The Memory Keeper: A heartwarming, feel-good romance

by Jenny Hale

  “Why don’t you try to call the leasing agent?” Georgia suggested.

  Hannah peered at her screen under the Mercer Properties email signature, noting their phone number. “You know what? I think I will.”

  Liam went over to her but she held up a finger, stopping him. She dialed the number, waiting for someone to pick up.

  Just as it started ringing, Liam’s phone went off in his pocket, sending her eyes straight to him.

  “I had the phone calls transferred to my phone while our receptionist is out,” he said. “Mercer Properties is the company I own with Jonathan Mercer, Alison’s brother.”

  Hannah stumbled back a step and hung up, his phone immediately ceasing to ring.

  “What?” she asked, needing an explanation. He’d known this whole time that this was Gran’s shop, and he hadn’t said anything? Not during any of the countless times they’d been together. She’d told him they might even have to close, given the rent, yet he’d still sent the latest remittance. He’d even stayed in Gran’s house! Why hadn’t he offered to do anything?

  She prayed there was some kind of explanation other than the fact that it was his company who’d been running Gran’s shop into the ground. He was silent just long enough for Hannah to wonder if she’d made a colossal mistake trusting him.

  “You?” she asked, hearing the hurt in her question.

  “Yes,” he confirmed again quietly.

  She pulled back, trying to keep her utter disappointment at bay, squared her shoulders, and cut her eyes at him. “I have a complaint about the hike in rent,” she said, her voice flat, feeling betrayed.

  “I’m so sorry…” He stepped closer to her.

  “You own the company—you said yourself—so you can fix this,” she said.

  After last night, she couldn’t believe she was even having this conversation. Wouldn’t he want to do whatever it took to make this right, given their growing feelings for one another? Or had he planned the whole time to go back to Charleston without a second thought?

  “It’s not that simple…”

  “So you don’t even care if we have to close?” she asked. Her heart felt like it was breaking, this moment adding to the anxiety she already felt from everything else she’d been through.

  “That’s not fair. The rent isn’t any higher than the rest of Main Street,” he replied. “I’ve already spoken to Jonathan about it, and it’s just not feasible to bring it down.”

  She’d witnessed Liam choose work over family, and now she was seeing it firsthand. When it came to his profit, he chose money over people, and right or wrong, she couldn’t deal with that right now.

  “It’s bigger than just this one shop,” he said, but his excuse fell flat.

  At the end of the day, while she adored the great parts of him, she didn’t need this. “You know, I’ve been with someone before who put building his business ahead of us. I don’t want to make that mistake again,” she said, feeling the lump in her throat.

  “Hannah…” He reached out for her arm, but she pulled back.

  “Thank you for the ladder. I’d be happy to pay you for it.”

  He shook his head, clearly consumed with his thoughts. “That’s not necessary,” he said, looking up and finally making eye contact. “I’m trying here,” he said.

  But she wouldn’t listen. Trying at what? Yes, he’d let Hannah in, breaking down his walls a bit, but she needed someone who could be there for her through everything. The shop was important to her.

  “I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place here,” he said. “I tried—”

  She stopped him. She didn’t want to hear any explanations. Even though she wanted to relent, she stood her ground and shook her head.

  “I’ll let myself out,” he said, defeat in his eyes. He turned around, but she refused to acknowledge the gesture.

  And despite the pinch in her chest, she let him go.

  Hannah pulled up at Ethan and Christie’s rancher on the edge of town. It was neatly kept with a spring wreath on the door that read “Welcome” in pink flowers. She could only see half of it, however, because Ethan was standing in front of it with his hands on his hips. He was wearing jeans that fell over the old pair of paint-splattered riding boots he used to wear when he did his murals.

  “I s’pose if you and Christie are off dancin’, that means I’d better get paintin’,” he said.

  “Did I mention how much I adore you?”

  “Doesn’t matter.” He walked up to meet her.

  “It hasn’t gotten past me that you still have your painting boots,” she said.

  “Pure coincidence.”

  “You make me laugh.” She shook her head in amusement and slugged him in the arm.

  “You’d better watch all the flirtin’,” he teased. “Christie’s territorial. But that’s why I love her. I knew she was the one the minute I met her. You know why?”

  “Why’s that?”

  “’Cause I was chattin’ up some random girl at the bar downtown, and Christie walked over to her and said, ‘Excuse me, but that man’s taken.’ I thought she had me mistaken for someone else, but I didn’t care—she was so pretty. Then she sat down beside me and bought a beer on my tab. I thought she’d lost her ever lovin’ mind.” Ethan laughed at the memory. “She pointed to the back of the bar and said, ‘I’ve been waitin’ over there all night for you to come ask me out, and it’s takin’ you too long, so I had to take matters into my own hands.’ I haven’t spent a day away from her since that minute.”

  “I wish I could’ve been at the wedding,” Hannah said.

  “I should’ve asked you to come. But I was too busy bein’ mad at ya.”

  “You had every right to be mad at me. I was so preoccupied with trying to follow my dreams that I forgot about what really mattered for a while, but I remember now. I promise not to ever forget again.”

  Ethan nodded, emotion showing on his face. “Well,” he said, “I guess I’ve got some paintin’ to do…”

  “Thank you. Gran’s gonna love it.”

  Twenty-Nine

  “You’re talented, you know that?” Hannah said to Christie, as they walked out to her father’s truck after their first dance class. They’d been taught the fundamentals for salsa dancing tonight, and Christie could match her steps to the rhythms like a champ. “You’re a natural.”

  “I’m rusty,” Christie said modestly. “And salsa wasn’t the style I practiced as a kid. But I like it.”

  “It won’t take you any time to get back up to speed.” The two of them climbed into the truck. “I think you should try to teach Ethan.”

  Christie threw her head back in a loud laugh. “Can he dance?” she asked.

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” Hannah said, laughing. “One time I made him take me to a school dance because you couldn’t get in without a date, and I wanted to hang out with my friends. He left me there and went out the back door of the gym to buy a pizza. I found him sneaking slices to his friends in the locker room. That’s about as close to dancing as I’ve ever seen him.”

  “Sounds about right,” Christie said, rolling her eyes, but her fondness for him was clear.

  “Should we go see how he’s doing at the shop?”

  “Sure.”

  Hannah put the truck in gear and headed down the road to The Memory Keeper.

  “Can I ask you somethin’?” Christie said. “Why are you doin’ all this? Let’s be honest. Even though I wasn’t thrilled with the idea, Ethan would’ve probably painted the shop if you had kept on about it. You didn’t need to pay for dance lessons. So why did you?”

  “Because I should’ve been there. For your wedding, for Wesley’s birth, for all of it. You and I should’ve been friends. You married my best friend, and that makes you like family. So now I’m trying to make up for that, I think. When you came into the shop and I realized you thought I was a threat, I couldn’t believe it.”

  “Sorry I jumped to conclusions. I just alwa
ys worry about whether Ethan is in this for love or duty.”

  “Before we left for dance class, he told me about the first time he met you,” Hannah said as she made a turn toward the shop. “He told me he knew you were the one right away. Ethan doesn’t say that about just anyone. I’ve been his friend through countless girlfriends and breakups, and never heard him say anything like that.”

  Christie’s eyes glistened with emotion. “I always felt like I held him back.”

  “Not at all.” They pulled up at the shop but continued their conversation. “And you can’t hold him back, anyway. If either of you have something you want to do, you should try to make it happen together. There’s no holding back, but rather lifting up.”

  “I like that,” Christie said. “Thank you.”

  Hannah turned off the engine. “Let’s go see what he’s up to, shall we?”

  The landscapers had come—the lawn was all spruced up, with flowers in the beds leading down the walk to The Memory Keeper—and the sign was being painted. Knowing Ethan was inside gave Hannah a feeling that things would somehow work out and the shop would be a success, even though appearances weren’t the only issue. She opened the door, and she and Christie went inside.

  “Oh my gosh, Ethan,” Hannah said with a delighted gasp. “That’s magnificent.”

  Christie’s mouth hung open. “You did that?” she asked, pointing to the mural. “I had no idea…”

  The back wall was alight with a vintage design in tans, oranges, and browns—subtle like an old photo, but full of life and character. The buildings of Main Street curved as if they were musical notes dancing along the wall. Crowds of people filled the doorways and windows. An old truck sat along the curb outside one of the shops. And the sun was setting, drawing long shadows along the road.

  Hannah clapped her hands excitedly. “I knew you still had it in you!” She walked over to hug Ethan, but he stopped her.

  “I’m full of paint,” he warned. “You’ll ruin your sweater.”

  “I don’t care.” She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a squeeze, the cold wet paint soaking through to her skin. Then she turned around. “Christie, I’m coming for you next.” She held out her paint-spotted arms. “Thank you for dancing with me and being supportive of Ethan painting this for me.”

  “That’s fine,” Christie said, backing away. “Just don’t touch me with all that mess on your shirt.”

  “Oh, come on. You know you want a big hug,” Hannah teased.

  “Yeah, she does,” Ethan said, coming toward his wife.

  Christie put her palms up in the air, waving them. “Ethan, if you dare… There’s a couch with your name on it!” She started running around the shop as Ethan chased her, making her hoot with laughter. He caught her and scooped her up, making her squeal, but she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

  Hannah went over to the old record player and put on a 45-record with a dance beat that would work for their salsa moves. “Let’s teach Ethan what we learned, Christie.”

  With a swipe of white paint on her cheek, Christie grabbed Ethan’s hands and pulled him to the center of the room.

  “What in the world are y’all doin’?” he asked as Christie moved him into position.

  “Dancin’,” his wife replied.

  “I don’t dance,” he said, giving her a spin. “But I will for you.” He leaned in and kissed her again.

  Christie pulled back. “There’s plenty of time for all that sweet talkin’,” she said. “But right now, we’re dancin’. Move your left foot like this,” she said, showing him.

  As Ethan and Christie danced to the music in the empty shop, the new mural behind them, Hannah caught a glimpse of the freshly painted sign: The Memory Keeper. So many memories were already being made.

  “Don’t kill me,” Georgia said, as Hannah walked up to the front door when she got home. Georgia put Jerry down on the porch, letting him sniff around. He inspected the leg of one of Gran’s rocking chairs.

  Hannah bounded up the steps. “What’s up?”

  “I was talking to Mary, and she said that Noah is so excited about going with you to the Spring Festival tomorrow.”

  Hannah sat down on the porch swing, dismay washing over her as she remembered offering to go with Noah.

  “I wasn’t sure if you could stomach being with Liam after the rent thing…” Georgia gritted her teeth together in dramatic nervousness. “I’m heading out to see her after dinner, so if you really don’t want to, I can think of something to say to cancel.”

  Liam had hurt her, and the thought of spending an awkward night with him that should have been a blast made her apprehensive, the loss of something wonderful settling on her shoulders. “No, it’s fine,” Hannah said. “If Noah wants me to go, I’d feel terrible not going.” She didn’t love the idea of spending an entire afternoon with Liam, but she could be adult about it.

  Georgia scooped up Jerry before he headed down the steps into the yard. “Mary will be happy. She seemed just as excited.”

  “You and Mary have been chatting a lot,” Hannah noted.

  “Yes.” Georgia shifted Jerry into her other arm to open the door, and they went inside. “She’s the sweetest woman.”

  They went into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Jerry curled up in Georgia’s lap as Chuck came in and joined them. Jerry perked up at his entrance, jumping down to greet him. Chuck picked up the dog and petted his little head. “Maura’s at the grocery store, and I’ve been dying for some company,” he said, plopping down in an overstuffed chair Gran had decorated with a yellow-and-navy-blue throw pillow.

  “You know, I told Hannah that I’ve felt so comfortable around your family since I got here,” Georgia replied. “My birth parents brought me into the world, but I have to admit that if I don’t find them, while I haven’t known you very long, you all feel pretty darn close to family to me. I’ve never felt like I was a part of something until now.”

  “So maybe you did find your family,” Chuck said.

  “I think I did,” Georgia said.

  “I think she did too,” Hannah added. “And I’d love it if she could work at The Memory Keeper.”

  Chuck looked over at her. “Georgia told me about the genius idea for the mini bouquets and photos you’re gonna take tonight for the festival. But she certainly doesn’t want to work for free,” he said, grinning in solidarity with Georgia. “I mean, a Chihuahua’s gotta eat, right?” He stroked Jerry’s head.

  “You’re right,” Hannah said, feeling overly optimistic, despite the rent issues. “Georgia and I will work together at The Memory Keeper, and we’re going to make it so successful that we’ll be able to take her on permanently,” she told him. “I quit my job to run the shop full time.”

  “Oh my gracious!” He set the dog down. “You’re staying here in Franklin?”

  “Yes.” A warm wave of affection for her loved ones, for the shop, and the town she’d grown up in, washed over her. “I’ll be able to take it over and Gran will enjoy it for the rest of her life.”

  Chuck’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Hannah, that’s the best thing I’ve heard. Gran will be over the moon.” He gave her a big bear hug. “I love you, honey,” he said.

  “I love you too,” she told him. Then she sat up. “It’ll be sunset in about an hour. If we want to stage the bouquets for photos, we should probably get a move on.”

  Hannah and Georgia had taken some gorgeously artistic images at sunset. They’d photographed their little bouquets in front of horses lingering in meadows of wildflowers, old silos and red barns, rope swings hanging from trees, farmhouses tucked into the hillsides, with the purple peaks on the horizon forming a backdrop against the vibrantly striped sky. The printing company had done Hannah a favor and said that if she sent them the images tonight, they could have them all done by 9 a.m., just in time to set them up for display at 10 a.m.

  Georgia was in her room with Jerry, and Hannah had finally taken the time to
email Amanda and congratulate her on the promotion. Afterwards, she decided to take advantage of the mild temperatures March had brought in by sitting outside in one of the rockers on Gran’s back porch, which was becoming one of her favorite places to unwind. She’d brought out the yellow blanket Gran used whenever she sat out there to cover her legs, and settled in with Gran’s journal. What a wonderful life her grandmother had built for herself here.

  The three-and-a-half-year gap in entries between the one she’d last read and the next one caught her eye.

  June 5, 1947

  Hello, Journal, my oldest confidant. I haven’t written in years, choosing to spend my free time with Warren, building the amazing life we have in lieu of jotting down my thoughts. So much has happened since the proposal I told you about last. Warren and I moved to Nashville, and in moving here, I just know I’ve found who I was born to be. Warren has made quite a few friends in the music industry through his job here, and one of them let us get married in his lavish historical home, an old estate on 3,000 acres with marble fireplaces and crystal chandeliers in every room! I felt like a princess. We danced into the night, mingled with new friends, and drank French champagne, which I’d never had before. It was an absolute gas. What I’ve never told anyone until writing it down this minute is that I thought of Charles that night. Just once. I realized how different my life would’ve been if he had come home from the war and married me. The thought made me feel terribly guilty. Being a housewife back in Kentucky was absolutely what I’d wanted back then, and it would have been an honorable life, and even a happy one. However, it wouldn’t have been the life I was meant for… I hadn’t even been looking for this life; I’d say it found me. And I’m so glad it did.

  Gran got her happy ending. Hannah flipped through the rest of the journal, the other pages empty. They may have been blank, but Hannah knew how much had come after that last documented moment.

  She listened to the crickets singing in the nearby woods. Her life was feeling more like that happy ending with every day she stayed in her hometown, but she couldn’t deny the hole in her path, the empty spot where Liam had been. She kept telling herself that maybe it was hitting her hard because they had such a connection to this place together, but in the back of her mind, she felt like it was something more. Hannah fidgeted with the pendant Liam had given her, remembering the way his arms had felt around her that night. Tomorrow was their last day together and then he’d be heading home with Noah, taking a piece of her with him. She’d miss Noah so much. She adored him. Perhaps she could go see the little boy when he visited Mary…