by Mary Manners
Marilyn cleared her throat and grinned from across the room as if to say, “What are you waiting for, son?”
“OK.” Jason sighed, resigned to the fact that they were about to add a puppy to the hodgepodge mix that made up their small family. “I suppose you’re right. Sadie needs us. But we have to wait to take her home.”
“How long?”
“Until her leg heals.” The poor creature had, by Marilyn’s experienced estimation, wandered for several days without food or water before getting tangled in a length of barbed wire fencing. Her desperate yowls for help had alerted a passerby who brought her straight to the shelter. “Dr. Marilyn said it will take a few weeks.”
“Well, can we come and visit her while we’re waiting?”
“Of course we can.” Jason nodded. “And she should be ready to go by your birthday, maybe before.”
“Then Sadie can be my birthday present, right?”
The deal was stamped in cement now. There was no turning back. So Jason gave in to the inevitable with a smile. “Yes, she can be your birthday present. If that works for you, then it works for me, too.”
“Oh, thank you, Uncle Jason,” Kenzie squealed with delight as she wrapped her arms around Jason’s thighs and hugged tight. “I love you. Oh, how I love you!”
The words, so honest and innocent, had warmed Jason to the core. If this is what it feels like to be a daddy, then I’m all in.
Jason watched Kenzie scamper across the gravel lot, her blonde curls fanning beneath fingers of sunlight. Yes, the whole shebang had seemed like a mighty good idea at the time, but now…?
A rap along the window glass brought Jason back. He opened his eyes to find Marilyn, still dressed in her veterinarian scrubs, standing there with one hand propped along a hip. She called through the glass, “How long do you plan to hide in there?”
“Forever.”
She waggled a finger at him. “You know, forever is a long time, Jason.”
Jason lowered driver’s window. “I know, and I’m sorry we’re late.” The rest of the shelter volunteers had obviously left for the day. The lot stood vacant save for Marilyn’s Four-Runner and his truck.
And Kenzie running circles with Sadie around a massive oak near the exercise area off to the west.
“It’s OK.”
The sun dipped low in the clear May sky, signaling the end to another beautiful East Tennessee afternoon. “I had a little difficulty getting away from the bridal shop.”
Truth be told, he’d had a great deal of difficulty. He’d found that Avery Lakin possessed the stronghold of an electron magnet. He’d been reluctant to leave her. What an odd feeling, one he’d never experienced with such magnitude before. He found Avery’s mesmerizing eyes, crowned by a sleek veil of honey-brown hair that spilled to the soft space between her shoulder blades, captivating as a spell.
“The bridal shop?” Marilyn chuckled as she dipped her salt-and-peppered head through the open driver’s window. She had to be closing in on seventy, and though she’d nursed back to health virtually more Clover Cove animals than there were stars in the sky—including Jason’s beloved border collie, Joe, who’d gone on to glory a few months before his high school graduation—she hadn’t drawn a veterinary paycheck in years. But she still insisted on sharing her expertise and love of anything Animalia two days a week at the no-kill shelter. Now, her rheumy-gray eyes twinkled with the wisdom of decades spent navigating a thorny path through life. “What were you doing at the bridal shop? Do you have news to share with all the eligible ladies who’ve been keeping you and Kenzie fed these past several months?”
“Me? No way, there’s nothing to report in that department.” Jason cranked the ignition key one notch to engage the battery and then fiddled with the radio until he found a station he could live with. He kept the volume just loud enough to add a soothing background. “So you can just stuff that line of thinking back in your hat. I’m not even looking.”
“Well, they certainly are. Especially that perky Valerie Stoffles. How many pans of lasagna has she baked for you so far?”
“Too many to count on my fingers.” Jason was thankful for the tasty grub, but enough was enough already. “But Kenzie likes pasta, so we’re not complaining.”
“Of course you’re not.” Marilyn guffawed. “But I’m here to tell you, Jason, that when you’re not looking, well, that’s when the love bug makes its move and hits you like a dart to a bulls-eye.”
“Not me. I’ve got too much on my plate to even think about that sort of thing.” Yet, Jason couldn’t dispense with thoughts of Avery that lingered in his mind. She had the lithe figure of a dancer, and the way she listened—really listened—as Kenzie chatted away about anything and everything really did a number on his heart. “Besides, I’m immune.”
“No one is immune, son. You hang around that bridal shop long enough and your kryptonite just might disintegrate.” Her laughter echoed over the hills and along the brick-red shelter building. “Look what happened to Morgan Holt. He and Lila hit it off while they performed the laborious renovations on said bridal shop. I’ve never seen two happier people.”
“So I’ve heard.” Jason settled back in the seat and draped a hand along the steering wheel. Morgan and Lila had certainly been a rock to him—and to Kenzie, as well—during the upheaval of the past several months. For that, he felt a depth of gratitude. “But Lila wasn’t at the shop just now. I met Avery there, instead.”
“Ah, Avery.” Marilyn winked. “Yes, that explains it. She’s something, isn’t she? Sort of like a stick of dynamite and a cup of sugar all nicely packaged together.”
“I’ll say. She had my truck pinned in at the lot, and I had to wait for her to move her Jeep. Then Kenzie wandered off and scared me half to…” His voice faded before the final word was spoken.
Death…the finality of it was not to be taken lightly. He knew that better than anyone. More than three months had passed since he’d received the devastating, life-changing call over a static-filled line.
“There’s been a terrible accident, Jason. You’ve got to come home…”
It had been Morgan Holt who’d made the call, with Lila at his side. They’d been his sister Molly and brother-in-law Marshall’s closest friends over the past few years, since Morgan returned to Clover Cove and Lila relocated here to open Diamond Knot Dreams.
Morgan’s voice had been low and even, though Jason sensed the level of panic. “Kenzie needs you now. You’re all she has…”
Poor kid. She’d really drawn the short straw in this deal. Jason wasn’t equipped for parenthood. His experience over the past decade ran to caring for goldfish, nothing more. But he’d rolled up his sleeves and dived into the task without complaint.
It had been months since he’d taken an entire day to trek mountain trails searching for the perfect photo op. He missed it, somewhere deep in his soul, and guilt plagued him that he still longed for such a time when Kenzie needed him here.
Jason’s weary gaze drifted to Kenzie prancing through a splash of waning sunlight with Sadie scampering at her heels. He figured he’d made the right decision on giving her the OK for them to adopt the sheepdog mix in honor of her upcoming birthday. The puppy, barely four months old, was little more than a fluffy ball of fur with a slight limp. But if Jason played his cards right in the canine training department, she’d grow strong and eager to help him corral Kenzie. Goodness knew he’d need all the reinforcements he could get with his niece. Talk about a ball of energy!
As if reading his mind, Marilyn murmured, “How’s it going, son?”
“It’s going, that’s about all I can say. I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew here—and I don’t mean just the dog.”
“Give it time, Jason.” She reached through the window opening and patted his hand. “God has a plan.”
“Some plan.” Jason shook his head as he massaged his temples with his fingers. “It’s more like a marathon times two.”
“Seems tha
t way now, I know. But things will come together eventually. Trust me on this point. Have I ever steered you wrong?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I suppose not.” And he’d known her his entire life—the better part of three decades. He’d trusted her with Joe and every stray animal he brought home from his treks along the creek and through the woods beyond the farmhouse on the outskirts of Clover Cove where he’d gown up. And now he’d come back, full-circle the long way ’round.
Home.
“OK, then.” Marilyn flashed a wide smile Kenzie’s way. “It’s no secret to anyone that Kenzie is mighty special and you, Jason Ingram, are special, too. You make a fine pair. Now, tell me more about the lovely Avery Lakin and Diamond Knot Dreams Bridal Shop. Is it true the place is touched by a spirit that seems to derive pleasure in a little matchmaking?”
3
Avery followed the melodic, enticing tinkle of music up the winding staircase to the second floor landing. The Victorian that housed Diamond Knot Dreams seemed to breathe, alive with sunshine and memories. The warm oak-planked floor, refinished during the renovation project, gleamed like a polished smile. A soft breeze caused the leaves of a pair of potted ferns tucked into a corner to dance.
Avery sought the source of the whispering air. Lila had left a window above her appointment desk cracked slightly and the sweet scent of lilac lingered. One of the many things Avery loved about Clover Cove—barring the occasional high school prank—was that the town proved virtually crime-free.
Safe, welcoming…that was Clover Cove.
Avery scanned the area as the sound of music intensified and knew she was closing in on its source. She stepped over and closed the window in case Lila had forgotten it, and then continued to hone in on the melody. She stifled a shaky laugh as she remembered the boisterous games of Hot and Cold that she’d played on occasion with friends during the languid summers of her childhood.
“You’re getting warm, Avery…warmer…hot. You’re burning up!”
Avery wasn’t sure if the voice was real or an echo from the recesses of her memory. She turned and noticed the door to the attic standing ajar. She took a tentative step toward it. A musty scent—much like the one she remembered from her grandparents’ attic, made of memories and laughter and family—overtook her as she tugged on the door handle. The music deepened, like a heartbeat pushing the flow of blood ever stronger through life-sustaining arteries. As she craned an ear toward the staircase, she was certain that not only did the melodious notes resonate from a music box, but the trinket was located upstairs—in the attic.
“Is anyone up there?” she called, though she didn’t expect an answer. Lila had gone to the library to meet up with Hattie Moretto, who by all accounts was dubbed the town matriarch. Lila had brought a few items she’d found in the attic—letters and an engraved locket—in the hopes that Hattie might be able to shed some light concerning who had left them. The two were most likely still ensconced in the historical stacks.
And Jason and Kenzie had loaded up and tooled down the boulevard toward the downtown area just as soon as Avery had relocated her Jeep out of the way of Jason’s truck.
I miss him already.
Avery forced the ridiculous thought aside. How could she miss someone she barely knew? She refocused her attention and slowly climbed the stairs. With each step the music faded slightly until it died altogether. Near the top of the stairs, just before the landing that opened to a shadowed, cluttered labyrinth of stacked crates and boxes—some labeled and most not—the toe of her sandal bumped an object. She cried out as she stumbled, and nearly fell backwards down the flight. She grabbed onto the rail, thankful to find purchase as she caught her breath. Heart racing, she glanced down. There, in the muted shadow of office light that filtered up the staircase, she found a small, circular trinket box.
“There you are.” She scooped up the box and made her way up to the landing. Careful to avoid the obstacle course made of scattered boxes, she wound her way toward a window. Pulling back a dusty sheet, she drank in light that winked through panes that had most likely not seen a decent cleaning in decades. The soft wash was enough, though, to make out what rested in her hand.
The music box was absolutely stunning. Intricate detailing consisted of embossed gold-tone etchings over a shiny-black lacquer. The smooth top sported inlaid ivory etched with a delicate bouquet of red roses in full bloom.
How had such an item been overlooked all these months? Surely Lila would have mentioned such an intriguing piece of history.
“Let’s see…” Carefully releasing the lid, Avery found a velvet-lined interior. Though the fabric was faded, she knew it had, at one time, mirrored the vibrant crimson flowers inlaid along the ivory top. Several rose petals that had been tucked inside still carried a faint, sweet scent. Avery lifted a pair to her nose and inhaled deeply, all the while wondering who had placed the petals there—and why.
“I’ll bet you play a pretty tune.” Avery closed the lid and gently turned over the box. In the bottom right-hand corner she found the small brass crank she was looking for. She smiled as she turned it gently once, twice, three times until she felt a slight resistance that signaled the mechanism was fully-wound. Then she released it. She righted the box, lifted its lid, and at once the attic filled with the lyrical chime of music. She listened carefully, hoping to notice a familiar pattern of notes so she might identify the song. Try as she might, she didn’t recognize the whimsical tune. The melody both intrigued and mesmerized.
She let the song play through—a solid sixty seconds or so—and when it fizzled in the middle of a stanza she wondered how it had gone on with its melody for so long—at least ten minutes—while she was downstairs earlier talking with Jason and Kenzie.
Not only that, but the music had continued while she moved her Jeep, chatted briefly with Jason and Kenzie, and then made her way back inside the shop. The feat made no sense at all. Maybe there was a glitch in the mechanism. She’d have to mention it to Lila and see if she might have someone take a look at it. Maybe Jason would give it a shot. After all, he worked with cameras. How different were camera mechanisms than those of a music box?
Jason…there she went again, thinking about him.
Avery mentally kicked herself, promising to do a bit of cranial housekeeping in an attempt to defrag her brain and file away thoughts of Jason. But she couldn’t shake his voice or visions of his tall, lanky form topped by a wide, welcoming smile.
Fortuitous…that’s what he had called their chance meeting and the debacle of her ill-parked Jeep. What was it about him that she couldn’t manage to dismiss—the onyx eyes that seemed to bore straight to her soul or the easy laugh and calm demeanor? By her estimation, he took his time with Kenzie, showing her patience that Avery was certain the child demanded, especially given the heartbreaking circumstances in which she and Jason had become a little family. Lila had filled Avery in on the heart-wrenching motorcycle accident that had claimed both of Kenzie’s parents.
The tragedy had brought Jason home to Clover Cove. The jury was still out on how long he and Kenzie would remain. From all Lila had shared, Jason possessed a wandering spirit. It had taken him to the ends of the earth and back again as he tackled outdoor photo shoots. His work could be found in the likes of National Geographic and Alaska Magazine, to name a few. But maybe he was home for good now. Maybe the fact that he’d opened Outdoor Shots was an indication that he planned to dig in his heels and stay for good.
Avery shook her head, mentally chasing away all thoughts of Jason. It was really none of her business, after all, what he did with his time. She turned her attention back to the task at hand—the music box. Several questions remained unanswered, which didn’t sit well with Avery. How had it gotten moved to the stairs, and why was it simply left there? Who did it belong to and who placed the rose petals inside? Did it all have something to do with the mysterious lady in the high-collared dress that Kenzie had mentioned? She’d have to discuss this with Jason.
Perhaps, together, they could unravel the mystery.
There she went again, circling back to Jason. She strengthened her resolve to banish him from her thoughts.
Avery knew Lila had begun to clean out the attic, sorting through what she found to be salvageable or interesting and what seemed beyond repair or recognition. From what Avery understood, the place proved a treasure trove of antiques. One of the former owners must have been a capable seamstress. Several sewing mannequins had been relocated to a downstairs storage room in the hopes that Lila might one day add a dressmaker to Diamond Knot Dreams’ client offerings.
Lila must have found the music box, set it aside, and forgotten all about it in her rush to make her appointment with Hattie. Avery would be sure to ask her about it at the first opportunity. For now, she cradled the box carefully in her hand and turned to head back to the main floor. She still had a bit of work to do on the website before she left for the day. After all, she had made a promise to Lila and she intended to keep it.
The shrill ring of the shop phone shattered the silence. Avery stumbled on the stairs for a second time, nearly dropping the box. Her heart raced as she scurried down the flight and back to the sunlit landing area to snatch the receiver in the spare office space before the answering machine engaged.
“Diamond Knot Dreams, this is Avery speaking.” She cleared the panic from her voice. “How may I help you?”
“Ave, it’s Lila. You sound like you just crossed the finish line of a marathon. Are you OK?”
“I’m fine. Just rushed to get the phone. I was upstairs.” There was no point in elaborating now. She’d get her chance soon enough. “What’s up?”
“Just checking in. I’m so sorry I’ve been gone so long but Hattie’s proved a fount of information. How are things going on your end?”
