At the River’s Edge

by Mariah Stewart

  “This really is quite the library.” Jason took in the entire sweep of walls that were lined with shelves almost to the ceiling. He’d seen pictures of rooms like this but he wasn’t certain such rooms existed these days. “That’s some collection of books you’ve got there.”

  “Enrights have all been readers, apparently. There are books there that ancestors of mine had decades ago. Every subject you can imagine. Go ahead, take a look if you’d like.” Curtis pointed to the wall of shelves.

  Jason pushed back from the table and walked around it, approaching the shelves with a sort of wonder. He’d never seen so many books in a private home.

  “Quite an assortment.” He glanced from bookshelf to bookshelf. “The Complete Works of Ellery Queen. My dad had those.”

  “Your dad a mystery fan?”

  “He was. He’s been gone for a long time.” Jason turned back to the shelves. “I like that you have modern mystery writers on the same shelf. Harlan Coben and James Lee Burke, P.D. James alongside Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Nice.”

  “All my favorites. If you see something you like, feel free to borrow it.”

  “Thanks. I’m afraid I don’t have much time for reading these days.” Jason’s gaze rested on a large volume. “Frank J. Scott’s Victorian Gardens,” he read aloud. “The Art of Beautifying Suburban Home Grounds.”

  “You know the book?”

  “I paid eight dollars for a used copy years ago. It’s a classic. First published in 1870.” He touched the spine reverently. “This was the major style book of the Victorian period. He was one of the first to propose that gardens were supposed to enhance the house they were built around.”

  “What was the previous thought?” Curtis asked. “What else would they enhance?”

  “Nature. The naturalists believed that gardens should enhance their natural surroundings. Scott—and a few others—thought the landscape should add beauty to the house. That you should see something beautiful when you looked out of every window.”

  Jason’s eyes lingered for a long moment on the Scott, his fingers itching to pull the book from its place and open it to check the copyright date. He’d bet everything he had that it was a first edition from 1870. He’d never been that close to one before. He had his secondhand copy, a reissue, and he’d seen the original reproduced online, but there was nothing like seeing a first edition. He sighed, then went back to the table.

  Jason put the coveted book from his mind and got back to the business at hand. “Did I tell you I bought some property out on River Road for my business?”

  “No, you didn’t. What do you have in mind?”

  Jason took a seat and one long swig of beer, then described his plans.

  “It sounds ambitious,” Curtis noted.

  “It’s pretty much what I had back in Florida.”

  “So you already have a business plan.”

  “I do. Now, as far as your project is concerned, I have several tons of mulch on order—different types, so you let me know what you prefer for out back and I’ll order that now. There will be a lot of topsoil coming in another month or so, and I’m buying some equipment from a local guy who’s retiring, so I’ll have my own Bobcat.”

  “Sounds like you’re going to have quite an operation.” Curtis smiled approvingly. “Good for you. I like to see initiative.”

  “I’ve got plenty of that.” Jason took another sip before opening the folder he’d brought with him. “Now, if you want to take a look at the revised plan for the garden, I’ve got it right here …”

  An hour later, Curtis stood at the end of the drive and waved as Jason drove off. He’d drawn out their meeting for as long as he could, and finally had to let the young man go. He enjoyed his company a great deal, and his protestations to Sophie aside, he really didn’t have that many people to talk to these days. Oh, he loved having Jesse around, but Jesse was overworked and trying his best to keep his head above water at the office and balance work with his relationship with Brooke and the plans for their upcoming wedding. He did have dinner once or twice each week with Violet, but that still left him with at least five dinners he’d eat alone.

  He walked back to the house and returned to the library, where Jason had stacked more wood before he left. Thoughtful of him, Curtis nodded to himself. But then, Jason was a thoughtful young man. And smart—that was obvious. Good sense of humor. Ambitious. He liked to see a young person with ambition who was willing to work for what he wanted. There was something about him that Curtis just flat-out liked, something about the young man’s company that put him in an easy frame of mind.

  Which was why his ears had perked up when Jason mentioned he’d bought that property out on River Road. That would certainly imply that he was setting down permanent roots in St. Dennis.

  Interesting, Curtis thought. Jason was just the sort of young man that Sophie should be looking for.

  Curtis lowered himself into a wide leather chair near the fire, nursing his beer and thinking. They were going to have to find a way to persuade Sophie into joining her brother at Enright & Enright. She’d be around, and Jason would be around … and who knew where that could lead?

  When the scent of gardenia began to fill the room, he looked up and smiled.

  “Ahhh, Rosie. There you are. We had company today.”

  He rested his head against the back of the chair.

  “Nice boy, that Jason Bowers. You’d like him.” He paused, then nodded. “I think you’ll be very happy with the plans we have for the gardens.” Curtis closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in the scent that surrounded him, taking comfort in it. “I was just thinking that he’s just the type of young man I’d like to see Sophie settled with.

  “Of course, I’m not thinking of playing matchmaker. Have you ever known me to interfere in someone else’s life?

  “Now, you know you’d like to see our girl settled here as much as I would. The firm needs her. And if you know of a finer young man in town for the girl, you just let me know and I’ll be sure to introduce him to her.”

  He closed his eyes, and warmed by the fire and comforted by the love that surrounded him, he drifted off to sleep, thinking how good it would be for Sophie if she were to move to St. Dennis like her brother had. And if she happened to find the right guy and decided to stay, well, what was wrong with that?

  Chapter 9

  SOPHIE drove her rental car to the St. Dennis Elementary School on Memorial Drive and parked in the almost filled-to-capacity parking lot. Jesse was still at the office with a client, but he’d promised Logan and Brooke that he’d meet them there as soon as he could.

  After having gone through a second batch of résumés yesterday, Sophie had to admit that her brother was not exaggerating when he’d claimed he was swamped with work and that his offer for her to join the firm wasn’t simply an attempt to lure her to St. Dennis under false pretenses. He really did need another attorney, and in all fairness to Violet—who should be permitted to return to her well-deserved retirement—he had to start looking for another office manager as well as a paralegal. Since he hadn’t had time to go over the résumés she’d left on his desk, Sophie had brought them home with her. After reviewing them a second time, she’d written notes on each one and left them on the kitchen counter next to Jesse’s coffeemaker, stacked in order of her ranking of one through eleven, with one being her recommended hire. He’d written a note on the top one, Ask Violet to arrange interview. Sophie had done that herself, scheduling the interview for Friday morning. She had mentioned Nita’s granddaughter to Violet, who’d merely sniffed her disapproval. Sophie wasn’t sure what the problem was but knew better than to ask, lest Violet think that Sophie was questioning her judgment.

  She entered the school through the big double doors out front and followed the signs for the science fair, which took her down one short hall and then another. A bulletin board announced upcoming events on a giant calendar that highlighted OUR WINTER HOLIDAYS and showcased students’ artwork depic
ting such notable dates as Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day, and St. Patrick’s Day. A corresponding bulletin board heralded the anticipated arrival of spring, with April Fools’ Day apparently the favorite holiday in that month, there being several drawings to illustrate the day.

  “Cookie?” someone asked.

  “What?” She turned, frowning.

  Jason stood behind her, his outstretched hand holding a napkin in which rested several chocolate chip cookies.

  “I thought the punch-and-cookie thing was after the science fair,” she said.

  “It is.”

  “So how’d you rate cookies now?”

  He shrugged. “Came in the back door looking hungry.”

  “Nice of you to share.” She took one and bit into it. “Homemade. Nice. Thanks.”

  “I think it’s a rule at these school things that if you bring cookies, they have to be homemade. At least, that’s been my experience here.”

  “You’ve been before?”

  Jason nodded. “School play, awards ceremony, last day of school, art show, winter band concert.” He rolled his eyes at the last.

  “I think Jesse mentioned that. He said it was pretty rough.”

  “ ‘Rough’ is kind. You haven’t heard ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town’ until you’ve heard it played by an elementary school band.

  “You going in?” He gestured in the direction of the auditorium, where the exhibits were set up.

  “I am. Have you seen Logan and Brooke?” she asked.

  He fell in step next to her. “Logan’s already in there with his project. Brooke’s wandering around somewhere, no doubt socializing. She grew up in St. Dennis, so I guess she pretty much knows everyone in town.”

  “That’s what Jesse said.” Sophie smiled and added, “Hard to believe she was once the town mean girl, or at least to hear her tell it, she was. She’s such a sweetheart now.”

  “She’s told me that, too, but I don’t see it either. Though she did say that when they were in school, she and Dallas MacGregor were both hot for Grant Wyler.”

  “Well, we know how that turned out, right? Grant married Dallas—eventually, anyway—and Brooke …” Sophie stopped in midsentence and looked away.

  “Yeah, Brooke married my brother and had Logan.” His face was unreadable. “And then Eric went to Iraq and didn’t come back.”

  “I’m sorry.” Sophie turned to face him. “It’s never come up in conversation between us before, but I did hear about your brother, and I’m sorry for your loss. Brooke told me you were very close.”

  He nodded. “Thanks.” He met her eyes for a moment, then looked past her to the table where a student was displaying her project. “Ant farms. I had one of those when I was a kid. Did you?”

  “Jesse had one.” She followed him to the table, where he spoke to the girl.

  “I had one of these when I was your age,” he was saying. “What do you feed yours?”

  For one moment, when Sophie had looked into Jason’s eyes, she felt a connection—a sort of zing—but the moment had passed quickly. It was obviously painful for him to talk about his late brother, and he’d shut down the dialogue before it could turn into a conversation.

  “Sophie!” Logan waved from several tables down. “Come see what I made!”

  “Wow, that’s … that’s really complicated.” Sophie studied the charts that stood on Logan’s table and tried to keep from frowning. She had no idea of what she was looking at. “What’s your project about?”

  “It’s about how exercise helps your brain,” he explained. “Like how when you exercise, you can remember things better.” He led her from one piece of poster board to the next. “These are the kids who played a game at the table …”

  “A board game?” she asked.

  “Uh-huh. And these are the kids who played dodgeball.” He pointed to a second chart. “Then I showed everybody some stuff and they had to write down what they remembered. The kids who played dodgeball remembered more of the things than the kids who played Chutes and Ladders.”

  “Proving what?” Jason asked from over Sophie’s shoulder.

  “That your brain can do more things if you play dodgeball?”

  “Close enough.” Jason nodded.

  “I’m impressed,” Sophie said.

  “You gotta see Cody’s.” Logan pointed to his friend several tables away. “He cloned a cabbage.”

  “Don’t want to miss that one.” Sophie glanced in the general direction in which Logan was pointing and noticed that Cody’s mother, Dallas, was standing in front of her son’s display. “I think I’ll go on over and check out that cabbage.”

  “It’s pretty cool,” Logan told her.

  Sophie passed an exhibit of molds that a student had grown on various food substances, a display of rock crystals, and some poster boards charting the speed of sound through different mediums.

  “Pretty sophisticated stuff,” Dallas said when Sophie approached Cody’s table.

  “Nothing like what I made when I was in second grade. I think I was still growing sweet potatoes over jars filled with colored water,” Sophie replied.

  “That was about my speed, too.” Dallas smiled. “Looks like the whole family has shown up for Logan tonight.”

  “Well, Jason’s the only other person I’ve seen. It’s rumored that Brooke is around here somewhere, and Jesse hasn’t arrived yet.”

  “I saw Brooke and her mother about five minutes ago when I dropped off cookies, and I could swear I saw Jesse talking to someone in the lobby a few minutes ago.”

  “Well, then, I guess we are all here. Just not in the same place.” Sophie turned to Cody. “I hear you have a cloned cabbage.”

  He pointed to the vegetable that appeared to be growing out of the side of a cabbage stalk. “Cool, huh?”

  “Very cool,” she agreed as a giggling pack of girls stepped up to the table.

  Sophie took a step back just as Christina Pratt, the mayor of St. Dennis, stopped to chat with Dallas.

  “Dallas, I just want to tell you again how much everyone is looking forward to the opening of your new studio,” the mayor gushed. “You just can’t imagine what this will do for the town, what it will do for the merchants.”

  “Actually, I have an idea,” Dallas replied with a faint smile.

  “Well, we’re just all so excited. This will put our little town on the map.”

  Dallas’s smile remained fixed, and after a brief exchange, Mayor Pratt went on to the next display.

  “As if I don’t know that a major studio would give the town a boost.” Dallas shook her head, the smile fading.

  “I’m sure she’s just grateful and wants to express that.”

  “She’s already done that about twenty times. Like every time she sees me. I don’t need to be patted on the back constantly. This is my home, and I want to work where I live and where we’re raising Cody, but yes, I’d be a fool if I didn’t realize how much revenue this venture will bring into St. Dennis.”

  “How is the studio coming along?” Sophie asked.

  “The renovations on the building are coming along very nicely. The offices are all finished, so I can go to work every day and function quite well. I’ve hired some key people to work in my production company, and some of them are looking for temporary housing in and around the community already.”

  “At the risk of sounding like the mayor”—Sophie lowered her voice—“it really is kind of exciting.”

  “No one’s more excited than I am,” Dallas admitted. “I love the idea of having my business right here in town. There’s no way I could go back to California for more than a weekend with Grant here, and Cody having settled in so well, and my aunt Berry ready to tackle what will most likely be her last screen role.”

  Dallas’s great-aunt, Berry Eberle, as Beryl Townsend, had been, in her day, every bit the major movie star that Dallas currently was. Now in her eighties, Berry hadn’t made a film in years, but she was coming o
ut of retirement to play a lead role in Dallas’s first production.

  “I read the book,” Sophie said. “Pretty Maids. It’s going to make an incredible movie.”

  “Thank you.” Dallas beamed. “I’ve finished the screenplay and we’ve started casting. That’s going quite well—I expect to have some announcements to make very soon, though so far we’ve only signed Aunt Berry and Laura Fielding as her granddaughter.”

  “They’re going to be perfect. Your aunt is totally Rosemarie, and Laura will be amazing as Charlotte. I can’t wait till it’s finished.”

  “There’s a long way to go before we can put this baby in the can, but I appreciate your enthusiasm. Everyone agrees that Berry is going to be radiant in the role, but not everyone’s on board as far as Laura is concerned.”

  “Oh, you know that everyone’s a critic. I think Laura will be wonderful and the movie will win all sorts of awards.”

  “Thank you so much, Sophie. It’s nice to get support from the hometown crowd.”

  Sophie could have reminded Dallas that she wasn’t exactly hometown, but she let it go. Instead, she asked as casually as she could, “So when do you think you’ll be up and running?”

  “By the summer, definitely. I expect to have the cast firmed up and the crew hired on by April, May at the latest. I want to be shooting by the summer.” Dallas smiled. “You interested in an audition?”

  “Me?” Sophie laughed. “I couldn’t act to save my life, but it’s nice of you to ask.”

  Grace Sinclair appeared at her elbow, camera in hand. “Ladies, may I take your picture for the paper? The St. Dennis Gazette has covered this event for the past forty years or so, you know. Always had the money shot on the front page.”

  “I think Dallas is the very definition of money shot,” Sophie said. “I think this is my cue to find my brother.” She turned to Dallas. “Good seeing you again.”

  “Likewise. And if you change your mind about auditioning, you give me a call.”

  “Not going to happen, but thanks.” Sophie drifted off into the crowd, scanning the room for Jesse or Brooke. She did catch a glimpse of Jason, his arms folded, head bent as he appeared to be listening to a pretty dark-haired woman who was looking up at him as if he were a big, yummy slice of chocolate cake and she couldn’t wait to take a bite. A shot of something hot suddenly stung Sophie right around her midsection.