as if she herself didn’t know how quite to answer him.
Thinking he had blown it and crossed the line in asking the question, Nick was red faced as he sputtered, “I’m … I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude or anything. I—”
The Treasure Hunt Club Page 13