by Jill Jaynes
He looked her in the eye. “I packed that box right before you got there that morning by emptying out a bunch of drawers of a desk I’d just moved down from the attic. There was no way you could have known.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t. Your dad did.”
“Yeah. That’s what I was left with.” He ran a hand through his already wind-tossed hair. “Didn’t make me feel any better, to tell the truth.”
So what’s your point? she wanted to say, but didn’t. She’d heard this plenty of times. It was a line of thinking that usually ended at the brick wall of disbelief. It was what people said right before a) it must’ve been a lucky guess, b) just a coincidence or c) a trick of some kind.
“So I go back to the facts I know. And fact number one, Chloe, is you.”
“Me?” Well, that was different. The vote of confidence in these cases rarely came out in her favor.
“I’ve known you since we were kids. You were a kind, sweet person without an ounce of malice in you then, and from what I’ve seen of you as an adult, that hasn’t changed. You don’t really have it in you to lie. So that means you truly believe what you’re telling me, and that you’re doing it with the best possible intentions.”
“Sure, but I could still just be crazy,” she pointed out. “Or wrong. Both common conclusions, in my experience.”
“True, but I didn’t have enough facts at that point to make a judgement. The whole thing was a puzzle. And for some reason, I couldn’t just drop it. But I wanted to solve it on my own. I really didn’t want to read those letters.
“So I stuck the envelope in my desk drawer. Or I thought I did. But then, every time I turned around, there was that damned brown envelope. First it was on top of my desk, then the next day it was on my kitchen table. I must have picked it up and wandered around with it while I was trying to decide to whether to read them, because the next day when I came home, the envelope was on the table with my mail. The next thing I knew, I was on my couch, going through them, one bundle at a time.”
She held her breath. “And?”
“At first, I wasn’t interested in the letters my dad wrote, but the letters my mom wrote…well, that was something else entirely.” He shook his head, a wondering smile curving his lips. “I started reading one and it was like I could hear her voice in my head. She sounded so sweet and so full of love. For everything, you know? Kind of wide-eyed and innocent.” He swallowed hard. “I wish I could have known her,” he said in such a low voice she barely heard it sitting just inches away. “How different would my life have been?”
He cleared his throat and continued. “The way she wrote to my dad made me want to read his letters, too. I mean, how could someone like her want to be with someone like him? So I read them. And I was amazed at what a different person he was then, and I pretty much think that she was the one who made him that way. Because the man in those letters, the man who brought home flowers on a Tuesday just because and made silly jokes and kissed her when she talked too much, wasn’t anything like the cold, distant man I grew up with. The man he was without her. I never knew he had a light inside of him. I only ever saw him after it was gone.”
“How sad,” said Chloe. “To lose that light. Much worse than if you’d never had it.”
“You want to know what’s worse?” Thomas reached for her hand.
She let him take it, swallowing hard against bittersweet pain that speared through her even as she savored the way he curled his fingers around hers. Stupid tears threatened again. “What?” she whispered.
“Never having it at all.” He looked down at her fingers, then up into her eyes. “I used to think if I never let love in, then it couldn’t hurt me. But now, I realize if I don’t let it in I’m not really living. I’ll never know who I could really be if I had it in my life.”
“Oh, Thomas,” Chloe squeezed his hand. “That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you.” And on an unselfish level, she truly was. On a selfish level though, it was going to take a little longer. “I think you’ll be amazed at what can happen when you’re willing to give love a chance.”
“How about you, Chloe? Will you give it a chance? Will you give me a chance?”
She pulled her hand away, mourning the loss of his touch as soon as she did. “I just don’t think we’d work, Thomas. I am who I am, and I wouldn’t change that for anyone, even if I could.”
She looked away, her heart breaking all over again at the stricken look on his face. She took a deep breath and focused on what she needed to say.
“For most of my life, I’ve kept the real me hidden. I pretended to be someone else, someone who didn’t see and converse with the dead. But that just made me unhappy and it always led to complications when the truth came out—and it always came out.
“So when I came back here to Moonlight Cove, I decided I would never lie about myself again. I would be who I am, no more secrets and pretending.”
She jumped up, unable to bear his nearness and the puzzled look on his face. Stepping to the edge of the bluff, she faced the beach below and crossed her arms against the cooling breeze. Maybe what she had to say would be easier if she didn’t look right at him.
“I know what you think about all of this, and I understand why. But I have a gift.” The wind tossed her hair across her face, tangling it in the tears that now ran unchecked down her cheeks. “It’s also a responsibility and I can’t walk away from it. It’s not always easy or convenient. But I know I’ve helped people and I’m done pretending to be something I’m not.” Her voice broke on her last words in spite of her best effort. “Not even for someone as wonderful as you.”
“I would never want you to,” he said from behind her.
Her thoughts stopped in mid-churn as his words registered.
His hands covered her shoulders, warm and strong. “Chloe, look at me.”
She turned in his arms, not caring that her face was a tear-streaked mess and her hair a hopeless tangle. The only thing that mattered were the words beginning to wrap themselves around her heart. “What? What did you say?”
He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Why would I want to mess with perfection? You have a generous, loving heart. Big enough for everyone, living and dead. Don’t ever change, not for me, not for anyone.” He took her hands and clasped them against his chest. She could feel his heart beating wildly beneath her palms. “Just as long as you have room in there for one more, that is. Me.”
She searched his face, looking for shadows, for hesitation, and found none at all. Only the expression of a man waiting patiently, if desperately, for her answer.
“You really mean it,” she said, daring, for the first time, to believe it.
He squeezed her hands. “Please?”
She smiled, letting the joy in her heart shine in her eyes. “How could I say no to ‘please’?”
In a heartbeat, she was crushed to his chest, his lips hard on hers, his hands in her hair. She smiled against his mouth as she kissed him back, the happiness that bubbled inside of her leaving her fizzy and light-headed.
“I hate to interrupt you kids, but I think maybe I need to get going.”
Chloe broke the kiss at the sound of Harry’s voice.
He stood a few yards away, on the promontory point of Rainbow’s End, facing them with the sunset-lit sky at his back. Behind him, the bluff dropped in a sheer cliff to the water below.
Chloe looked up at Thomas. “It’s your dad,” she whispered. “He’s here.”
“There’s a really bright light over there,” Harry’s threadbare brown sweater flapped around him as he gestured behind him. “I think I’m supposed to go to it. You two seem to have things worked out between you now, so I guess I’m probably done here.”
He took a step towards her, and cleared his throat. “I wanted to say thanks, Chloe, for getting those letters to Thomas and helping him believe in true love.” He gave her a sly smile. “Told you that you were the right girl for the job.”
Chlo
e smiled back at the disreputable-looking ghost. “Glad I could help.”
Beside her, Thomas took her hand. “What’s he saying?”
“He’s saying good-bye.”
“You look after my boy now.” Harry squinted over his shoulder. “Wow, that’s really bright,” he said. “Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something?” He patted his hands down his sweater, checked all his insubstantial pockets.
A woman’s laugh reached them on the breeze. “Because you always do, sweetheart. That’s why you have me—to remember the important things for you.”
Thomas looked around. “Who’s laughing? I hear a woman laughing.”
Harry’s eyes grew round. “Abby?”
“Oh my goodness,” breathed Chloe. “I think your mom is here.”
Thomas stared around him, but Chloe knew he likely couldn’t see the woman who had visited Chloe’s dreams for the last several weeks. Her peasant skirt and loose white blouse fluttered in the breeze as she solidified. She stepped to Harry’s side.
“Abby! It’s you!” Harry took her hands, looking her up and down in amazement.
“Oh, Thomas,” said Chloe in hushed tones. “She’s beautiful. She’s come for your father.”
“Well of course it’s me, silly.” She touched a playful finger to the tip of Harry’s nose, then placed a light kiss on his surprised lips. Her auburn curls danced as she tilted her head. “Who else would I be?”
Harry stood straighter, shedding his hang-dog demeanor in Abby’s presence. In fact, Chloe could swear he grew younger, more vital. The scruffy brown sweater was gone, a soft white linen shirt in its place.
“It’s never been anyone but you,” he said, opening his arms. Abby stepped into his embrace, sliding her arms around his waist and snuggling against him as he held her close. “Where have you been?” he murmured into her hair.
Chloe felt Thomas squeeze her hand. “What’s happening now?”
She turned to see him peering intently at the spot she was focused on. “They’re embracing. They’re together again.”
Thomas swallowed hard and nodded. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. “Good,” he whispered. “Good.”
Abby pulled back and looked up at Harry. “I’ve been waiting for you, of course.” She sighed. “But you weren’t quite ready yet.”
“Ready for…?” Harry nodded back over his shoulder, where he’d indicated the light was calling him.
“Of course. What else?” Abby answered.
“Yes, well. About that. I’m sorry I kept you waiting, darling, but I had something important to do before I could leave.”
Abby silenced him with a finger on his lips. “I know. And you did exactly the right thing.” The smile she gave him was so full of love and understanding that it brought tears to Chloe’s eyes. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you.”
“I’m ready now. If you are.”
“I think they’re going to cross over now,” Chloe said to Thomas.
“Cross over to…oh you mean to, like, heaven or something?”
Chloe shot him a grateful look. “Something like that.”
“Just give me one minute more,” said Abby.
Chloe sensed volumes of meaning and perfect understanding in the look that the pair exchanged.
“Of course, my love.”
“So, what’s happening now?” asked Thomas.
Chloe felt every hair on her body stand up. “She’s coming towards us.”
Abby stopped in front of Thomas. Chloe could feel the love she radiated infusing the air, surrounding them in a warm, comforting embrace.
“Tell him I’ve always watched over him,” Abby said as she touched her son’s face with ethereal fingers. “And that I love him.”
Chloe watched tears fill Thomas’s eyes before she could even speak. “Your mother says she’s always watched over you and she loves you,” she said.
“I can feel it,” said Thomas. “I can feel her here.”
“I’m so proud of the man he’s become.” Abby glanced at Chloe. “Tell him.”
Chloe swallowed back the tears that constricted her throat. This was important. “She’s so proud of you, Thomas.”
“Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. He put his arms around Chloe. “Thanks, Chloe.”
“Take care of each other now. Love each other. It’s all that really lasts,” said Abby as she stepped back. She turned a dazzling smile on Chloe. “I know you’ll help him understand all of that.”
“I’ll do my best,” Chloe managed in a whisper. “Thank you.”
Abby returned to Harry and took his hand. “I’m ready now.”
Harry smiled down at her, then turned to look back at them. “Bye now. Take care. And thanks again!”
“Bye!” Chloe waved.
Thomas raised his hand and waved as well. A gesture of faith, Chloe knew.
The pair turned to face the promontory’s point and took a single step together. A brilliant burst of light flashed around them, and they were gone.
Chloe sucked in a breath of air that felt suddenly lighter, normal again. The soundtrack of a Moonlight Cove dusk resumed as though it had been muted. The raucous calls of gulls and the gentle bing of the buoys that bobbed at the mouth of the little marina rode the ocean-salted breeze.
Thomas put an arm around her, pulling her close. “It’s our turn now,” he said.
She put her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. “Worried?” she asked.
He smiled down at her. “Not even a little.”
* * *
One Year Later
“Trust me,” said Row. “You need to expand Pandora’s. You’ve got a line of customers out your door every day. Think how many more people you can make happy if you double in size.”
Chloe rested her chin on her hands as she frowned at the columns of figures on Row’s spreadsheet. “I don’t know,” she said. “You’ve already done so much for me already. You put up the money for me to even lease this place. I hate asking you for more.”
Row’s lips thinned and she straightened to her full, intimidating five foot ten. Chloe sighed inwardly. She rarely came out on the winning end of an argument when Row went into battle-mode.
“Point number one,” Row ticked off on stiff, extended fingers. “You aren’t asking, I’m offering. Which brings me to point number two. You paid that loan back six months early. And point number three, the space next door doesn’t come open every day. You’ve got to jump on it before someone else does.”
“I know you’re right, Row.” Chloe laid her hand over Row’s with a smile. “And you know how grateful I am for everything you do. There’s just a lot going on right now, and I hate asking you to put more on the line. You’ve got your own business to worry about.”
“Great,” said Row, whipping her checkbook out of her bag. “I’m glad we’ve come to an understanding.” She scribbled furiously for a minute then ripped out a check and slapped it into Chloe’s hand.
“But—”
“Gotta go.” Row was already moving as she slung her bag over her shoulder and waggled her fingers at Chloe. She was out of the back entrance before Chloe could get another word out.
With a sigh, she tucked Row’s check into her purse on its shelf below the counter.
The tinkle of the bell over the shop entrance gave its customary half-second warning as the door swung open.
It should really be an air-raid siren, thought Chloe, grinning. Her big picture windows gave her a perfect view of the crowd of uniformed girls about to invade her little bakery.
“We won! Dolphins rule!” A stream of whooping teenaged girls in varsity basketball team uniforms filed in, filling the cozy space as they shouted and high-fived each other.
“Hi, Mrs. Stone!” said a tall, lanky blonde girl who’d reached the counter.
“Hi Erin.” Chloe kept her face straight with an effort. “Can I help you with something?”
“Yes ma’am, you can.�
� Erin’s grin split her face ear to ear. “We’re here ‘cuz Coach owes us. He promised cake-pops all around if we won today.” She turned to address the crowd. “And we’re here to collect. Aren’t we, girls?”
Another loud cheer went up, almost drowning out the sound of the little bell chiming again. Thomas’s tall frame filled the doorway.
“Coach! Coach! Coach!” The girls chanted, as Thomas made his way to the counter.
It was kind of amazing, thought Chloe as she watched him approach, but somehow the man got more good-looking every day. She still pinched herself once in a while at the thought of how lucky she was that she had him in her life.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he said as he reached her.
“Hi yourself,” she said, raising her face for his kiss.
The girls broke into more whoops as Thomas lingered over the kiss. As he pulled away, Chloe laughed. “What kind of example are you setting for these girls?” she said.
His eyes were serious as he answered her. “The best,” he said. “I’m showing them how a man should treat his wife. Can you think of a better one?”
After a last quick kiss, he turned to face his team. The girls fell silent.
“Great job today, girls. You played like the champions I know you are, and you should be proud of yourselves.” He paused, looking out over the crowd. He punched both hands in the air. “Cake pops for everyone!”
After more cheering and high-fiving, the girls fell into a more or less organized line. All except for one lone girl Chloe noticed keeping to herself in a corner of the shop. When she got a clear view of her, she could see the girl wore a uniform, but it wasn’t like the others. Her white tank jersey bore the number “12” in tall black characters, and her shorts were dark green, not the royal blue of Amberly High. She clearly wasn’t from the local high school. In fact, Chloe realized in a blink, she wasn’t even alive.
Well, that explained a lot. Like the streak of black grime down her right shoulder and her too-pale complexion. Duh. Okay then. Something to keep an eye on.