Come Rain or Shine (Shine On Series, Book Three)
Page 7
“Back here,” Jemma said, leading the way to the back right corner of the small shop.
Emmie frowned as she spotted what Silas’s sister was buying. She was having the man behind the counter bag up candy sticks: licorice, peppermint, apple—every kind you could imagine.
“Get about five you like and two or three you don’t like. That seems to work well for me,” Jemma said before turning back to the man to get a few bottles of soda.
Emmie opened her mouth to ask why in the world they were buying gobs of candy, but the younger girl handed the man behind the counter one more piece of candy and moved to a different aisle. Emmie wasted no time mimicking Jemma’s motions, choosing sweets, and following her to the other aisle.
She was in a children’s aisle. There were beautiful picture books and every type school supply you could imagine. Jemma handed her a basket and told her to choose one book appropriate for a primary-aged child and a few art supplies that kids would enjoy. She might have just picked out a boatload of actual candy, but searching through these books and school supplies made her feel like a kid in a candy store. Jemma caught her looking at the price tag on one of the books.
The younger girl put her hand on Emmie’s as she spoke gently, “Silas wanted you to pick out the best one and not worry about money. That’s why he gave you the cash.”
Emmie put a lovely book of fairy tales in her basket without looking down. “Jemma what are we doing?” she asked.
Jemma smiled and made an imaginary motion of locking her lips. “He made me promise not to tell you until we got there. Pick out some art supplies. We’ve got to hurry. The car will be back in five minutes.”
Emmie groaned inwardly. Of course, he had planned this. She needed these supplies for whatever the next thing was. Judging by the items in her basket, children were involved. Beans and Cornbread. Sweet Tea. Picture Books. Kids. Today was about the things she liked and he’d worked so hard to plan it. She had sold him short believing that he was sending her off with a stack of cash for something frivolous like a new dress.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind she closed her eyes and saw him in the cabin. Shooting. Angry. Broken. You’re a moll, a gangster’s girl. Those were the ugly words the revenuer had thrown at her. It couldn’t be true. She shook her head to clear the memory. She wouldn’t let that man poison her mind against Silas. Silas was the kindest man she had ever known outside of Walter. He wasn’t perfect but neither was she. Didn’t everyone make the best choice they could in the moment they were in? That doesn’t make things okay, but it shouldn’t make you judge someone either. That revenuer and Mr. Thomas shouldn’t have kidnapped her. Life wasn’t black and white; life was shades of gray.
“Are you ready?” Jemma asked from the counter.
Emmie snapped back into the reality that surrounded her.
She smiled as she said, “Yes.”
Chapter Fourteen
The car pulled up in front of an enormous red brick house just on the outside of the city. Jemma thanked the driver and asked him to return in an hour. Emmie stepped out onto the sidewalk and pulled her coat closer to her body. The wind was piercing today. She again felt thankful to Silas. Without the coat and warmer clothes she would have been freezing. The girls quickly made their way to the door. Emmie noticed an old chipped sign with fading white letters hanging over the front door reading Bell House.
Jemma opened the door and walked in ahead of her. The younger girl looked so relaxed. Emmie tried to match her ease and grace but she came up short. The entry hall was littered with people. It was loud and filled with unfamiliar accents and languages. Mismatched rocking chairs lined one wall that was opposite a dark wooden staircase. The girls had to weave in and out to maneuver around the people in the wide entry hall. Emmie balanced the basket with supplies on one arm and pulled her purse closer to her body. She could feel the curious eyes of strangers focused on her. She tried to smile and nod a polite hello but most of the folks went on about their business without giving her much attention. At first she thought it was her clothes. She’d shown up here in all this brand new finery, but their frocks were worn to threads. Many of them seemed to be depending on mismatched layers of hand-me-down clothes to keep warm. However, when she paid closer attention, she realized that it couldn’t be the clothes causing their standoff nature. Jemma was dressed just as nice as she was and several of the people had either kissed her cheek or patted her kindly as she walked by them. Jemma was all smiles for them. Right now she seemed to possess the same easy charm as her brothers.
Emmie realized it wasn’t about clothes; it was about relationships. She remembered Jemma mentioning something at Silas’s house about volunteering in the city and getting credit for one of her classes. Jemma must come here to work with these people. Silas’s sister grabbed Emmie’s hand and led her into a small room. There was an old table that took up nearly every inch of the space in the tiny office. A woman, who couldn’t have been much older than thirty, sat in-between two middle-aged men. All three of them were frowning at a large stack of paperwork spread before them. The three looked up as soon as the girls entered the room. When the woman saw Jemma, her face split into a wide grin.
“Jemma, hello girl. The little ones are eager for you today. I hear you’ve bribed them again,” she teased.
“I like to think of it as treating them for a job well done,” she said.
“Mr. Spugnardi and Mr. Enniso, this is Miss Jemma McDowell. Say hello to Miss Jemma.” She spoke a little louder. The two nodded and mumbled “hello” under their breath. “Say it loud and confident. Be proud. You’ve worked hard to get here.”
“Hello, Miss Jemma,” the men said in a heavy Italian accent.
The lady looked at Jemma, anticipating her response. Jemma seemed comfortable with the exchange. She told them it was nice to meet them and they reciprocated the greeting. The second time they spoke much louder and more confident. The lady looked proud.
“Well done, men. You do that tomorrow and you’ll impress those employers, I guarantee it,” she said before turning her attention back to the girls. “You must be the girl from Kentucky.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Emmie said. “My name is Emma but most people call me Emmie.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Emmie. I’m Leigh Matthews. My mother founded the Bell House. Bell is my maiden name. I help her run it now.”
“Thank you for letting me come along with Jemma today.”
“We are always happy for the extra help. Especially if you are friends of the McDowells,” she explained. “Michael McDowell has been a huge supporter of our house for years.”
“Oh, that reminds me. He asked me to give this to you for supplies.” Jemma produced an envelope filled with cash.
“He has always been generous. I’ll send him a thank-you letter first thing tomorrow,” Mrs. Matthews said. “You two had better head upstairs. I need to finish helping these two fine young men fill out paperwork for a potential employment opportunity that has come up.”
Emmie followed Jemma up the stairs. “So, this is a house for immigrants? Folks were speaking all kinds of languages downstairs. I’ve never heard anything like it. It’s wonderful.”
“Yes,” Jemma said, still climbing the stairs. “Mrs. Bell and her daughter run this place. They say we have a duty and a responsibility as Americans to help teach and support our newest citizens. Pop is all for it. When he first moved here, Mrs. Bell really helped him settle into Chicago. She may have only been a few years older than Pop but her family had connections. Pop didn’t have very much money back then. But what he lacked in resources he made up for in resourcefulness and dedication. Mrs. Bell helped get him a job at a law firm running errands when he was just out of school. He said that job changed his life. She started this house when he was in law school. He’s supported it ever since.”
“Did your family only support it financially or did they come down here to help like we are today?” Emmie wondered why Silas had never me
ntioned it.
“Some of both I guess. There used to be a ton of Irish people in and out of here when we were kids, but lately it’s become a melting pot of cultures. I think it’s the most interesting place in all of Chicago,” Jemma said as they reached the top floor.
They walked into a large room full of children playing and running around. There were a couple mothers in the room but primarily it was kids. Emmie guessed their ages ranged from four to six. It was just the children who hadn’t yet started school. The rowdy group of kids attacked Jemma with hugs and shouts for attention. She swatted playfully at a couple boys who attempted to dig in her basket of goodies.
Emmie and Jemma separated the children into two groups. Emmie took the older kids and Jemma the younger. For the next hour the girls read books, colored, told stories, practiced saying words, letters, and numbers in English. Some of the kids spoke the language very well. Emmie thought they might have even been born in Chicago. Others were quieter and only spoke when they had to, in broken sentences and words. The one thing they all had in common was they loved their little class at Bell House. Emmie loved it too. Near the end of her time there she pulled out the candy and let the kids choose their flavor. Most took more than one, saying they needed some pieces for their siblings that were in school for the day. She assumed they were telling the truth but didn’t much care either way. She was glad to see them have it.
“Miss Emmie, can I add the book to the shelf?” a little girl with freckles splattered across her nose asked. Emmie could only detect the faintest hint of an accent.
“The shelf?” she asked, looking around the room.
The small child grabbed her hand and led her out to a tiny bookshelf at the end of the hall. Emmie saw one of the shelves was half filled with fairly new books.
“When Miss Jemma brings a new book, she lets us add it to our shelf. That way on the days we don’t have anyone here we can still play school.”
“I’m hoping to slowly build a library of children’s books,” Jemma said, walking up behind them.
“Jemma, that’s a wonderful idea,” Emmie said, handing the book to the little girl.
The goodbye was a mix of hugs and laughter again, but this time Emmie was included. As they made their way down to the car Emmie was full of questions. How often do you go? Do you ever work with older kids? How did you get the program started? Jemma thoughtfully answered each question. As it turned out, Mrs. Matthews had started the program but didn’t have the time to work with the children as much since she started filling in for her mother with the adult needs of the organization. Jemma had taken her place two days a week beginning this past summer. As they walked toward the waiting black car, Emmie took a deep breath of cool fresh air. Outside of working with Max, that was one of the best things she had ever done. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alive.
Chapter Fifteen
“How much time do we have until we meet Ava?” Emmie asked as she watched the houses turn back into tall brick city buildings. She was surprised when the driver answered her question.
“A little under an hour, Miss Emmie.”
“Is there anything you’d like to do before we meet Ava and Aunt Molly?” Jemma asked.
Emmie thought for a moment before she answered. She had a whole city’s worth of possibilities in front of her, but there was only one thing she wanted to do. She nodded her head in silent resolve before speaking.
“Can you take us to Silas’s office?” Emmie asked quickly before she lost her nerve.
“We aren’t supposed to meet him until after the dress shop. That was the plan,” Jemma said, biting her lower lip.
Emmie wondered how many times Silas had gone over this plan with his sister. Clearly she had been given strict instructions judging the amount of thought Jemma was giving this suggestion.
“Please,” Emmie smiled as she pleaded, grabbing the girl’s hand. “Let me surprise him. He won’t be disappointed. I promise.”
Emmie was surprised that she already felt so at ease with his sister. Something about the shared experience at Bell House made her feel like the girl was a kindred spirit. She couldn’t help but think this may have answered some questions she had about Silas being attracted to someone like her. She and Jemma were a lot alike. If he had spent a good bit of his life caring for his sister, it only made sense he had projected those same protective instincts onto her.
A wide smile spread across Jemma’s face as she squeezed Emmie’s hand. “Oh, why not?”
“Thank you, Jemma,” Emmie said as she noticed they were nearing the little shop they’d gone into earlier to get supplies for the Bell House children. All at once she remembered something she’d seen and shouted, “Stop the car.”
The driver halted the car with his hands gripped tightly to the steering wheel. He looked quickly in each direction for danger. When he was convinced he hadn’t hit anything and there was no immediate danger he turned around and frowned at Emmie. Clearly the driver was less than amused.
Emmie chewed her bottom lip to hide the grin playing at the corner of her mouth. “Sorry, nothing’s wrong. I just need to go back in that shop. I’ll be right back.” She grabbed her purse and reached for the door handle.
“If you’ll just wait a second.” The man sighed and pulled the car off near the curb of the street.
The driver attempted to get out and open the door but Emmie was out of the car and running down the sidewalk before he had the chance. She was back in the car within five minutes with a package wrapped in thick brown paper and red gingham ribbon.
Jemma looked at her confused and laughed. “You are an impulsive one, aren’t you?”
Emmie grimaced playfully. “More than you would care to know.”
Jemma thought for a moment. Emmie regretted her words as soon a she said them. She could tell that Jemma was thinking of the information she’d heard her share with Ava yesterday. Emmie’s stomach sank as she realized that she was going to have to explain all of that in detail to her best friend. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She would not think of that now. Each day is what you make of it. She was determined to make today a good one.
She leaned forward and whispered to the driver, “Take us to Silas.”
As they drove deeper into the vein of the city the number of automobiles thickened to the point where the car was constantly starting and stopping. The sidewalks were crowded with people walking from building to building. Emmie had never in her life seen anything like it.
Jemma leaned over to her and pointed up at the windshield making Emmie look at a row of tall buildings they were nearing. “See the one that’s white on the bottom and brick on top with big gold doors?” she asked.
“Yes. Is that his office?” Emmie asked.
Jemma nodded as they pulled up to it.
Butterflies settled in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t exactly sure why she felt nervous. Maybe because she had never been to a city this large. Maybe because it was sinking in that Silas worked in some fancy law office in downtown Chicago. Maybe it was because he bought her nice things when she needed them without her asking. Maybe it was because she was getting to know his family. But she doubted it was any of those things. It was because he knew her well enough to plan for her to volunteer at Bell House and keep it a surprise. Even though he knew she would be angry until she put it all together.
The building was as grand on the inside as it appeared on the outside. Marble, dark woodwork, and gold accents gave the place a feeling of luxury. The girls had taken an honest-to-goodness elevator up to the fifth floor. It had a man inside whose sole responsibility was to operate the little square contraption. Emmie couldn’t imagine that being what someone did all day long, but the man seemed perfectly happy. He was full of smiles as he helped them exit into the hall.
Jemma stopped at a desk and spoke to the lady seated on the other side. She was beautiful with short blonde hair and fancy shoes. She also had on way too much makeup.
“No,” it was Emmie who answered her, “but trust me, he won’t mind.”
“Mr. McDowell doesn’t like to be surprised with visitors when he’s working. Especially since he has been out of town lately. He has a lot to catch up on. Jemma, I’m surprised you wouldn’t know better,” the lady said with a frown at the younger girl.
“I know he doesn’t but honestly, he won’t mind. I swear it,” Jemma said, stepping around the girl who was now standing up from her desk.
“What are you, the gatekeeper?” Emmie laughed and spoke to Jemma. “Do you know the way?”
Jemma smiled and grabbed Emmie’s elbow. “Yes, I do.”
“You cannot just walk in there unannounced,” the woman huffed as she followed them.
Jemma pointed to a door at the end of the hall, ignoring the woman. “That’s his office. I’ll go see if I can find Trick or Pop just to give you some time.”
Emmie knocked once and slowly opened the door. For a moment she did worry about what the gatekeeper had said. What if he was in some important meeting? As soon as it opened enough so she could see him, her face spread into a wide grin. He sat in a big brown leather chair talking on the phone, clearly engrossed in some conversation until he saw Emmie standing in his doorway smiling with a brown package in her hand. She had never seen him look so surprised. He stuttered into the phone then told the person on the other end he would call them back. He hung up the phone and pushed his chair back. Emmie was at his side before he could stand.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, his voice full of concern as he looked up at her.
Emmie didn’t know when she’d ever seen him look more handsome. He looked like such a gentleman, sitting there behind that big mahogany desk. He had stacks of paperwork spread before him organized in neat piles. She wasn’t surprised. Everything he did was well-organized. Including his little adventure for her today. She nodded to answer his earlier question and took a step to close the last inch of space between them. Before she lost her nerve, she bent down and planted a kiss right on his mouth, right about the time the blonde made it to the door.