Kat scooped up another forkful of the casserole. “So, that means you’ve never been to the Encampment?”
“The what?”
“Oh,” Briley chimed in, mentally slapping herself for not bringing it up before now. “It’s a reenactment of a war. Don’t ask anyone what the war is because no one knows.”
“Most people in the town believe the war is made up, and I should know because I’ve lived here my whole life.” Mrs. Hanlin placed another cinnamon roll on her plate.
“People dress in period costumes,” Briley said, only for Kat to interrupt her.
“Doesn’t matter what period. Any period will do.”
“That may be the case, but everyone is accepted, no matter what the costume looks like. There are vendors selling food and goods related to several different periods. There are also people dressed as soldiers that reenact the war. It’s all in good fun and we go every year,” Briley said.
Leah grinned. “To a made-up war. How do they know what uniforms to wear?”
“Dear,” Mrs. Hanlin said. “It’s an all-inclusive event.” She took a sip of her water. “Because at the time, no one could decide which war to reenact. There was a lot of fighting. From reading the papers, twenty people were arrested and four were sent to the hospital. Ugly business. So, everyone decided to not pinpoint one war in particular and include any war before 1950.”
“It’s all quite fascinating.” Briley tapped her finger on the table. “Last year, over a hundred thousand people came. They’re expecting twice that many this year. It brings in tons of revenue, and everyone has a good time. You should come with us.” The invitation rushed out of her mouth before she could think it over, but it felt natural to invite Leah along. Mrs. Hanlin beamed and Kat winked at her. “If you wanted?” Briley fiddled with her napkin.
“I would love to.”
“Good. You can explore with me.” Kat took another spoonful of the casserole and a biscuit. “Briley always helps Mrs. King and her sisters. She bakes apple hand pies for their booth.”
“What else do they sell?” Leah asked.
Briley tried not to fidget under her gaze. “My booth sells buffalo chili. It’s so good.”
“I’ll have to try it. I guess that’s what all the fliers I’ve been seeing around town are from. I guess I should pay more attention. I’m surprised Evan didn’t say something. It would have been right up his alley.”
After refilling her cup with orange juice, Kat spoke. “The Encampment is a little over a month away. It starts on a Friday and runs through Sunday. The week before the Encampment, on a Thursday, there is a dance at the convention center to kick off the month of events. They try to space the events out over the summer.”
“How fun. I love to dance,” Leah said. “I’ll have to check it out. Do you have to wear period clothing?” She looked from Briley to Kat.
“For the dance, no, it’s more of a formal event, but quite a few wear costumes to the Encampment. I don’t, but Mrs. King does.” Briley finished off her food and pushed her plate away. Leah picked up her and Briley’s plates and carried them to the sink, then sat back down. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Briley had to admit, everything was going splendid. She had just picked up her cup to take a sip when Mrs. Hanlin’s words registered in her head and she set her cup back down without taking a sip. “I’m sorry; I missed that.”
Mrs. Hanlin touched her arm. “Mr. Balkin is getting older and he gave Leah his Christmas decorations.”
Well, hell. She’d been asking him for years for those decorations, as had countless others. It seemed he was just as charmed by Leah as she was. She couldn’t blame him. That meant the Christmas competition would be fierce this year. A lot of his pieces were homemade. “That’s wonderful,” Briley forced out. “You didn’t mention that last night, tiny.” She glared at Kat when she kicked her under the table.
“No need to reveal all my secrets at once.” Leah rested her elbows on the table and smiled at her. “I was surprised, but excited to get them. Briley, when I win, I’ll sign a copy of the paper for you.” She pointed her finger at her and grinned.
Playful Leah was starting to become her favorite. Briley sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. “I hope you know it’s going to take more than a few decorations to beat me. Out of the last five years, I’ve placed second four times and won last year.” She blew on her fingers. “I’ve got the touch and don’t intend to be a one hit wonder.”
“Is that right?” Leah had a sly grin on her face. “I do believe I have an ace on my side. Not counting the extra decorations.” Leah slowly ran her finger along the top of her glass.
Briley swallowed. “Really?” She loved having Leah’s undivided attention, and never wanted to lose that feeling.
“Yes. Evan has a notebook filled with ideas and is excited to get started. I do believe his exact words were, ‘We are going to blow her out of the water.’”
“Well,” Briley leaned forward and placed her arms on the table. “I say, bring it on. I’m not scared of you and especially not of him.”
“You should be.”
“Why’s that?” They were so close if Briley leaned forward just a smidge, their lips would touch. The ringing of a cell phone broke the tension and Briley jerked back, blinking. What had just happened? Her sight stopped on Kat, who gave her a thumbs up and a cheeky grin. Leah moved away from the table and answered her phone. From the conversation, she was talking to Evan. She rubbed her neck and forced her racing heart to settle down. Now wasn’t the time to flake out.
“Sorry about that. Evan had a question,” Leah said, sitting back down.
“Don’t be silly,” Mrs. Hanlin said. “What mother doesn’t answer when their child calls?”
Briley coughed and took a sip of water. “So, I believe we covered the Encampment and the dance.”
“We did,” Leah said and Briley knew their moment had passed. “And the toy convention. Evan has already told me he isn’t missing next year.”
“That’ll be great,” Briley said.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Kat threw in.
When Mrs. Hanlin started to clear the table, Briley jumped up and helped her finish the task. If she brushed against Leah’s shoulder a few times, well, no one could fault her. After everyone had a fresh cup of coffee, and Briley a cup of tea, they headed into the living room. Kat and Mrs. Hanlin settled in the two chairs across from the couch. Briley and Leah sat at opposite ends of the couch.
“I am really glad you girls are getting along now,” Mrs. Hanlin said. “It does an old woman’s heart good.” She lifted her hand to still Briley’s words. “Briley, I know what you are going to say, but I am old. In my case, age is not just a number.”
“You are only as old as you feel, Mrs. Hanlin. Trust me on this,” Briley muttered, and lifted her cup in a toast.
“I do, dear. I do.”
Briley could feel Leah’s eyes on her. Leah was tucked into the corner of the couch with her legs underneath her, sipping her coffee. Her gaze remained on Briley.
“Does your age affect how you feel?” Briley asked Leah.
“Some days. Others, I’ve never felt better or younger.”
“We all have those days. It has nothing to do with our ages,” Briley said.
Leah bit her lip. “You really believe that, don’t you?”
“I do.”
Kat chimed in. “We learned that from our parents.”
“Really?” Leah asked, looking from one to the other.
Briley relaxed. “There was a twenty-year age difference between our parents and they were married forty years. So, you see, to us,” she pointed between her and Kat, “age really is just a number. Our dad was amazing and never made us feel like he couldn’t keep up with us.”
“He always attended our games, or competitions we participated in. We camped every summer.”
“And,” Briley interrupted. “We wrote down different places we wanted to visit on piec
es of paper and threw them into this Mason jar.” Briley held her hands up to indicate the size of the jar.
Kat scooted forward on her chair, motioning with her hands. “No matter where in the world it was, if it interested us, we wrote it down and threw it in. Twice a year, Mom and Dad would pick out a piece of paper and we would travel there.” Briley and Kat both grew quiet, both lost in their thoughts.
“We stopped when Dad died,” Briley said, looking up at Kat. “We shouldn’t have. He wouldn’t have wanted that.”
“No, he wouldn’t have. A few weeks after his death, I walked into the living room and found Mom holding the jar. I stopped her from breaking it. It’s in my room.”
“We should start that back up,” Briley said.
Kat lifted her cup. “Next year.”
“Next year.”
“I think I’ll start that with my kids. Even though Madison is married, I’m sure she would love it. I didn’t have many opportunities to take them with me when I traveled for work.”
“Who doesn’t like to travel?” Briley nodded. “Even if your piece of paper wasn’t chosen, it was still an amazing trip. Well, except for that one trip to Colorado, but we don’t talk about that.”
Kat chuckled. “You probably cursed us just bringing it up.” Kat and Briley both made the sign of the cross on their chest.
“I wished I would have done that with my kids,” Mrs. Hanlin said. “But, I think it’s a good thing you two got to experience that.”
“Me too,” Briley said.
“Me three,” Kat threw in.
Briley finished her tea and set her cup on the coffee table, then laid her head back on the couch cushion, content just to listen to the conversation around her. She closed her eyes when she felt the lightest touch ghosting over her hand that lay between her and Leah. Every happily ever after had to start somewhere.
Chapter Nine
Briley must have fallen asleep at some point because Kat had rudely woken her up when she had to leave. Now here she stood with Leah and Mrs. Hanlin, looking up into what Briley had aptly named the dark pit of doom when Mrs. Hanlin had pointed it out to them. The switch Mrs. Hanlin had flicked to light up the attic barely put any light out at all. The last thing she wanted was to venture up, but the hopeful look on Mrs. Hanlin’s face made her mind up for her.
She eyed the ‘past its prime’ ladder, then Leah. “You ready, soldier?”
Leah arched her brow, a smile playing on her lips. “It’s what we all train for.”
Briley nodded seriously, then turned to Mrs. Hanlin and took the flashlight out of her hands. “Don’t worry, ma’am. We’ve got your back.”
“I knew I called in the right people.” Mrs. Hanlin shook her head, playing along. “They should be in the far corner of the room. There are three or four boxes, clearly labeled. I want the two labeled courting and children.”
“We won’t let you down.” Briley took a deep breath. “After you, private.” She pointed at the ladder.
“Oh, no. I think the leader should go in first. After you.”
Briley was not looking forward to what was up there. After a deep breath, she placed her hands on the ladder and took a step up. The wood seemed solid, which spurred on her confidence and she quickly climbed up. She held out her hand for Leah, who grabbed on, and scampered up.
One side of the attic was beams and insulation, and the other side had flooring put in and the walls were sheet rocked. Though, it didn’t make it any less eerie. The only window was blocked, and several shadows played in the open space. Dust covered all available surfaces and cobwebs hung artistically around the semi-large space.
“We won’t get anywhere standing here all day.”
“Right.” Briley turned on the flashlight, which seemed to be on its last leg. Beating it against her leg didn’t improve its brightness. She cursed herself for leaving her phone downstairs. “Did you bring your phone?”
“No. We could have used the flashlight. It is dark in here.”
“You think? I hope I don’t fall on my face.” Briley moved forward slowly then came to a stop when they reached a wall of boxes. “Didn’t she say it was in the far right corner?”
“Yep, but we haven’t reached the far wall yet.”
Leah stood close enough that Briley could smell her shampoo. Get it together. “Hold this.” She gave Leah the flashlight, then tested the weight of a few boxes and set them on the ground. Leah came over and shined her flashlight in the hole Briley made. A face stared back at them, eyes black as night. Briley screamed. Leah dropped the flashlight and they both crouched and crawled against the wall of boxes. “That wasn’t…?” Briley’s heart pounded in her chest.
“No.” Leah shook her head, latching onto Briley’s arm.
Sweat popped out on Briley’s brow, as her heart continued to race. She remained too freaked out to take the time to enjoy Leah so close. That was clearly a face. A human face. She took off her glasses and rubbed her hands down her face. “Shit.”
“If you weren’t awake before, you are now.” Leah slipped her arm through Briley’s. “What the heck was that? I know what my rational mind says, but…”
Briley chuckled. “My best guess was a mannequin. Maybe. I don’t hear any weird noises.” This was one reason she didn’t watch horror movies. They freaked her out.
“You girls okay?” Mrs. Hanlin hollered.
“Fine.” Briley cursed herself when her voice cracked.
“You could have told us you had mannequins up here,” Leah called back.
“I don’t have any mannequins up there.”
The hold Leah had on her arm tightened. “What?” Briley licked her lips.
Leah stared at Briley as she spoke to Mrs. Hanlin. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, dear. I don’t know what you saw, but I don’t have any mannequins.” Her voice faltered. “Maybe you both should come down. Just to be safe.”
What fresh hell was this? “Tell me something, Mrs. Hanlin. Was there a wall of boxes separating the room the last time you were up here?”
The longer the silence went on, the more Briley dreaded her answer. What had they got themselves into?
Mrs. Hanlin’s voice carried up to them. “No, dear.” A beat later. “I’m just messing with you girls. My daughter had two mannequins when she lived at home that she used to dress up. The last time I went up there, I put the wall of boxes up.”
The relief on Leah’s face mirrored her own and Briley leaned back into the boxes, only for her body to fall through them. “Fuck.” She shielded her face as the boxes landed on top of her.
“What was that?” Mrs. Hanlin asked.
“We’re okay, Mrs. Hanlin. We’ve got this,” Leah called down. Briley felt her move two boxes off her.
She grunted when the last box was removed, then moved her arms. Leah knelt on the floor next to her. “Are you all right? That last box I moved was heavy.” She lifted Briley’s t-shirt and ran her fingers all over Briley’s stomach. “Any pain?” She pressed on several places and Briley hissed.
She swallowed back a moan as Leah’s hands roamed across her stomach. Leah’s touch was like magic. A magic she couldn’t have. “Some, but I’m fine. The only thing bruised more than my side is my ego.” Once Briley had broken through the boxes, a sliver of light shown through the window. Briley dusted herself off as Leah leaned down to grab the flashlight. She turned around, and shuddered, but took a deep breath when she eyed the mannequin. Her heart still pounded. She’d have a hell of a bruise tomorrow on her chest. Stupid mannequin.
“Ready?” Leah touched her arm, and eyed the mannequin. “She must have one sick sense of humor to place that there. I hope she at least got a good laugh out of this. I almost peed myself.”
“Tell me about it. She’s old; I guess she has to get her kicks from somewhere.”
Leah patted her arm. “Over here.” Sure enough, the two boxes they were looking for were stacked neatly on the shelf. Briley picked up the one labeled chi
ldren and handed it to Leah. As soon as she picked up the one labeled courting, she knew she’d made a mistake. She couldn’t do anything as the bottom of the box gave way and the contents spilled out onto the floor.
“You okay?” Leah asked.
“Yes. Stay here.” Briley took the flashlight. “I’m going to check these other boxes and empty one. Is your box sturdy?”
“Yes.”
On her fourth box, she found a collection of Ball Mason jars and one by one, she placed them on the floor. When she turned around, Leah knelt on the floor and had just gathered the contents into a pile. She held a piece of paper in her hand. “What’ve you got there?” Leah wordlessly handed oven an envelope neatly labeled with a woman’s address on it. In the upper right hand corner Carter Hanlin was neatly printed. Briley picked up another one labeled the same. Hundreds of letters in all.
Leah crawled over next to her and leaned against her with a letter in her hand. “The label courting was quite fitting.”
The memories these letters held gave her chills. That Mrs. Hanlin kept these all these years was amazing. They weren’t the best preserved, but she’d still kept them.
“I have to run a couple of errands tomorrow,” Leah said. “I’ll pick up some acid free photo albums so she can slip these inside.”
“That’s a good idea.” Briley knew she shouldn’t have but she opened one of the envelopes and slipped the letter out.
“Briley?”
She ignored Leah and carefully unfolded the letter.
My Dearest Rachel.
Briley stopped and refolded the letter and put it back. This was someone’s life…and private. “I want that, you know?” Briley said, after a moment of silence.
“What?”
“A love to transcend time. I’m not looking for perfect, just someone who gets me.”
Leah rested her head on Briley’s shoulder. “I think that’s what everyone is looking for.”
“Even you?”
“Even me.”
“They were together almost sixty years.”
“Do you know what happened to him?” Leah stretched her legs out.
“Sudden heart attack. She told me about it over a bowl of ice cream one evening when I first moved here. She said no matter how long he was gone, she could lay in bed and if she concentrated really hard, she could feel him in the bed next to her.” After their dad died she and Kat would try and get their mom to open up, but she always kept everything bottled up.
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