Refuge on Leebrick (The Hills of Burlington Book 4) Read online

  She paused and took a few moments to dig into her brownie. Then decided to share her other thoughts on what some would consider just a little bit south of flaky. “I know it’s odd to walk in that room upstairs and feel what we do but if you get past that and just look at the room what do you see? What does it have?” She gave him a look then answered her own question. “Books filled with our family history. Tragic in many cases because of what we have that may be more than others. But through history people have been condemned witch and worse for far less.” She just shook her head at the injustice of it. “I’ve read some of their stories in those ancient volumes, seen some of what they went through. I’ve felt pieces of their emotions and grieved for all they had to live with. But no matter how they suffered, they prevailed. However great their grief they always had hope. How could they have survived all that if it weren’t for the strength of the family they came from, that they were part of, and because of their gifts the family they knew was yet to come.” She shrugged, it wasn’t lost on her that in some distant way the two of them were family. She still wasn’t certain what she thought of it but knew it played some role in what they shared. Years ago…and now. “And considering the generations that have gone by the number of those we can count as family however far removed is probably far greater than any of us can possibly imagine.”

  “It’s certainly funny how some things turn out…cousin,” Tom said with a hint of amusement in his voice but in truth he was concerned. He’d seen and felt as she had in that room upstairs and knew the cost.

  Grace knew him well enough to know his light hearted words weren’t all that he was thinking. “What about you? What do you think?” She knew she didn’t have to elaborate on exactly what it was she was asking.

  Tom drew in a breath before answering. It wasn’t a matter of knowing what he wanted to say but a matter of choosing his words so they wouldn’t be misunderstood. “I agree with you on just about all of it. I’ll even go a step further and say that I found it interesting that the event Beth and I clued into wasn’t just about family but something each family goes through. And while their family was what some would call dysfunctional these days, the connection between the father and daughter was strong. There was no animosity between them because he’d married another woman who wasn’t her mother. There was nothing but an abundance of respect and love for each other and a tremendous sense of shared grief for the woman they’d loved and lost.” He paused, pulled on what he remembered of those moments of shared memories from so long ago. “It struck me how many people from all walks of life were there, sharing that time, that grief.” He looked steadily at Grace as he continued. “It made me think of the number of people with similar connections that have all come together from different places and backgrounds and ended up here in Burlington. Then we find out, as you said, that many are connected in an even stronger way no matter how the generations are spread behind us. When you follow the dots and draw the lines back they all end up in the same place, go back to the same two people. In our cases specifically we’re tied to those who we saw in whatever you want to call it…memory, vision, wishful thinking. It doesn’t really matter what we call it. We saw it.”

  He took another deep breath, in for a penny, he thought. And said the rest of what he’d seen and what he’d made of it whether it mattered or not. “They walked together,” he said softly, he wasn’t about to get into what they’d heard. He still wanted to talk with Beth about that before talking to anyone else about it. He looked at Grace and wasn’t surprised to see her listening intently. She could listen better than most people could speak. “They walked together. They were together, even if they didn’t agree on anything else, they came together for this.” He stood, walked over to the counter where he’d left his phone. Picked it up and set it down on the table near Grace. “I haven’t used this hardly at all since I got here. I can’t remember the last time I got on the net other than when I’m doing research at work or digging into family stuff.” He saw the understanding in her eyes. “Since I’ve been here I’ve spent more time talking with people than texting them or emailing them. I’ll drive over to Jake’s or walk over to Mark and Terry’s instead of sending a text that would easily serve just as well. But instead I’m with people. I’m talking with them. Turns out most of them are family in some far off distant way but still…I’m with them more than I’ve bothered to be with others in years. I can’t help but wonder if that doesn’t somehow tie in to how they were, how they walked together, were together. Not just in a time of grief but throughout their lives. They walked together,” he said the words again. He didn’t know why they were so important to him but they were. As simple as they were they had stuck with him from the moment he’d heard them. Had gripped him and made him think in ways he hadn’t in a long time. Forced him to be introspective of himself, the people around him, and his life in ways he couldn’t ever remember doing. Reflecting in a way he’d never before considered…or bothered with.

  “Tom,” it was Grace who ended up reaching out first. She slid her hand across the table and took his. “I understand. Really, I do.” She took a breath, made the admission that wasn’t new but would be to him. “When I left D.C. I wasn’t in the best of shape. I was worn out from what had been going on professionally and just about everything else.” She wasn’t going to get into the personal aspect of it again. She didn’t need to. He already knew most of that or should. “Eventually I ended up here. I could say it had everything to do with my love for my grandparents and wanting to make something of the store again and that would be true. But it wouldn’t be all of the truth. I felt a tremendous pull to come here. I can’t explain it. I understand it better now with all we know but even so I can’t explain why I felt that need or how it led me to come here.” She squeezed his hand before letting go of it…unsuccessfully since his grip on hers was gentle and very firm. Decided not to make an issue of it. She didn’t want to. “I completely understand your feelings about what you sensed from that scene you and Beth shared. The strength of it and what it meant. And I agree with you on something else. I do call Mary but it’s usually to let her know I’m coming over. Same with Carrie and Casey. Sometimes I don’t even call first. I couldn’t tell you the last time I texted anyone. And I’ve never texted any of them about anything unless I couldn’t get in touch with them otherwise.” She stopped. Somewhere along the way even though she knew he was listening she also knew he wasn’t hearing a word she said. “Tom…”

  “Grace,” he said back to her easily. The moment she took his hand he’d been lost. No. He’d been lost the moment he’d walked into her store and realized his suspicions were correct. Mary’s friend, Grace, was his Grace.

  “This isn’t the time, Tom. Not now.” Not yet, she thought. She needed time.

  “I understand that, Grace.” He reached over and tugged her other hand open and held it too. “But it’s something we need to…” he sighed as her eyes filled. He knew it happened so rarely she was probably more upset by it than he was. “Don’t, Grace. Please.”

  “I didn’t expect you.”

  “I didn’t expect you either. Not the first time and not now. That has to say something.” He squeezed her hands. Waited until she looked at him again, grateful this time her eyes weren’t drenched with sorrow and more. “I’m not one for lots of words,” he shook his head at her short laugh. It was probably an understatement if nothing else. “I never said some of what I should have and that’s on me. But in my defense I honestly didn’t see the need. To me our love was the strongest commitment to be had. I didn’t see a need for talking about it a lot. I thought you knew that.” He stood, never letting go of her hands as he rounded the table, pulled her to her feet then wrapped one arm gently around her and pulled her close. “We won’t talk about it tonight but it’s something you need to think about. Something we need to talk about once you do. I messed up but I won’t again.” He pulled her in closer. Let out a long breath that was almost in perfect synchron
ization with hers. “We don’t have to talk about it yet. I’m not going anywhere. Especially now.” He knew the slight movement of her head against his chest to be her assent. He let it go for then. They had time.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Addie made her way around to the side of the big house that faced Leebrick Street as Mary had instructed her. Just as she reached the back corner of the house where the yard sloped downward she saw the small cottage style building situated near the back edge of the property. She could already get a glimpse of how Mary had begun to make it hers starting with the small garden that lined both sides of the walkway that led to the front door. As she got closer it looked like the door had recently been painted a deep shade of cobalt blue. Without hesitation she continued on her way towards the smaller house and since there was no obvious doorbell she knocked briskly. Moments later the door swung open.

  “Addie, I’m so glad you were able to come by.” Mary reached out and enfolded the teenager in her arms. “Come in,” she took the girl’s hand in hers even as she stepped back and pulled her into the small and cozy building. “I’m still getting things organized so you may have to step over stuff from time to time.” She gave Addie a warm smile. “Translated that means keep your eyes open as you walk.”

  “This is wonderful, Mary. It’s so…” she couldn’t come up with the words. But she knew as she looked around this was exactly what she wanted one day for herself. She let her gaze take in the entire room and everything Mary had already done. She had no idea what it had looked like to start with but she could smell the lingering scent of paint telling her Mary had personally taken paintbrush in hand. And she loved what she’d done with it. The room she stood in was small but the freshly painted light-colored walls along with the white ruffled curtains that hung loosely on the open windows made it seem far bigger. She saw two doors leading into other rooms. Even from where she was standing she could see the small desk with what looked like a top-of-the-line computer set up on it. The other room had a small couch in it but other than that seemed to be set up as a workroom of some kind.

  Addie brought her attention back to the room she stood in. Along the back wall was a tiny kitchen area with a cherry red restaurant style booth in the corner. There were at least half a dozen chairs of varying sizes scattered around the room. None were very large and could be gathered closer together if needed. She glanced around and saw that they’d been purposely positioned to allow for easy movement in the room. She also realized that the multitude of scattered chairs and the lack of a sofa of any type also helped to make is seem bigger than it was.

  “So what do you think,” Mary asked. She slid her arm around her young friend, trying to see the room from her eyes. She had personal knowledge of the young woman’s artistic eye. Together they had redecorated one of the bedrooms in the Summer Street house. The young woman beside her had a keen eye for color but what had stood out in the room they’d worked on was the mural Addie had painstakingly painted on the room’s ceiling. Just thinking about it still sent chills through her. It was so beautiful and came from this very young yet very quietly talented teenager.

  “I think it’s wonderful.” Addie stepped away and walked through the first door she came to. It was definitely small but she could tell Mary had made good use of every bit of space. “You’ve turned this into a workroom,” she said looking back at Mary.

  “I have,” Mary agreed, following her into the room. “This is one of the reasons I asked you to come over but we’ll get to that in a little bit.” She watched Addie walk the perimeter of the small room, taking in the supplies she’d organized against one wall. She watched as her gaze settled briefly on the draft table she’d set up near the middle of the room to catch the light that came in from the windows on the two outer walls of the room.

  “You do your jewelry in here,” Addie said as she studied the labels on the small table set up in one corner of the room.

  “I seem to do it everywhere depending on my mood but this is where I’ve got things organized so I know where to find what I’m looking for.” She smiled easily at the young woman. “More often than not I still do a lot of it at home even though I’ve set this up to keep work separate.” She looked around at what she’d done in the small cottage that at one time had been her father’s special place. His refuge from the world surrounding him that hadn’t always been an easy one. “I keep it all organized here so I know where everything is and I’m not digging through drawers and boxes for what I know is somewhere if I could just find it.”

  Addie gave the other woman a knowing look. She knew better. Mary always knew where everything was. She might not be the queen of organization but she was close. With that thought in her head she walked out of the small workroom into the even smaller room next to it. She moved to stand behind the desk and took note of the computer system set up on it. Saw the notebook sitting next to it very obviously filled with notes scribbled in a completely unorganized way. Looked to the woman now standing in the doorway. “You’re writing again.”

  With a deep sigh Mary admitted to Addie what no one else yet knew. “I am.”

  Addie studied her, saw the hint of nerves she’d only seen once before. “Do you enjoy it?”

  Mary thought about the story she was working on. It wasn’t all that different from others she’d written and yet very different. She still had to tell Leslie about it. Wasn’t certain she would until she was done with it. Wasn’t certain what Leslie would think about it when she was. On a short breath she answered Addie’s simple yet important question. “Yes, surprisingly enough I am.”

  Addie accepted that without responding. She still didn’t know the reason she’d been asked over. Checking out the little cottage style house was a plus but she knew it wasn’t the reason Mary had asked her to come by. She knew she’d get to it eventually but there was something she was curious about. She probably wouldn’t have even thought about it if it weren’t for her involvement in the small businesses that Mary, her aunt, and the others included her in. “Does Casey know about this?” she asked nodding as she did towards the room they’d just come from where Mary stored her jewelry making supplies. She knew the jewelry how-to book that Mary had already written was doing well in the online store that each of them were a part of in one way or another. So much so that she also knew Casey wanted Mary to follow-up with another book at some point.

  “Actually, yes, she does.” Mary knew exactly what Addie was asking. Both of them knew no matter how wonderful her cousin was she was also the finance guru of their several small businesses including the online store. “She knows what my plans are and we’ve come to an agreement of sorts.” She winked at Addie, led her out of the room to where she had her small laptop set up in the kitchen area. “Let me show you something,” she said as she motioned for Addie to sit next to her. She ran her hands over the keys to bring up the website that was one of the main reasons she’d asked her to come over.

  Addie watched the site come up. She recognized the main page easily as one that exclusively sold handmade craft items. She’d recently bought a cool handmade candle and an even cooler pottery dish on the site for her mother on her last birthday. Moments later when Mary went to another page within the site she felt her mouth hang open. She wouldn’t have been at all surprised if she was drooling. But despite her surprise she knew exactly what she was looking at.

  Unnerved by the sudden silence in the young woman sitting quietly next to her Mary asked as casually as she could manage. “So, what do you think?”

  Addie knew from past conversations with Mary that even when she acted like something was no big deal like she was now that it didn’t mean anything. That it was in no way a real indication of what she was really thinking or feeling. Because of that she forced her tongue to work even though she was still trying to get past her surprise at what she saw in front of her. “How long have you…?” she waved her hand without any real meaning towards the computer screen.

  “Not long,” Mar
y said. She studied the screen as if trying to see if there was something she’d missed that Addie had found wrong with it.

  “Does anyone else know?” Addie asked. She knew everyone pretty well and hadn’t heard anything. She was pretty sure she would have especially from either her Aunt Carrie or Aunt Charlie.

  “Casey knows about it but she hasn’t seen it yet,” Mary said slowly still trying to figure out what it was that had Addie’s attention. “You’re the first I’ve shown it to.”

  Addie felt her heart simply swell up. She was the first to see it and Mary had said it as if it meant little. But it meant a lot to her. And she had a pretty good idea of how much it meant to Mary. “Did you set it up by yourself?” she asked, looking down the page to see how many categories she had decided on.

  “I did. It wasn’t that hard once I got it figured out.” Mary turned and asked what she was almost afraid to. At her age she shouldn’t be but was. “Is something wrong with it?”

  “No!” Addie said emphatically turning to look at Mary as she did. Saw the worry and knew her uncertainty of what to say had been part of its cause. “I think it’s awesome. I’m stunned by how much you’ve put out there already and look...you’ve already got sales.” She glanced back at the computer and her glance was drawn to the top of the page. “You’re not using your real name,” she said as she read the store name and its owner.

  “No,” Mary acknowledged slowly. “That was a intentional choice on my part. I don’t want this to be connected to my writing in any way. It has nothing to do with the jewelry I make and I don’t want one to be judged by the other and vice-versa.”

  “I can get that,” Addie said. She could completely understand what Mary said and why. “You want to do this completely on your own.”

  “Exactly.” Mary turned to the younger woman and finally got to explaining why she’d asked her to come over. “I was wondering if I could hire you to help me out a couple of hours a week. It would be mostly taking photos of jewelry pieces for me. I can do it but I’m not that great at it.” She shrugged and made the decision in that moment to share the rest of it. “And I’ve really gotten into the story I’m writing and would honestly like to have more time for it than I do now. Especially with getting my online jewelry store going the way I want to.”