Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
L ater that evening, Jenna’s phone rang, its cheerful tone echoing through the now empty cottage. She smiled when she saw her sister’s photo and clicked on the video call. “Hey, Marly.”
“Hi, sis. Hope I’m not calling too late. I’m still trying to get used to the time change between us now.”
“Yep, three hours difference. But I’m still up. Nash just left.” The words just slipped out, and she instantly regretted her remark.
Marly didn’t disappoint, her eyes widening with curiosity. “Nash? The contractor guy? What was he doing there so late?”
“We had a big storm come through. He just waited it out while it passed. It was a big storm. Electricity went out. It just came back on a few minutes ago.
“So you just sat there in the dark? All alone?” Marly prodded.
“No, I made us a snack. And I had candles, of course. Don’t you remember how often the electricity would go out when we visited?” Why, oh why, had she mentioned Nash had stayed with her during the storm? Marly was never going to let it go.
“So you had a romantic meal by candlelight.” Her sister’s eyes sparkled with mischievousness.
“Marly, you’re relentless.”
“It’s part of my charm. You love me for it.” Marly grinned and flipped her hair back with a dramatic flick of her hand.
She rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help smiling. “Marly, seriously. Leave it.”
“Okay, I will. For now. So how’s the cottage coming along? Give me a video tour.”
Grateful for the change of subject, she flipped the camera on the phone and started showing off the cottage. “Here are the bookcases. I’ve been working on refinishing them, but I’m not done. And here’s the kitchen. The cabinets and plumbing are all fixed.” She walked around the cottage, showing Marly what they’d been working on. “And here’s the guest room. Not finished yet, but it will be and waiting for you to visit.”
“Looks nice. And I should visit soon so I can meet this Nash guy.”
“Marly…” She headed out to the living room and slowly panned the room for her sister to see.
“What’s that box on the coffee table?”
“Oh, there was a loose floorboard and when Nash went to fix it, he found a hidden compartment below the floor. This wooden box was in it.” She zoomed in on the wooden box.
“Nash, huh?” Marly didn’t even try to hide her grin.
She ignored her sister.
“Anyway, that’s cool. What’s in the box?” Marly asked.
“A photo of a couple—looks like from the 1920s or so—and a stack of letters.” She opened the box and showed the contents to her sister.
“What do the letters say?”
“I only read one. It was a love letter. And whoever wrote it was leaving the island but promised to return.”
“Why did you stop at just reading one?”
“I… you know. After what happened with that last investigation, I don’t think I should poke around in things that aren’t my business.” She switched the camera back to face her, done with the impromptu tour.
“You do realize you’re an investigative reporter and you were only doing your job.” Marly shook her head.
“And I did a poor job of it, didn’t I?” She could hear the self-reproach and regret in her voice.
“No, you didn’t. It’s not your fault. You just reported on what you found.” Concern flashed in Marly’s eyes.
“And look what that did. And I didn’t even uncover the truth. I should have kept going.”
“Your boss pulled you off the story, right? He told you to move on to the next one,” Marly reminded her gently.
“But I should have kept digging. I felt like I didn’t have all the pieces.”
“You need to forgive yourself, Jenna. You were doing your job, and you did the best you could with what you had.” Marly’s words were filled with understanding and support.
Jenna hobbled over to the couch, a wave of exhaustion washing over her. The emotional toll of the conversation, combined with the physical strain of her injury, left her feeling drained.
Marly frowned. “Hey, are you limping?”
“A bit. Twisted my ankle.”
“Are you okay? You should put your foot up.”
Oh, good. When Nash wasn’t here nagging her about putting her foot up, her sister could step in and take his place. She sighed as she settled on the couch and propped her throbbing ankle up. “You satisfied?”
“You should be more careful.”
“I tripped on that loose board. The one that was covering the hiding space for the box.”
“You know, maybe you should read these letters. Maybe you can figure out why they were hidden there. And if you solve the mystery, maybe it will help you heal from what happened before. Because you do need to move on, Jenna. You do.”
“I have. I’ve moved to Magnolia Key.”
“No, sis, you ran away to Magnolia Key. That’s totally different.”
“Can we not go over this again?”
“Okay, but I still think you should read the letters. You’re a great investigator. It’s a piece of the island’s history. Some kind of secret relationship. Hey at the very least, you might dig up some juicy island gossip. Aren’t you the least bit curious? “
“I am. But still, they went to great lengths to hide this box.”
“Maybe it just got misplaced, or they didn’t have time to retrieve it because a hurricane came in and they left. I bet you could come up with lots of theories. You won’t know unless you look into it. Maybe their family would love to have this piece of history.”
“That’s what Nash said.” She instantly regretted her remark.
Marly broke into a wide grin. “Oh, he did, did he?”
She let out a long sigh. “He did. And he offered to help me try to figure out who the couple is.”
“Now that sounds like a sensible plan. Let Nash help you figure it all out.” Marly cocked her head to one side, not bothering to hide her grin. “And that would mean you’d have to spend more time with him.”
“Oh, look at the time. It’s getting late. I should probably head off to bed.”
“Right. You should. But maybe a bit of light reading before bed would be a good idea. Night, sis.” And with that, Marly clicked off the call.
She set down her phone and stared at the wooden box, torn with indecision. Maybe… maybe she should read just one more …
She reached over and opened the box, taking out the stack of letters. She selected one, and the crinkled paper rustled as she unfolded it. The page was worn as if it had been read a hundred times or more.
My Dearest,
Oh, how I miss you and wish I could return. I’m sorry circumstances have prevented us from having the future I wish we could have. My duties keep me here. And I have responsibilities that I can’t walk away from, no matter how much I want to.
I know you haven’t received a letter from me for a long time. I’m sorry. I was trying to forget about us. And the noble thing would be to just walk away. But I can’t bear to have no contact with you.
I just got a packet of your letters and it was so good to hear about your days and what you’ve been doing. I wish I’d been there to go to the festival with you, just like a normal couple.
But the fates have declared that will never happen for us. I’m not sure why they decided to have us meet, and then so cruelly establish the fact that we, as a couple, are impossible.
I will return though. At least I’ll be able to see you again, even if that is all we’ll ever get.
All my love forever
This letter was unsigned too. But at least a few more details were revealed. What was keeping the two of them apart? She glanced at the stack of letters and took out the next one. She read a half dozen more, but they didn’t reveal much. How was she going to figure out who wrote these? Who was the couple in the photograph?
She looked at the letters spread out before her on the table and checked the time. She should really call it a night. Carefully slipping the letters back into their original envelopes, she placed the letters she’d read on the bottom of the box and the unread ones on top. She’d tackle more of them when she had time.
She headed back to her bedroom, still a bit uncertain if she’d made the right decision to read the letters. She climbed into bed and turned off the lights but could only lie there staring into the darkness, her mind racing with thoughts of Nash intertwined with questions about the couple in the photograph.