Bailey smiled and waved at the handful of people she passed between the bank and the art gallery near the end of the block. The decor inside was a subtle array of beige and taupe. Photos and paintings decorated the walls. Pedestals and easels dotted the floor, displaying sculpture and pottery.
“I’ll be right down.” Margaret’s voice carried from the loft above.
Bailey followed the call to the open second floor and found the older woman sifting through a series of canvases stacked against the far wall. “Pay day.”
Margaret jumped and whirled, her hand flying to her chest. “Don’t sneak up on me.”
“It’s more fun this way,” Bailey said in a teasing voice. “I found buyers for the silver and the two mirrors. I’ve got your money.” Because of her connections with various auction houses, she helped the people around town move valuables from time to time. Margaret was slowly getting rid of everything she didn’t think would move well with her to North Carolina.
“Come to the counter.” Margaret led the way downstairs.
Bailey handed over the cashier’s check when they reached their destination. Margaret examined it and furrowed her brow. “Did you take your share?”
“Of course.” Bailey didn’t hesitate to lie. She was supposed to keep a commission, but the older woman needed this money. Margaret was about to take on a huge expense, and when she was tired or having an off day, she tended to let slip how much the move was really going to cost her. Bailey made enough off her other dealings; she could afford to take a hit here and there.
“Are you sure? What kind of total minus fifteen percent equals exactly three-thousand dollars? Isn’t that an odd coincidence?”
“I suppose.” Bailey laughed, not having an excuse for the round figure. Maybe she should have thought of that and had the bank throw on a couple odd numbers at the end. “Anyway. I need to run. Working on cataloging Nana’s place.”
A shadow passed over Margaret’s face. “Of course. How are you holding up?”
“Fine.” This time the deception was more difficult.
“If you’re sure. But stop by if you need an ear.”
“Thanks.” Bailey wasn’t doing that. They exchanged a few moregoodbyes, and she was gone again. She made a couple more stops in town, but her mind was already wandering to what waited for her. Not only the conversation with Jonathan, but the trip into the past. It was harder to force her smile in the grocery store and post office, and by the time she returned to Nana’s, she felt drained.
Jonathan’s car wasn’t there, but a couple new trash bags sat outside. He cleaned out the fridge. That brought a little smile to her lips.
Inside, she found a note from him on top of hers. He’d gone to his hotel to change, but he wanted to talk too. He promised to be back before she was. She glanced at the clock on her phone. Twelve-fifteen. Something must have held him up.
She stashed the groceries in the fridge, then threw together a couple of sandwiches for lunch, and set them to chill as well.
Should she start working, and risk not hearing him come in, or wait a little longer?
A knock answered the question for her. “It’s your house,” she called. “You can just walk in...” She trailed off when she opened the door and found a couple on the front porch instead of Jonathan. “Can I help you?” she asked.
“I’m looking for Nancy?” the man said.
Bailey’s grief slid back in. Not the steal-her-breath mourning she felt yesterday, but a gray cloud that mocked her. “Are you friends of the family?” She was pretty sure they weren’t, but didn’t know what else to ask.
He intertwined his fingers with the woman next to him. They were probably five or so years older than Bailey, and the way they stood near each other radiated affection. “Yes, and no. We vacationed here a few years ago. Separately. She introduced us, and we’ve been together since. We finally made it back this way and wanted to stop by and thank her.”
“She passed away about a week ago.” The words filled Bailey with pain. Nana was responsible for a lot of hookups in town, involving both locals and tourists. That was another thing to miss now she was gone.
“Oh.” The woman’s face fell. “We didn’t realize. I— I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. Since you’re here, would you like to come in? I’d love to hear about how you met.” That was the polite thing to say.
The man shook his head. “Thank you, but we can’t intrude on your mourning. Again, our sympathies.”
“Thanks.” Bailey let the door drift shut, as they walked back to their car. The longer she stood there, the more heavily sadness weighed on her. She needed something to take her mind off this.Work.Sifting through those things upstairs she’d decided weren’t attached to memories.
She made her way back up to the attic and dove into sifting through boxes. For the next couple of hours, the mindless cataloging distracted her. Until she opened a trunk and found inside a treasure map sitting on top of an eye patch and a Jolly Roger flag. Damn it. Where was Jonathan? It was almost three. She let irritation slide in. It helped fill the hole growing in her chest and gave her a new focus. Apparently, he wasn’t as serious as he claimed about talking or helping.