Page 27 of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
Rose rolled her eyes. “Fine. But I’m quitting just as soon as I find a better place to work,” she called to Liz’s back.
Liz didn’t respond. She wanted to argue that Rose had to stay indefinitely because Liz had done her time working at their mom’s bakery. Liz was ready to move on to other things. It was her turn to branch out. She didn’t want to quit the bakery completely. Not yet at least. But she was ready to decrease her hours after her parents returned from Ecuador and start focusing on her own career in photography. It wouldn’t be easy, but chasing her own dreams was long overdue. Jo’s letter had opened her eyes to that.
Instead of getting into more battle of the wills with Rose, Liz walked out and breathed in the crisp air tinged with salt and sea. She got tired of breathing in cinnamon and spice all day. She stood there on the sidewalk for a long moment, letting the afternoon sun beat down on her skin, soaking in its warmth and trying to let the frustrations of her sister roll off her.
She had her camera looped around her neck. Removing the cap, she lifted it off her chest to snap a picture of the willow tree beside the shop, its long branches swaying in the slight breeze. These photos seemed to be what sold the best at the café. Everyone on the isle liked a memento of the downtown street. Liz’s other photographs, of a seagull swooping in the sky or an especially stunning sunset from the bridge, also sold decently.
Since she’d turned down the photography job for the Lyons’ family, her mind had been swirling on what steps to take in order to say yes next time. It would have to be once her parents were back. Since she didn’t drive, she’d need to be willing to spend all her earnings on a Lyft ride to and from photography locations though. What was the point of that?
She sighed. Liz took a few more pictures and then glanced down the way at Hidden Treasures, and headed in that direction. She didn’t necessarily want to see Melody, but Melody had mentioned passing the charm bracelet back and forth. Liz had been in possession of it since Friday night.
There’d never really been any rules established about how long one of the friends was supposed to keep the bracelet. Just until they did something crazy to earn their charm. Maybe it was a weak plan that would’ve fallen apart if they’d ever really gotten started with it. None of them had the money to buy frequent charms, although they likely could have gotten what they needed from Jo, who seemed to have everything in spades.
Liz reached the outside of Hidden Treasures, pulled the door open, and walked in. Instead of cinnamon and spice like the bakery’s scent, she breathed in the distinct smell of old things. It wasn’t necessarily a bad aroma. It kind of smelled like Liz’s paternal grandmother’s home. Full of antiques and stacks of books, knickknacks, and a little bit of dust which always seemed to lightly coat her grandmother’s most cherished items no matter how often she cleaned.
Liz looked around, not seeing anyone behind the counter. “Melody?” she called as she headed down the aisles, noting that things were looking a lot more organized in here since Melody had taken over. When Jo was alive, there were times when Liz couldn’t even walk through the aisles without stepping over a pile of random stuff. “Melody?”
Melody appeared from a small room in the back where Jo had kept the donations she hadn’t put out yet. “Liz.” Melody seemed to pull in a breath. “This is a nice surprise.”
“Well, you’ve come to see me at The Bitery, so I thought it was my turn to stop by your place. It’s looking great in here.” Liz let her gaze roam the racks and shelves of things. “You’ve really been working hard.”
“I have.” Melody’s hair was pulled back today and she had a few pieces of lint floating in her blond locks.
Liz stepped closer and plucked them off.
“Thanks. I got a lot of the dust and all the cobwebs. And I’ve laundered a lot of the clothes. There’s a washer and dryer in the back, which has come in handy because I can’t seem to get people to stop donating.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Liz asked, noticing Melody’s frustrated expression.
“Not when you’re trying to clean out a store. I put out a sign to stop donations, twice actually, but the signs keep disappearing and the stuff keeps piling up.” Melody shrugged, then she gestured at her outfit. “It worked to my benefit today though. These were just my size. What do you think?” She angled her body back and forth to show off what she had on.
“You’re wearing secondhand clothes?” This was not typical Melody Palmer behavior. At least not the Mel she used to know. The Melody she remembered had only liked name-brand items.
Melody looked down at her indigo-colored jeans and striped, cotton shirt. “I’ve shopped a lot of thrift stores in Charlotte. I’m not as picky as I used to be, I guess. When you start paying for things yourself, your ideals shift.”
Liz’s gaze dutifully traveled down Melody’s body. “Well, I love the look. There’s just one thing missing.”
Melody frowned as she looked back up at her friend. “What’s that?”
Liz slipped the bracelet off her wrist, immediately missing the feel of it against her skin. There was something comforting about having the cool metal brushing over her forearm, reminding her of days long ago. “Here.”
Melody didn’t take it immediately. “But you’ve barely had your turn.”
“It’s okay. I think you need it more than me right now. Go ahead. Put it on.”
Melody reached for the piece of jewelry and slipped it over her wrist, her eyes suddenly shiny. Liz would have thought Melody held no sentimental value to anything or anyone on the isle anymore, but maybe she was wrong about her old friend who stood before her now in used clothes and tears in her eyes.
Liz looked down at the bracelet as well. The friends forever charm seemed to catch the light, bringing a flood of emotions and memories to the surface. Alyssa had been so excited about giving the bracelet to their group of friends.
“We don’t need a charm bracelet to bind us together,”Bri had said warily at first.“We’re not going to drift apart. We’re best friends.”
Liz could still see the unshakable grin on Alyssa’s face.“Friends forever,”Alyssa had said, referencing the charm.“The bracelet is just symbolic. And it’ll be there to remind us that we have each other to lean on, in case we forget once we’re out there in the world. And to remind us to keep doing things that make us feel alive.”
Now Liz’s eyes were tearing up too.
“Hey, you okay?” Melody asked.
Liz nodded. “Yeah. It’s just nice being here with you. Some part of me thought I would never see you again.”
