Chapter 4 #2
"You didn't have to, sunshine. But it’s all good."
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t do that… it’s annoying.”
"Do what? You’re avoiding my question."
"I haven’t been here long enough to know if I like it just yet."
"So, what’s that hesitance I hear in your voice. Talk to me Noa. You know you can tell me anything."
I hesitated because the truth felt strange to me so I knew he wouldn’t quite understand. It felt like I was admitting to something that I shouldn't.
"It feels so familiar. Kinda feels like home even though it never really was home to me."
Julian was quiet, a little too quiet for my liking.
"Hmmm, Ion know if that’s bad or good.”
"What you mean?"
"I mean like you said, you've never been there before. Your mom hated it but to you, you feel at home and you haven’t even been there a full twenty-four hours."
"I know that it sounds crazy. I guess I just feel a connection to my mom and her past being here. It’s hard to explain."
"Just be careful, sunshine." Now his voice was more serious. He sounded the same way that he sounded in back in Chicago before we parted ways.
"I’m being careful, babe."
"No, I mean be really careful." He sounded stern. “You don’t know the reason why she left and she refused to discuss what happened there for a reason. Ain’t no telling what that town got going on and you being vulnerable don’t make it no better.”
It was something about the way he was expressing his concern that made my stomach tight and turn.
It was like he was trying to say something without truly saying what he meant.
Like he could feel danger, but he either couldn't explain or didn’t want to frighten me.
Julian was somehow good at picking up on things even being hundreds of miles away from me.
"I’ll be careful."
"You promise?"
"Yeah, I promise," I paused briefly as I thought of what to say next. I needed him to be okay with me being here and I could sense that he wasn’t, "I love you, babe."
It came out naturally the way I always said it.
"I love you too, baby girl." He paused then softly said, "More than that town ever could."
In true Julian fashion, his statement was meant to be sweet, possessive in a harmless way and his way of showing protection…
for me and for us. Yet, our conversation hit differently this time, especially after the dream that I just had.
And with everything I’d seen yesterday along with the ringing of those church bells I truly felt that for the first time in my life, Magnolia Graves had the potential to love me back.
I didn’t feel like I didn’t belong there, I truly felt like I was home and that in itself scared me more than anything.
After ending my call with Julian my attention shifted to the growling and grumbling in my stomach.
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t eaten anything yesterday beside the small pack of Biscoff cookies and Sprite on the plane.
Ever sense I’d been in a state of grief and mourning, I didn’t have much of an appetite, but right now, it’s kicked in cause I was starving.
I quickly showered then threw on a pair of fitted distressed jeans, a cream-colored t-shirt and my Gucci slides, then grabbed my camera and headed downstairs.
The hotel receptionist smiled when I passed.
"How’d you sleep, sweetie?"
"Like a baby. I must’ve been more tired than I thought cause I was out like a light, soon as my head touched the pillow and I not too long ago woke up."
"Most people don't sleep that long around these parts."
It was something about the way she said it that made me pause.
"Why is that?"
She shrugged. "The storms."
“Well, I can definitely see that. The thunder and lightning was cutting up pretty bad, but it’s good sleeping weather for me.”
“And the bells.” When she said that she gave me a strange look…like a really strange look. “They’re so loud they usually wake people up.”
It was weird that she hit it right on the spot. The bells were exactly what woke me up. We both stared at each other for a few seconds then without saying anything else she turned her attention back to her computer screen. Something about the way she looked at me was very unsettling.
Making it outside, I had to admit that during the day it looked very different here than it did at night.
The sunlight shined through the ancient oak trees draped in Spanish moss giving it a less threatening, less haunted look then when it was storming and dark out.
The street that the hotel was on was lined with all types of storefronts, boutiques and cafés.
The scent of freshly brewed coffee engulfed me, instead of getting in the car and driving around for something to eat, I followed the scent until I found myself standing in front of a cute little quaint coffee shop called Magnolia & Pine.
The name of the shop was painted in gold lettering across the front glass in this elegant script.
Opening the door, it smelled like cinnamon, coffee beans and fresh pastries and the moment I walked inside it seemed as though everyone stopped and paused to look at me.
It wasn’t a long gaze, just long enough for me to notice that it was intentional.
It was the kind of reaction you’d get if you showed up to class late and interrupted the teacher causing everyone to stop and stare.
It also reminded me of when I was driving through town, and the townspeople were stopping and looking at me…it was almost as if they knew who I was.
"Well, I can see you're definitely not from ‘round these parts." The voice came from behind the counter causing me to look up.
The lady that was standing there had this big smile plastered on her face.
She had the kind of smile that made people feel comfortable and made her appear approachable.
She was a very pretty lady who had to be around my age.
If I had to guess I’d say she was not younger than twenty-four but not older than twenty-eight.
She had smooth caramel skin, long pretty hair and big bright eyes.
"Is it that obvious?" I chuckled, causing her to do the same.
"The camera ‘round your neck gave it away. What’s ya name, suga?"
"Noa."
Her smile shifted for a brief second. It was so quick that if I wasn’t staring as hard as I was, I wouldn’t have noticed it.
"I’m Seraphine. Georgia’s so big, most people visit the city…what brings you here? You on some type of business or something?”
"My mom grew up here.”
"Oh really?"
The look in her eyes was almost making me feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Yeah. Just looking to connect to my southern roots.”
“You here trying to find out bout the Sinclair’s?”
Instantly my heart rate sped up because I never mentioned my last name.
“How’d you know I’m a Sinclair?”
She tilted her head slightly. "What's your momma’s name, suga?"
"Her name was Celeste Sinclair."
All the color in Seraphine’s face went pale and she completely froze.
Not in a dramatic way, and not obvious for everyone to see, but I noticed.
She was holding onto a coffee mug, and she was squeezing it so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.
There for a minute it was like she had drifted off somewhere else mentally.
Her eyes looked a little dazed as she looked away then back at me.
The whole time her smile was still on her face but as I looked at her now, something was different about it.
“You said was… when did she pass?” Seraphine asked never answering my question.
“Recently. But you never answered my question.”
"Hmph, issa small town," she said softly.
“So, you know the Sinclair’s?”
"Suga, everybody knows everybody round here."
When she said that a strange chill swept across my skin because as far as I knew it, I didn’t think I had any relatives left here.
And it was something in her tone that made it sound like she was giving me a warning instead of an answer.
Before I could ask her another question, Seraphine slid a mug of steaming hot coffee toward me.
"I have a feeling you're gonna need this. This here cups on the house."
I looked down at the foam that was floating across the top. In it was a perfectly shaped magnolia blossom drawn in the foam. Instantly my pulse quickened because for one I didn’t even see her pour the foam and two, it closely resembled the emblem that I saw all around town yesterday.
"Now I see why I thought we’ve met before." Seraphine smiled.
"Yeah no, it’s my first time here."
"Small world. My family knows yours. Take a seat, make yourself at home."
The mention of her family knowing mine just from hearing my last name nearly caused the mug to slip out of my hands.
The fact that she knew I was a Sinclair before I even told her was creepy as hell.
As I sat down, I looked around the shop and that’s when I noticed a picture on the wall that was right behind Seraphine.
In the picture there were several women standing in front of Saint Mercy and one of the women looked just like Seraphine, but I knew it wasn’t her because the picture was an old black and white photo.
You could tell just from looking at it that it was decades old.
When I looked away from the photo I caught Seraphine looking at me, and when our eyes locked, she gave a small smile then looked away.
As I sat there drinking the perfectly made cup of coffee two things flooded my mind.
One, how did she know how I liked my coffee with four sugars and two creams and two, she mentioned her family knew mine and I needed to know more.