by Rachel Hanna
Anna took a sip of her coffee. “Probably until Monday. I’ve got some other things coming up that I have to attend to, so I don’t think I can stay much past that. I hope it’s okay for me to stay here that long?”
Julie laughed. “We have plenty of rooms. Our busy season is starting to pick up, but we don’t have nearly as many reservations as we probably should. Once the spring festival is over, that’s when we expect to get a rush of tourists in town.”
“Spring festival? What’s that all about?”
“It actually starts this weekend. We have all kinds of vendors who set up tables, like my mom who owns the local bakery. Of course we have live music, food, games for the kids. It’s just a really great time for the town to get together and welcome in spring.”
“That sounds really fun.”
“Oh, it is! I hope that you get some time to join us. I’d love to introduce you to some of my friends. I mean, I know you’re only here on business, but we like to welcome our guests.”
“I will definitely try to be there. By the way, don’t you have a book to read tonight?”
Julie rolled her eyes. “I’ve been procrastinating on that. It’s not that I don’t want to read it, although it wasn’t super interesting to me the first time around.”
“Didn’t you say you only read part of the first page?”
Julie giggled. “I just get very distracted when I’m reading books. Maybe I should try the audiobook?”
“I don’t know. For me, there’s just something about the process of reading. I don’t do so well with audiobooks.”
“I guess I should get on it so I don’t fall asleep like I did last night. Is there anything else that you need from me before I head upstairs?”
“No, thank you. I think I’m going to sit out on the porch for a while, maybe make a couple of phone calls. Then I’m going to be heading to bed myself. I’ve got an early morning meeting tomorrow.”
“Yeah, same here. In fact, it’s this author that’s coming tomorrow for a book signing. I better try to read this thing so I know what I’m talking about,” she said with a chuckle.
Colleen leaned against her fluffy pillows and stared at her computer screen. Maybe she did have an actual addiction. She just couldn’t stop watching true crime documentaries. It seemed like the streaming services had one after another, and each one seemed more interesting and suspenseful than the last.
“You need to go to bed,” Tucker said, his voice booming through the speaker on her phone and startling her.
“Geez, tell me when you’re going to say something because you scared the crap out of me!”
They often did this at night where Tucker was at his apartment and she was at the cottage with her Aunt Janine, but they stayed in touch on their phones because they couldn’t stand to be apart. Hours would pass while they each watched TV or did household chores, sometimes not saying anything for long stretches of time.
Colleen couldn’t wait for the day when they got married and could live in the same house all the time. Of course, they could do that now, but she just wanted some time on her own before settling down with a man again. The whole thing with her former fiancé, Peter, had made her long for a little bit of independence before she started her own family.
And the truth was, she had plenty of time. She was only in her twenties, so it wasn’t like her biological clock was ticking very loudly yet. Of course, when she saw her sister getting to be a mother, she did feel herself longing for that sometimes. But definitely not enough to rush into getting married and starting a family so soon.
She and Tucker had some big business goals before then. The Christmas selling season would be coming again in a few months, and it was going to be a challenge but a possible financial windfall for both of them.
They had also talked about traveling together and seeing different parts of the world before they finally settled down. She was thankful that she had time and didn’t have to worry about being in a hurry for any reason.
“What are you doing?” Tucker asked. She could hear him washing his dishes in the background.
“There’s a new documentary I wanted to see. It’s about this serial rapist.”
“Wow, that sounds like something that is so soothing right before bedtime.”
“You’re a wimp,” she said, laughing.
“I truly don’t know how you watch that stuff right before you go to sleep. It would give me nightmares.”
“Sometimes it does. I still can’t help myself. It’s just so interesting.”
“Well, I don’t want to keep you from your new documentary, so I’m going to hang up and go take a nice hot shower. I’ll see you in the morning?”
“See you then. Sweet dreams,” she said before hanging up.
She snuggled back into her pillows again, pulled the cover up around her neck and pressed play. As the documentary started, she learned facts about the case.
Apparently there was this man who was raping women in this small town. They couldn’t catch him no matter what they did, but he was finally shot and killed by an officer during a standoff.
As she watched about all the different cases, she was so thankful that she didn’t live alone. At least having her Aunt Janine there meant that she wasn’t as worried being at home alone at night. A lot of these girls had been attacked in their apartments where they lived alone.
As the story went on, she started to learn more about the standoff. About how he had taken a hostage and was trying to blackmail the police. It went on for hours and hours until finally one of the officers snuck into the building and was able to shoot him before he could hurt his hostage.
And that’s when Colleen found herself staring at the screen, holding her breath. The officer that shot him was a woman, but that wasn’t the part that was so shocking. She knew who that officer was, and she couldn’t believe what her eyes were seeing.
She tossed her computer to the side, pausing the documentary as she did, and ran out into the living room. “Aunt Janine!”
Janine came flying out of her bedroom, her curly hair sticking straight up like she’d stuck her finger in a light socket. She had her robe wrapped around her and was holding her chest. “What’s going on? Are you hurt?”
Colleen shook her head. “No! I was just watching this crime documentary…”
Janine rolled her eyes and then bent over like she was trying to catch her breath. “Girl, have you lost your mind? You almost gave me a heart attack!”
“You don’t understand. There was a female police officer who shot the rapist.”
“Okay…”
“We know her!”
“We know who?”
“The police officer!” Colleen was getting more and more frustrated like Janine was supposed to understand what was popping around inside of her own mind.
“You’re not making any sense!”
“The police officer that shot the rapist and killed him… It was Emma.”
“What? Emma from the lighthouse?”
“Yes! I saw her on the documentary. I’ve got it paused on my bed. I knew she looked familiar! I must’ve seen her on the news at some point.”
“It was probably just someone who looks a lot like her. Emma keeps a lighthouse. She’s not a police officer.”
“And how do you know that? Did she tell you what she did before she came here?”
“Well… no… I got the feeling that she left a life behind that was stressing her out or she had some traumatic event…”
Colleen put her hands on her hips. “You mean like shooting and killing someone?”
“Let me see,” Janine said, pointing to Colleen’s bedroom.
She followed Colleen into the room. They both sat down on the edge of the bed as Colleen picked up her laptop and pressed play. Sure enough, Emma’s face popped back up on the screen again. Colleen pressed pause.
“See? That’s definitely Emma.”
Janine sat there silently for a moment. “She must be compl
etely traumatized.”
“I don’t get it. I mean, police officers have to know that they may end up killing someone in the line of duty. Why would that bother her enough to leave her entire life behind?”
“You know, sometimes you think you know how you’ll react to a situation. And then you get put in that situation, and it’s a lot harder than you think it would’ve been. Maybe that’s what happened.”
“What are we going to do?”
“What do you mean what are we going to do? This is none of our business,” Janine said, standing up and walking toward the door.
“Aunt Janine, it’s obvious that she needs some extra support or help. Running away from it isn’t going to be the best thing for her. Surely you know that after the trauma you suffered.”
Janine slowly turned. “Say nothing. Don’t tell anyone. You don’t publicize someone else’s trauma.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“Let me think about it. If I feel like I need to talk to her, I will. But for now, let her enjoy this new start. That’s the best thing we can do for her in this moment.”
Julie had never seen Dixie run around so quickly. The book signing was starting in a couple of hours, and they expected the author to show up at any minute. Julie had tried to finish reading the book the night before, but she had fallen asleep about halfway into chapter three. Still, she found herself getting more and more interested in the plot, so that was a good thing. Hopefully the author didn’t ask her any specific questions or she was going to be in a pickle.
“Do you think this place looks clean enough?” Dixie asked, standing there with her hands on her hips as she surveyed the entire bookstore. They had been sweeping and scrubbing and tidying up since they got there at seven AM.
“It’s fine. We’re not being judged on cleanliness. We’re hosting an author who wants to sign books. We’re doing her a favor!”
Dixie laughed. “I don’t think that’s true. Just the fact that she’s going to be here means we’re going to have all sorts of people lined up outside. It’s going to be great for business.”
“Maybe so, but they’re here to look at her books and meet her. They’re not here to buy more books from other authors, or at least I wouldn’t think so. Just don’t be disappointed if sales don’t skyrocket, okay?”
“Where is that clipboard?” Dixie asked, suddenly running around yet again.
“I put it on the table. People will be able to write their emails so that we can send them regular messages about sales and so forth. I’ve got it handled. You really need to calm down before you end up in the hospital.”
Dixie chuckled under her breath. “I haven’t been this excited in years. I feel like I’m about to meet Elvis!”
Julie rolled her eyes and laughed. “I think you might be getting a little dramatic.”
“I think I’ll run to the back and just make sure that we didn’t miss a box of books that we can sell. Keep an eye out because she should be here soon.”
“Will do, sir,” Julie said, saluting her like she was a military leader.
She finished straightening the books on the table where Charlotte McLemore would be signing. She made sure that their most comfortable chair was pushed up behind it. Although she wasn’t nearly as excited as Dixie, she did like the way the woman wrote.
Julie had always wanted to write a novel, and she had been working on one for almost a year now. But it seemed like life was always getting in the way, and she never could get the thing finished. Even if she did, she didn’t know who would publish it. All of it seemed like a very involved process, and she wasn’t sure if she could take the rejection if people didn’t like it.
Still, she wanted to write a novel about a woman like herself who had had the strength to leave a bad situation and start a new life that was even better than she could’ve hoped for. That was how she saw herself, at least most of the time.
When she looked back at her life over the last couple of years, it was hard to believe she was the same woman who sat with her snooty country club “friends” for lunch every week. She hadn’t spoken to those women in a long time, and she had nothing in common with them now.
It felt like she had been a different person back then, like her real self had been buried for so long that she didn’t even know she was still in there. Seagrove brought her back to life, and she was forever grateful for that.
The door dinged and she looked up to see Anna standing there. “Well, good morning! I didn’t know you were coming by here.”
“I love to read, so I thought I’d take a look while I was heading to my appointment.”
“Well, we’ve got plenty of these,” Julie said, holding up one of Charlotte’s books and laughing.
“Looks like you do! How much did you end up reading last night?”
“I got about halfway through the third chapter before I fell asleep, although I don’t think it’s the author’s fault. The book was actually pretty good, but I was exhausted. I probably shouldn’t have had that glass of wine I snuck upstairs.”
“Oh, a good glass of wine is always okay.”
“Would you like a cup of coffee? I just made a fresh pot.”
“No thanks. I had some before I left the inn.”
“I hope that your room was to your liking?”
“It was wonderful! I swear that was the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in.”
She heard Dixie come out of the storage room in the back. “Oh, I want to introduce you to my friend and business partner.”
Dixie appeared behind her, her mouth dropping open and her eyes widening. She looked like she’d seen a ghost.
“Oh my goodness… You’re early…”
“Early? Dixie what are you talking about? This is my new friend, Anna. She’s staying at the inn. She’s here on business.”
Dixie stared at her, her eyebrows furrowed. “Julie, do you not know who this is?”
“Yes, of course I do. I told you this is Anna.”
The whole time, Anna just stood there, a slight smile on her face watching the two women talk.
“Look!” Dixie said, holding up one of Charlotte McLemore’s books. Only this time she had turned it around to the back where the author’s biography and picture were. Julie took the book from her hand and stared at the photo.
“Anna? Wait, I’m confused. You’re Charlotte McLemore?”
Anna… or Charlotte, rather… smiled. “My real name is Anna, but my pen name is Charlotte.”
Julie felt like she was going to throw up. Her insides were churning like some kind of alien was trying to escape. Certainly vomiting on the woman was probably not the right reaction given all of the terrible things she’d said about her book just yesterday.
“I’m so embarrassed,” Julie said quietly.
“What’s going on? What did I miss?” Dixie asked.
“Well, I met Anna yesterday, and I didn’t know she was Charlotte… And I said some things about the book…”
Charlotte reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “It’s no big deal, Julie. I really enjoyed it because nobody ever tells me the truth anymore. Everybody wants to say nice things, and that’s great, but I also want to hear the bad things.”
Julie looked up at her. “There are no bad things! I’m just a terrible reader. And I’m so tired lately. It wasn’t your book!”
“It’s fine, really. It was nice to talk to someone who had no idea who I was.”
Dixie just continued staring at the situation in front of her. “I’m so sorry about this whole thing…”
“I am excited to be here, and I’m looking forward to spending the day with both of you while I sign books. And please, if you have constructive feedback about any of my books, I’d love to hear. I always want to become a better writer.”
“You’re a fabulous writer! Your books have been life-changing for me!” Dixie said, clasping her hands together like she was meeting God himself.
“Now, I see some muffins in that c
ase over there, and I could sure use something on my stomach before we start this book signing. Mind if I grab one?”
“Honey, you can have as many muffins as your heart desires!” Dixie said, smiling.
Chapter 9
The book signing went off without a hitch, and Julie made an audible sigh of relief after the last customer left the shop. Charlotte spent the day signing her name, taking pictures with excited readers and chatting with each one like they were her best friend. Julie could see why people liked her and her books. She had such a way about her that made people feel comfortable.
“My hand feels like it just might fall off!” she said, rubbing the palm of her hand and then stretching her fingers back and forth. “But, I have to say I was shocked at how many readers came all the way to Seagrove.”
“Me too!” Dixie said, pouring each of them a fresh cup of coffee. Even though it was almost lunch time, the coffee train never stopped at Down Yonder. “I don’t think we’ve ever had that many people in the store at one time.”
“We definitely haven’t,” Julie interjected. “And I think we’d better order more Charlotte McLemore books!” She stood in front of the formerly full table and swiped her hand across.
“Thank you for having me here, ladies. This was so fun! Maybe we can do it again on my next release?”
Dixie nodded. “Of course!”
“Well, I think I’m going to head back to the inn and take a little nap.”
“Don’t you want some lunch?” Julie asked.
Charlotte touched her stomach. “I’m full of coffee and those delicious muffins, but I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Let me give you a ride,” Dixie said, grabbing her purse.
“It’s no bother. I can walk over the bridge.”
“No, absolutely not!” Before Charlotte could say anything else, Dixie was holding the door open and pulling her keys out of her purse. There was no way Dixie was going to let her favorite author out of her sight when she could basically kidnap her for a few more minutes.
Julie watched as they disappeared down the sidewalk. She leaned against the front counter and closed her eyes for a moment, taking a few deep breaths. There had been so many people in the store that it had almost become claustrophobic at times, and she wondered what it would be like to buy the space next door if it ever became available. Maybe they could expand and have even more to offer their customers. She’d even thought about having a whole cafe with trivia and karaoke nights, but she hadn’t told Dixie her ideas just yet. None of it mattered if there wasn’t a space to expand into anyway.
