Page 20 of Maple Sugar Mix-Up
I moved on to a much lower shelf and saw it was packed with countless identical copies of a different Peppers book. There was a glass case hanging on the wall above it and my jaw dropped as I took in the contents; a carefully mounted stack of yellowed pages. They were covered in text that looked like it had been done on a typewriter, stuffed with handwritten notes in the margins. Even if I hadn’t recognized the text, I had seen one just like it before. It was an original Victoria Peppers manuscript!
Unaware of my actions across the room, Ashton suddenly cried. “Oh hell!” I looked over to see him glaring at a book he was holding above the box. “How do you make a printing error this bad on a run this huge?!”
He flipped to another page and I got a clear look at the cover; it was a Victoria Peppers novel. The newest one. One that wasn’t coming out for a month, even though I had set aside money months ago for it.
My confusion melted away and it all came together.
“You…you’reVictoria Peppers!” I cried out.
Ashton’s frown was replaced by a sly grin as he looked up at me. “Technically,” he chuckled.
“So, the original Victoria was…”
“My Nana,” he said. “Her daughter does write some of them. Along with me.”
“That’s amazing,” I breathed. “You’re my favorite author!”
He laughed awkwardly.
“I’m serious. I grew up reading these.”
Ashton leaned onto one crutch and waved an embarrassed hand at me. “Please, they’ve only been around a decade. You aren’t that young!”
“No, I…” I cleared my throat, suddenly embarrassed by my prized possessions. “Oh! Oh my god, my grandmother!”
“What about her?”
“They were friends!” I gasped. “You told me the maple candy reminded you of what your Nana used to make. Grandma used to make itwith her! She and Victoria Peppers were friends.”
Ashton’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding!” Then, his eyes widened. “That’s why it was ivy leaves!”
“Yes!”
“That’s amazing. Oh! Oh, you mean Sophie, right?”
“Sophia, yes,” I corrected.
“What a small world. I can’t believe it.”
“She talked about Victoria all the time. She…” I hesitated and cleared my throat. “Your grandmother gave her some manuscripts. She used to read them to me.”
He gasped and to my relief looked excited instead of upset. “Are you serious? That’s incredible. I guess you really did grow up on them. What uh…” Ashton chewed on his lower lip for a second. “What happened to them?”
“I still have them. They’re yours,” I added quickly. “If you want them. I’d be more than happy to return them.”
He looked shocked by the offer. “No, no, you don’t have to. I just… Honestly, with all the debt your parents left you, I’m surprised you didn’t try to sell them. I mean, original Victoria Peppers manuscripts… I assume they aren’t copies of ones that were published?”
I shook my head. “Unpublished. I… well, they’re sentimental, you know? I could never have sold them.” I had considered it once or twice, but always dismissed the idea quickly. They held too many happy memories with Grandma Sophia and seemed too precious to give up for quick cash.
“I can’t believe it,” Ashton said again.
“Me neither,” I agreed.
He looked past me to the door. “Yes, Beth?”
The woman from earlier – ahh, yes, the nanny – smiled. “Do you want a late afternoon snack?”
“Oh, please!” Ashton smiled to me. “Join us?”
