Chapter Twelve
Delaney walked along the town’s
boardwalks, a canvas bag bulging with flyers over her shoulder as
she absorbed the peaceful vibe in Sisters on a beautiful late
spring morning. This kind of day made it hard to believe any of the
ugliness Sawyer had described was real.
She loved her little mountain town.
The oldest buildings were on Main Street, and over the past thirty
years many had been rehabbed with an eye to maintaining their
historic charm. Rehab had involved protecting the structures from
disasters, so the old wood-framed hardware store had been made fire
resistant, while brick buildings like the bank and the
turn-of-the-century firehouse were reinforced to prevent them from
crumbling in an earthquake.
Preservation and rehabilitation of the
old downtown had paid off. Now the area was a popular destination,
enticing tourists to spend time at the collection of shops selling
everything from antiques to bicycles.
There were several restaurants and
cafés, a bakery, and an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. Half
barrels serving as planters dotted the wooden boardwalk and burst
with spring blooms.
Another draw was the small museum at
the Sisters Mine that highlighted the region’s gold rush
history.
The mine was located in a wide canyon
carved into the base of Payback Mountain, and the road to the
museum and mine offered glorious views of the valley.
Delaney felt satisfaction that Cider
Mill Farm also brought visitors to the area. There was something
about picking your own berries and apples, and visiting a
hundred-year-old working farm, that appealed to people.
The fact of which further convinced
her condos and golf courses weren’t what the area
needed.
So far, every business she’d asked had
allowed her to post a flyer in the window advertising u-pick
berries at the farm with the dates listed of performances by the
local band Blue Moon. At the bottom, she’d added a plug for their
Labor Day kickoff of apple season.
She opened the door to Retro Days, the
shop owned by Mateo’s mom, Antonia Reynoso. Entering the shop made
her think she was walking into a TV set from a 70s
sitcom.
Antonia specialized in late
mid-century furniture and goods, mostly from the 50s to the 70s.
Over the speakers Delaney heard a full-throated chorus singing
about the age of Aquarius.
Album covers from bands like Jefferson
Airplane and Heart were displayed on a glass-topped coffee table
set in front of a cabinet TV. Delaney loved browsing through the
store, especially the vintage clothing selection that included
everything from tie-dyed blouses to flower-power
dresses.
“Oh, Delaney, it’s
you.”
Antonia wore what she sold, and today
she showcased a flowy dress matched with beaded bracelets and
earrings in Native American designs. With her long dark hair
streaked with gray, she looked like a hippie mom, and since she was
all about peace and love, the look was appropriate.
She wrapped Delaney in a hug that had
her holding on, eyes closed, and breathing in Antonia’s floral
scent. Mateo’s mom had always treated his friends like they were
her own children, with unconditional love and open arms.
She released Delaney but held onto her
hands to study her, warm eyes crinkling at the corners as she
smiled. “Don’t you look cute and fresh with your sleeveless top and
denim shorts. I bet it feels nice to have a day where you’re not
wearing work boots and dungarees.”
“It does. How’s the
wrist?” Delaney asked. She wanted to know, but also sought to
forestall the questions she knew were coming.
“Recovered. I have an
appointment Monday, and hopefully that cute Doctor Delicious will
give me the all-clear and I can ditch this thing.” She waved her
splint-immobilized wrist. “It slows me down.”
“Doctor
Delicious?”
“I heard the X-ray tech
calling him that when she and a nurse were talking. He’s new in
town, and let me tell you, they aren’t wrong. He is delicious. A
little like George Clooney when he was on that medical show a
couple decades back.
“If I were your age and
not married I’d take myself to see him every time I stubbed my
toe.” She gave Delaney her mom look, the one that said she knew
exactly what was going on in her head. “But Walker’s back so a hot
doctor won’t hold any appeal for you other than visual eye
candy.”
Before Delaney could react, Antonia
went on, “Anyway, I’ll see him Monday and hope he says my bones are
good as new. I’ll have to listen to another lecture about not
climbing ladders at my age. I’m sixty-four, not a hundred and four,
and the doctor looks to be all of thirty-four, so what does he
know?” She shook her head with a laugh. “Enough of that. I want to
know how you’re doing. You must be missing James something
fierce.”
“I’m fine.” Antonia
continued holding her hands, waiting her out until Delaney slumped
her shoulders. “Okay, not all the way fine. I miss him so much. I
keep thinking I’ll see him in the orchard with his pruners or in
his workshop building something amazing. It’s like losing him all
over again when I realize I’ll never see him again and that he’s
really gone.”
“He’s not gone, honey, not
as long as he’s in your heart. Mateo’s dad died four years ago and
I still talk to him every day. I can do that because he’s in my
heart. James is in your heart, and as long as he is, he’ll never
truly be gone.” Antonia gave her hands another squeeze before
letting go. “And Clara? I called her the other day. I asked how she
was getting on, but you know your gran, she wouldn’t tell me if she
were at death’s door. I’m asking you because I know you’ll tell me
straight, how’s she holding up?”
“She doesn’t share a lot
with me either, but she seems to be okay. She misses James too, but
she’s busying herself getting ready for her cruise. I’m glad she
has something to look forward to. She and DeeDee drove to
Sacramento today to shop for clothes. I can’t believe they’ll be
gone five months.”
“It’ll be good for her.”
Antonia gave Delaney a considering look. “Walker came by. He
brought me that beautiful bouquet because he says it made him think
of me.” She motioned to the counter where a bright bouquet of
sunflowers in varying shades of yellow and orange sat in a green
glass vase. “He does things that just grab at my heart, you know?
Did you know he called when my Carlos was in the hospital? He was
in Canada somewhere with no cell service, but he’d found a pay
phone so he could call. We all talked for an hour. I love that boy
like my own. I’m so glad he’s finally come home where he belongs.”
She sniffed and gave her eyes a quick swipe. “Okay, enough of that.
Let’s focus on something positive so I don’t end up a sobbing pile
of mush. What brings you to town today?”
Delaney drew a flyer from her bag.
“Can I post this in your window? We open for berry season week
after next so I’m getting the word out. I’m hoping we’ll have a
good year.”
“Your boysenberries are
the best, and people love visiting your farm. Go ahead and put a
flyer in the window. If you have extras, leave them on the checkout
counter and I’ll give them to folks with their receipt when they
make a purchase.”
“Oh, that’s an awesome
idea. Let me print up some half-size flyers for that and I’ll bring
them in.”
“Do that, because other
shop owners would be happy to do the same.”
Antonia walked outside with her after
Delaney taped the flyer in the window. “Oh, look at those gorgeous
clouds. We could get a thunderstorm.”
Indeed, thunderheads were building
over the mountain peaks north of town, huge billowing clouds
stacked atop one another.
“Looks like.” They could
use the rain, but thunderstorms also brought the danger of
lightning sparked wildfires. It was still early in the year, but
worry about fires was never far from the minds of people who lived
in a mountain town surrounded by pine forests.
Remembering her other reason for
stopping at Retro Days, Delaney tilted her head as she spoke.
“Antonia, you were friends with Melanie Brennan’s mom before she
moved away, weren’t you?”
“Oh, yes. That poor woman,
she had a tough time dealing with what happened to her daughter.
Blamed herself, as one does when you can’t be with your child when
she needs you most. We were friendly, but not close.”
“Have you heard from
her?”
Antonia’s bracelets jangled as she
brought up her hand to tap a finger on her chin. “Let’s see, it
must’ve been nearly a year ago she sent me an email. She said she’d
met a man who treated her well and they were getting married. She
deserves some happy and I told her so.”
“Did she mention
Melanie?”
“As a matter of fact, she
mentioned she has a granddaughter. She didn’t say directly, but I
got the feeling Melanie was raising the little girl on her
own.”
“Oh, wow. Melanie’s a mom.
Would you mind giving me her mom’s email address? I haven’t heard
from Melanie since she left town and I’d like to get in touch with
her.”
“Sure thing, I’ll look it
up when I get home from work and send it your way.”
A woman who looked like she might have
been a teenager when the wares of Retro Days were modern walked by
and stopped at the display of 70s lunch boxes in the window. She
nudged her companion and pulled him to the shop door.
“Yippee, customers.”
Antonia gave Delaney a little wave. “I’ve got to go, sweetie. Nice
catching up with you. I’ll send that email address this
evening.”
Delaney turned to the
narrow walkway between Retro Days and Three Sisters
Bakery, out of which pumped heavenly
smells that made her weak enough to consider going in for one of
their amazing cinnamon rolls.
Her mouth watered at the
thought. But she’d parked in the lot
behind the stores fronting Main Street and figured she should grab
her umbrella from her car in case the thunder rumbling across the
valley actually meant rain.
She thought about what Antonia’d said