Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
J enna got up early the next morning, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as memories of the previous day flooded her mind. She and Nash were back on good terms. She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten so lucky to find a guy like Nash, but she was grateful she had. He seemed to understand her. To get her. He hadn’t dismissed her feelings about the events in San Francisco. He had listened, truly listened, but like Marly, he’d encouraged her to move on.
She bounded out of bed and got dressed. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee lured her to the kitchen, where she poured herself a steaming cup. “Hello, liquid motivation,” she said, inhaling deeply. “Let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into today.”
Cup in hand, Jenna stepped out onto the deck. The reflections of the sunrise dyed the clouds a pale pink. The still-cool salty air blew her hair away from her face, stroking her skin.
Yesterday morning she’d been at Beverly’s, thinking her world was crumbling around her. And this morning, everything seemed to fall into place like a completed jigsaw puzzle.
“Hey, you.”
She turned to see Nash rounding the corner of the house, his smile as bright as the sunrise. Her heart did a little flip as he bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
“Hey, yourself.” She grinned back at him, as happiness swept through her at the sight of him. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company at this early hour?”
His blue eyes sparkled. “Well, I may have inhaled my breakfast just so I could rush over here and…” He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Do this.”
He leaned in, capturing her lips in a sweet, lingering kiss. When they finally parted, Jenna felt a bit lightheaded. She recovered and looked up at him. “Was it worth the wait?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Nash winked, his blue eyes sparkling. “You betcha. I’d skip a thousand breakfasts for that.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “You’re incorrigible. So, are you here to work on the cottage today?”
“I actually thought that maybe you’d want to come over to my place. There are a ton of boxes in the attic. I haven’t been up there in years. It’s like every person who ever lived in the house left boxes of stuff up there. We could look through some and see if we come up with anything to help solve the mystery of the letters.”
A hint of uncertainty flickered through her. “I guess so.”
He took her hands in his. “Are you still wavering on looking at all this? Still worried about what we might find?”
“A little bit.”
“I know you’re still wrestling with the idea of diving into this mystery. But I promise you, whatever we find, we’ll face it together. And who better to have by my side than an expert investigator like yourself?” He grinned, giving her hands a gentle squeeze. “Come on, it’ll be an adventure!”
She smiled at his enthusiasm. “Okay, okay. We’ll go hunting in your attic.”
“Perfect.” He wrapped her in a bear hug.
“What was that for?”
“Do I need a reason to hug my best girl?”
“No, probably not.” Even searching in a dusty old attic couldn’t dampen her mood.
They headed to Nash’s and climbed the stairs to the attic. Light flowed in from a large set of windows at the far end. “Where do we start?” The room was packed full of trunks and boxes.
“I’ve got no clue. I guess we’ll just each grab one and get started.” He reached out to a shelf, grabbed a box, and handed it to her.
They sat on the floor, sorting through items. Soon, hours had gone by and they hadn’t found anything that could have been Milton’s. She got up, stretched, and walked over to an old steamer trunk, lifting the lid to peek inside. She knelt beside it and took out an old wedding dress. “Look, Nash. This dress is beautiful. I wonder whose it is?”
Nash glanced over. “I’m not sure. Looks old though.”
She carefully set the dress aside. When she reached into the trunk again, she came away with an old family bible. The pages were thin and delicate beneath her fingers as she opened it. “It has the family tree here. Milton is listed. And it looks like he had a sister. Betsy. Oh, they’re twins. Look, the same birth date.”
Nash got up and came over. “I don’t know much about my family many generations back.” After a quick scan of the family tree, he turned the trunk and reached in. The old leather book he pulled out had a rusted metal lock, which popped open easily when he tested it. “Guess that lock didn’t keep this very secure.”
He handed it to her. She opened it slowly. “Oh, look. It’s Betsy’s.”
“Maybe it might have some clues. At least it’s from the right time period. Why don’t you look at it and I’ll search more boxes. Surely old Milton has a box in here somewhere.”
“You sure you want me to read this?”
He touched her face lightly. “I’m sure.”
She sat down and began to pore over the pages. Soon she was lost in the everyday details of life in the 1920s. The weather, who was dating whom, and even mentions of a few town festivals.
A short while later, Nash interrupted her reading. “Bingo. Found something. It even has his name written on the box.” Nash carried the box over and took off the lid. “Look, here’s a photo right on top.” He flipped it over. “It says Vera and Milton on the back. They look young.” He narrowed his eyes. “Doesn’t this woman look like the one from your photograph?”
She reached out for it and examined it closely. “It does.” She frowned. “Why does the name Vera sound familiar?”
“Not sure.” He reached in and pulled out some old leather books. “Looks like these might have been his logs when he was the lighthouse keeper. Ships coming in and leaving. Storms and how bad they were.”
She turned back to the journal, eager to find out more. “Oh, here’s Vera’s name right in Betsy’s journal. Looks like Milton and Vera were friends. Oh, maybe more than friends. Betsy says that Milton was sweet on Vera.”
“But then why would he have been the go-between for some other man writing to Vera? Assuming those letters were to Vera.”
“I don’t know.”
Nash reached down a hand. “I think we’ve done enough digging around for the day. Let’s take a break. I actually have to go out to a job site for a bit.”
She took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet. “I think I’ll go back to my cottage. Do you mind if I take the journal with me?”
“No, sure. Take it. I’ll drop you off on my way.”
“I think I’ll walk. Wouldn’t mind some fresh air after all this dust.”
They headed downstairs, and he walked her to the door. “Dinner tonight?”
“I’d like that.” She left and headed back to her cottage, but at the last minute turned and decided to stop by Second Finds to see Dale. Maybe he had found out something, even though she’d told him she was dropping the whole thing.
She walked into Second Finds, and Dale greeted her warmly. “Jenna, there you are. I was just getting ready to call you. I found out something. Not sure if it will help, but at least it’s something.”
“What did you find out?”
“I did some digging in the deed records for your cottage. Your cottage used to be owned by the Whitmores. Vera Whitmore’s father bought it for her.”
“Vera?” Her heart thudded in her chest and her pulse raced.
“Yes. The Whitmores have been on the island almost since the day it was discovered. They’re Miss Eleanor’s family.”
“She’s a Whitmore?”
“Born a Whitmore. Married a Griffin, but most people in town still think of her as a Whitmore. The Carlisles used to live next door to the Whitmores at one time. Then the Carlisles built a new house further out on the point. They’re among the oldest families that settled the island.”
“Thank you for that, Dale.” She started to tell him about what she and Nash had found, but decided she better not without talking to Nash. After all, it was his family member who might have been in love with Vera.
“And, funny thing.” Dale shook his head. “That necklace Tori found in the theater. It was Vera’s necklace. She’s sure popping up in strange places these days.”
That’s where she’d heard the name. Beverly had told her about the pendant and that it was Vera’s.
“That is strange how her name keeps coming up.”
“You could ask Miss Eleanor about Vera. See if she knows anything,” Dale suggested.
“Maybe.” But Miss Eleanor had already said that some secrets are best kept in the past. “I should go, but thanks for your help.”
She hurried home, poured herself a large glass of iced tea, and settled down with the journal. Soon she was lost in the pages. Betsy wrote a lot about her brother. It was obvious the two of them were close. Toward the back of the journal, she found a letter tucked between the pages. On the page next to the letter, Betsy had written again about her brother. As she read the words, her heart caught in her chest. Betsy was supposed to deliver this letter to Vera. A letter where Milton told Vera how he felt about her. But Betsy had seen Vera kissing another man. Some guy named Lawrence. It looked like Vera never got his letter if Betsy still had it in her journal.
Poor Milton and his unrequited love. But it seemed like Milton cared more about Vera’s happiness than his own. He’d agreed to deliver letters to her so no one would find out.
She continued reading the journal and smiled as Betsy fell in love and got married. Had two kids. She even mentioned that Milton had left his job as the lighthouse keeper and how mad she was at the town. And Milton for not just telling the town the truth about the letters. But Milton had remained true to Vera, never revealing her secret.
But as she finished reading the journal, she still had no idea who Lawrence was.