Page 36 of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
Melody could relate. After her mother died, she’d gotten wrapped up in planning her days. Everything was structured, organized, and in its place. Somehow that was comforting to her. Planning events had evolved naturally from that coping mechanism. “So, she just decided to open a store? Where did the money come from?”
“Mr. Lyme, I suppose.” A small grin curved through her father’s weathered cheeks. “As you already know, they had a thing, the two of them. Neither was interested in marriage. At least not in this life. I guess, according to her letter, she’s open to it in the afterlife.” He chuckled dryly. “But Mr. Lyme supported her and she did the same for him.” He paused his eating for a moment and looked at Melody. “Your aunt had a special talent. That’s what everyone in the town liked to say. When a person walked into her thrift store, she could tell exactly what they were looking for. They might not even know themselves, but Jo knew.” He chuckled softly and took another bite of food.
Then he continued to talk without the rest of Melody’s slew of questions. He ate and talked while Melody listened, fascinated by every word.
Finally, he paused. Melody wondered if he’d said that much to anyone in an entire year.
“Aunt Jo had something of mine in her thrift store,” she said. “The charm bracelet that I shared with my friends. It was lost.” Melody withheld mentioning the accident. She and her father had a good thing going tonight, and she didn’t want to ruin it. “I’m not sure why she had it or where it came from.”
Her father looked at her with interest. “Well, that was part of Jo’s talent, I guess. She found things and put them where they were supposed to be. She was waiting for you to return. She always knew you would. I guess you were one of those lost things in her mind. And bringing you back here for the store was her way of putting you right back where she thought you belonged.”
Melody wanted to say she didn’t belong here anymore, but she didn’t want to see the pain those words might inflict on her father’s face. And part of her didn’t fully believe that was true now. Something inside her, long buried, was coming back to life. She was breathing a little deeper and thinking a little more clearly. “Jo added charms to our bracelet. I guess she was the one who added them, at least.” Melody shrugged. “They’re random charms that don’t seem to mean anything.”
Her father picked up his glass of tea, sipping quietly. “Everything Jo did had meaning. Your aunt was a bit . . .”—he hesitated—“peculiar. But she was a good woman. The last time I walked into Hidden Treasures, Jo pointed me to a rack of ties.” He lifted the one he was wearing off his chest. “She said this tie would bring me good luck.”
Melody assessed the emerald-green neckwear with yellow pinstripes. “Why?”
He dropped the tie back to his chest. “That’s just what she told me. It never brought me any good fortune that I could tell though. Until tonight. Perhaps I should wear this tie more often.”
Melody chewed her food quietly, feeling the burn of tears behind her eyes. There were a lot of unsaid things in her father’s words. If she was listening, he wasn’t just talking about wearing the tie more often. He was talking about spending time with her. Maybe she wasn’t the daughter he barely tolerated anymore. Perhaps he missed her as much as she hadn’t realized she’d missed him. “It’s a nice tie,” she said quietly. “Youshouldwear it more often.”
To: Bri Johnson
From: Liz Dawson
Subject: Liz Dawson Upgrades
Bri,
Project Liz 2.0:
Step one: I’m going back to see Dr. Mayer. It’s been awhile, and therapy always helped me feel calmer. I don’t know why I ever stopped. Life got busy, I guess, and I got tired of talking myself in circles. Nothing seemed to change, but that’s mostly because I wasn’t fully doing the work. I know that. I want to try again. I want to try harder.
Step two: I’ve decided that I’m going to talk to my mom when she returns from Ecuador. I don’t need to quit the bakery, but maybe I can cut my hours and focus on photography jobs. So, to prepare, I’m going to print some business cards. That’s a start. Psst . . . Of course my mom will hire you after I leave. You’re family, Bri.
Step three: I can’t believe I’m going to say this, and it might take a while to make it happen, but I’m going to get my driver’s license. I need to drive in order to take on jobs. Just the thought is making me feel a little breathless. See step one.
xx,
Liz
CHAPTERTEN
LIZ
Liz fidgeted with the bracelet on her wrist and tried not to look as nervous as she felt.
She looked up at Dr. Mayer who sat behind a huge oak desk. Why was his desk so large? Weren’t therapists supposed to keep their offices comfortable, with recliners and couches? And why was Dr. Mayer so frustratingly calm? It wasn’t normal to be afraid of everything, but was it normal to be as chill and relaxed as the man who sat before her?
Liz took deep, steady breaths. Once upon a time, she used to enjoy coming to see Dr. Mayer. Perhaps she was just having an off day. Or maybe she’d gotten out of the habit of slowing down to discuss the worries and fears that ran circles around her brain.
“Liz?” Dr. Mayer asked.
She blinked and met his gaze, realizing that she hadn’t really said anything so far. “I’m sorry. Did you ask a question?”
Dr. Mayer smiled warmly. “I asked what brought you in to see me. It’s been a while.”
Liz’s fingers danced across the charms, trying to determine which was which without looking down at them. The friendship heart. The car. The muffin. The dress. She rolled her lips together. “My parents are in Ecuador for the summer visiting my mom’s family. My grandmother had a ministroke, but it sounds like she’s doing better.”
