Chapter Sixteen #3
Most of the photos featured her dad. Like typical parents of an only child, Grammie and Grandpa had diligently documented his childhood.
Jovi smiled as she flipped through the pages and watched her dad’s progress from early elementary school through his high school days.
It was like a highlight reel of his life as an athlete in Evergreen.
She’d known he played a lot of sports but had never realized the extent of his success.
Between hockey and basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring and summer, Dad had racked up trophies and medals several years in a row.
She smiled at their family photo posed in front of the candy company.
Her dad looked to be about fifteen then.
The rest of the album featured postcards from field trips they had taken to amusement parks in California, another to Yosemite, and four whole pages devoted to their visit to Mount Rushmore.
Another two-page spread had been devoted to the candy company’s best-selling products.
Judging by Grammie’s outfits, this must’ve been back in the late nineties.
Jovi vaguely remembered one of the sweater sets and slacks Grammie wore in the photos as her frequent Sunday morning outfit.
Jovi squinted and leaned closer, studying each of the products’ containers and labels.
A carefully preserved newspaper clipping proudly documented the release of the iconic rose-hip jelly.
So Grammie didn’t mind devoting a page or two to her accomplishments.
Or had she taken credit for something that wasn’t even hers?
Jovi’s gut cinched tight.
Oh, Grammie. If only you could tell me the truth.
She traced her fingertips around the plastic overlaying a photo of her grandparents exchanging a kiss.
They stood beside a table, maybe at the church, Jovi couldn’t be sure, featuring an array of products from the candy company.
Every photo that she found of her grandparents together with her dad, they all looked happy. Content.
As Jovi examined photos of her grandparents, conflicting emotions flooded her mind.
On one hand, they looked so happy and in love, standing beside a table filled with treats from their family business.
But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
She had always believed that her grandmother’s radiant smile was genuine, but what if it was all just a facade?
And her grandfather, whom she had always idolized, did he really never feel like he came second to Mac Phillips?
The photos that had once brought comfort now left Jovi questioning everything she thought she knew about her family.
What was she supposed to do now?
With a heavy sigh, she closed the album, then flipped it open again hoping to find something that would ease her troubled mind. But all she found were more familiar photos and mementos. No secret recipes or hidden messages.
A muffled knock at the front door interrupted her mission. She left the album on the bed and walked down the short hallway, through the kitchen and over to the door. She peeked out the window. Her sister stood on the porch. Jovi unlocked the dead bolt, then opened the door and welcomed her inside.
“Hey, this is a nice surprise. What’s up?”
Isabel offered a tired smile. “I have news I wanted to share in person.”
“Great. Good news, I hope.”
Isabel shrugged out of her coat and hung it on the hook. “Yes. Mostly.”
“Can I get you something to drink? More water?” Jovi gestured to the giant green plastic bottle with a straw her sister carted around like a beloved accessory. “I can make hot tea or coffee.”
“Just more water, please.” Isabel thrust the container toward her. “Thanks.”
Isabel sat down on the couch and kicked off her boots then propped up her feet and stifled a yawn. “Sorry. I’m so tired.”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.”
She refilled Isabel’s water, poured a glass for herself, then grabbed a container of cranberry and white chocolate sugar cookies she’d brought home from work and carried them back to the living room. Isabel slumped in the corner of the couch with her head tipped back on the cushion.
“Are you feeling all right?” Jovi left the cookies on the coffee table, then handed Isabel her water and sat down beside her. The girl did not look well.
“I have an excuse for being exhausted,” Isabel said.
“Uh-oh. Do you have mono?”
Isabel’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “No, this isn’t mono. Jovi, I’m pregnant.”
Jovi gasped. “Really?”
Unexpected tears sprang to her eyes. She clapped, then leaned over and hugged her sister, rocking them both back and forth. “This is the best news ever!”
“Okay, okay.” Isabelle chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Thank you. I’m glad you’re excited.”
“Oh, my. I get to be an aunt.” Jovi pulled back, sniffling. “How far along are you?”
“I’m not sure exactly, but I’m guessing about eight weeks. I’ve had some weird cravings, so I took four pregnancy tests. They were all positive.”
Jovi plucked a tissue from the box on the table, then dabbed at her face. “Okay, then. Never hurts to be sure, I suppose. How’s Mason? He must be thrilled.”
“He is.” Isabel’s smile faded. “But I have more news.”
Jovi’s stomach dropped. “I’m sure you’re feeling extra cautious since you’ve miscarried before. Is the baby okay?”
“I haven’t been to the doctor yet. That appointment’s scheduled, though.” Isabel hesitated, picking at her thumbnail. “Mason got a job offer in Juneau.”
“Whoa.” Jovi sucked air through her teeth. “That’s a plot twist for sure. What are you going to do?”
“We haven’t decided yet. He’s been looking for a different job, and he said he wants to move, and we were starting to argue about it a lot.”
“Yeah, you’d mentioned that.”
“But now that I’m pregnant, he’s feeling torn. So he asked the hiring manager for an extension to think about the offer. Now he has to let them know in two days.”
Jovi swallowed hard. “That’s soon.”
“I came by because I wanted to talk about your plans. Since you don’t have too many more weeks here, and if you and I both make plans to leave town, Mom and Dad will sell the candy company in a hot minute.”
“Yeah, I know.” Jovi rubbed at the tightness in her chest. “I have five weeks left on my contract. I could re-up for another thirteen weeks. The clinic has plenty of work, and the manager already asked me if I would.”
“How do you feel about that?”
Images of Burke and Darby Jane filled her head. She quickly batted them aside. They couldn’t be the reason she extended her visit. “I’m happy to stay another three months. But after that, I’ll need to take a new assignment elsewhere.”
“I understand.” Isabel massaged her forehead with her fingertips. “Any idea where you might go next?”
Jovi reached for a cookie. “To be honest, I’ve kind of got my eye on this opportunity in Southern California.”
“That sounds fun.” Isabel’s smile appeared forced. “If I figure out how to travel with a newborn, I’ll come visit.”
“That’s sweet.” Jovi hesitated, the cookie halfway to her lips.
“I won’t hold you to that. By the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you about the conversation Burke and I had with Walker the other day.
He insists the reason Lois and Grammie stopped being friends was because Grammie was secretly in love with Mac, but he picked Lois instead.
That caused a huge rift and they fought over who owned the candy recipes. ”
All the color drained from Isabel’s face. “Seriously? That’s what he said? Well, remember I warned you that we had to let his grandson go, and Walker has a reputation for stretching the truth. His recollections are like fishing stories—they just get bigger and more outlandish with time.”
Jovi nodded and took a bite of the cookie.
Man, that was yummy. She’d have to tell Jerry this was some of their best work.
The moist consistency plus the perfect texture of white chocolate and dried cranberry made her want to reach for another.
“I told Burke about Walker’s tendency to exaggerate, but we all are so intrigued by this feud.
I’d like to find proof of whatever destroyed their friendship. ”
“Here’s the thing. We agreed you’d help come up with a product that would impress our focus groups enough to change Mom and Dad’s plans to sell. Frankly, we’re running out of time. I don’t know if more research about the feud should be your priority right now.”
“I know. But between the feud, that missing recipe, and Walker’s suggestion that Grammie and Lois’s friendship fell apart because of Mac… I can’t move on with everything that’s unresolved. Can you?”
Isabel offered a helpless shrug. “I really don’t want to move, and I don’t want the company to sell. But to be honest, Jovi, I love Mason, and our marriage comes first. I’m out of justifiable reasons to decline an offer.”
Jovi’s mouth went dry. She had always been the peacemaker in the family, the one who tried to keep everyone together.
But now, as she sat there with Isabel, facing the prospect of losing their family legacy, a renewed sense of determination welled up inside her.
“I’m going to find that salted caramel chew recipe, and it’s going to be such a success that Mom and Dad won’t want to sell even if you do move. ”
Isabel stared up at her like she’d lost her mind. It wasn’t the first time her sister had looked at her like that and probably wouldn’t be the last. But she wasn’t giving up.