Page 24 of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
There are people in this world who are too afraid to be who they are because the world has taught them that who they are is not okay. Jo was everything that I imagine people tried to change along the way, and she bucked their efforts.
Rest in peace, Jo. May the dumpsters in heaven be gold-plated and full of fresh bread and little cherub statues that make your heart happy.
B
CHAPTERSEVEN
MELODY
Melody had watched the splattering of red, blue, and green light punctuating the sky through her rearview mirror as she sat in her parked car. She’d waited until the fireworks had fizzled, feeling somehow like she owed Jo at least that much. Then she wiped her tears and drove away from Sunrise Park.
Tears continued to blur her vision as she drove. Great-aunt Jo’s send-off was a firework display? Not to be disrespectful to Jo’s final wishes, but what kind of sick and twisted celebration of life was that? Melody was on her way to her father’s house, but she didn’t want to face her dad when she was this upset. Not tonight. He must have known about this. Couldn’t he have at least warned her? Couldn’t Liz have done so?
Melody changed directions, considering briefly driving over Trove Bridge and leaving town. But her bags were at her dad’s, and she would need the items inside eventually. As much as she wanted to leave Trove Isle, she wasn’t ready just yet. She needed to finish cleaning out Hidden Treasures and put it up for sale.
She drove the roads by memory, turning and navigating her way to Seagull Street until she was parked in front of Hidden Treasures along the curb. She stepped out of her car, locked it behind her, and let herself inside the thrift store. She never would have expected to find comfort here, but tonight all she wanted was to be alone. Even if she was surrounded by junk.
She didn’t flip the lights on as she walked toward the back, where she’d seen that Jo kept a fold-out cot. Melody unfolded it, holding her breath as dust plumed upward. Then she found some clean linens that she placed on the bed. When she was done, she climbed under a heavy quilt that she vaguely remembered from her childhood. It wasn’t for sale. It was located in the tiny back room, the size of a walk-in closet.
Melody lay back and stared up at the ceiling, decorated with glow-in-the-dark stars. And she thought about Jo being sent off in a firecracker and the final lines of Jo’s letter about meeting her late baby boy and Alyssa.
Melody swallowed past a sob that caught in her throat. Why was life on the isle so sentimental and sad? There were too many ghosts here, jumping out from every corner. She had no ghosts in Charlotte. There, she went about her day as an event planner, making everyone else’s precious moments memorable while she barely felt anything at all. She didn’t have family in Charlotte and she didn’t keep close friends. That was what she preferred, even if the result was a lonelier, colder life.
She swiped past one tear, then two.
“Why did you bring me back here, Jo?” she whispered into the darkness. “I am not one of your lost things.” Except she was. She’d been lost since the night Alyssa died. Maybe since seven years earlier when their mother had passed away. Like Jo’s letter had said, she’d been losing pieces of herself here and there until she didn’t even know who she was anymore.
Melody blinked up at the glow-in-the-dark stars and then shut her eyes. The next thing she knew, she was waking up to the sound of someone tapping on the storefront window.
Melody sat upright in bed, disoriented for a moment.Where am I?Then she remembered. She was in Hidden Treasures. It was Saturday morning. Last night Great-aunt Jo had been launched into the sky in a firecracker.
The knock came again.
Melody got out of the bed, her body achy from the thin, springy mattress. She peeked out of the back room, down the store, to see Liz standing outside on the sidewalk, her hands cupped to the front glass as she peered inside. Melody stiffened when Liz’s gaze latched onto hers. Too late to hide.
On an exhale, Melody walked toward the front, smoothing her hair and clothes as she approached. She must look a mess. She was still wearing last night’s clothing. She opened the door and looked at Liz.
“Here.” Liz held out a coffee cup with The Bitery’s logo on it. “I saw your car out front and figured you must have slept here last night. I thought you might appreciate this.”
“I do. Thank you.” Melody took the cup and gave Liz a sheepish look. “I’m sorry about last night.” She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, but it fell back along her cheek. “I was expecting a small raft with Jo’s ashes. Or that we would all release lanterns into the sky. Something nice.”
Liz lifted one corner of her mouth in a sideways grin. “You know Jo better than that.”
Melody nodded. “Yeah. A firework makes more sense now that I think about it. It just shocked me, I guess.”
“I get it.” Liz held out her arm. “Do you, uh, want the bracelet back?” It was draped along her wrist, the friendship charm catching the light where it lay just below the back of her hand.
“No, it’s your turn. It chose you last night,” Melody said half-jokingly. “I hope your sweater is okay.”
“It left a little snag, but it’s fine.” Liz looked at the bracelet. “If you don’t mind then, I’ll wear it for a while.”
“No, of course I don’t mind. I think that’s great.”
Liz nodded and then glanced down the street. “I have to get back to The Bitery. Rose is helping out today, but I can’t really leave her alone for too long. She burns the croissants and puts out a tip jar. We don’t accept tips at The Bitery.”
Melody sipped from her cup of coffee as she listened. “Thanks for this. I really needed it this morning.”
“You’re welcome. So are you staying overnight at the thrift store now?” Liz asked.
