Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Elaine tugged open the closet of one of the upstairs bedrooms and was greeted by the pungent odor of mothballs.
“Dusty,” she murmured, gazing at the interior of the closet, which was filled with hanging clothes and a few boxes. The closet had never been equipped with electricity, so there was no closet light that she could turn on.
“What’s in there?” Michelle called to her from across the room.
“Well, dust,” Elaine replied with a laugh. “And I’m not sure. I guess I’ll just start taking items out one by one and setting them on the bed.”
The old fourposter bed was covered in a faded quilt, and she and Michelle had already folded it over in half to reveal a surface that wasn’t covered in dust. After they were finished cleaning out the closet and washing the windows—a task that Michelle was eagerly engaged in—she intended to wash the quilt and the sheets that were under it.
“Sounds good to me, then I can see them better,” Michelle chuckled and scrubbed hard at the pane of glass she was working on. The windows in that room were bordered by stained glass roses, and she’d been practically squealing when she first saw them.
Elaine took down one of the boxes from the top shelf and opened it, releasing a cloud of dust as she did so. Inside the box was a collection of postcards, and her heart gave a jolt when she saw them.
“I remember this box,” she said softly. “Your grandfather collected all the postcards he ever received. He had about four boxes full by the time he passed. This box was the one he was adding to right when we first got married.” She looked around the room, nostalgic tears gleaming in her eyes.
“This was the room we slept in together for most of our marriage. In recent years we moved down to the ground floor because he was having trouble climbing the stairs.”
Michelle looked around the room with a new expression of reverence. “You guys picked a good one. This is a beautiful room—and these roses on the windows are so romantic.”
Elaine chuckled. “Yes, I thought so. There was a bigger room he’d suggested at first, but I loved this one and I begged him. He gave in after about ten seconds.” Her eyes sparked as she remembered the sweet early days of her marriage.
She exchanged a smile with her granddaughter and then went back to rummaging through the closet.
Next she pulled down a small chest full of antique linens, and then she turned toward the clothes.
First she pulled out one of her husband’s old suits, squeezing the fabric gently between her fingers as if she could embrace him with her hands.
The next item hanging in the closet was long and white, and her heart skipped a beat as she reached for it.
“Oh my,” she breathed, touching the silky fabric almost reverently. “This is my wedding gown.”
“It is?” Michelle stopped scrubbing the window and whirled around.
Elaine lifted the dress tenderly out of the closet and laid it on the bed. She gazed down at its soft folds, bittersweet tears springing into her eyes. “This is a surprise,” she said softly. “I forgot I kept this in here.”
“Oh, Grandma,” Michelle said, coming over to Elaine and wrapped her arms around her. “Are those happy tears or sad tears?”
“Both.” Elaine laughed breathlessly as she squeezed Michelle tightly. “I miss your grandfather but I also love to think about that wonderful day.”
“I’m sorry, Grandma. I hope digging up all of these memories isn’t too painful for you.”
Elaine squeezed Michelle’s hand. “Quite the contrary. I’m so grateful that we’re doing this.
If you and Audrey hadn’t come to town, these beautiful memories would have stayed locked away—maybe forever.
I might never have gone looking for this dress, and I never would have thought to bring it out into the spotlight like this. ”
Michelle chuckled. “I like that you’re calling this a spotlight. Your dress does look just gorgeous in the sunlight.”
Elaine shook her head. “I do mean a different spotlight—more of a metaphorical one, but I think we should display my wedding dress in the house. It’s actually a Coral Sands heirloom.”
“Really?” Michelle looked at the dress with new reverence. “How old is it?”
“Almost as old as Coral Sands,” Elaine said, shaking her head as she thought again of how privileged she was to have been able to wear a dress with so much history attached to it.
“My great grandmother was the daughter of Coral Sand’s founder.
All the eldest daughters in our family have worn the dress at their weddings. ”
“Oh wow.” Michelle touched the fabric of the dress, looking enthralled. “That’s incredible. I had no idea we had pieces of Coral Sand history like this in our house.”
Elaine nodded. “We certainly do.”
“How do you think we should display it?” Michelle smoothed out the folds of the dress so that she could see the shape of it better.
“We could get a giant frame and put it inside like it’s a piece of art.
Or!” She clasped her hands. “I like this idea better—we could put it on a mannequin and display it in the front hallway. It can be one of the first things people see when they walk inside the house. It would look amazing, and it would show people right away that not only do they get to see the house, but they also get to see various pieces of history that we’re displaying inside the house. ”
Elaine smiled, enjoying her granddaughter’s enthusiasm.
She wrapped an arm around Michelle and gave her a sideways hug.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I hope you don’t end up getting bored with Coral Sands.
I don’t want you to feel any pressure if you do end up deciding to move away, but I can’t imagine going back to the way life was before your arrival. ”
“Oh, Grandma.” Michelle turned their sideways hug into a full hug.
“I’m so happy to be here. I honestly don’t think I’ll end up getting bored with Coral Sands.
It’s so beautiful here. And it’s slow-paced for sure, but so far, I’m just finding that very relaxing.
I feel peaceful here in a way I never did in the city. ”
“I’m so glad to hear that. I just hope that peacefulness doesn’t turn into boredom after a while. I don’t think that doing things like picking up my car from Theo will end up being enough excitement for you.”
A mischievous light came into Michelle’s eyes. “I think I could definitely find enough amusement in those kinds of things.”
Elaine raised her eyebrows questioningly. “Yeah?”
Michelle grinned and started to whistle, going back to her task of smoothing out the dress on the bed. Elaine chuckled, realizing that her granddaughter was determined to remain mysterious.
“I’m so excited about turning the mansion into a historical site.
” Michelle said, and Elaine wondered if her granddaughter was changing the subject on purpose.
“I love the idea of enriching our town’s culture.
I mean, talk about something that will make me feel like I’m being useful!
I can put my efforts toward doing something that blesses you and Mom and blesses our town and all of the tourists who pass through it. ”
Elaine squeezed her hand. “I’m so glad to hear that.”
Michelle looked around the room for a moment, her gaze moving over the space. “What do you think about also making the mansion into a hotel? Or a kind of bed and breakfast? That way we could bring life back into all of these beautiful rooms.”
Elaine’s pulse quickened at the idea. “Oh my goodness. That could be wonderful. I’ve always loved hosting—it could be like hosting all of the time. We could have gourmet breakfasts, and host events in the parlor for our guests like karaoke nights and board game nights.”
Michelle nodded. “I really think it could be amazing. We should tell my mom about it when she comes home.”
Elaine looked down at her wedding dress, her heart dancing. If it had been wonderful to have Michelle and Audrey come into the house, how much more wonderful would it be to have all kinds of new and interesting guests?