Newness and Wonder

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Newness and Wonder Page 7

by Alexis Lynne


  Tara sighed audibly. His understanding released much of the pressure she had been feeling since they met. Though he still held her hand and his demeanor said he would prefer much more, friendship was something she could manage.

  “Yeah, I think we can be friends.”

  His smile right then almost had her changing her mind about the “just friends” thing, but a sparkling twelve-year-old appeared, saving her from the moment.

  “Hey, kiddo. You got your face painted.” Justin finally released her hand as Marley handed him more treasures from her hunt.

  She pushed her hair back from her face. “Yeah. All my friends got butterflies.”

  Tara laughed. “So you decided to get a dragon?”

  Marley shrugged. “It has glitter in it. It’s almost the same.”

  “Well.” Justin rose and Tara followed. “We better get going. You’ve got school tomorrow.”

  Marley groaned but fell in line as they started walking. “Are we still going to look for light fixtures? I really hated all the ones at the box store.”

  “For the attic?”

  Marley turned to Tara and nodded. “Everything we saw looked so plain.”

  “Says the girl who painted the walls and ceiling white.”

  It was dark, but Tara could easily see the eye roll Marley gave her brother. “That’s why the accessories should be bold and colorful.”

  It was Justin’s turn to roll his eyes, and Tara laughed. “Did you see the glass blowing demonstration when you were at Green Energy Park?”

  “Yes!” Marley’s dark eyes managed to look bright against the sparkly red of her face paint. “I was scared it would pop like bubble gum in his face.”

  “I’m sure he’s glad it didn’t. Anyway, the artist, Noah, has a small gallery in his studio in Dillsboro. I know he’s done globes and lamps before. You might find something you like there.”

  “Can we go?”

  Justin nodded. “Why don’t we wait until Saturday? We haven’t spent any time in Dillsboro. We can make a day of it.” Tara felt him nudge her shoulder again. “You can join us. I’m sure you know the best shops for authentic local art.”

  “The best shop for local art is my aunt’s, but sure, I can meet you. I’ll call Noah to make sure he’ll be there.”

  “Great. Let’s go early and then have lunch. One less meal eaten at home is a good thing.”

  Marley’s enthusiastic nod made Tara laugh again. Justin deposited her back at her cauldron with a kiss on the cheek and a promise to see her Saturday. She wasn’t sure what this new friendship would bring, but she did know that as she watched him walk away, no friend had ever left her feeling so much anticipation or with a desire for a kiss on the cheek to have landed an inch to the right.

  Chapter Ten

  “Marley?”

  “I’m up here.”

  The familiar refrain sounded, and Justin made his way up the newly built stairs to the attic. Any time he couldn’t find her, that’s where she was, measuring and plotting her space. Eventually, he would learn to look there first.

  The room still didn’t have a door, so he saw her immediately upon entering, sitting at the large window he and Brandon installed the day before, with a pair of binoculars over her eyes.

  “What are you doing?”

  She turned to him briefly before returning her gaze to the outside. “Looking out the window.”

  “I can see that. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

  “Elk. Brandon said there’s a herd close by and that they used to come into the yard so much that the old owners had to build that fence.”

  “Is he the one who gave you the binoculars?”

  She nodded and kept patrolling. “He said they don’t move beyond the woods too much anymore, but when he has gotten close-ups of them, it’s been around this time of year.”

  “Well. I’m sorry to pull you away from your elk hunt, but we need to get going. Tara will be waiting for us.”

  She placed her binoculars on the windowsill and looked at him. They had enjoyed a few days of goodwill between them with the only argument being the usual one over her excessive use of her phone. Still, the steady look she was giving him made him nervous. She must have decided not to speak because she started to walk away. Justin reached out to stop her.

  “What is it?”

  She pursed her lips and shrugged. “I was just wondering what you were planning for Thanksgiving.”

  Justin blinked. “We’re barely into November. Do we have to think about that already?”

  “I guess not.” She was going for nonchalance, but it didn’t quite work.

  Justin blew out a breath. “I’ve never really thought about it much. I always went to my aunt’s house for Thanksgiving. My mother didn’t do much cooking. What about you? What did you and your mom do?”

  In an uncharacteristic move, Marley tucked her hair behind her ear and looked down. She never talked about Sharon, and whenever Justin brought her up, Marley would try to change the subject.

  “We usually just had Chinese food with other actors from whatever show she was doing at the time.”

  “We can see if the Chinese place in town will be open, if you want.” She didn’t say anything. “Or we could…cook?”

  She shrugged again. “We can cook. You know, if you want.”

  He smiled. The kid wanted a real Thanksgiving dinner but didn’t want to ask for it. “We had sandwiches last night for dinner, Marley. I’m not sure I’m up to cooking a huge meal.”

  “We can go simple and YouTube some things. Surely we can follow instructions.”

  There was too much question in her voice, reflecting his own doubt at their ability to pull it off, but she so rarely asked him for anything. How could he not give it to her?

  “All right. You find some recipes, and I’ll try not to kill us.”

  She laughed then, a little, but he still felt as if he had won some great victory. It was short lived, however, because as soon as they got into the car, the earbuds came out, and Marley stared out the window as if he didn’t exist.

  * * *

  Dillsboro’s Main Street was much smaller than the one in Sylvan Hills, but no less interesting. It was more casual, Justin supposed, with the goods offered in the shop windows leaning more toward homemade than artisan. He figured it was the difference between being in your grandmother’s kitchen and her closet full of vintage Chanel.

  Marley pulled out her earbuds and leaned forward, nodding toward their left. “Is that a train station?”

  He slowed almost to a stop and looked to where she pointed. “It’s a depot of some sort. I wonder if it’s still in operation.”

  “You can ask Tara. She’s sitting right in front of it.”

  Justin pulled into a parallel space near the tracks in front of the depot. He saw Tara sitting on the steps. She didn’t have a phone or a book in her hands, just a to-go cup and a soft smile on her face as she looked around. Fallen leaves surrounded her feet, and her green sweater contrasted all the brown around her. Her hair was back to normal and pulled away from her face with the wild waves cascading down her shoulders. Like the scenery around her, she looked warm and inviting.

  If only. He fought back the thought. Her acceptance of him as a friend was more than he had hoped for, and he would be grateful. For now, anyway.

  Marley beat him out of the car, and spotting her, Tara rose.

  “I’ve been looking for your fancy sports car. You traded down.”

  Justin and Marley crossed the tracks as Tara pointed to the new SUV he’d yet to get tags for.

  “I guess that depends on your point of view. Now that I can get down all the hills around here without the fear of sliding, I think I’ve traded up.”

  He leaned down and kissed her cheek, taking just a moment to linger. “Good morning. You smell like fall.”

  “What?”

  He pointed to her cup. “Pumpkin?”

  “Oh, yes. I’m actually getting a lit
tle tired of them and am ready to move on to peppermint. Don’t tell Shelby, though. She has us on a specific holiday schedule. No peppermint mochas until after Thanksgiving.” She shifted her gaze. “Hi, Marley.”

  “Hi.”

  Justin tilted his head slightly as he looked at his sister. Halloween night she was all smiles and giggles, talking to Tara as if she had known her forever. Now she would barely look at her. Tara didn’t seem bothered by it, though.

  “Noah won’t be in his studio until this afternoon, so we can look around for a while, if you’d like.”

  Justin nodded and then pointed behind them to the depot. “Does a train stop here?”

  “It does. A company runs train tours of the area. I’m not sure of the schedule anymore because it is geared more toward tourists. They have stops here so passengers can get off the train and explore the town. The real attraction, though, is the station in Bryson City. Their Main Street is bigger than Sylvan Hills’, and the station is right in the middle of it. They decorate it beautifully for the holidays, especially Christmas, and have special excursions that even the locals enjoy.”

  “Sounds like something else we need to check out.”

  Marley gave a noncommittal “hmm” and turned to head back over the tracks to the sidewalk. They followed her slowly, letting her decide the schedule of their lazy Saturday morning.

  “She’s probably too old to appreciate the trains, but the station is lovely. You should take her next month.”

  “I will, and you will have to come with us. I’m finding it very beneficial to have a friend who knows the area so well.”

  “I’m sure Brandon could show you around just as well.”

  Justin snorted. “He’s shown me plenty inside the co-op.”

  Tara laughed. “That’s his world, right there among the old men. Is he working today?”

  “I told him not to worry about it today since we wouldn’t be there to help, but he was pulling onto the road as we were pulling out.”

  They caught up to Marley as she entered a cottage-style store specializing in Christmas ornaments.

  “This morning she was asking about Thanksgiving, and now she’s jumped to Christmas.”

  Tara smiled. “You need to get her on Shelby’s schedule.”

  Marley had walked toward the back of the store where a huge artificial Christmas tree stood surrounded by several smaller ones, all displaying various types of ornaments. Tara joined her while Justin hung back, trying to find something of interest other than the way Tara smelled, and moved, and the way her eyes shone when she smiled. He gave up and found a seat close by and watched appreciatively while she talked to his sister.

  “I’m coming to your class next week to show you guys how to make clay ornaments.”

  “Oh yeah? Will it be like the Play-Doh ones I made in kindergarten?”

  Justin would have thought Marley was being rude if not for the smile on her face. Just how many moods was she going to go through this morning?

  Tara laughed. “I certainly hope not, but you’ll have to compare it to your old ones when it’s done.”

  As she had earlier, Marley tucked her hair behind her ear and stared at the tree. “I don’t have any of them. I don’t have any of my old things. When my mom died and I was put in foster care, our building super came in and cleared out the apartment. I don’t know what he did with anything. All I had were my clothes.”

  Justin started at that. He had asked her once if Sharon’s things had been put into storage. Marley had just said no, put in her earbuds, and that was the end of it.

  “I don’t have any of my old things either. I don’t know what my mother did with them, but she certainly didn’t keep them. You’ll just have to start collecting from this year on.”

  Marley nodded then whispered, “Not these, though. They aren’t very exciting.”

  “No, they aren’t. They were probably all made in China. We’ll be able to find you plenty of unique pieces that were made here. But right now is the perfect time to check out the chocolate shop. They serve free samples before lunch.”

  Justin watched as Tara looped her arm through Marley’s, nodded to the girl behind the counter, and then exited the shop. He was still reeling from what his sister had said. He should have pushed more when he asked about Sharon’s things, but Marley had seemed determined not to say anything, just as she always did when it came to her mother. He followed the girls out of the store but stayed on the sidewalk as they entered the chocolate shop.

  Allowing his anger at both the super and himself to take over, he pulled out his phone, quickly finding the number he was looking for. It was probably too much to hope that he could find any of Marley’s things, but he had to try.

  * * *

  The sight that greeted them as they exited the chocolate shop made Tara blink in confusion. Justin paced back and forth on the sidewalk, oblivious to the people trying to make their way around him. He had his phone to his ear and a look on his face that could have stripped the paint from the walls—fierce and determined, not in a scary way but as if he had everything that was good and right backing him up. Gone was the casual country boy that seemed to come naturally to him, and in his place was what she assumed was the role he played while living in Manhattan.

  She watched him for a moment, but when he uttered words that made the few people around them turn their heads in his direction, she quickly turned to Marley, whose attention, thankfully, was directly on her phone.

  “Hey, I thought we’d grab lunch at the tea shop just down there.” She pointed to the restaurant just a few doors down. “It’s probably a little delicate for Justin’s tastes, but I think you’ll like it. Why don’t you go get us a table before the crowd comes in?”

  Marley looked at Justin, who was still pacing furiously, and lowered her eyebrows into a V, almost mirroring the look Justin gave her on Halloween. Tara was touched seeing Marley’s concern. Did either of them realize how much they meant to the other?

  “Go on. I’ll find out what’s going on.”

  Marley nodded and walked away just as Justin ended his conversation. He noticed Tara and then looked around.

  “Marley is just right there. She’s gone to get us a table at the tea shop.”

  Justin nodded and let out a breath as he came to stand beside her. “That was Marley’s old super. He didn’t appreciate my questioning his authority to dump all of Marley’s stuff without her knowledge or consent.”

  A chilly wind whipped through the buildings as they started walking, but Tara didn’t feel it. Seeing Justin act as Marley’s defender had her melting.

  “Did he say what he did with everything?”

  “It’s all gone, donated, he said. He claimed there was nothing of value there, but if there was, you can bet he sold it. He said Sharon was two months behind on her rent and that he was justified in clearing out the apartment.”

  She took his hand and squeezed it as they reached the open doors of the tea shop. “You tried, Justin. Marley will appreciate that.”

  He didn’t look so sure as they found his sister and sat down. Marley had put away her phone and was looking at him apprehensively.

  Justin sighed. “I called your super. He said he donated everything. I’m sorry, kiddo.”

  Marley shrugged and then picked up her menu. “It’s not your fault.”

  Tara could tell that Justin didn’t agree. She wondered if he realized that the guilt rolling off him made Marley even tenser, though she was trying to hide behind her menu. Tara couldn’t stand it, and her voice likely sounded a few pitches too high as she tried to break the tension.

  “So what do you guys think of the place?”

  Justin looked around and smiled. “I’m sure the two of you like it a lot.”

  He put his hand on hers for a moment, expressing his appreciation. She gave him a small smile in return.

  “Is that Shelby?” Marley’s voice sounded beside her, and Tara’s smile grew.

  “I wonder
ed if you would notice that. I painted it a few years ago, and the owners bought it from the gallery.”

  A watercolor of her sister hung on the far wall of the restaurant, surrounded by mismatched plates and saucers. Tara had been quite proud of the piece, but it made Shelby uncomfortable to see it hanging in the house, so Tara sold it.

  “I didn’t know you did portraits.”

  Tara turned her gaze back to Justin. “I don’t, usually, but I just wasn’t feeling it one day and needed to do something different. Shelby was sitting on the couch reading, and I started drawing her. I worked on the portrait off and on for a few months in between other projects. It’s the only one I’ve done since art school.”

  “You don’t like doing them?”

  She shrugged. “I guess people don’t inspire me as much as nature does.”

  The waitress came and took their order—delicate sandwiches and tea for Marley and Tara and the heartiest item on the menu for Justin, micro greens topped with grilled chicken. He would be hungry long before they finished at the glass studio.

  “If you’re good and promise not to tell my sister, I’ll share the fudge I just bought with you.”

  Justin grinned and leaned as close to her as would be appropriate with Marley at the table, but it was enough to send a flash of heat through her. “Peppermint?”

  She nodded slowly.

  “I promise I won’t say a word. You can trust me, Tara.”

  The look in his eyes gave weight to his words, and Tara found herself desperately wanting them to be true.

  Chapter Eleven

  Tara was antsy. She always got this way right before she started a new project. The problem, however, was that there was no new project. She had sat down a half a dozen times at the potter’s wheel over the past week, and every time, the clay ended up as a tired ball spinning away on the wheel. She had nothing—no inspiration, no focus, and no plan. This time of year was always a little difficult, with her obligations to the community often taking up time she would spend creating, but never before had the block been so powerful. She had always been able to burst through simply by working. Put your butt in the seat every day, and the muse will find you. Now, however, Tara was even having trouble getting to the seat, choosing instead to watch movies or read late into the night, causing her mornings to be foggy and unproductive.

 

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