by Ellery Adams
Nora had done some improvements to the bookshop as well. She’d had railroad wall lanterns installed around the front and rear entrances. The lights chased away the shadows while drawing attention to the window display. Now, Miracle Books was just as inviting at night as it was during the day.
Business had been very good for the last six weeks. Sheldon’s salesmanship added extra money to the till. He called in sick at least once a week and was usually back the following day. Upon his return, he moved a little slower and spoke a little softer. He was surprised to discover that people liked his quieter side too.
On the third week of June, Sheldon spent three days in bed. He was miserable, so the Secret, Book, and Scone Society paid him a visit.
June rubbed his forehead with peppermint oil and gave him an update on Tyson’s progress.
“I’ll see him next weekend,” she said. “The doctors say he’s doing really well.”
“A gold-star student. I bet he gets that from his mama.” Sheldon smiled tenderly at June.
Sheldon was fond of June. They’d been thick as thieves ever since the sidewalk sale.
June pulled something out of her tote bag. “This gold-star gal’s been doing some thinking. About you. You like to give, but you don’t like to take. We all think that’s something you need to work on.”
“It’s true,” said Estella. “Without you, my business might be closed by now. But the Pink Lady Day saved it. And me. The same women who spread rumors about me behind my back are my newest customers. They’re getting highlights and massages, trims and pedicures. And your idea to offer mani/pedi parties with booze? I’ve already booked six of them.”
Sheldon gestured at Nora. “It was all a ploy to get this one to be more adventurous.”
Nora touched a strand of pink hair. “Who says the blondes have all the fun?”
Hester approached Sheldon’s bed and handed him a small bakery box.
“I’m not really hungry, sweetie,” he told her with genuine regret.
“You might want it later, when you’re feeling better. Just take a peek at it for now.”
Sheldon opened the box to find a sugar cookie shaped like a house. The house had four windows. Three of them were blue. The fourth was a golden yellow.
“That’s a bedroom,” Hester said. “The light’s on because the man who lives there is reading. Sometimes, he reads late into the night. But his roommate doesn’t mind.”
Sheldon’s brows rose. “Roommate?”
June put a folded piece of paper on his bed. “You’ve been looking for a cottage, and it just so happens that I found the perfect place for you to hang your hat.”
“If you ever see me wearing a hat, you’ll know I’ve been abducted by aliens,” said Sheldon. “Why should I cover my glorious silver crown?”
“You shouldn’t. I have clients who pay hundreds of dollars for the silver fox look.” Estella made a hurry-up gesture. “Come on. Look at the paper.”
Sheldon unfolded the paper and then glanced at June. “Isn’t this your house?”
She took his hand. “I was thinking that it could be our house. I don’t want a husband. I want a companion. I use exactly half of my house. I figured you might like the other half.”
The women waited for Sheldon to respond, but he just stared at the photo. “What about Tyson?” he whispered after a lengthy pause. “Won’t he want to come home after rehab?”
June shook her head. “He’ll need to transition back into the world. He’s better off in a group living situation where the right folks can help him make good decisions. I can’t do that. He and I have too much history. But I’ll spend my days off with him. I’ll be in his life as much as I can. I saved all that money for a reason. Now I know what that reason is. I’m supposed to save my son. I prayed for the chance to do that, and the good Lord answered my prayer.”
“And you’re nagging me about being a giver?” Sheldon spluttered. “You’re going to give me half of your house after knowing me for what, two months?”
“Not giving,” said June. “I’m going to charge you rent.”
Sheldon looked relieved. “I hope it’s a fair price. I don’t think I’ll ever win an argument with you.”
June gave his hand a pat. “Just admit that I’m always right and we’ll never argue.”
Everyone laughed.
“What about the cats?” Nora asked.
“I love cats,” Sheldon said. “I can’t wait to start naming them. Rum Tum Tugger. Mungojerrie. That big tom should be Growltiger.”
June wagged a finger at him. “I hope you don’t let them inside. I’ve told those beasts a hundred times that they are never, ever, coming in. I don’t care if it’s raining or snowing. I am not a feline hotel.”
“Maybe we can start with a few cat houses on the back porch,” Sheldon mused aloud.
“Does that mean you’re moving in?” Estella asked.
Sheldon looked at June. “We’re not exactly Bert and Ernie or Felix and Oscar. We’re more like a plump, chronically ill Ricky Ricardo and a black Lucy.”
June threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, Ricky. We’re going to have such fun.”
* * *
On the last Saturday in June, Marie stopped by Miracle Books. She held a plastic bag and wore an unusual expression on her face. Nora had seen the same expression on young children. It was the glow of anticipation. Marie was dying to share a story. Or to show Nora something.
Noting the sheen of perspiration on Marie’s forehead, Nora led her back to the circle of chairs and served her a glass of ice water.
Marie drank half of it down in three swallows. “Thank you. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was until I saw the water.” She put a hand on her belly. “She must be thirsty too. All I do these days is drink and go to the bathroom.”
Nora refilled Marie’s glass and sat down in June’s chair. The soft one with the purple velvet that wrapped around Nora’s body like a hug. “Do you know the baby’s gender?”
Marie’s smile was dazzling. “She’s the next Red Bird.”
Nora didn’t mean to cry, but she was too overwhelmed by grief and happiness to hold back her tears. “You knew it from the start, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“I can’t wait to meet her,” said Nora. She’d never been a baby person, but this baby was special. Through her genes, this baby would bring Danny back to life. She would also join two branches of a family tree that had never so much as leaned toward each other before. She was the future Rose had planned for all those years ago.
Looking for a distraction, Nora wiped her eyes with a napkin and pointed at the bag. “Do you want to show me something?”
“I sure do,” said Marie. “Remember that poetry book I had at the flea market? The one you said was worth a pretty penny?”
Nora’s cheeks burned in shame. “I’m so sorry. I forgot to look up its estimated value.”
“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, this might change how much the first volume is worth.”
Marie pulled the tissue-wrapped object from the bag and peeled back the layers to reveal not one, but two books.
“Oh my.” Nora’s words came out in a rush of breath. “Where did you find the second volume?”
“In another suitcase. I thought Danny had one memory box. But he had two beat-up suitcases. The second one was covered in a blanket. On top of that was a pile of sweaters Danny never wore. I never nagged him about being messy because we have separate closets. A person has a right to his own mess as long as it can be hidden behind a closed door.”
Nora listened to Marie’s reply with only half an ear. Finally, she jumped out of her chair and said, “Keep drinking that water. I’ll be right back.”
She grabbed her laptop from the checkout counter and carried it back to the purple chair. While Marie watched, she found an online auction that had sold identical editions of the Elizabeth Barrett Browning volumes. The results were eight months old and didn’t reflect the percentage
the seller had to pay the auction company. Nora smiled.
“I’m glad you’re sitting down,” she told Marie. “Because the books you carried in here are worth twelve thousand dollars.”
Marie’s mouth fell open.
“I can sell them for you, free of charge. I have an account at one of the best sites on the Internet for buying and selling rare books.”
“I can’t believe you’d do that for me.” Marie looked down at her lap. “I thought I lost everything when Danny died. Having this life growing inside me kept me going, but you, June, Lou, and Patty have given me hope. It’s easier to go on when you have that.”
The women sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Marie suddenly exclaimed, “I almost forgot! The twelve-thousand-dollar news distracted me. I found something else in that suitcase. It really belongs to Lou, but I had to show it to you first. Without you, well, we’d all be worse off.”
She dipped her hand back into the plastic bag and pulled out a manila folder. “Take a look.”
Nora opened the folder’s metal clasp and withdrew a thin sheaf of papers. Nora instantly recognized the aged paper, the black ink, and the elegant penmanship.
“Rose,” she whispered, and glanced from the papers to Marie’s face. “Danny had the missing diary pages?”
“I think Chea Sequah had them first. How else would Danny have gotten them? They’re mostly about Rose’s pregnancy and the plans she had for her baby. I think Chea tore them out and hid them to protect the woman he loved. And his unborn child. If anyone found out that Colonel Lattimer wasn’t the father, Rose’s reputation would have been ruined. Their baby would have been an outcast.”
Nora smoothed a crease on the top page as she read a couple of lines. She longed to devour every entry, to finish learning all she could about Rose. But an image of the diary surfaced in her mind. She remembered the hinge she’d repaired. And the lock of hair she’d pulled from under the endpapers.
That lock of hair had since been analyzed. Genetic testing made it clear that Lou and the child were related. The person who didn’t share an iota of genetic material with Ava Lattimer was John Cecil, the man who’d claimed power of attorney for his mentally incompetent wife and had sold her ancestral home without her permission. He’d convinced his wife’s GP that she was suffering from dementia and needed to move to an assisted living facility. Claire Cecil was actually suffering from a B12 deficiency, and her dementia symptoms began to resolve as soon as she received the proper treatment. But by the time she proved mental competence, Lattimer House had already changed hands.
Nora slid the diary pages back into the envelope. “Lou once told me that Lattimer House was built to hold secrets. That might sound romantic to those of us that love the notion of hidden passageways or hiding places, but I’m beginning to think that a house without secrets is the happiest kind of home. Look at the secret Rose kept. John Cecil was next. And after him, the Gentrys. Secrets seem to run in the Lattimer blood. And their house was built to hold them.”
“I talked to Lou and Patty about having a cleansing ceremony,” Marie said. “Danny’s mother has done hundreds of them. I’m going to ask her to cleanse the house, the outbuildings, and the grounds. It’s time to purge all the negative energy. It’s one thing to paint and install new plumbing and wiring, but what that place really needs is someone to chase away the shadows. And the secrets.”
Nora looked at the envelope in her lap. Marie was right. It was time to let go of the secrets. Rose’s should stay where they belonged: in the past. No one knew how her diary ended up inside the hearth wall, but Nora guessed that Chea Sequah or Ava had hidden it there. Someone had cherished Rose’s words and didn’t want to destroy them. That someone had believed that her secret thoughts and desires were as much a part of the house as the stone and timber. And maybe they’d hoped that one day a future Lattimer would learn the truth about her heritage and celebrate the knowledge.
Marie left the poetry books with Nora and picked up the envelope. “I’ll give these to Lou so that she can have the diary repaired. Bringing the pages back together is kind of a reunion of Rose and Chea’s story.” She touched her belly. “It’s hers too. An origin story.”
“Sue Monk Kidd said that ‘stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.’ Danny’s story will live on through your daughter.”
The two women embraced.
Nora watched Marie walk away. Even now, she felt protective of her. Marie was going to be all right. There would be bad days ahead. Plenty of them. But there would be good ones too. More and more as time marched on. And that was a life worth living.
* * *
Not long after the Gentrys’ sentencing, in which Bo and Georgia received life without parole, Sheriff McCabe asked Nora to join him for lunch.
“Pearl’s been asking about you.”
Nora didn’t accept right away. Her friendship with McCabe had been strained since the afternoon she’d asked him to save Lou’s and Patty’s lives. Nora knew that things would continue to be awkward between her and the sheriff if they didn’t hash things out.
Maybe today is that day, Nora thought, and told McCabe that yes, she’d like to have lunch with him.
As usual, McCabe offered to pick her up. When he met her in the parking lot, she was clearly distressed.
“My moped is gone,” she said, turning in a circle with a stricken look on her face. “It was here this morning, but it’s gone now. So is the helmet. Gone.”
McCabe got on the phone with the desk clerk and asked for all officers to keep an eye out for a yellow moped with pink flower decals. “If they see a two-wheeled vehicle that looks like it belongs in a Dr. Seuss book, then they’ve found it.”
Mumbling something about Sneeches, the sheriff turned to Nora. “Do you want to cancel our lunch plans? I’d understand if this puts a damper on your day.”
“No. I can’t do anything about it, so we might as well eat.”
After making sure that she really wanted to go, McCabe opened the car door for Nora. As they drove out of Miracle Springs, he took off his hat and tossed it in the back seat.
“I’m not going to wait until we get to Pearl’s to say that I regret how I responded to you the day you came to my office, looking for help. I felt manipulated, and that made me angry. In hindsight, I realize that you had nothing to gain by your actions. You were simply trying to keep two women from coming to harm. I apologize for my attitude. However, I would still prefer you leave the investigating to my department.”
“Believe me, I’d prefer that too,” said Nora. “Ever since I was burned, I’ve attracted trouble. If I didn’t have June, Estella, and Hester, I wouldn’t be able to handle everything that’s happened over the past year. I moved to Miracle Springs for a peaceful existence. I’ve had moments of peace but they’ve all come with periods of wild upheaval.”
McCabe grunted. “I know you don’t look for drama. And when it comes, you deal with it better than most.”
Nora shot him a sideways glance. “Does this mean that you don’t want me to work for you anymore? Didn’t you want me to do research or check facts?”
McCabe laughed. “I can’t see you in our uniform.”
Nora glanced down at her T-shirt, jeans, and red Chuck Taylors. “Yeah. That utility belt would add too many inches to my hips.”
The sheriff parked in front of Pearl’s and pointed at the front door. “Forget about inches and hips. There’s a basket of hush puppies with our names of it. Please tell me that you’re going to split them with me this time.”
Nora smiled at him. “I am. And I’m getting sweet potato chips, so prepare to loosen your belt.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted Nora and then raced around the car to open the door for her.
They were both laughing as they stepped into Pearl’s, their friendship fully restored.
* * *
Nora’s moped wasn’t found that day. Or t
he next. On the third day, Deputy Andrews stopped by the bookshop with news.
It was almost closing time. The afternoon coffee rush was over and most of the browsers had finished making their selections. Nora would get a few more customers looking to kill time before their dinner reservations. Because it was summer, she’d also get a family or two. They’d pop in to browse before heading to the frozen custard shop.
Andrews had held the door open for a family of five on his way in. He frowned as he watched them move deeper into the store.
“Are you scowling at my customers?” Nora teased.
“Honestly, I was hoping you could close a bit early. We think we found your moped, but we can’t be sure because it’s been, ah, altered. If you could grab your keys and registration and come with me, I’ll drive you to where it is.”
Nora told Andrews to wait a moment and walked through the store. In addition to the family of five, three customers were still drifting around.
Returning to the front, Nora asked Andrews to give her a few minutes.
“Why don’t you check out the Sci-Fi section while I close up?” she suggested.
“Okay. I finished Fahrenheit 451, so I need something new. I’ll see what grabs me.”
Nora cleaned up the coffee stations, though there wasn’t much to do. Sheldon always left everything so tidy. She then removed the menu board from the ticket agent’s window and turned off the lights in that area. By the time she was done, only the family of five remained.
“Can I help you with anything in particular?” Nora directed the question at the mother. “I don’t mean to be pushy, but I’m hoping to close a little early tonight.”
Because the woman looked slightly put out, Nora told her about the stolen moped.
“That’s awful. I hope you get it back,” the woman said. Glancing around to see where the rest of her family was, she lowered her voice. “I need a good book to read by the pool. My job’s been really stressful this year and with three kids, I get pulled in ten different directions all the time. I barely see my husband. Life is so busy that I couldn’t stop and smell a rose if I wanted to.” She finished with a heavy sigh.