Page 18 of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
He didn’t give her a chance to slink back into her car like she wanted to. Instead, he reached behind him, pushed her car door closed, and gestured for her to follow him, leading the way to where someone was passing out candles up ahead. Everyone seemed to have one.
Melody kept her head down, her hand absently fidgeting with the charm bracelet on her wrist as she followed the uneven ground toward the small crowd, her heart pitter-pattering like a heavy-footed toddler having a tantrum in her chest.
“Melody!” Mr. Lyme turned toward the two of them as they approached and handed them both a candle. Then he pulled a lighter stick out of his blue blazer, the same one he’d worn when he’d met Melody at Hidden Treasures earlier in the week, and flicked a flame atop each. “I’m so glad you made it,” he told her with a wide smile. “Jo really wanted you here. She mentioned you often.”
Melody wished that Jo had reached out to her more recently, but Melody probably wouldn’t have answered the phone anyway. In an attempt to truncate her gushing emotions, she’d left Trove Isle behind, shutting everyone out. Even Jo.
Mr. Lyme’s eyes were shiny as he looked between them. He fanned a hand in front of his eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s going to be an emotional night for me, isn’t it?”
“We’re all here for you.” Christopher patted a hand along the older man’s back. “My mom sends her love. She wishes she could be here.”
Mr. Lyme nodded solemnly. “I know, I know.” He released an audible breath. “I guess I need to mingle. Thanks for coming tonight. I’m sure Jo is smiling down on us.”
“I’m sure she is,” Christopher agreed.
As Mr. Lyme walked away, Melody turned and asked, “Why can’t your mom be here? Is she okay?”
Christopher kept his gaze forward. “She’s homebound these days,” he said, matter-of-factly. “If you plan on spending any time at your dad’s, you’ll see a lot of me over there. I check on my mom daily. Complete her to-do lists, bring her groceries, stuff like that.”
“Wow.” Melody wanted to hold a grudge against this guy, but he was making it hard to have a single negative thought about him. She was about to ask more questions, but several people walked up. Christopher seemed to take on the role of her buffer, reintroducing her to the town while keeping her from standing alone awkwardly and stopping her from running.
“You remember Danette?” Christopher asked as an old woman with white curls grabbed Melody’s hand.
Melody nodded, recalling the onetime school librarian. Why were the older woman’s hands so cold?
“I own a bookshop now,” Danette said proudly. “The Book Whore. It’s right down from your thrift store. People can buy a book from me and I’ll send them for a treasure from you. We’ll be pals,” she said conspiratorially.
The Book Whore?Melody wasn’t sure she’d heard the store’s name correctly. Surely this older woman wasn’t referring to herself in such a derogatory manner. Unsure of how to respond, Melody glanced over and caught Christopher’s amused gaze.
He turned his attention to Danette. “I need a book for my mom, Danny. How about I stop in next week?”
Danette’s eyes lit up. “Perfect! What does Gina like these days?”
“She likes murder mysteries,” he said. “Nothing too bloody.”
“Of course. I’ll prepare a stack for you to choose from.” The bookstore owner seemed wobbly and unsafe with her candle, especially when she got excited.
Christopher leaned in to give Danette a side hug and, if Melody wasn’t mistaken, he blew out Danette’s candle on purpose.
“Oh, no!” Danette’s expression crumpled in disappointment.
“I’m sorry, Danny. My fault,” he said, swiping his gaze at Melody.
Danette pointed a finger in his direction. “Yes, it was, and I’m not senile. I know you blew my candle out on purpose, you stinker. Which is good because I sneezed and nearly lit my hair on fire earlier.” She grinned up at him. “I just didn’t want to be disrespectful to Jo by having an unlit candle.”
“I think Jo would understand, Danny.” Christopher kept what Melody considered to be an impressively serious face. She was having a harder time doing that.
Danette reached for Melody’s hand again. “Jo talked about you all the time, dear. I’m so glad you’re home.”
Melody held her tongue, and her heart, and the flickering candle in her opposite hand. She turned to look for more people she knew, spotting her father standing stiffly by a large cypress tree. He was wearing a suit and shifting his candle back and forth between his hands. Where was Liz? She had said she was coming tonight, and Melody had really hoped to get another chance to talk.
“Looking for Liz?” Christopher leaned in to ask.
Melody turned to look at him. “Are you a mind reader or something?”
“A high school history teacher actually.”
Melody found this interesting. So, the boy next door was still a bit of a nerd, albeit a frustratingly handsome one. “Liz said she would be here, and the celebration is about to start.”
