The Whispering Pines Bookshop (The Banner Elk #1)
Chapter 1
Chapter One
Iris
“Have you heard from your brother recently?” Claire’s voice echoed across the office, the twinkle of sunlight fading from the window a reminder that business was about to pick up its pace.
Iris sighed, trying to think back over the last few days, if she’d said something wrong during her last conversation with her twin brother Isaac. Nothing came to mind but the usual questions about when she was coming home and how she belonged back in Elk Banner with him.
“Nope. About a week ago, a bit unusual, but he’s been begging me to come home. I’ve got so much to do around here, you know, with that new house tour we’re starting at the beginning of this month. Mallory is going to be so excited when it opens.”
She smiled, knowing Claire’s daughter Mallory, teenage ghost expert, was going to love their new haunted tour. Their eyes met, a glimmer of enthusiasm in her best friend.
“She is, and so is everyone else. Just promise me, you will come and sip wine, meet that cute owner, and see for yourself. I’m telling you he is perfect for you! It’s about time you finally find Mr. Right and be happy.”
Frowning, Iris wanted to scream. “If it's not my brother begging me to come home, it's you begging me to find someone, settle down like you and have babies. I’m telling you that’s not in my cards. I don’t have it in me, even if I made that silly promise to my mother all those years ago.
Besides, love doesn’t fit me either. Sure, a nice dinner, a great movie, maybe a nice stroll together hand in hand, but long term—” She shrugged her shoulders, surrendering to it.
“Not a good fit, not in the cards, and believe me before you get on your horse, I’ve tried. ”
Claire pinned her with a dazzling smile. “Trust me on this one. Tomorrow night, at eight o’clock, come to the party, and at least meet him.”
“Fine, whatever. Just don’t expect me to get all dazzled; I don’t care how much money he has or what he does for a living. I don’t care how fancy his car is, or how expensive the vacations are, got it?”
Claire’s head fell forward, thumping on the desk. “Fine. Can’t hate a girl for trying. You're only 46, Iris. I mean seriously, don’t you want love, romance, children, or at least a gorgeous diamond ring on your finger someday?”
Knowing her friend wouldn’t let this go until she had some answers, Iris wrinkled her nose.
“Sure, who doesn’t, but not everyone gets what they want, and some never get married.
I think I’m falling into that category, by the way.
And before you keep going, I’m heading out.
Our first tour is about to begin; I never get enough of the looks on their faces when I tell the stories.
Keep me posted on how things are going with the next round, and we can switch out around 9:00 p.m.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Clair stamped her fist on the desk.
Iris hurried out the door before her best friend had an epiphany moment and it was another round of dramatic conversation to make her late for her first series of customers.
Rounding the corner, out of their small office and to the porch where her fleet of waiting customers hung out, she smiled.
“Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me today on our little adventure. You are going to have so much fun. I’ve got a lot to share with you tonight, so much to see and experience.
If you’ll follow me this way, we can get started. ”
So it was every night, seven days a week, as part-owner of the most prestigious ghost hunting and haunted tours expert in Wilmington, North Carolina. Two hours in, 9:00 p.m. rolled around, after the last of her customers faded into the gift shop.
“How were they tonight?”
Iris dusted off her hands, rocking back in her sneakers to study the gloomy sky.
“Looks like rain; otherwise good. One woman had to stop and go back; she got scared when I told her about the crypt, something about her grandfather being buried in one. Other than that, I thought I was going to need an ambulance, my walkie-talkie in hand on High Street, and an elderly man who joined us clenched his chest. Turns out he had a bad case of digestive issues; thank goodness for that. Still, I had Leah come take him to the gift shop early; she gave him some candy for free, which cheered him up for having to leave the party early.”
Claire, walkie in hand, smiled. “Well, at least it wasn’t like mine the other night. Who would ever think it's okay to bring a toddler to one of these? It's like taking them to an adult amusement park. Well, go on home. If I need you, I will call, and Leah is here until close so we should be good.”
Iris nodded and noticed the next round of tourists approaching before backing into the office door. “I got some paperwork to do before I leave, here for now.”
With their usual two-fingered forehead salute, Iris turned and closed the door softly behind her. Slumping in her chair, mentally she noted to throw the sneakers she’d bought on sale away. What was I thinking? For real, who would want this narrow toe?”
She tossed them toward the trash can beside the door; a miss and both shoes, one by one, hit the floor with a thump. A soft sigh, pinch to the bridge of her nose, and business as usual.
By midnight, one too many petite cups of coffee, and she was ready for bed when Claire walked in. “Goodness, you're still here?”
“Yeah, I said I had work to do. Besides, I got things on my mind right now, a lot on my mind actually.” The last of her paperwork shoved in its folder for the night, she leaned back and sighed.
“Isaac, it’s unlike him not to call me. We speak almost every day.
I’ve got all this rolling around in my brain; I talked to you about it.
Retirement, when and how? Where I’m headed next, what I’m going to do with the rest of my life. ”
She saw the sadness in her friend's eyes. “Yes, we did, but only briefly. I know you don’t want to be doing this forever. I guess I just thought we’d have more time.”
“We do, and you know I’m still going to check in on things, even if this place won’t be mine anymore. I need a change of pace, not sure what it is yet. Just the talking phase, Claire, don’t get worried.”
“Sorry, I know. We talked a little bit; somehow, me doing this alone, or heaven forbid with someone else, seems wrong. We started this business together, you and I. I love it! Where else can you make money giving people tours of local haunted buildings and properties like the cemetery? Where else do you get paid for being a tour guide and having fun while doing it?”
Nowhere, and Iris knew it just as Claire did. “I get it. Listen, I’ve not made definite plans, but for heaven's sake, I need a change.”
“Maybe go home, see your brother, see him face to face, how he’s doing, and that will give you some time. Then you can come back, all sparkly and gorgeous like always. Might be a good idea; you are looking a little rough around the edges.”
Claire’s laughter, along with the wickedness in her eyes, Iris knew better. “You're lucky I love you; then again, I’m lucky you love me. I’m not going home right now. I’ve got things to do around here. Besides, you wanted me to come out tomorrow night and meet Mr. Right, remember?”
Eyes brightening, Clair laughed. “You're right, I did. I think that’s it! It's love you're looking for. If you and Mr. Right fall madly in love, there won’t be any more talk about changing careers, selling your share of the business, or starting something new. That’s it!”
Iris was too exhausted to argue. Hand on the doorknob, she shook her head. “Okay, sure thing. I’m going home; I need a snack and sleep. Tomorrow it's supposed to rain, maybe some thunder showers, but who knows.”
The walk home, a few blocks over, was quiet.
Late in the wee hours of the night, her favorite time to think, Iris kept coming back to Isaac.
After feeding the fish in the tank in her living room, she reached for the soft chocolate chip cookies she loved so much, and clicked on the remote.
She crawled into bed, her eyes half shut.
“Tomorrow, brother, tomorrow I will give you a call. I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe you're mad at me, but that’s not going to happen.”
A dreamless sleep claimed her mind, as the moon shone above her head, mingled with the stars and clouds that drifted by. Her alarm, a soft twinkle of a bell, echoed through the quiet room; the gurgle of her automatic coffee pot came to life as her eyes blinked open.
“Oh my! It's getting harder and harder.” She rolled over and grabbed the cup she left filled with water on her nightstand to take a sip, then lay back to stare at the ceiling. A loneliness she’d grown accustomed to, she barely noticed anymore; the ache in her chest over it had long since passed.
Briefly, she pondered her life and the choices she’d made, both good and bad, and where her life was headed. At any moment, as reality hit, it was 10:00 a.m., and she knew her phone would buzz.
Iris wiggled her toes, stretched her arms upward, and yawned, the scent of vanilla and cinnamon wafting to her from the kitchen. “Coffee, I need?—”
Her phone buzzed before she rose, toes touching the hardwood floor. “Oh, for the love of heaven… hello?”
“You're up! You need to get a new dress, something flashy and glittery that sparkles under the chandeliers. Something WOW, that makes a man’s jaw drop, maybe in something gold or silver, or jet black, and expensive jewelry around your neck. We are making quite a profit from adding his house to the tour; why not make a good?—”
“I’m not going out and buying a new dress for this party. The one I bought last year is fine; I wore it once when we signed that deal for the cemetery behind that Main Street Pub. It's good enough.”
Iris pinched the bridge of her nose, wishing she could claim a clear mind and freedom from a headache.