Chapter 25 #2
“I am. I’m completely back on my program. I’ve already seen a hypnotist. It’s working. I have no cravings whatsoever. No feelings of self-loathing, thanks to your suggestion. I even think I can manage a trip on the water. And …” She twirled. “You’ll notice I’m sans Amira.”
“How is that possible?” Her bulldog went everywhere with her.
“I’m feeling confident. Strong. Mind you, that doesn’t mean I won’t take my sweet girl to work and such, but if I’m going to sail with Roy, I need to be able to be dog free. My assistant is eager to give her a temporary home.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
Vanna and Noeline entered the shop, and I excused myself to Reika.
Tegan, who looked sassy in her navy blue–and-silver flapper dress—the floral beading was exquisite—beat me to her family and hugged them. “Go change,” she whispered to me.
“On it. But before I go, ladies, you look fabulous. I love hot pink on you, Vanna. It really lights up your face.”
“It does, doesn’t it? I never wear this color, but Lillian convinced me.”
Noeline scanned the shop. “This is impressive. I’m so proud of you girls for pulling it off. I feel like I’m in a 1920s bookshop, right down to the pearls. By the way—Vanna, I didn’t want to tell you until we were all together—I’ve decided not to buy the other bed-and-breakfast.”
Tegan let out a happy squeal.
“Why not, Mother?” Vanna asked. “You can’t let Tegan bully you.”
“She didn’t. As it turns out, Helga’s friend is no longer available to help me with the enterprise. She got a gig at Whispering Winds, of all places, for a paycheck much higher than I could afford. Of course, she had to accept.”
“Helga can find someone else,” Vanna protested.
“She could, but for now, I’m happy with one place. The renovations are done. I’m booked for an entire year. I can’t wait to mount the special Christmas celebration.”
During the holidays, Noeline dressed up the bed-and-breakfast in the same fashion as the inn on Biltmore Estate, though on a much smaller scale. It was magical.
“Go, Allie.” Tegan nudged me. “Time’s a-wasting.”
I hurried to the office, closed the blinds, and changed into my dress. Darcy mewed his approval. Before returning to the shop, I checked my makeup and hair in the mirror on the stockroom wall. Still good. Setting up the party hadn’t marred a thing.
Tegan greeted customers as they entered. Chloe directed people to the food stations and beverages. All the guests embraced the Roaring Twenties style. Not one was wearing everyday clothing. Happy chatter abounded.
Zach strode through the entrance with Brendan Bates.
Bates had donned a very dapper beige suit.
Zach, who’d dressed in black trousers, black vest over white shirt, black tie, pocket watch, and bowler hat, gave the impression of a gentleman gangster.
All he needed was a sly mustache to complete the look.
Both men admired the lamé drapery, after which they began scanning the quotations.
I sauntered to them, a glass of lemonade in hand. “Welcome, boys. If you’re thirsty and you’re not on duty, the bar is thataway.” I hooked a thumb over my shoulder.
Bates strolled away. Zach stayed put.
“You look stunning,” he said. “Your emerald green is something else.”
“Beats my typical black-and-white getups, right?” I grinned. “Is the case settled? All t’s crossed and i’s dotted?”
He nodded.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, were you able to determine whether the initial on the cuff link we found was an I or a J?”
“Definitely an I and made by Finette’s jeweler. Good guess. Finette told them it was a gift to replace the one her father lost.” He smirked. “Guess they didn’t know her history. Her father never wore a suit in his life, let alone cuff links.”
The door swung open, and Evelyn Evers swept in, dressed in a ruby-red, floor-length gown, elegant red gloves, a feathered headband, ornate gold-and-pearl dangling earrings, and strands of pearls. She looked ready to launch into song à la Bessie Smith. She paused by Zach and me.
“Wow!” I cried. “Double wow!”
She smiled. “I love a little drama. If you have a moment, Allie …”
Zach excused himself and joined his partner at the bar.
I eyed her expectantly. “Are you hoping I’ll volunteer more often, as thanks for all that the theater did for our party?”
“Yes, and …” She drew me into one of the book aisles. “It’s time you know what happened between your mother and me.”
My lungs tightened. Did I want the truth?
“I was once an actress,” Evelyn said.
“Well, you don’t have that in common with Fern,” I said lightly, attempting a joke.
“No, we don’t, because she could never commit to anything.”
“Except math and Jamie,” I countered.
Evelyn glanced to her right. No one was listening in. I waited patiently. She regarded me again. “We were good friends. No, we were great friends.”
Wow. I hadn’t seen that with binoculars.
“Best buddies. We played together. Studied together. Attended the same college. She was going to be the best mathematician in the world. I was going to become a world-class actress, and then …” She drifted off again.
“She met my father and forsook you.”
“No. Never mind. It’s not mine to divulge.”
Before she could escape, I nabbed her elbow. “Uh-uh. You do not get to drop a bombshell and walk away. Fern likes me to know the truth. If she hasn’t told me, it’s because she didn’t think it was important. What happened?”
“She met my boyfriend.”
I gasped. “You called her a vagabond. Did she run off with him?”
“They traveled the US for one summer. He was head over heels for her. But when the autumn semester began, she dumped him, and he was never the same. I blamed her for his downfall. I reproached myself for ever trusting her. Looking back”—she sighed heavily—“I realize it wasn’t her fault. She was alluring and funny.”
Fern, alluring? Funny? I rolled my eyes.
“Alluring,” Evelyn continued, “because she was so knowledgeable and could speak rings around anyone.”
“And funny?”
“In a math genius kind of way. Do you know what mathematicians do after it snows?” She waited for a response. When I didn’t reply, she said, “They make snow angles.” She guffawed. “Angles, not angels!”
“That’s a genius joke?”
“It’s dumb, but it made her so relatable.” Her eyes crinkled.
“I’ve held a grudge for far too long. I owe her an apology. She was a good mother to you.”
“She didn’t teach me how to cook.”
She pulled a face. “There are other lessons a parent can instill.”
“Like how to not put down roots?”
“What a horrible comment that was. I never should have uttered it at Marigold’s memorial. Forgive me?” She tilted her head. “If you’ll give Fern my number, please tell her I’d like to make amends. Maybe coming from you, she’ll call me.”
“I’ll be glad to.” I caressed her arm. “Why didn’t you become an actress?”
“I was a basket case. Heartbreak showed up in every performance. I needed to pursue something more administrative, something less emotionally taxing. It was the best decision.” She pecked my cheek and crossed the room to chat with Chloe.
Tegan waved to me and gave me a questioning look. I gestured with a thumbs-up.
Zach saw I was free and rejoined me. “Got a sec?”
“More than a sec.” I licked my lower lip. His gaze followed my tongue. I felt my cheeks burn. “You keep avoiding me. It’s because I brought up the kiss, right?”
“Shh,” he urged. “Let me speak. It is about the kiss. I’d wanted to kiss you for the longest time.
I was so nervous about it. When you leaned forward, I froze.
I know it wasn’t a good kiss. A proper kiss.
Then when you said you shouldn’t have kissed me and rued having done so, I thought, Well, that’s that. We’re done. Friends going forward.”
I tugged his tie and pulled his mouth to mine. We kissed sweetly, eyes open. It was better than the first. Way better.
The front door opened and nearly hit me in the rear end. Laughing, I released Zach and apologized to the newcomer. Then my jaw dropped, because I recognized her.
“Delilah,” I whispered. “You came.”
“Yes,” she said in a dulcet voice. “I came.”
I’d tracked her down via her online presence and told her what had happened to Jason, unsure whether the news of his death would have reached California.
She’d been shocked to hear. She hadn’t a clue where he’d gone.
Never knew why he’d left. I’d confided what I believed to be true.
Upon learning she was pregnant, he’d abandoned his project and fled California.
She’d cried, saying because he never wrote, she thought he might have died.
She was as pretty as she was in all her pictures. A natural beauty. Gorgeous blond curls. Her soft pink Empire dress matched the color of her cheeks. But her eyes were filled with sadness. She noticed me eyeing her pregnant belly and pressed a hand to it. “It’s a boy.”
“Congratulations.”
“We’re going to name him Jason.”
My eyes welled with tears.
“I’ve come for the funeral.”
Magda had decided to host the funeral, seeing as Jason had no family, and because she and his family had been friends with the Yeagers. It was to be a small affair at the cemetery. She had ordered the headstone and had told me it would read: Dreamer. Builder. Gone too soon from this world.
Delilah surveyed the room and returned her gaze to me. She clasped both of my hands. “Jason would have loved this party. He always appreciated the past.”
“Yes, but he was hopeful for the future.”