Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Jameson watched until the taillights of Bob’s Chevy faded from sight. Taylor had been far prettier than the woman he had visualized when Bob had spoken of her, which had been often.
He wasn’t sure why, but he’d assumed she’d look like her dad, who’d been a short, stocky man with wiry black hair and a sharp jawline.
The only thing Jameson could figure, now that he’d seen the tall, willowy blonde with the big brown eyes in the light of day, was that she must take after her mother, a woman he’d never met.
According to what little Bob had said, he and his ex-wife had split when Taylor was in high school. When his wife had moved to California after the divorce, Taylor had stayed in GraceTown with her dad.
Bob, the kindest man Jameson had ever met, had also been an excellent judge of character. Despite Taylor not having been back to GraceTown to see her dad—at least not since Jameson had become Bob’s partner—Bob had loved his daughter deeply, which meant she was a good person.
Because family or not, Bob had been nobody’s fool .
“You were right when you said she’d be back.”
“I had a feeling.” Jameson was ready to let the subject drop, but it appeared Glenna had more to say.
“I didn’t recognize her.” Glenna’s eyes shifted toward Bob’s office before returning to him.
Jameson chuckled. “Me either. Bob didn’t have any recent pics of her. Only that one of a kid in the Halloween photo on his desk.”
She’d been dressed as Orphan Annie, complete with a red yarn wig and painted-on freckles. Bob had made an interesting-looking Daddy Warbucks.
“It’s clear she thinks she should be making the decision about having a service,” Glenna continued. “I still believe we should have some say. After all, we’re the ones who’ve been here for him, not her.”
Jameson shook his head. While he understood Glenna's perspective—she’d always been fiercely protective of her friends—in this situation, friends weren’t the same as family. “Bob would want her to handle this.”
Glenna’s brows drew together. “You think?”
“You heard her say she and Bob had discussed it.”
After a long moment, Glenna gave a reluctant nod. “At least the get-together at the Pug is already planned.” Glenna’s lips curved ever so slightly. “Bob liked the Pug.”
Jameson laughed. “That he did.”
“We need to talk about the business.” Moving to the chair behind her desk, Glenna dropped down and swiveled the chair back and forth, her eyes never leaving his face. “What will happen if Bob left her his share?”
“If he did, she’ll sell. What good is Elite to her?”
“You’re probably right,” Glenna said, searching his face. “Do you have enough money to buy her out? If not, I have savings. I’d be happy to lend you some.”
“That’s a generous offer, and I appreciate it.” This conversation ventured as close to personal as Glenna had gotten with him. Though she’d constantly butted into Bob’s business, a fact Bob had never seemed to mind, she stayed out of Jameson’s.
Jameson hoped that wouldn’t change now that Bob was gone. Still, he wouldn’t take Glenna’s money. She’d worked hard for whatever savings she’d accumulated, which made her offer that much sweeter.
“As long as she doesn’t think Bob’s share is worth a fortune, I should have enough.”
“Okay, then.” Glenna picked up the brown bag she’d dropped on her desk when they’d entered the office and seen a strange woman inside.
“Back to business.” Glenna gestured to her tidy desktop. “Do you want to eat out here?”
“What say we skip the meeting this week?” Jameson suggested. “I have some calls to make. I’ll eat at my desk.”
“I’ll do the same.” Glenna expelled a shaky breath. “I haven’t gotten much work done since, well, since…”
“Same.” Both he and Glenna had been floundering since that horrible day.
Glenna took out the sandwiches, chips and brownie squares they’d purchased from a food truck parked down the block. “She’s a pretty one, isn’t she?”
Leaning over, Jameson scooped up his share. “Pardon?”
“Bob’s daughter. I guess I expected her to look like him, not to be so, well, lovely,” Glenna added grudgingly.
Jameson nodded, recalling how Taylor’s honey-blonde hair had been tousled around her shoulders as if she’d hopped out of bed with no time to brush it. Her large dark brown eyes had been an enchanting contrast to the lightness of her hair.
“I wonder if she’s dating anyone.” Glenna brought two fingers to her lips and tapped them against her mouth. “I would think if she was and it was serious, he’d have come with her. ”
“It doesn’t matter.” Jameson waved a dismissive hand. “Once things get settled here, I bet neither of us will ever see her again.”
Taylor swung by Sip and Charm Spirits and picked up a bottle of wine on her way home. Home. No longer the apartment she’d shared with her friend Angi in Chicago, but the three-bedroom Cape Cod-style house her parents purchased when she was five. Her mother had started a new job for a large consulting firm, and the boost in her salary had been enough to make her parents’ dream of homeownership a reality.
Once inside, Taylor paused and let her gaze linger on the living room. Not much had changed since she’d left for college a decade earlier.
Her dad’s fierce love for the status quo showed.
After setting the bottle of wine on a thin side table near the door, Taylor impulsively took the tweed jacket from the coat tree and slipped it on.
As she sat, the stress of the visit to his office slid from her shoulders as the warmth from the coat wrapped around her.
She thought of the first part of the note.
I love you
How she wished she could believe that was a message from Dad to her.
Even as grief flooded her and Taylor swiped at her eyes, she could almost see him standing before her, patting his heart. It had been his silent way of reminding her of his promise to always be there for her.
Tears slipped down her cheeks as memories surged.
Little notes with messages of support and love in her lunchbox, under her pillow and even on the backside of the cereal box. The notes had been the rough, tough detective’s way of giving her gentle advice and encouragement as she navigated life .
“Just like a compass, I may not always show you the way, but I’ll be there to point you in the right direction,” had been his promise.
Anyone would tell you that Bob Higgs’s word was his bond.
But even her dad couldn’t keep a promise from beyond the grave.
Taylor surged to her feet. She couldn’t sit and think. If she did, she’d break down. She’d already done enough crying to last a lifetime.
Hoping to quell the rising grief, she put on running shorts and a tee and headed outside. She was locking the door behind her when her phone dinged.
Taylor glanced down and groaned.
The text was from Lynda.
I just heard about Bob. I’m so sorry. I can be there for you.
For a second, Taylor wondered how her mother knew. Lynda didn’t have any friends in GraceTown. Then again, before the divorce, this had been her home.
Not once during all the years that she’d been gone had Taylor’s father uttered a bad word about her mother. Though he’d never pushed, Taylor knew he’d wanted her to have a relationship with her mom. The last time she’d spoken with her dad over FaceTime, he’d mentioned Lynda had said Taylor was slow to respond to her texts. Taylor had changed the subject.
Please don’t come. You’re not needed.
Even as she sent the message, Taylor felt her father’s disappointment.
Slipping the phone back into the pocket of her shorts, Taylor stood for a moment on the porch, letting the breeze cool her hot cheeks. She was glad it was sunny. The last thing she needed was for a day as cloudy as her mood.
Eager to get started, Taylor had one foot on the next step when she heard her name.
Turning, she saw a woman jogging toward her, a mass of wavy brown hair framing a pretty face. It took only a second for Taylor to recognize her. “Chloe Frederick. Is that you?”
“In the flesh.” Chloe's smile quickly faded, and sympathy shone in her amber eyes.
Taylor braced herself, but the condolences didn’t come. It was almost as if Chloe knew that was not what she needed right now, which didn’t make sense.
Chloe didn’t know her—not anymore. Though they had often played together as children, they hadn’t been close friends and hadn’t stayed in contact.
They'd initially become acquainted through Matilda Beemis, who’d lived three doors down. Chloe had spent considerable time at Til’s house growing up. Til had also watched Taylor when her mother had been out of town or her dad’s duties as a detective had kept him away from home.
“My dad mentioned you’d moved into the neighborhood after Til’s passing.” Taylor hesitated. Was it as hard for Chloe to accept condolences? Or had enough time passed that the pain had dulled? “She was an amazing woman.”
“Yes, she was.” Chloe’s gaze searched hers. “Your dad was amazing as well. I was sorry to hear the news.”
Swallowing hard, Taylor looked away. “I still can’t believe he’s gone.”
“Do you remember when we climbed the tree in your yard to rescue Sylvester?” Chloe’s lips curved. “The look on your dad’s face…”
Taylor couldn’t help but smile. While trying to rescue the cat, she and Chloe had gotten stuck on one of the tree’s high branches. Her mother had come running from the house when they’d called for help. She’d been ready to climb up herself when Taylor’s dad had arrived home.
He'd seen his daughter and her friend perched on a branch that hadn’t looked strong enough to hold a cat, much less two young girls. The rickety ladder his wife had retrieved from the garage hadn’t begun to reach high enough.
“The fire department came.” Chloe shook her head.
Taylor chuckled. “With sirens blazing.”
“The sirens scared the cat, and it raced down the tree.”
“The firefighters were nice to us,” Taylor recalled.
“Your parents and Til were cool about it, too.” Chloe smiled. “They didn’t make us feel like foolish kids—or at least I didn’t feel that way.”
“That’s how I remember that day, too.”
“Your mother made root beer floats, and afterward, we caught fireflies.” Chloe offered a contented sigh. “It ended up being a magical day. It started bad, but ended up being really, really good.”
It had been a magical day, Taylor thought. She recalled her parents and Til laughing and talking while she and Chloe had raced around the backyard as dusk settled, mason jars with holes cut in the lids in hand.
“I’m glad we’re going to be neighbors again.”
Chloe’s comment pulled Taylor back to the present. She looked up and found her old friend staring at her with a curious expression.
“You are staying, right?”
“I am.” Taylor had decided that on the plane ride here. There was nothing for her in Chicago, not anymore.
“Where were you living again?” Chloe’s brows pulled together. “I know your dad told me, but I forgot.”
“Chicago. The firm I worked for was recently bought out by another, and they had their attorneys, so I was let go.” Taylor kept it short and sweet.
“That stinks. I’m sorry.” Understanding filled Chloe’s golden eyes. “I left my job in Miami this past spring. I quit, but I saw the handwriting on the wall, if you know what I mean.”
“That stinks, too. ”
“True enough.” Chloe nodded. “But it was time for me to come home.”
Taylor blinked in confusion. “But your parents don’t live here anymore, do they?”
“They haven’t for a long time. But GraceTown has always been home to me. It didn’t take me long after I returned to realize why I love it here.”
“What is it you do? I mean, for a living.”
Chloe gestured to the sidewalk. “What do you say we log some miles while we talk?”
“I say yes.”
Once they’d settled into an easy rhythm, Chloe spoke. “I’m the manager of the Oasis.”
“Um, what?”
“You asked what I do for a living.” Chloe smiled. “I’m the manager of the Oasis. It’s a boutique hotel in the business district.”
Taylor brought an image into focus. A three-story brick structure with dome awnings over the door and three floor-to-ceiling windows in the front. Elegant but approachable. “I remember the Oasis. It has a Parisian vibe. Graceful Oasis, right?”
“That’s the official name. Most simply call it the Oasis now.”
“I don’t believe I’ve ever been inside.”
“Visit sometime. I’ll show you around.” Chloe chuckled. “The hotel isn’t large, so the tour will take all of five minutes.”
“I’d like that.” Taylor slanted a glance. “Do you work a split shift or?—”
“I put in some extra hours on the weekend, so I’m treating myself to an afternoon off.” Chloe slowed her steps for a moment and breathed deep. “Smell the applewood? Someone has a fire going.”
Taylor sniffed the air. “It doesn’t seem cold enough for a fire.”
Chloe laughed. “That’s because you’re used to Chicago weather. Try coming back here from Miami. ”
“You’re living in Til’s house now.”
“She left it to me when she passed.” Chloe cleared her throat. “I have a roommate, Emily. She’s our age and new to GraceTown.”
“I can’t wait to meet her.” Taylor realized it was true. She missed having friends nearby.
“You’ll like her,” Chloe told her. “I will find a way to get the two of you together.”
The long hours she’d put in at the office had left little time for anything else. That’s why sharing an apartment with her best friend had been so wonderful
She wondered now if their friendship would have survived if they hadn’t been under the same roof. Taylor automatically skirted a trike left on the sidewalk. “I’d like that. Just let me know. My schedule is wide open.”
“Any idea what you’re going to do for a job?” Chloe asked as they turned and headed down the street leading to Maplewood Park.
Growing up, all the kids in the neighborhood knew the way to the park.
“No idea. The plan is to get everything settled, then see what’s out there.” Taylor felt no pressure, as her dad’s attorney had mentioned that the house and the car were hers, which gave her a place to live and a vehicle. She also had money from savings to tide her over. The business, well, Taylor assumed the business would go to Jameson.
“I wouldn’t stress about it.” Chloe offered a reassuring smile. “Not only does this town have an abundance of opportunities, but as you know, there is no better place to live.”