Summer Magic
Page 16
The three of them were silent for a moment, chilled by the realization that Sean’s desire to return home, to bring Emily with him, may have caused his death for real this time.
“We can go to Tinkham’s after we see the police chief,” Mudge said.
“No.” Aggie shook her head. “We’ll go before.”
Mudge didn’t argue, just led the way to Tinkham’s.
The proprietor took her receipt and bustled into the back to bring out a box wrapped in silver paper. There was no note, but Emily did not need one.
“The Mermaid Emily” was a beautiful miniature representation of the boat Sean had restored on Spirit Lake. She had no tears left to cry, even when she saw the two figures standing on the bow, little Sean and little Emily.
They left the shop and turned right. She used the key Sean had given her and opened the door to the small nameless shop next to the emporium.
Inside, it was decorated exactly as she had always dreamed her own wedding shop would be. She realized how carefully Sean had listened to her random complaints about the owner of the shop she managed, and how she didn’t think of the brides at all, but only of how many she could get in and out of her shop in a given day.
“Where should we put “The Mermaid Emily”? Aggie asked.
Emily smiled. “Here.” There was a gas fireplace with a mantel that looked hewn from sea timber. Brides would love having their photos taken there.
Emily put the ship in a bottle there. If you ever lose me, I promise you will always find me in the song of the sea.
“I’m going to stay,” she announced.
Aggie nodded, as if she’d already known that. “Sean always manages to get his way. Even when he isn’t around.”
Mudge said, “We better not keep the police chief waiting.”
Aggie shot him a look of disapproval. Emily understood. You could only put off the inevitable for so long before you needed to face it down. Mudge knew that. Sean had known that.
He cleared his throat and adjusted “The Mermaid Emily” a little, pushing it back so it would be safe from falling off the mantel. “Blythe will let you stay at the Manor until you find a place, I’m sure. And if you need a hook to re-start your business, I suppose I could let you do a wedding cruise or two, for a steep discount.”
A wedding cruise. “Sean would have approved.” Emily closed her eyes. My home is with you, always and forever.
About Kelly McClymer
Kelly McClymer was born in Charleston, South Carolina and spent her early years playing by the sea on Sullivan’s Island. The sound of the ocean is music to her ears and she spends as much time near the ocean as she possibly can.
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