Chapter 15
When they reached the town of Woodstock, Vermont, they got in a friendly squabble over whether it made more sense to book a hotel room first, in case they needed one, or go straight to the craft shop.
But Tina pulled rank since she didn’t want to take a chance on missing Kate Mansfield. They could always sleep in the car; she’d done it before on a case.
He obeyed and pulled into a parking space right outside the Bibs and Bobs Craft Shop.
“What’s a bib?” he muttered, as he peered up at the hand-painted sign.
“Or a bob, for that matter?”
They looked at each other blankly, then both burst out laughing.
“So neither of us knows anything about crafting,” Tina said, when she could finally catch her breath.
“Nope. Do you think we can pull this off?”
“Of course we can. You’re an actor, that’s all the craft you need. Besides, I’m going to do the talking, remember? You just need to look more…more like an actor. You look too normal. You need sunglasses or something. A ball cap. Like you’re trying to hide from the paparazzi.”
“There’s paparazzi in Woodstock, Vermont?”
“They’re everywhere,” she said darkly. “Anyone with an iPhone can be a paparazzi now.”
Giving into that obvious logic, he pulled on his Boston Red Sox cap and his aviator shades.
Meanwhile, Tina worked on removing every hint of “cop” from her appearance.
She stashed her badge in Jack’s glove compartment and pulled her necklace from under her shirt.
Her parents had given her the circular jade charm when she made detective; it was meant to bring good fortune and protection, since jade possessed protective energies, according to her mother.
Just in case, she always wore it when she was on the job, though she tucked it away under her clothes. It drew too many comments.
Like the one from the middle-aged woman at the counter, who perfectly matched Gabby’s description of Kate Mansfield. “Oh my, would you look at that,” she breathed, staring at Tina’s chest. “That’s real jade, I assume?”
“It is.” Tina gave her a bright smile. “Isn’t it darling?
My boss gave it to me. Well…” She lowered her voice and looked over her shoulder at Jack, who was lingering by the door, as directed.
“He said to pick something out for myself and I chose this. He never even asked the price, can you imagine? I have the best job in the world.”
She widened her eyes, every inch the starstruck assistant.
“That’s your boss?”
“Yes. We’re just passing through town on the way to his next shoot, but someone recognized him and started following us. We almost had a chase! Is it okay if he stays out of sight in here until the danger has passed? These stalkers can be so intrusive.”
“Of course.” Kate’s gaze shifted to Jack. Her lush graying red hair was in a loose knot, with strands framing her face. A graceful seventy-year-old still holding onto her beauty. “Who is he? Someone I know?”
“Jack Finnegan. Have you ever seen Dark of Night?”
“Oh no, that sounds too scary. I don’t watch any of that kind of thing.” She shuddered. “Real life has enough of that, you know.”
“I’m a romcom gal myself.” Tina pulled out that extra-perky smile again. “But Jack is an amazing actor. Jack, come here and meet…” She paused expectantly.
“I’m Kate.”
“And I’m Tina Chen, though all you really need to know is that I’m Jack’s assistant. I promise we won’t be here long.”
Jack ambled over and shook Kate’s hand, and even though she probably didn’t recognize him, his high-voltage smile worked its magic. “A real-life Hollywood star in my little shop,” she marveled.
“And a lovely shop it is.” He bowed his head over her hand, a gallant gesture that made Kate’s face flush. “If my mother saw this place, she might move in next door just so she could shop here whenever she wanted.”
“That’s so kind of you. Is she a crafter?”
“She always says her happy place is somewhere between a glue stick and a crochet needle.”
For the life of her, Tina couldn’t figure out whether any of that was true. Just how good of an actor was Jack?
“What’s her favorite kind of crafting?” Kate asked eagerly. “You could pick up a gift for her.”
She came around the counter, ready to show them around. She wore a hand-knitted colorful vest over a turtleneck, and a swingy wool skirt that brushed the tops of her suede boots. The look said, “ready for fall and peak crafting season.”
“I love that idea. The thing is, she has so many supplies already. I’d love to give her something really special.” He pulled a sad face. “I hardly see her anymore, not since I got the job on Dark of Night. Do you have kids? What kind of thing would make your day if they gifted it to you?”
Kate looked stricken for a quick moment.
“I’m so sorry if that’s too personal,” Jack said quickly.
“No, I…no.” Kate shook her head, clearly trying to get her composure back.
Tina wondered if she should jump in, if Jack had pushed it too far. Damn it. She’d warned him to let her do the talking.
But despite her warning glare, he kept going.
“The truth is, my mother and I have a complicated relationship. We always have, even before the show. We rarely talk and when we do, we don’t know what to say to each other. Do you know what I mean?”
Kate nodded, her gaze glued to his face.
“It’s like there’s so much piled up that we don’t know where to start. I want to fix it, but I don’t know how. Maybe if I could speak her language, you know? Quilting, candle-making, something like that. Do you think that would work?”
Kate’s eyes filled with tears. “I…I…”
Oh shit. She was going to cry.
Jack stepped closer to Kate and touched her gently on the shoulder. “Are you okay? I’m sorry I unloaded all that on you. This cozy shop reminds me of her, that’s all. It’s so peaceful, like couldn’t we reconcile over a crochet needle?”
She gave a wobbly smile, but it didn’t last. A moment later she burst into tears and covered her face with her hands. As she sobbed, Jack squeezed her shoulder, offering comfort. She leaned in, resting her forehead against his chest.
Tina watched, amazed. This was a Marigold situation all over again. How did Jack do it?
Over her shoulder, he mouthed something to Tina—it looked like “back off a few steps.”
She did so, giving them some space, and a moment later Kate started talking in between her sobs.
“My…my children don’t speak to me. I haven’t seen either one in years.
I…I don’t even know where they are. Every so often I get a text from my son, but after we talk a tiny bit, he’ll change his number and we’ll be back to silence.
My daughter…my daughter blames me for everything.
She didn’t even invite me to her wedding.
I’m so ashamed. What kind of mother doesn’t get invited to their own daughter’s wedding? ”
Tina could think of a number of follow-up questions—who did she marry, when did she marry—but unless she could psychically communicate them to Jack, she’d have to rely on him to probe further.
He did not. He simply held the sobbing woman and repeated, “It’s okay, families are complicated. You’re okay.”
Frustrated, Tina waved her hands to get his attention, then mouthed, “Ask her about husband.”
He gave a minuscule shake of his head.
Damn it. Jack Finnegan was too nice of a guy, that was the problem. He wanted to comfort Kate, not interrogate her. Was he forgetting about their purpose for being there? Didn’t he want to find his sister?
You’re letting your thirst for results run away with you, she told herself.
She had a tendency to do this. People weren’t just machines who spat out answers on command.
They needed delicate and specific handling, and that was exactly what Jack was instinctively doing.
She should back away and let him work his magic.
While she worked hers by finding out anything she could.
She spotted a half-open door behind the counter, and figured it must be a bathroom.
Moving quietly so as not to disturb Kate, she darted around the counter, scanning everything she passed.
She made her way past a stack of boxes with tissue paper, ready for packing; a rack of spools of thread of every color in the rainbow; and a banquet table piled with framing supplies; a corkboard absolutely covered with photos.
In the bathroom, she found a washcloth and ran it under warm water. Grabbing a towel to go with it, she made her way back to Kate’s side. Her sobbing had slowed, and she was wiping away her tears with fingers.
“Here, sweetie,” Tina said kindly, handing her the washcloth and towel. “I always like a warm facecloth after I have a good cry.”
“Thank you.” Kate buried her face in it. “I’m so embarrassed,” she murmured. “You two are complete strangers.”
“You know, sometimes it’s easier to let things out with a stranger,” Tina said. “Because you’ll never see them again, so what does it matter? Besides, you shouldn’t be embarrassed. My therapist says it’s so important not to let things just fester inside you.”
Jack shot her a sardonic look, as if he knew she’d never seen a therapist in her life. Which was incorrect, since her department mandated therapy sessions after every officer-involved shooting.
Kate took the towel from Tina and patted her face dry.
“I never talk about these things,” she said as she clutched the towel tightly in her hand. “But it’s always on my mind. Do either of you have children?”
They both shook their heads.
“Then you could never understand this pain.” She twisted the towel in her hands. “I did everything for my children. Every decision I made—we made—was for them. Only for them to turn their backs and blame me, when they knew it wasn’t my fault.”
“Oof, that’s rough,” said Jack, all sympathy and concern. “Maybe they just need some time. At least your son reaches out sometimes, yeah? That’s a start.”
“He does, but I never know when it’ll happen.
He’s very close to my daughter, and I think she poisons his mind against me.
She’s the eldest, so she saw everything—” She broke off and straightened her spine.
“I am so very sorry to inflict all this old drama on you. All you want to do is avoid the public and here I am crying on your shoulder like a toddler.”
“Please, it’s quite all right. Honestly, I wish my mother would open up like this. It would do her good.” Jack’s smile would have lit up a windowless closet. “Maybe this was destiny, us stopping in here like this. A son missing his mother, a mother missing her children.”
Okay, reel it in, Tina thought. She’s not going to buy that destiny crap. It might make her suspicious.
“Maybe you’re right.” Kate put one hand over her heart. “God works in mysterious ways.”
Welp, another thing Tina had called wrong. She had to hand it to him, Jack obviously connected with this woman much more than Tina did.
“He sure does,” Jack said easily. “I’m glad we came in here. Now load me up with something special for my mom. How about something in the needlepoint realm? She used to make these hilarious pillows for us. You know what mine said?”
“Hmm?” Kate seemed grateful that someone else was doing the talking now.
“Shut up and listen to your mother.”
Kate giggled, then laughed, then darted about the store filling a shopping bag for Jack. He paid for it all without blinking an eye, while Tina’s mouth dropped at the sight of the bill. Who knew needlepoint supplies could add up so fast?
“I’m surprised she charged you at all,” Tina said when they were back in his Audi, waving goodbye to Kate in the doorway of her little shop. “I think she would have given you half the store if you’d let her.”
“Just tell me you got something helpful while you were lurking behind the counter. I felt terrible letting her talk like that, spilling her guts. She’s a woman in pain.”
Tina put a hand on his thigh, which was even more muscular than she’d imagined.
She instantly snatched it away. No distractions.
“You were very sweet to her and did nothing wrong. She spoke of her own free will, and I think it meant a lot to her that you were so kind. Don’t forget the point of all this. We’re trying to find your sister.”
He nodded a few times, then started up the car. “So did you get something?”
“Oh yeah.”