Previously Loved Treasures
Page 24
“Oh,” Wilbur said, “I don’t recall much of that night.”
Pulling the conversation back on track, Caroline said, “See, Peter was always looking out for Grandma and me. He never actually said it, but I knew he was. If he cared about me, why would he leave without saying something? Goodbye, maybe? Or, I have to leave town?”
“Possibly he had no choice. He may have gotten sick or lost his lease.”
Caroline shook her head again. “That’s not it.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I asked every merchant on the street, and they all claimed they’d never seen the store or heard of Peter.”
“That is strange.” Wilbur cradled his chin between his thumb and index finger, then hesitated a lengthy while before asking, “You’re sure you had the right location?”
“Of course I’m sure!” Caroline answered indignantly. “I’ve been there five different times, and Grandma was there too.”
The mention of Ida’s name caused Wilbur to think back on the years of his life. He’d seen a stranger come from out of nowhere to shove a boy from the path of an oncoming car. He’d seen a silver cigarette case stop a bullet from reaching a soldier’s heart. And when Ida was in need of someone to love, he’d watched her find the granddaughter she never knew she had. How many other unexplainable things had he witnessed and never stopped to think about? People sometimes offered up explanations. They’d say it was the hand of fate or perhaps a lucky break, but was that really the truth?
Wilbur gave a deep sigh. “I’ve a feeling Peter was there for you because you needed him, and now he’s moved on.”
“Moved on? As in not coming back?”
Wilbur nodded solemnly.
“But the picture and bonds,” Caroline said. “They’re not really mine. What do I do with them if he’s not coming back?”
“Actually, they are yours,” Wilbur said. “Peter gave them to you.”
“The picture, yes, but it’s possible he didn’t know the bonds were behind it.”
“He knew.” Wilbur laughed. “Just as he knew I needed that watch.” He reached across and folded her hand in his. “You see, Caroline, everybody deals with a certain amount of good and bad in their life, but sometimes the bad starts taking over. When that happens the Lord sends a bit of help. I think Mister Pennington might have been your help.”
Caroline pictured the little man with his black suit and round glasses and laughed. “Peter Pennington, a guardian angel?”
“Despite my years, there’s a world of things I don’t understand. I can’t say whether your Mister Pennington was a wealthy eccentric or a guardian angel, but I’d be willing to bet your grandma had a hand in making sure those bonds got to you.”
Caroline gave a long sorrowful sigh. “It’s sad to think I’ll never see Peter again. First Grandma, now Peter. It’s like there’s a hole in my heart.”
Wilbur gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry. God never closes a door without giving you a window.”
Caroline thought of the gaping hole in the back of the house, and for a fleeting instant she could see Calvin lifting the new window into position.
~ ~ ~
It took almost two weeks for Caroline to settle into the thought that the bonds actually belonged to her, and when she finally did it was only because she’d come to accept that they were a gift from either Peter Pennington or her grandma.
By then Calvin had replaced the window and finished the repairs. As it turned out, he was a volunteer fireman and also the owner of a building supply company. The day after Caroline moved back to the house, he began showing up every afternoon with building materials: stacks of lumber, sheets of drywall, sandpaper, nails, plaster, and tools Caroline had never before seen. He’d work for several hours, and at the end of the day he’d sit down to dinner with the residents. It was less than a week before he’d taken ownership of the chair Max once sat in.
Long after the kitchen was finished Calvin continued to stop by every evening, claiming he had to fix a washer in a faucet, straighten a cabinet handle, or touch up some tiny bit of paint in the far corner of the wall.
After almost three weeks, he began running out of things to be fixed and that’s when he finally asked Caroline if she’d like to take a walk after dinner. She smiled and nodded.
That night after they settled at the table, he said, “Lucky for me I was on call that night.”
“Lucky for me too,” Caroline answered.
~ ~ ~
Since the bonds had matured years earlier they netted a hefty amount more than the face value, which was one million dollars. Having that much money seemed overwhelming to Caroline. Like the presence of Peter Pennington, it was something too good to be true, something that could disappear as quickly as it came. The money sat in the bank for several months before she felt comfortable enough to start spending some of it. When she finally did, the first thing she bought was a new washer and dryer.
Two months later she hired a lawyer, and Rose, who they now called Rowena, got a divorce. It hardly mattered, because by then Joe Mallory was serving ten years in a Georgia penitentiary for attempted murder. When he got out the only thing that would be waiting for him would be the warrant officer from Illinois with a handful of other charges.
~ ~ ~
In the fall of that year, Sara started kindergarten and Caroline put an addition on the house: a spacious two-bedroom apartment.
“It’s yours for as long as you want it,” she told Rowena.
Rowena smiled and said she couldn’t imagine ever leaving. She insisted that in exchange she would take over all of the cooking duties and management of the house. It was an arrangement that pleased the residents no end.
~ ~ ~
With plenty of time on her hands you might think Caroline finished her novel, but you’d be wrong. For months a thought had been bouncing around inside her head, and in time it became something she could no longer ignore. In February she withdrew thirty-eight thousand dollars from the bank and bought the small building on the corner of Spencer and Main.
After weeks of clearing away the layers of dust and stocking the shelves, she announced the grand opening of Previously Loved Treasures.
Once again the windows sparkled, and the shelves were stacked with things people needed. After a few short weeks the residents of Rose Hill came to know Previously Loved Treasures as a thrift shop where everything was affordable, even if a person was without a penny in their pocket. Although Caroline was by no means gifted with Peter’s foresight, it was said that she could look into a person’s eyes and see their need.
~ ~ ~
That Christmas Eve Caroline kept the store open until after ten. People with nothing more than a bit of loose change in their pocket came in search of toys for their children. They’d hoped for a doll, a picture book, or miniature fire truck, but they left with bicycles, wagons, fancy doll carriages, and playhouse furniture. Many of the toys still had a price sticker from one of the large department stores.
Sally Mae Wells, a woman who was dirt poor and had four kids to care for, pointed to the shiny blue two-wheeler. “You sure this is used? It looks brand new.”
“Not used,” Caroline corrected. “Previously loved.” That wasn’t a lie. Caroline had loved every one of the toys she’d bought, and she loved the thought of giving countless children a Christmas such as she’d never had.
“Looks brand new,” Sally Mae repeated. She handed Caroline the fifteen cents and said, “I’ll take it.”
That night when Caroline finally left the store the night was crisp and clear, the moon brighter than she could remember. She crossed the street, walked to where her car was parked, then turned and looked back. The moonlight made the gold lettering seem somehow brighter than ever before. Previously Loved Treasures. Caroline looked at the sign then squinted, and just as she had so many times before she could see the tiny 2 tacked onto the last S.
No one had ever noticed the 2, which was as it s
hould be. It was a secret. A secret she shared with Grandma Ida and Peter Pennington.
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Also by Bette Lee Crosby
SPARE CHANGE
The Wyattsville Series Book One
JUBILEE’S JOURNEY
The Wyattsville Series Book Two
PASSING THROUGH PERFECT
The Wyattsville Series Book Three
CRACKS IN THE SIDEWALK
WHAT MATTERS MOST
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Table of Contents
Ida Jean Sweetwater
The Silent House
Pies, Lies, & Max
Ida Sweetwater
The Rosewood Bed
And Then They Were Five
Ida Sweetwater
The Girl
In Philadelphia
Ida Sweetwater
The Telephone Call
Caroline Sweetwater
The Bed and the Bear
Traveling South
Caroline
The Arrival
Caroline
Settling in…
The Desk
Ida Sweetwater
Where There’s A Will
Caroline
In The Days That Followed
Wilbur Washington
Will or Will Not
A War of Wills
Caroline
The Search
Finders Keepers
Caroline Sweetwater
The Lamp
Wilbur Washington
The Watch and the Wash
Max Sweetwater
The Danger of Drying
Rowena Mallory
A Rose by Any Other Name
Chicken n’ Dumplings
Hope and Fear
Caroline Sweetwater
Back in Mackinaw
Missing Things
The Maggie Sue Issue
Wilbur Washington
In the Dark of Night
The Storyteller
Caroline
The Wristwatch
Money in Mackinaw
Max Sweetwater
A Chance Meeting
Searching for Rowena
Watching
Mistaken Identity
Caroline
The Aftermath
Restoration
Caroline Sweetwater
Behind the Picture
Previously Loved Treasures
The Secret
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