Chapter Twelve
The sun had yet to emerge from the gray clouds that hung low over the trees when she parked in front of the farmhouse.
The air was cold and fog still lingered over the lake.
It was a pretty sight, if a somewhat moody one.
She’d been hoping for a day when she could walk down the path that led to the cabins, but it was too cold and the snow still too deep in the woods.
She hoped there’d be a warm-up soon. She did not want to leave Maine without exploring that part of the camp.
She would have loved to have seen the cabin where Maxine and Miles had fallen in love, where he’d written his best works.
She sighed as she pushed open the door, the sad, tragic love story still fresh in her mind.
Meeting and falling in love, having the summers together, then Miles leaving to go back to his home in Illinois to finish the work he’d started at the camp.
Kit wondered how Maxine spent her days after he left and if Maxine’s parents had approved of him as her future husband.
Had the wedding been planned, a date set and a white dress bought, flowers picked out and a guest list made?
Would Kit ever know? It felt important to her to learn all she could about her mysterious relative while she was in Tolerance.
Once she left, she was pretty sure any unanswered questions would remain that way.
But today she was here, and she’d take advantage of the time to stay in the moment.
It was such a quiet, peaceful morning, she decided she should share it with Beth. She dug her phone from her bag and sent a text to her sister.
Hey, are you up? I’m at the farmhouse, and I’m going to FaceTime you in ten minutes. I’m going to make a cup of tea and I suggest you do as well, and we’ll chat and have tea together.
Moments later, Beth sent back, Oh, fun! I’m on it! Talk to you soon!
Kit went into the kitchen and filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil.
While she waited, she went through the cupboards searching for the boxes of tea she knew would be there.
She smiled when she found what must have been Maxine’s stash: a box of black tea, a spearmint tea, a Constant Comment, and two boxes of Earl Grey.
Behind the door of another cupboard was a collection of mugs.
A glance through them made her smile. There were mugs with pictures of flowers, dogs, and others with pithy sayings.
I may be wrong but it’s highly unlikely, and Hold on—I need to overthink this.
Kit wondered if they were gifts or if Maxine had bought them for herself.
She selected the blue mug that announced she was Wicked Smaht and opened a packet of Earl Grey.
When the kettle whistled, she poured the hot water over the tea bag and took a seat at the kitchen table.
She waited another few minutes before calling Beth and thought of all the things she wanted to talk about with her sister.
“I was just getting ready to call you,” Beth said as she appeared on Kit’s screen.
“You look chipper today,” Kit observed.
“I dressed for the occasion. I’m going to go into the shop soon. And,” she said with a grin, “I decided to wear my new wig. What do you think of it?”
Beth turned so Kit could see the back and both sides of her head. The new wig was short and styled in a pixie cut, much as Beth’s own hair had been before she’d started chemo.
“I like it. But I thought your hair was already growing back.”
“It is, but it’s been a slog. I wanted to go into the shop looking as much like my old self as I could.”
“This one is definitely more you than the other one.”
“Yeah, that was my attempt to feel like the young Beth again, with long hair and those deep bangs I used to have. It wasn’t the middle-aged me, but it served the purpose at the time.
I felt better about myself when I wore it, but the feeling didn’t last. This”—she pointed to her head—“feels like me. The me before I got sick, when I was feeling like I had my life together. Before Mom died and Kevin left me.”
“Do you ever hear from him?” Kit sipped her tea. She’d been wanting to ask but it never seemed to be the right time. Beth hadn’t mentioned his name in months till now.
“No. Sometimes it feels like he never existed and that time in my life didn’t happen.” Beth sighed deeply. “Sometimes it feels like nothing in my life has been real. Like it’s been following the script of a very bad soap opera.”
“Sweetie, I’m so sorry.”
“I’ll survive. At least, I hope I will.” She looked at Kit through the phone apologetically. “Sorry. Gallows humor.”
“Is there something you’re not telling me? Have you spoken with your doctor, or—”
“Oh, no, no. Sorry. Nothing like that. I’m just feeling a little down.
I’m actually feeling much better physically.
And I did speak with my doctor yesterday afternoon and the news was good.
He had more time to look at the scans and he said they’re looking better than they have in months, so that’s good news. ”
“It is good news. I’m happy to hear that.” Kit was just about to tell Beth what she’d learned about Maxine and her ill-fated love affair when Beth spoke up.
“Yeah, but now there’s this thing with Melanie, and Ned wants me to call the police, and damn, I hate to do that because she was my first employee, and—”
“Whoa. Back up. What about Melanie?”
“Ned called last night and said he caught her stealing from the register. Like, taking money out to make the day’s deposit, but some of the cash went into her pocket.
I didn’t believe him at first, but he’s Ned.
He said he’d confronted her and she admitted she’d been pocketing some of the cash every night for months.
” Tears ran down Beth’s face. “I wanted to talk to her myself but she isn’t answering my calls.
It’s so hurtful. The money aside, I thought she was my friend.
I thought she offered to close every night and make the bank deposits so that I could go home and rest because she cared about me and my health.
And here it was because she wanted to steal from me. ”
Ned had worked faster than Kit had expected him to.
“I am so sorry. But Ned’s right. You need to call in the police. She shouldn’t be permitted to get away with this, Beth.”
“Ned asked her why she did it. If she needed money, we’d have helped her out.
She told him that with me being sick, she was carrying the business and doing all the things and she should have been better compensated for it.
If she’d asked me for a raise, I’d have gladly given it to her.
It’s my fault. I know I wasn’t focusing on the shop.
I should have realized how much I was putting on her, I should have—”
“Stop that. You were doing exactly what you should have been doing. Trying to stay alive. If she felt she needed or deserved a raise, she should have asked you for one. That does not excuse her for stealing from you. And you should report the theft to the police.” Kit paused, the mug halfway to her lips. “How much did she steal, overall?”
Beth shook her head. “I have no idea.”
“I bet she could tell you.”
“Maybe. Though I have a feeling she didn’t keep records. You know, like, a list: Friday night—seventy-five dollars. Saturday—one twenty-five.”
“Don’t you have some kind of business insurance that would cover it?”
“I do. But how can I make a claim if I don’t know what my loss was?”
“Good point. I don’t know if you can make a claim for theft, though, if you don’t report it to the police. I’m pretty sure your insurance company would require a police report.”
“I hate doing it. I hate the thought of calling the police and telling them that someone who worked for me has been stealing from me.”
“Let Ned do that for you. After all, he’s the one who discovered the theft.
” No need to let Beth know that she and Russ had suspected that someone was stealing from the register for weeks, and it was one of the reasons Ned was at the shop.
“You’ll still have to speak with the police, but at least you won’t be making the initial call. ”
“Okay. Thanks. I’ll ask him to do that when I get in this morning.”
They both fell silent, sipping their tea, until Beth said, “This is nice, Kit. Spending some time with you. I just wish I were there with you. What new and fun things have you discovered?”
Kit filled her sister in on Maxine’s saga of love and loss.
“Oh no! Poor Maxine! That’s absolutely tragic! Seems like the women in our family don’t have the best luck when it comes to love.” She sighed. “Anything else to report this morning?”
“Not a whole lot, but I spent hours at the local library yesterday, and I found a lot of articles that ran in the local paper over the years.”
Over the next ten minutes, Kit filled her sister in on the events that had merited mention in the local press.
“Oh, I’d love to see those,” Beth said. “Mom and Dad’s engagement and wedding announcements? Yes, please.”
“I would have printed them out for you, but the print function wasn’t working. I guess you’ll just have to come up here and check it out for yourself.”
“You don’t know how badly I want to do that. I’m so jealous that you’re there.”
“You’re welcome to come join me anytime.”
“But you’re only going to be there for, like, another few days, right? That’s what Russ said.”
“Oh, Russ has this idea that I’ll have this all wrapped up in a blink so I can be back there to attend his retirement party.
Which of course I want to do. But he wants me to just hang a For Sale sign up, turn it all over to Banks, and come home.
Then Banks can just sell everything and send me a check. ”