Lost & Found

by Raquel De Leon

  “No, I mean like a date,” came Piper’s confident response.

  The breath was suddenly expelled. Selma’s heartbeat accelerated. “I’m,” she swallowed, “not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “But it’s not exactly a bad idea, is it?” Piper sounded more curious than hesitant.

  Selma thought of Karen and Derek. And the fact that she was two years shy of thirty and Piper was only two years past twenty. And the fact they lived three hours apart and, so many other things. It was a bad idea.

  It was, but...

  “I think I’d like that,” she found herself saying.

  *****

  Piper was wary as she pulled into the Bering estate. ‘Estate’ was the only way to describe it with its long winding driveway, outbuildings, massive gardens, and grandiose mansion. Piper hated everything about it at first sight.

  She sighed as she parked her car in the third garage, the one the snooty voice at the front gate had directed her to. Her decade-old Camry was out of place next to a brand new Escalade and Volvo. What’s worse, neither of the vehicles were ones she’d seen Karen or Derek driving.

  Just how many cars did two people need?

  Her keys jingled in her hand as she got out of her car and locked it out of habit, slipping the keyring on her finger and softly spinning it so it clinked in time with her steps. The path to the main house was neatly cobbled and clearly marked, but that didn’t surprise Piper either.

  As she reached the immense mahogany doors trimmed with gold filigree, she sighed in relief. She’d half expected a red velvet rope instead of a traditional doorbell button. She pressed it, hearing a harmonious cascade of notes from some symphony or other she recognized but couldn’t name.

  The door opened to reveal an older man in a cleanly pressed suit and gloves, who nodded at her and introduced himself as Robert. Piper tucked her hands into her pockets as he led the way, ignoring the rooms done in opulent marble and stone. Two sets of stairs and four hallways later, Piper found herself on the excessively large back patio of the east wing.

  “Good afternoon, Piper,” Karen greeted as she rose from her seat. Today she was dressed in a white off-the-shoulder sweater and white slacks, making the dark hair of her pixie cut stand out.

  Her hands twitched as Piper drew closer, and Piper was aware she probably wanted a hug.

  “Karen,” Piper returned with a nod instead. As nice as Karen seemed, Piper wasn’t ready for hugs.

  Karen clasped her hands in front of herself, patiently waiting while Piper picked a seat around the white wicker table. They sat at the same time.

  “Thanks for making the drive. We don’t want to attract the media back to your home so soon, and it means so much to us that you’re willing to visit.” Karen beamed, her green eyes almost dancing with delight.

  Piper waved a hand. “No problem.” She paused and peered around. “Not to be rude, but where’s Derek?”

  “His golf meeting ran a bit late today,” Karen admitted with a sigh. “It was probably more golf than meeting, but Derek does love to multitask. He should be along shortly.”

  The view of the gardens from Piper’s spot was gorgeous, the neat hedgerows providing natural boundaries for the perfectly sectioned trees and flowers. With spring well underway, there was a vast array of blooms bursting with nearly every color imaginable. For a few moments, she pretended she was just in a very well maintained public park.

  Karen and Derek contributed a lot to charity, she had to remind herself.

  “It’s a bit ostentatious, isn’t it?” Karen asked as the silence lingered.

  Piper tried not to show her surprise. “What is?”

  Karen’s lips formed a small smile as she looked around and gestured with both arms. “All this.”

  “It’s not my place to say,” Piper said neutrally.

  Seconds passed as Karen stared at her. She burst into laughter. “Of course it is. I think it’s ostentatious. So does Derek.”

  Intrigued, Piper turned in her seat, her knee partially raised to wedge against the inside of her chair. “Then why do you live here?”

  “Tradition,” Karen admitted as she pursed her lips. “Derek is the oldest in his family. His father lived here, and his father before him, so on and so forth. Most of the staff you see on the grounds are from families that have lived here just as long. If we moved we’d displace all of them as well.”

  “Oh.” An unknown tension eased in Piper’s chest. “I can understand not wanting to move, then.”

  For the first time since they’d met, Piper felt completely comfortable being alone around Karen. They smiled at one another and shared a long look.

  “I’m so hungry I could eat an SUV,” Derek announced as he stepped out onto the patio. “Where’s lunch?”

  Piper tilted her head. “There’s an Escalade parked next to my Camry. Go for it.”

  Derek guffawed and pointed at her. “You! You have my terrible sense of humor.”

  “Hey, that was a good one,” Piper defended.

  “Exactly!” Derek agreed as he slapped his hands together.

  Karen groaned and covered her face with a hand. “Derek, please don’t tell the—“

  Ignoring Karen completely, Derek brightened. “Piper, what do you call a sleeping werewolf?”

  Piper only considered it briefly. “I don’t know, what?”

  “An unawarewolf!” he belted out as he watched Piper.

  Piper choked on her laughter, more amused by his expression and enthusiasm than anything else.

  Karen groaned again as her second hand joined the first. Her reaction made Piper laugh harder, and then Derek was laughing along too.

  “Finally,” he said as he strutted to the table, “there’s someone around who can appreciate my jokes.”

  Karen dropped her hands and rolled her eyes at him but she was smiling.

  Derek sent her a wink and rubbed his hands together. “So, what’s for lunch?”

  “Amelia said croque-monsieurs followed by crêpes Suzette,” Karen relayed with an eyebrow wiggle.

  “Ooo, nice. Fancy ham sandwiches and fancy thin pancakes,” Derek said as he gleefully rubbed his hands together.

  Piper bit the inside of her cheek to hide her mirth. Maybe next time she drove into town for a few days she’d take them up on their offer to stay here. Maybe.

  *****

  “And you so you said yes, just like that?”

  Selma narrowed her eyes. She didn’t like the satisfaction in Laura’s voice. “Yes, I suppose.”

  Laura cackled, and for a moment Selma took pleasure imagining her in a pointy hat and with a giant wart on her nose. “Oh, that’s rich coming from boring old you. So, you told her then? What did she say?”

  A spot on Selma’s wall had suddenly become fascinating. She cleared her throat. “I didn’t exactly tell her.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “She was meeting with them today. I didn’t want to spoil anything,” Selma hedged. A vein in her forehead began to throb. She delicately rubbed it, wishing she hadn’t called her sister after all.

  “Bollocks. She has a right to know. Karen and Derek already know far more than she does.” Laura began to sound impatient.

  Selma rolled her lips and crossed her legs. “Well they don’t know that about her. I didn’t even know that about her.”

  “But they know about you.” Laura’s voice suddenly seemed much further away. Selma could just make out a few muffled curses. “Well, as much as fun as talking around all this has been, I’ve got a politician to bail out. Figuratively, of course. Good luck on your date.”

  There was scarcely time for Selma to mutter her own goodbye, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary for Laura. They either had all the time in the world or none at all when it came to her schedule.

  Selma fidgeted with her phone. She’d called Laura for a pep talk, but again she was wishing she’d never said yes. Not that Piper wasn’t lovely and sweet and gorgeous, but all the reasons w
hy Selma should have said no just seemed to get louder and louder in her head as the day passed.

  She checked the time on her phone. It was only an hour until Piper was supposed to come by and pick her up. Emily had already shown up to keep an eye on Ben so she could get ready.

  If she was going to shower, she needed to do it now. At least Ben had already helped her pick an outfit out.

  Precisely an hour later, Selma was descending the stairs in a soft white sundress with a red print and matching flats. She was doing her best to keep her mind occupied, but the nervous flutter in her stomach had persisted through the entire time she’d spent getting ready.

  An audible intake of breath made her slow as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Piper was already there, leaning against the wall.

  Selma bit her lower lip. Piper was in dark fitted denim and red plaid, her hair up in a messy bun that exposed the perfect lines of her neck.

  “You look fantastic,” Piper said as she pushed off the wall, one hand rising to rub the back of her neck. “I’m sorry if I surprised you. Emily let me in.”

  “No, you’re fine,” Selma replied with a small chuckle. She brushed some hair out of her face. “Does this feel weird?”

  Piper sucked on her lower lip and tucked her hands into her back pockets.”No. Maybe?”

  Selma crossed an arm over her torso, raising the other so her elbow was braced in her hand. She curled her fingers under her chin as she scrutinized Piper’s face. “Are we sure this is a good idea?”

  Half-hoping Piper would agree and half-terrified she would, Selma kept her expression placid so as not to influence Piper’s answer.

  With a sigh Piper pulled her hands out of her pockets, stepping forward and gently tugging Selma’s arms down. “Absolutely,” Piper said with a confident smile.

  The show of bravado might have put Selma off if it weren’t for the faint tremor in Piper’s hands. She glanced down at them and back up at Piper, whose smile became sheepish.

  “I really like you, Selma.” Piper’s voice was quiet, her green eyes hopeful as they searched Selma’s.

  The nervous tension in Selma’s stomach eased. “I like you too, Piper. Let’s go on our date.”

  Chapter 8

  Piper tried not to be anxious as they sat down at their table. Shelly, being a little more comfortable online, had helped her choose a sandwich place that had great reviews and an interesting looking menu.

  Was it too casual? Maybe she should have picked out something more—

  “Oh, I love this place,” Selma said as she scooted her wooden chair forward. “The food is great and I just love the atmosphere.”

  “Yeah?” Piper asked with a slow-growing smile.

  “Yes,” Selma affirmed, the soft overhead light reflecting perfectly in her dark eyes. Piper had to forcefully look away, hoping she hadn’t made Selma uncomfortable by staring too long.

  Her anxiety began to fade as she looked around. She hadn’t realized how big the eatery would be, but it made sense considering nearly every table and booth was occupied. The place was all warm, charmingly scuffed wood and pleasant, amiable white-orange lights in old but well-kept metal fixtures. Dotting most walls were black and white photos, some old, some new, but all of happy customers enjoying food.

  It made her think of the diner, though Dorothy’s was decorated in a significantly different way. It was the sense of community, Piper concluded, that made her feel at ease.

  “Does that mean you know what you’re going to order?” Piper asked as she picked up her menu. As if summoned, the waiter arrived to inquire about drinks. Piper ordered her usual coke as Selma requested water with lemon.

  “I do, yes,” Selma continued as if they hadn’t been interrupted. “I haven’t been here in a while, but I practically lived here when I was working on my bachelor’s degree.”

  Piper bit her lip, squinting and angling her head as she looked at Selma. “I can see it. A laptop and a pile of books, notebooks scattered everywhere.” She snapped her fingers. “And glasses, yep. Definitely glasses.”

  “I have twenty-twenty vision, I’m afraid,” Selma relayed as she fought a smile, “but you’re close enough with all the rest.”

  “So, what’s your sandwich of choice, then? The vegetarian pita?” Piper prodded with an arched eyebrow.

  Selma rolled her lips together and looked around. Piper did her best not to stare at her plump, red lower lip. She didn’t think she could get away with saying she admired Selma’s lipstick.

  “I’m… somewhat addicted to their meatball sub,” Selma finally confessed.

  Marry me, Piper almost joked. She pinched herself under the table instead. “Your secret’s safe with me,” she said with a wink.

  “What about you?” Selma inquired after a short pause. “What are you going to order?”

  “The Philly cheesesteak,” Piper responded without hesitation. She wiggled her eyebrows. “It comes with fries.”

  Their waiter arrived with their drinks and took their food order.

  As the young man left, Selma leaned slightly forward. “Did you have a place like this when you went to college?”

  Startled, Piper could only blink. Then she remembered. She relaxed slightly and waggled a finger at Selma. “Oh, this isn’t fair. I forgot you’d probably seen whatever file Karen and Derek got on me.”

  Selma winced and looked away. “I actually put it together myself. I apologize.”

  Piper hummed, still feeling a little uneasy.

  “Is it—will that be a problem?” Selma’s expression had become serious. Her eyes flicked to Piper’s, concern evident in the gentle decline of her eyebrows and the slight downturn of her lips.

  It’s not something Piper had really thought about before, at least not in more than passing. If Selma had done research on her, then surely she knew a lot. Maybe too much. Piper swallowed and wondered how Selma, with such an obviously great life, would have ever agreed to this date. She took in a careful breath and looked directly at Selma. “I don’t know, will it?”

  “Not in the least,” Selma said softly, her gaze unwavering.

  A large, unnameable feeling grew in Piper’s chest. Anticipation, maybe, mixed with the knowledge of how she felt when she was around Selma. “So, to even things up, why don’t you tell me more about yourself? What’s your favorite childhood memory?”

  “Making tortillas with my abuela,” Selma said after a brief pause. “I wasn’t allowed to go over to her house often but I always felt like I learned so much from those visits.” Her head ducked down briefly, her hand playing with the ends of her short hair. “She had these knotted old hands that must have ached so much when she kneaded the dough, but you could never tell. She loved doing things like that.” Her eyes fell to her lap and her voice became quiet. “She loved me.”

  Both charmed and concerned, Piper reached over to gently cover Selma’s hand with her own. She debated asking, but Selma had opened the door; maybe it was something Selma wanted to talk about. “How long has she been gone?”

  “Almost fourteen years,” Selma answered with a wry twist of her lips.

  Something niggled at the back of Piper’s mind, but she pushed that aside in favor of comforting Selma. “Do you ever make tortillas,” Piper tried not to wince at her own not-quite-right pronunciation of the word, “with Ben?”

  “Sometimes.” Selma sent her a grateful look at the reminder. “Maybe he and I will make some tomorrow.”

  She squeezed Piper’s hand once and then leaned back in her chair. Piper did the same, retrieving her hand and taking a sip from her drink.

  “I’m sorry,” Selma continued, “I didn’t mean to get so maudlin. You can probably tell I don’t date much.”

  Piper offered her a lopsided smile and a shrug. “Dunno, I think it’s going pretty well.” She sent Selma a sincere look. “Thanks for sharing that with me.”

  Selma’s foot gently nudged Piper’s under the table. “Thanks for listening.”

 
They shared a smile until the waiter arrived with their food.

  *****

  “I had a great time tonight,” Piper said as she tucked her hands into her pockets.

  “I did too.” Selma smiled to herself as they ambled up to her front door, neither in a hurry for the night to end. Their arms brushed with every other step, making Selma wish she didn’t need a light jacket.

  Piper cleared her throat as they ascended the short flight of stairs. “I leave the day after tomorrow. I’d like it if I could see you again before then.”