There was a roof over the back porch. The plan was to climb up to it, then over to her window. They kissed and acted like they were parting ways for the night.
Katie ran up to her room. She quickly took off her dress and hung it away in the closet. She rummaged through the bag that Mrs. Johansson packed for her. She found something that was appropriate and casual to wear. No nightwear, not a good idea. Then she heard a light tap at her window. She ran over and opened the window. Drew slid into the room.
They stayed up talking for most of the night making plans on when and how they would meet again. Drew was determined to come to the canyon as much as he could his senior year. He was trying to get permission to do a field study here and receive credit for it.
“My parents aren’t too happy that I will miss Thanksgiving with them,” Drew stated. “I offered for them to come out here with me. I don’t think my brother and sister would like that very much. They are younger and their friends are in New York. I’m sure they have plans for the holiday week. My sister loves to shop. There really is no shopping here, is there?”
“No,” Katie laughed, “There’s not.” She couldn’t believe what a gentleman Drew was. She decided this is what it felt like to really be loved. That’s what Lucinda got, too. Love from a man that would do anything for her.
“Kate? Kate?” Drew waved his hand in front of her face. “I think I lost you for a moment.”
“I’m so sorry. What were you saying?”
“I asked you if you thought you could come here for Thanksgiving holiday.”
“Yes, most definitely. I will be here.” Katie really didn’t mean that because she knew she had to get her hands on a book. She wanted a book she could keep, not depending on anyone else, so she could come and go as she pleased.
They both fell asleep right where they were—Drew in the overstuffed chair and Kate on the bed.
* * * *
Katie woke with a start. Sun streamed in her window, and Drew was asleep in the chair. She was thrilled he was still there. She tiptoed out of the room to the bathroom, splashed water on her face, then gazed in the mirror. She still had some remnants of yesterday’s makeup so she scrubbed until it was gone, fluffed her hair and snuck back to her room. When Katie opened the door, she saw the chair was empty. Drew was gone.
She got ready for breakfast wondering how Drew woke up and disappeared so quickly. She looked out her window and saw guests in the garden. She decided to go down and join the others. Drew was already mingling with the other guests. He and Daniel were in a discussion with some men she recognized from the wedding. Drew had his white shirt on with the sleeves rolled up, just like she suggested.
Anna came up from behind her. “This time we are all sitting together!”
She took Katie over to where Drew and Daniel stood.
“Kate! Good to see you again.” Daniel called out. Katie realized that all of Drew’s friends would be calling her Kate. That’s how he referred to her so it made sense they would also.
The couples sat together and waited for the bride and groom to enter. The best man announced them. Everyone clapped as Lucinda and Henry came in. Henry had a large grin on his face. He beamed. Lucinda seemed a little more subdued but was smiling, too. Katie hoped they were happy and things worked out.
After breakfast, Anna told Katie they had to pack and get ready to go back to the boardinghouse. Katie couldn’t believe it was time already. Everything was over. The dream was over. She had to go back to reality, but not before she told Drew she loved him. That was on her list and nothing was going to stop her. She tried many times to tell him but something or someone always got in the way of the moment. She touched the necklace Drew gave her. Kate would never take it off. She would wear it every day.
“I will see you later back at the boardinghouse before I leave.” Drew told her.
“Before you leave?”
“I’m afraid I leave before you this time.”
Kate hoped to make him feel better. “Then I will come to the train station with you.”
“Sounds good. I will pick you up.” Drew squeezed her hand.
The Johanssons were packing the Buick when Katie came to the front of the house to go upstairs. Molly and Ruthie were already in the car. Anna ran down the stairs. “We got your things, sweetie. Let’s go.”
Everyone was pretty quiet on the ride home. Katie thought of all the events that led up to that point. It wasn’t over yet and she planned to make the best of it.
“I’m going to see Drew off at the train station when we get home,” Katie announced.
“He’s finally going back to New York. Good for him. He’s a nice young man, but his life is there.” Mrs. Johansson seemed to know more about him than she let on.
“He’s planning on coming back here. He wants to study here and even find a college close by.”
“Really?” Then Mrs. Johansson got very quiet.
When they got back to the house, everyone helped unpack the car. Katie couldn’t wait to get to the room to see if her book was still there. She slid open the drawer and there it was. She took it out and hugged it to her chest. “I wish I could make you all mine,” she said to the book. Now I’m talking to a book, she thought, I must be going crazy!
She gazed out of her window until Drew came for her. As soon as she saw his horse she ran outside.
“Now it’s time for me to ask you where your bags are,” Katie teased.
“I had them sent ahead to the train station.” He pulled her up behind him.
She hugged him tightly. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was glad Drew couldn’t see her crying. They arrived at the station and the train was ready to go. It was all so final.
“Don’t forget all our plans. Don’t forget everything we said to each other and everything we have felt. Keep it here.” He pointed to her heart. “I know I will. I love you more each day. It’s painful to leave.”
Katie flung her arms around him. They kissed for one last time. Then they heard the call, “All Aboard!”
The train started up, and people hurried to get on.
It was hard to talk after she was crying but Kate knew she must. “Drew...”
“There’s Thomas,” Drew pointed. “He will take you home.”
Thomas smiled at her. Kate was glad to see a friendly face but how could she tell Drew she loved him in front of Thomas? That would be a little awkward. She walked with him to the steps of the train. Thomas walked right with them. Thomas and Drew shook hands.
“I will see you soon, Thomas.” Drew then turned to Katie. “And you, too.” He quickly stepped onto the train.
“I love you,” Kate said softly, knowing he didn’t hear her.
Thomas and Katie stayed until the train pulled away. Katie ran beside it until she couldn’t keep up. She saw Drew’s face in the window, hoping it wouldn’t be the last time she’d ever see him.
Back at the boardinghouse, Mrs. Johansson was busy making dinner and everything seemed to be business as usual. Anna, Ruthie and Molly said their good-byes to Katie.
Anna had tears in her eyes. “You’ve been a good friend to me and to Lucinda. I don’t know how I can ever thank you.”
“I hope you don’t think I was trying to take your place as Lucinda’s friend. It just happened.” Katie wanted Anna to know. “You’re my best friend here. The person I trust the most.”
The two girls hugged. “You’re so special to me, Kathryn. You’ll never know how much. Now I better let you get ready to go.” Anna left her at the bedroom door.
Katie went into her room. She looked out her window and knew she had to wait for dusk. She also wouldn’t have any problem sleeping. It had been quite a weekend. Katie walked over to the drawer, took out the book and placed it in the bed. Then she slipped on her nightgown and touched her necklace. I will never take this off. She promised herself as she drifted to sleep.
The first thing Katie did when she woke up was to reach for her necklace. It’s gone! Where
is it? She searched around in the bed, lifting the pink sheets and looking on the nightstand. She screamed and then cried.
Mrs. Johnson flew into the room with Carl Jr. right behind her. “Katie! What’s wrong?”
“I was wearing a necklace. It’s a gold chain with a sapphire...oh, please help me find it!”
Chapter Nineteen
They looked around the room and the necklace was nowhere to be found. Katie was so upset it took awhile for them to calm her down.
“So it’s all just a dream. That’s all it was. I know it now. How could I have been so stupid?” Katie flung herself back onto the bed.
Carl paced back and forth, not even searching for the necklace. “I’ve had enough of this! Katie, it’s Monday. Make of that what you will.” He stormed out of the room.
“What did he just say? It’s Monday?” Katie sat up. The last time she remembered being at the Johnson house was Thursday night.
“Remember, I’m not answering any more questions. How was your weekend?” Maya tidied up the room.
“Wait, I’m not supposed to ask any questions but you get to?” Katie chuckled as she wiped her tears. “It was fine. It was beautiful and I’m in love.”
Mrs. Johnson stared at her. “No, you’re not. It’s probably just an infatuation.”
“That’s what all adults say. Don’t they know teenagers can be in love?” Katie was defensive. She thought it was real and just had to prove it. The proof would be when she found her necklace. She’d spend the whole day searching this house if she had to.
“Lindsey called yesterday. She wants you to call her.” Mrs. Johnson looked away.
“You answered my phone?”
“No, Carl did.”
“Oh, okay. Where is it? I’ll call her back.” Katie was a little aggravated with Maya’s vague answers and felt bad about that. Maya was always in her corner. She was the one person Katie could talk to and tell her anything. “We’ll talk later. Okay?”
“Fine, darlin’. Now go have fun and enjoy your real life. Summer’s over and school has started. No more time for dreaming.”
Katie decided not to debate Mrs. Johnson on realistic dreams and what was real for the time being. She got up and ran downstairs finding her phone in the family room on a table.
“Where have you been? I thought you’d be staying here for the weekend.” Lindsey’s voice had a worried tone to it. “Then Carl tells me you’re out with Mrs. Johnson but he has your phone?”
“Yeah, I forgot it when we left. Mrs. Johnson gave me a good alibi and let me stay here. She’s on my side too, you know.”
“You’re lucky to have her. Now, guess what? I got asked to Homecoming! Ty’s friend, Brian, called and asked me. We have to go dress shopping. I’m going to pick you up and we’ll meet Jordyn at the mall. We are going to shop till we drop!”
“Sounds good. I’m happy for you, Linds. Brian is a good guy.”
Katie hung up and decided she would get ready to go even though she wasn’t up for it. She told Mrs. Johnson about the shopping trip and she seemed extra happy about it.
“Go have fun,” she said, putting two twenties in Katie’s hand.
“She’s here,” Carl called out from the front door. “Tell her I said hi.” He called to Katie as she ran by.
She hopped in the car with Lindsey. It was a bright, sunny day. Lindsey had the sunroof open and the music blasting. They didn’t talk, just enjoyed the ride. When they got to the mall, Lindsey did not get out of the car.
“Can you believe this? We’re going to meet Jordyn in a few minutes. Everything great has happened for that girl. She has a boyfriend now, we’re all going to Homecoming together and she’s a basketball cheerleader. How did that all happen?”
“Luck?” Katie said blankly. Then they burst out laughing, got out of the car and raced each other to the door of the mall. It felt good to just be a teenager again.
Jordyn waited at the entrance with her moms. Katie could tell she was trying to get rid of them but they were not budging.
“They want to help us shop for dresses.” Jordyn rolled her eyes.
“That’s fine, Jordyn. They can be our gophers!”
Lindsey grabbed Ms. White by the arm. Katie took Ms. Taylor and they were off.
The moms turned out to be a big help. They helped Lindsey find the perfect dress. They ooed and ahhed at the right moments and didn’t complain when Jordyn tried on at least twenty dresses. They were up for shopping for shoes and accessories after the dresses were picked out. Each girl had a dress, except for Katie.
“I just didn’t like anything I saw. I’ll keep looking.”
When Lindsey dropped Katie off at Mrs. Johnson’s house, Katie saw that the garage door was open at her house. Her parents must be home. They were sitting in Mrs. Johnson’s family room when Katie walked in.
“Mom, Dad, you’re home.” Katie hugged them both.
“No luck with a dress?” her mother asked. “Maya told us you were shopping for Homecoming.”
“No, but that’s alright. I still have time.”
Her father stood up. “Are you ready to go home with your mean old parents?”
“Dad!” Katie felt like that fight was so long ago.
The family walked home on the Katie path. It felt good to be going home. Katie’s mom offered to shop with her the next time she was up for it. Her dad announced there would be fish for dinner. No surprise there.
Katie decided to go up to the attic while dinner was cooking. She wanted to look around plus it felt like a safe refuge. Plopping on the sofa, Katie looked around. She noticed the long closets and decided it was time to explore what was inside of them.
Slowly, she opened the doors. Her mom’s wedding dress was in a protective bag and so was Katie’s christening gown. There were old shirts of her dad’s that he wouldn’t give up, some old winter coats, and dresses that were dry-cleaned and stored away. At the very end of the closet was a white bag. It looked vaguely familiar. Katie pulled it closer to her. She took it out of the closet and over to the loveseat. Peeking inside, Katie caught sight of a beautiful sapphire blue dress just like the bridesmaid dress she wore this weekend. She quickly ran down to her bedroom and closed the door. Immediately she slipped on the dress and turned to look in her mirror.
Oh my gosh, this is the proof. My dress is here. Sitting on the edge of the bed she opened her nightstand drawer looking for the book, hoping it was there. She gasped. My necklace! How did it get there?
Katie grabbed it and quickly put it on. It went perfectly with the dress—the dress she would wear for Homecoming.
“Dinner!” Her father knocked on her door. He slowly opened it and saw Katie admiring herself in the full-length mirror. “You like it?”
“Yes, I love it all! Where did it come from?”
“The dress, I believe, belonged to your Great-Grandma Rett and the necklace is from me. I’m glad you found it.”
Katie turned to her father. “From you? The necklace is from you?”
“Yes, pumpkin, it is. I put the necklace in the drawer hoping you would find it. Happy back-to-school.” Jackson kissed her lightly on the cheek. “See you downstairs.”
She couldn’t believe it. There was an answer for everything. She slowly changed back into her own clothes to go down for dinner, but could not stop thinking about the whole weekend.
Katie knew she had to talk to Carl before he went back to California. Reaching for her phone, she dialed Carl’s number. “We have to have one of our secret talks.”
“Ooo, a secret talk. You really mean business, don’t you?”
“Outside. After dinner. Give me a half hour.” Katie hung up and ran downstairs.
After dinner Carl and Katie met at the glider in Maya’s garden. They slowly pushed back and forth not saying much.
“What do you want to know?” Carl finally broke the tension.
“Everything! Why is everyone lying to me? I know this is real. I can feel it. You can’t have the
same reoccurring dream time after time in such chronological order. Everything makes sense too. Usually dreams start out making sense but then something bizarre happens. You wake up and tell yourself that was quite a dream.”
Carl laughed a hearty laugh. “You can say that again. Why just last night...”
“Carl, not to be mean or anything but I didn’t come over here to listen to a silly dream. Let’s get back to what this meeting is all about. You’re going to spill it. Tell me all you know. Start talking!”
Katie tried to be forceful but it was hard after looking at Carl and the slight smile on his face. They both burst out laughing. Finally Carl calmed down, and became serious.
“I think you’re old enough to know. If my mom and your parents are going to expose you to something, you should be told the facts. It’s real, Katie. Reading that book is as real as it gets. That book has the magical powers of time travel. My mom checked in on you when you returned, saw you were still sleeping and removed your necklace. She gave it to your father after your parents returned from Salt Fork. He was going to destroy it but my mom insisted you get to keep it in some way. She told your dad how upset you were about losing it. He then decided to tell you the necklace was from him.”
“Then Drew did give me this necklace.” Katie touched it with love.
“Yes he did, and don’t tell anyone I told you so.” Carl patted her shoulder. “There is so much you don’t know and so much you need to know. I’ll be here for a couple more days. I’ll let this sink in and will tell you more tomorrow.”
“Thanks, I knew I could count on you,” Katie said, then she walked back home. She tried to wrap her head around everything Carl had just told her. Time travel? It sounded so science fiction.
With every step she took, the madder she got. My father wanted to destroy the necklace. What if Maya didn’t stop him? But she did, thank goodness.
Katie stopped in her tracks. She couldn’t let on that she knew anything and would have to be the good daughter until she had all the facts. Katie breathed slowly through her mouth until she was calmer. Her parents were sitting on the deck when she got back.
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