Page 41 of Share with Me

It was a long story and someday Brinley would write a book about everything that happened and how Jeremiah Brooks had married Rosemary Larkin and how Jeremiah’s mother’s 1698 Stradivarius had come to be handed down from generation to generation until Grandpa Brooks’s generation.

And now, hundreds of years later, they were closer than ever to getting it back. Brinley had been waiting patiently as Helen Hu remained in Vienna to coordinate with Interpol and the FBI interrogating the art thief. Brinley had instructed Helen to do whatever she could to get the Strad back. If she had to sell some of her other violins, she would.

And if she had that Strad back, she would soon find out howAirsounded on it in Ivan McMillan’s hands.

Why am I thinking of him?

“Cara can work with you on your costume if you need the hem taken out.” Mom finished her coffee. “By the way, who put your suitcase and clothes in my new library?”

“Aunt Ella has my room, so I slept in the library last night. I’ll go to the guest cottage tonight.”

“We can move Ella there anytime,” Mom said.

“Or maybe I can have Dillon’s room.”

“Good idea, Brin. Cara has the key.”

“Good to know.” Brinley looked around. “Speaking of whom, where’s Aunt Ella?”

“Cara’s taken her to see Dr. Endecott. Maybe he’ll find out what’s going on with her. Wandering around like that, scaring the neighbors.” Mom poured more cream into her coffee cup. Then two cubes of sugar. “Good thing whatever it was happened last night and that Dr. Endecott has a cancellation today. He’s leaving tomorrow for Vail, as you know he does every December. He’ll be gone until after Christmas.”

Brinley slid her feet into her Keen boots. “Thank you for the coffee. I’m going to pack up my things and vacate your library, Mom.”

“Don’t forget to call Pace if you want the house before we list it.”

“Right. What’s his number?” Brinley jotted it down on her iPad and made a note to herself to call her real estate agent before the end of the day. “When does it go on the market?”

“First week of January, I hope.”

“Dad.”

“What?”

“You can’t make Toby work through Christmas and the New Year.”

“Have a soft spot for him, don’t you?”

“Only as a brother. He’s got his family. And it’s Christmas.”

“Tell you what, Brinley Brin. Make me an offer I can’t refuse. Then you can finish the house whenever you want.”

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