“No. You’re going to find a way to save Dove Pond. I already know it.”
“My God. As much as I like you, and I do, although I don’t know why, you’re a strange one.”
“I know,” Sarah agreed as she unwrapped her croissant. “You’ll get used to it.”
Grace had to laugh. “I guess I’ll have to.”
“I’m glad Kat ran into you at the diner yesterday. She called me afterward.”
“Why?”
“She’s worried about you. She said you seemed so tired.”
“Daisy’s been, well, Daisy. And Mama G is a handful lately. She ended up at Trav’s in the middle of the night, cooking spaghetti of all things.”
“Oh dear. I knew she was there; he texted me and asked for your number.”
“I wondered how he’d gotten it. Well, she made him pay for it, and me too, because she said some embarrassing things.” Super-embarrassing things.
“What did she say?”
“Nothing that made any sense, but I wish she hadn’t said them in front of Trav.”
Sarah took a sip of her coffee. “He understands. He took care of his dad, so he knows how it is.”
That was true. Maybe he wouldn’t put any stock in Mama G’s weird meanderings. “I just wish I knew how she got out. I had a lock installed way up high so she couldn’t reach it, but after Trav texted me, I found the door standing wide open. She’s not tall enough to reach the lock, and there weren’t any stools nearby or anything to show that she’d figured it out.” Grace shook her head. “I have no idea how she did it.”
“Oosh. That’s worrying.”
“Very.” Grace shot a glance at Sarah. “By the way, last week your sister sent some tea for Mama G.”
“She said she was going to. Does it work?”
“Amazingly, yes.”
The tin had been labeled AVA’S SPECIALTY TEA FOR MAMA G, and Grace had no idea what was in it. Whatever it was, it was effective. One cup at dusk, and Mama G visibly relaxed, humming to herself and willing to enjoy the moment. While it didn’t seem to help her sleep, it had alleviated the anxiety she seemed to feel every evening. “To be honest, I was a little worried it might not be good for her.”
“Ava’s teas are safe.” Sarah’s tone was a little stiff.
“I’m sure they are, but I was afraid it might interfere with Mama G’s medications. Of course, Linda scoffed at that. She loves all things Dove.”
Sarah grinned. “Linda is a good one.”
“She is. Ava dropped off her tea while I was at work, so before I got home, Linda had already made Mama G a cup. It worked great.” Of course, had it been up to Grace, she’d have never allowed Mama G to try the stuff without first knowing what was in it, but that was not to be. “I called Ava and asked for the ingredients. It was just some chamomile, lavender, and a touch of magnolia bark, none of which Doc Bolton thought would be harmful.”
“You can trust Ava.”
“I know. And I do.” Grace slanted a smile at Sarah. “Want to know something funny? The tea worked so well on Mama G that Linda decided to give it a try.”
“It doesn’t work like that. Ava didn’t make it for her.”
“You’re right. Linda said she drank six cups of it and all it did was make her need to pee in the middle of the night.”
Sarah laughed. “I knew she’d tried it. Linda stopped by the house a few days ago and Ava made her some special lavender tea.”
“Oh, I’ve heard all about it. The tea is supposed to make dreams vivid. Since then, I’ve had to listen to Linda talk about her dreams, mostly of her naked on a hot beach with a nameless man.”
Sarah grinned over her cup of coffee. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes. Linda said her dreams were so real that she woke up to the smell of salt water and coconut rum.” Frankly, Grace didn’t want more vivid dreams. She just wanted to sleep through one night. Just one.
“I’m glad Ava’s tea helped.”
“You’ve both been helpful.” Grace turned the car into the parking lot and pulled into a space. She turned off the car. “I can’t thank you enough.”
Sarah looked at her half-eaten croissant and set it down on her knee. “Look, I know I’ve been overeager in welcoming you to our town. And I know that made it harder on you. It’s just that I have a good feeling about you moving here, and I’m glad I’ve gotten to know you and Daisy and Mama G.”
Grace’s chest tightened, a bubble of emotion near the surface. She knew it was because she was just exhausted from too little sleep, but this time she didn’t fight it. “I’m glad I’m here, too. That’s the one thing Mama G said last night that was true; I’ve been holding on to my anger way too much. I was so, so mad when I had to leave my job in Charlotte, because I’ve always thought of money as a measure of success. That’s what I’ve told myself my entire life—that I would grow up, make a lot of money, and buy a house for myself and Hannah.” Grace sighed, and it came from her heart. “But things haven’t turned out the way I thought. Not even close. And I haven’t been at my best since I got here.”
“You’ve been great. You’re being way too hard on yourself.”
“Not really. To be honest, I’m not sure what I was mad at. Fate? The circumstances? Mama G’s illness? Probably all of that. But I think I’m angriest at Hannah. And I think I’ve been angry at her for a long, long time, but never admitted it to myself.” She sent a self-conscious glance at Sarah. “You’re close to your sisters, so you may not understand that.”
“I’m not close to all of them. Just Ava, really.”
“You never had one who hurt as many people as Hannah. She had Daisy, and she never once stopped to think how it would affect her own daughter, to just abandon her with Mama G. And Mama G has given me and Hannah so much, she didn’t deserve to have a kid dumped on her like that, either, even a good kid like Daisy.” Grace leaned back against the headrest. “In some ways, I was just as bad as Hannah. I should have helped Mama G more. I played Favorite Aunt and swept in and handed out presents, and took her out to eat, and spent money on her, and then I just left. I never really got to know her.”
“You know her now.”
Grace gave a dry laugh. “I argue with her now.”
“It can’t be easy moving from aunt to mom. I’m sure it’s been difficult for both of you.”
“It’s harder on Daisy. She’s bored, staying at home all the time, and that’s no good. I just don’t know what to do with her.”
“You’ll figure it out.” Sarah gathered her tote. “I know you will.”
They were simple words. And yet they were exactly what Grace needed to hear. She sighed as she opened her door. “I hope so.”
They climbed out of the car and were gathering their things when someone called Sarah’s name.
Grace turned as Mrs. Jolean Hamilton limped up, her dog panting happily behind her.
Mrs. Hamilton stopped on seeing Grace with Sarah. “Well! Have you decided to undo the damage you’re doing to the festival budget?”
“Aunt Jo!” Sarah said, frowning.
Grace waved her off. “It’s okay. I’ve been getting a lot of this.”
Mrs. Hamilton huffed. “You should be getting more! People around here are mad. It’s insulting when someone who doesn’t even know our town makes big decisions like that without so much as a by-your-leave.”
“Aunt Jo, you know I’m on that committee, too,” Sarah said with a touch of impatience. “I would never vote to do something reckless with Dove Pond.”
“I know you wouldn’t. But her?” Mrs. Hamilton jerked her thumb at Grace. “I don’t know about her.”
“Fair enough,” Grace said. “To be honest, I’m looking into the matter today. I think I may have missed something.”
Sarah and Mrs. Hamilton looked at Grace, both clearly surprised. Even Moon Pie appeared unsettled as he tilted his head to one side. Grace added, “In fact, I was going to ask Sarah if she would show me the town archives this morning.”
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“Of course I will,” Sarah said. “But . . . why?”
“I want to see everything you’ve got about past Apple Festivals. I want to learn every last thing I can about them. It dawned on me yesterday that I have no right to change something without thoroughly understanding what it is to begin with. When I worked at my old job, whenever we got a new project, that was the first thing we did—we tried to understand the brand, and what it meant. We did all sorts of research before we made a single decision. Our committee never took that step and it didn’t dawn on me we’d skipped it until I was talking to Kat yesterday.”
“There you go.” Mrs. Hamilton looked impressed. “Sarah, show her those records.”
“Sure.” Sarah looked at Grace. “Do you want to see them now?”
“If you don’t mind. I already told the mayor I’d be in late. He’s doing data entry this morning, so he can cover the office until I get there.”
“The mayor is doing data entry?” Mrs. Hamilton broke into a wide grin. “Honey, I think I might like you after all.”
Sarah grinned and she said to Grace, “Let’s go. I’ve got a lot to show you.”
CHAPTER 14
Sarah
“Meow.”
Sarah paused in readying the conference room for the improvement committee meeting and went to peer out the window. Outside, Siegfried was turning in a circle in front of the book drop box. One. Two. He stopped and sat, watching the door of town hall as if expecting a mouse to dart out.
Only two circles. That’s promising. More heartened than she had been in a while, Sarah rubbed her hands together. It was more than Siegfried that had given her hope, though. Grace had spent almost three hours this morning going through the town archives, and when she’d emerged, she’d been deep in thought, as if something had occurred to her.
Please let her have a great idea. A wonderful idea. A fricking brilliant idea.
The door to town hall swung open and Zoe stepped out, dressed in a formfitting sheath dress of chocolate brown trimmed with a Peter Pan collar. She carried a stack of folders, a pen tucked behind one ear. She glanced both ways, then crossed the street and walked toward the library.
Siegfried meowed again and then wandered down the street and was soon out of sight.
Sarah went back to getting the room ready for the meeting, setting out bottles of water and notepads.
Zoe came in. She didn’t stop by her usual chair but walked straight up to Sarah. “Okay, how’d you do it?”
Sarah blinked. “How’d I do what?”
“This.” Zoe held out the Italian phrase book Sarah had handed her a few weeks ago.
“Ah. That.” Sarah put the last bottle of water in front of Grace’s seat. “It’s not easy to explain.”
“Explain it anyway.”
Sarah took stock of the militant sparkle in Zoe’s hazel eyes. “I take it you needed that book after all.”
Zoe’s mouth tightened. “Yes. But don’t you dare ask me why.”
“Fine. But you give, I give. I’ll explain exactly how I knew you needed that book, but only after you tell me what it did for you.”
The mulish line of Zoe’s mouth said all Sarah needed to know, so she grinned. “I’m glad it was handy.”
Zoe didn’t smile back. “Out with it, Dove. How do you do it?”
People had asked that before, and over the years Sarah had learned to tread carefully. Some believed, some didn’t, and it was a waste of time trying to convince the nonbelievers. “It just comes to me.”
“How?”
She shrugged. “They tell me, and I listen.”
“The books talk?”
“Sort of. Not out loud but inside my head.”
“For the love of— Here.” Zoe thrust the book into Sarah’s hands. “Take it back.”
Sarah looked down at the book. It seemed to be laughing softly, but as it didn’t argue, she tucked it under her arm. “You seem upset. Did you—”
“It doesn’t matter what happened. I don’t want that book anywhere near me. It’s— I didn’t—” Zoe clamped her mouth closed and then spun on her heel and walked back to her seat.
The book was now laughing even harder. Sarah patted it. “I’m sorry if it caused you problems. I’ll reshelve it as soon as the meeting is over.”
“Thank you,” Zoe said stiffly.
“Of course. I wouldn’t want you upset.”
“I’m not.” Zoe sat down. “Is everything ready with Plan G?”
“Yup. I just got off the phone with Ava and she’s on board. I— Ah, there’s Grace. Good afternoon!”
Grace breezed in and made her way to her seat. “Good afternoon.” She was carrying a new stack of folders and she smiled as she walked past Sarah.
Sarah noticed that the faded folder Mrs. Phelps had used for years had been replaced by a set of neat, color-coded binders. A sign of permanence, she hoped.
Ed and Erma walked in, Nate following, and soon the room was buzzing. Grace had just looked at her watch when Kat and Ava came hurrying in and found their seats.
“Sorry we’re late,” Ava said. “Kat had some unfinished business.”
Kat put her folder down but remained standing. “Before we begin, I have an announcement, thanks to Grace.”
Everyone looked at Grace, who appeared shocked. “Me?”
“Yes, you. After our conversation at the Moonlight, I realized I’ve been limiting myself. So . . .” She beamed at everyone. “I started my own business.”
“What?” Erma exclaimed.
Kat grinned and pulled a small stack of business cards from her pocket and handed them out. “I’m just beginning, and it’ll be a while before I turn a profit, but at least I started.”
Erma held the card at arm’s length and tilted her head so that she could look through the bottom part of her glasses. “ ‘Carter Commercial Real Estate, LLC.’ ” Erma lowered the card. “How’s this different from your mother’s company?”
“Mom works in residential real estate, while I’ll be working with commercial properties, both rentals and sales. Mom hates the commercial end of the business because of the paperwork, but there’s a lot more money to be made there. Or”—she corrected herself—“there will be soon.”
“Congratulations,” Grace said. “I think you’ll do great with that.”
“I hope so,” Kat said as she took her seat. “I’m going to try. I’ll still work with my mom until I’ve built up my business, but I’m hoping it won’t take long.”
“Way to go,” Ed said approvingly. “If I hear of anyone looking for commercial property, I’ll share your information.”
“Thank you.”
“I can think of a few people you need to talk to right now,” Zoe said. “May I have more of your cards? I’ll need at least five.”
Kat handed a small stack to Zoe, who tucked them into her folder. “Thank you.”
“That’s excellent news, and it plays right into what I have to say.” Grace looked around the conference table. “Are we ready to begin?” When everyone nodded, Grace said, “Old business first. Did you all read the report Zoe emailed this morning?”
Ava made a face. “I tried.”
“It was too long to read on the computer, so I printed it out and wow, was it thick,” Nate said with a grimace. “Or maybe I am, because I still couldn’t figure out what it meant.”
Grace looked at Zoe. “Care to explain what we’ve discovered?”
“Sure. I brought copies in case some of you didn’t have a chance to read it.” Zoe flipped open her folder and handed out copies of her report. “Grace and I were wondering why the festivals have lost their audience. So we worked up a fiscal analysis of the festivals and, since we were there, their impact on Dove Pond.”
“We dug way, way back in the financial records,” Grace added. “And then I topped it off by spending some time with the archives.”
“We discovered that the festivals and the town have the same problem,” Zoe added
.
“Only one?” Nate looked disbelieving.
“A big one,” Zoe said firmly. “Large and costly, too.”
“What is it?” Erma asked, looking interested.
“The town lost sight of why we had the festivals to begin with. They were originally held to benefit the residents while celebrating Dove Pond and its history.”
“Those are good reasons to have a festival.”
“True,” Zoe agreed. “But as time went on and the festivals became more successful, the town took over and they became a cash cow for the Dove Pond coffers.”
“What do you mean, ‘took over’?” Erma asked.
“Exactly what I said. The town also began to charge for their contributions—use of the park and security and other things as well.”
Grace nodded. “They charged vendors for booths, too.”
“Wait,” Kat said. “I thought our festivals always lost money?”
“They do now,” Zoe said. “But at one time, they brought in a lot of cash.”
“Just not for the town,” Grace clarified. “You see, the original purpose of the first Apple Festival was to help the people of Dove Pond. So farmers and the stores in town would bring their extra stock, crafts they’d made, the last round of produce, and whatever else they had to sell, and that money would help them make it through the winter.”
Zoe added, “Conversely, the Spring Fling was held to bring everyone together to celebrate the early harvests and to assist the farmers and local businesses in finding the help they needed for their bigger summer crops.”
“It was a big hiring fair, in a way,” Grace said.
“So originally, neither of our festivals were meant to make money for the town,” Erma said. “They were meant to help the citizens.”
“Exactly.” Grace tapped one of her binders. “But as the years passed, the focus moved from helping the residents to establishing a cash flow for the town coffers. And as it did so, the festivals became less and less successful.”
“That’s not good,” Kat said.
“It wasn’t. Things really got bad when the festival became an official town event in nineteen seventy-seven. That decision was made under Mayor Jenkins, Mayor Moore’s predecessor. Jenkins made the festival an official part of the town clerk’s job.”
The Book Charmer Page 25
