Evening Stars

by Susan Mallery

  “Are the sets valuable?” Nina asked, still surprised that Blackberry Preserves wasn’t a money pit anymore. Had the potential been there all along? Had she simply needed to find the right person? Or had Bertie and Bonnie hit a lucky streak when buying inventory? After all, they had found a painting worth ten million dollars.

  “Some are.” Cindy hesitated. “Nearly everything in the store was priced under twenty dollars. When people see that, they can easily assume it’s all junk.”

  Nina nodded. “So, you’re saying that upping the price from twenty to fifty can make a difference.”

  “It sure can.” Cindy motioned to the dishes. “Even the more modern place settings can be pricey. I sold a retired pattern from Lennox a few days ago. It wasn’t that old, but it was in great shape and had a few serving pieces. I got about twenty-five hundred for it.”

  Nina blinked. “Dollars?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I had no idea,” she murmured. “I’m going to go check the computer.”

  “Sure.”

  Cindy ducked down to pull more stock from the huge hutch, and Nina went into the back office. The computer—still functioning with Windows XP—was on. She went into the password-protected accounting software, then waited while the internet connection gave her access to the latest reports from the bookkeeper they used.

  Nina had tried keeping the books herself, but she simply didn’t have the time or enough accounting knowledge. Three years ago she’d turned that over to someone on the island. For eighty dollars a month, the handful of bills were paid and the receipts recorded and any employee’s payroll processed. All Nina had to do was print out the reports and enter inventory information.

  The business’s checkbook balance was usually a few hundred dollars. It went up over the month, then dropped when bills had to be paid on the first. Most months, income covered the cost of their part-time employee. Summer was their best time. If she was lucky, Bonnie could pull a couple thousand out of the store each year.

  Now Nina scrolled through the various reports. The checkbook balance was— She stopped and stared at the screen. The number seemed to dance and shimmer.

  Seventeen thousand dollars? Seventeen thousand dollars?

  Her mouth dropped open as she went back through the register. There it was. Deposit after deposit. There were notes. Linens. Lunch boxes. Dolls. Three chairs and a sofa. The chandelier. The bills hadn’t changed. Cindy was working nearly forty hours a week, so she was making more than any other part-time people they had previously had, but still.

  Nina looked at the other reports. Inventory had been updated. There were lists and approximate values, which were all a big increase over costs. Bonnie didn’t believe in splurging when she went on her trips.

  Nina returned to the checking-account balance and stared at the number. This could pay for a new roof. They could replace the carpet. If this kept up, they could pay on the mortgage on the house. As long as she could keep her mother from taking out a second. Something Bonnie liked to do as soon as the previous one was paid off.

  The income meant Nina could start saving some of her own money. Put some aside for her future—whatever that meant.

  Nina logged out of the accounting system and stood. As she looked around the back room, she realized that what she’d always thought was junk was more. Or it could be. Bonnie would never take the time to figure out what was valuable and what wasn’t, but Cindy obviously could.

  Nina returned to the front of the store. Cindy had stacked dishes on sideboards and chairs. Now she was playing with different settings and linens.

  “Your sister is much better at this than me,” she said when she saw Nina. “She gets the colors right.” She held up a plate covered with flowers. “I’m pretty sure these are hand painted. Not my style, but still, someone will like them.”

  Nina looked at the chandelier hanging overhead. “We need to get someone out here to appraise the pieces you think are worth more. Like that. I’ll get you some names of people to contact.”

  Cindy grinned. “That would be great. I’ve made some estimates myself, but I’m still learning.”

  Nina crossed to the jewelry displayed in a modified wardrobe. “Does this get locked at night? Isn’t some of it valuable?”

  “Some of it probably is. Again, I’m not sure about some of the pieces. We haven’t been locking the wardrobe. There’s no lock.”

  “Get somebody in and have a lock installed.” Nina looked around. “Maybe we should think about an alarm system. We certainly need better locks on the front and back doors. Also, there’s too much clutter.”

  There was more that had to be done, she thought, feeling the weight of responsibility crowding in on her. The whole store needed to be organized. Who knew what else was buried in the piles of crap? Everything had always been so haphazard, but now that needed to change. It was like the painting, but on a smaller scale.

  “How is everything being priced?” she asked. “You’re checking things online, right? You can’t depend on what my mom says. Bertie is sensible, so she might have some ideas. Maybe we should start using a bar code system. Although that would have to be installed.”

  Once her mother found out about the money in the account, she was going to take it and do something stupid. Nina could feel it. Which would mean there wouldn’t be a new roof or paying off the mortgage. Bonnie would find a way to blow it on an endangered turtle or taking six hundred people she’d never met to dinner.

  Cindy frowned. “Nina, you seem upset. Are you unhappy with my work?”

  “No, not at all. It’s just you’re not an expert and some of these things are valuable. We have to take care of them.”

  “I’m doing my best.”

  Nina nodded absently. “Where’s Averil? It’s just like her to be gone when I need her.”

  “She’s home, working on her book. We’ve been talking about it, and she’s making progress on the story. It’s going to be great.”

  Nina shook her head. “Right. And will that happen before or after my mother learns to act like an adult?”

  She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. “Thank you, Cindy. I need to go think about all this,” she said as she walked out into the late afternoon.

  The sun was still shining. That surprised her. She felt as if she’d been through some kind of time-space rift and it should at least be night. Or December. She paused by her car and looked back at the store.

  The good news was Bonnie and Bertie were able to find valuable items for bargain prices. The bad news was it all had to be managed. Her to-do list had just grown by a dozen items. She had to get someone in who understood the value of antiques to help them price everything. Make sure they couldn’t be ripped off by a thief with a crowbar and a couple of free hours. Get Bonnie and Bertie regular paychecks. Figure out a way to protect the rest of the money. Make sure the government was getting its share so there weren’t any fines or visits from overly eager IRS agents.

  Her head was already pounding, she thought grimly as she got in her car. She needed to talk to Bertie first so they could come up with a plan. At least Bonnie never looked at the store’s books. She claimed numbers numbed her creative energy and sucked out her life force. Nina wasn’t sure her mother even had a password to access the accounting programs. Which meant there was time. Unlike the painting, this wasn’t going to blow up in her face.

  If she could just get a system in place, she thought as she drove back to the house. Something simple, that meant the store was covered and Bertie and Bonnie had their money. Then maybe she could start her graceful exit. At least financially.

  She pulled into the driveway and got out. Kyle pulled in behind her.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he called as he got out of his low-slung sports car. “I was hoping to find you at home.”

  Because he couldn’t call first? Nina sucked in a breath. No, she told herself. None of this was Kyle’s fault. He was a good guy who liked her and wanted to be with her. She was
n’t going to punish him for that.

  He walked to her and kissed her. “I want to take you flying.”

  “In a plane?”

  He grinned. “My self-flying skills aren’t what they should be. Yes, in a plane. A little one. It’s a beautiful afternoon. The sun won’t set for another three or four hours. You can see the Sound how it’s meant to be seen.”

  “From the sky?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  She was tired and confused and still trying to absorb what she’d learned at the store. Going inside and making notes seemed to be the smartest use of her time.

  Before she could tell him that, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Come look at your world from a different perspective. It will change everything.”

  “I could use that,” she admitted. “Let me go get out of my work clothes.”

  He walked inside with her. She headed down the hall to her room. As she passed Averil’s room, she saw her sister sitting on her bed, typing steadily on her laptop. Penny lay next to her. They both looked up when she paused in the doorway.

  “Hey,” Averil said. “What’s up?”

  “I’m going flying with Kyle.”

  “Sounds like fun. Did you hear from Dylan?”

  Nina shook her head. Right now she couldn’t deal with him. She pointed at the computer. “Working on your book?”

  Averil nodded. “I really am and it’s going well. I have no idea if it’s any good, but I like it and I’ve gotten further than I ever have before.”

  “Good luck.”

  “You, too. I’ll tell Mom you won’t be back for dinner.”

  “Thanks.”

  Fifteen minutes later Nina had changed into jeans and a shirt. She unfastened her braid and brushed out her hair, then rejoined Kyle in the living room.

  He stood when he saw her, then stepped close and kissed her. The feel of his mouth was familiar and arousing. He was uncomplicated, she thought. Not emotionally demanding. Just fun to be with. Easy. Right now easy sounded really good.

  She slung her bag over her shoulder and led the way to the front door. As they walked out to her car, she heard her phone ring. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

  Dylan.

  Talk about timing, she thought, pushing the decline button and tucking the phone in her pocket.

  * * *

  Flying in a four-seater Cessna was nothing like taking Alaska Airlines to Las Vegas, Nina thought as she checked her seat belt and hoped Kyle really knew what he was doing. Sure the man had told her he was a fighter pilot, but did she have any proof? He could be a mechanic or a janitor for all she knew.

  The cockpit of the small plane was tight on space. There were what seemed like hundreds of dials and gauges, sticks and a weirdly shaped thing she assumed was the steering wheel.

  “You know what you’re doing, right?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt. Because no matter how much crap there was in her life right now, she wasn’t ready to die.

  Kyle grinned at her. “Trust me.”

  “I’m not sure I want to.”

  He covered her hand with his. “This is easy. I was flying these before I had a driver’s license. Now, if you want to feel power, you should come up in my jet.”

  “No, thanks.”

  He motioned to the headset hanging by her door. “It’s going to get loud. Put those on and we won’t have to yell. You can also hear me talking to the tower.”

  “Am I supposed to talk to the tower?”

  “It would be best if you didn’t. Ready?”

  No! She wasn’t ready. She would never be ready. She’d never thought much about flying, nor did she do it much. But this was different. This was a tiny flea of a plane, and it was all that was between her and a long plummet to hard and unforgiving earth.

  “What if I have to throw up?” she asked.

  Kyle laughed, then put on his headset. She reluctantly did the same, thinking she hadn’t really been joking.

  He checked both sides of the plane, shouted, “Clear,” then started the engine. Noise and vibration filled the cockpit. Nina looked around frantically and realized that, yes, there really was only the one engine, so if it went out, it was all over for both of them.

  “Should we have on parachutes?” she asked loudly, not sure the built-in microphone could work over the noise.

  Kyle shook his head. “You’ll be fine. These are safe little planes.”

  Little being the operative word, she thought.

  Kyle moved a bunch of knobs and dials and the plane started to move forward. Far too soon, they were heading down a runway. The plane went faster and faster. Nina tried to believe it was enough. That somehow, magically, they would take flight and not crash into a fireball of—

  The plane lifted off. She couldn’t say how or why, but suddenly the ground was falling away, and they were climbing into the bright blue sky.

  The private airport was on the mainland. After a few minutes they began to turn and head over the water. She saw the twinkling blue of the Sound beneath. The Strait of Juan de Fuca stretched out, and beyond that was the Pacific. It was beautiful—like a living painting. They were free and soaring, like birds.

  “Want to violate Canadian airspace?”

  The question came through the headset. Nina nodded eagerly. She stared out the side window, straining to see the first glimpse of Victoria Island.

  They headed north. Kyle pointed out the various islands in the Sound, then they circled by Victoria. She heard him talking to someone and changing course to stay out of airport airspace. They went east, and he showed her the planes lining up to land in Vancouver, then he dropped lower as they turned south.

  The little plane moved smoothly through the afternoon. The engine was steady, and Kyle flew with a confidence that allowed Nina to relax. They buzzed a couple of the tiny uninhabited islands, then flew over Friday Harbor.

  “I’ve saved the best for last,” he told her. “Let’s take a look at Blackberry Island from the sky.”

  She watched up ahead until the outline of the island came into view. The loopy, slightly comma shape was familiar, but what startled her most about where she’d spent most of her life was the size. Blackberry Island was small.

  Kyle circled the island, showed her the bridge to the mainland and they flew over Blackberry Bay. It all took less than a minute. From up here, the few square miles looked more like a handkerchief than a place anyone could live.

  “Can you see your house?” he asked.

  She nodded because it was easier than saying she didn’t want to.

  So small.

  The words repeated over and over in her head. She’d lived and laughed, worried and fought, all in a place the size of a postage stamp. Except for a couple of years at college, she’d never lived anywhere else, had never much explored beyond the natural barriers of surf and sea.

  He pointed out the Three Sisters, the Queen Anne houses on the hill, then showed her the ferry heading from the island to Seattle. All the while, Nina pressed her hand to her stomach to hold in all the feelings flooding her.

  It was like looking in the mirror for the first time. You could imagine what you looked like, get an image in your head, but until you actually saw, you didn’t know.

  She hadn’t known. Hadn’t realized how tiny she’d allowed her circle to become. She was supposed to have gone out and done something with her life. Instead she’d stayed stuck. No one had trapped her, she thought. She’d done that to herself.

  They landed as smoothly as they’d taken off. Nina climbed out of the cockpit and looked around at the airport. She wanted to walk into the office and find a plane going anywhere that wasn’t here. She wanted to go home and get in her car and drive until she’d reached the East Coast. Then she would get on a boat and let it take her to some foreign port. The where didn’t matter, she thought. She had to keep moving.

  But even as she wondered where her passport was and how much she could pac
k in a single bag, common sense took over. Was she really going to disappear with no warning? She had responsibilities. She was upset. This wasn’t the time to make an important decision.

  “What’d you think?” Kyle asked as he put his arm around her.

  “You promised to change my life and you did.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “You didn’t even throw up. I’m proud of you.”

  They walked to the rental office, and he gave the guy the keys. They talked about the plane for a few minutes, before returning to Kyle’s car and heading back for the island.

  The drive wouldn’t take long, Nina thought grimly. They didn’t have far to go.

  * * *

  After dinner, Nina asked Kyle to take her home. She’d been distracted all through their meal, so convincing him she wasn’t feeling great hadn’t taken much. He’d left her shortly before eight and had promised to call her in the morning.

  When he’d left, she started for the house only to turn around and hurry to her car. She got inside and backed out of the driveway.

  But once she got to the center of town, she didn’t know where to go. The signs for the bridge to the mainland were clearly marked. She could do what she’d thought about earlier. Just drive. Only she wasn’t the kind of person who simply walked away without warning. She started to turn left, then went straight and somehow found herself by the marina. After parking, she got out and walked to a familiar condo building.

  The concierge recognized her and called up without being asked. Nina had a brief thought that Dylan could simply refuse to see her. She couldn’t really blame him if he did. But instead of turning her away, the concierge waved her toward the elevators.

  Nina rode to the top floor, then stepped out. She saw Dylan standing in his doorway.

  The sun was still high enough in the sky to spill into his unit. He was in silhouette, and she couldn’t make out his features. But the second she saw him, something inside of her shattered and tears filled her eyes. She hurried toward him, then stepped inside when he moved out of her way.