Page 29 of A South Hill Christmas Keepsake
“Well, he’s not here to do any fussing. God bless his heart. I miss him, but I make the rules nowadays.” Winnie grinned and tugged her cape into place. “Besides, I kind of like driving this car with the top down in the cold.”
Hannah Leigh’s heart softened. Her aunt had taken a long time to find joy again after losing Uncle Skip. Maybe a little convertible joyride in December was the type of crazy she’d earned.
“But why the top down?”
“Had to give a giant nutcracker a ride from the arena where they used it last night back to the square so he can guard theChristmas tree. Couldn’t find a man with a truck, and I was in a hurry, so I had to improvise.”
“Well, I guess in some odd way your gumption impresses me.”Am I doomed to be crazy? It’s in Winnie’s DNA. Same DNA as Mom’s was.A quote from an old sitcom came to mind.
This is the South. And we’re proud of our crazy people.
We don’t hide them up in the attic.
We bring ‘em right down to the living room and show ‘em off.
And wasn’t Aunt Winnie proof of that right now?
“Carry on,” Hannah Leigh teased.
Winnie slid her sunglasses down, eyes sparkling. “The mayor’s got a sudden obsession with thatLove Left Behindboard. Tried to have it taken down, you know. Said it was inciting unrest.”
“Unrest?” Hannah Leigh couldn’t believe it. “It’s a memory board, not a mutiny.”
“Mmm-hmm. And yet, he’s jumpier than a cricket on a griddle. You know what that means.”
“That it’s Christmastime and everyone’s sleep-deprived?”
Her aunt arched a perfectly drawn brow. “That there’s something worth digging into. Which I intend to do, right between my cider tastings and wreath-judging duties.”
Before Hannah Leigh could respond, her phone buzzed.
NATE:Meet me at the Love Left Behind Board. Top of hour?
She smiled despite herself, typing back a thumbs up and a clock.
As she slipped her phone away, her gaze lifted again to Harper's Jewelry’s display window. Maybe it was time to follow up on that mystery, and on the pull in her chest that had nothing to do with Christmas nostalgia.
She pushed through the door, the little bell above it jingling like the start of a new chapter.
The bell’s chime faded into the soft tick of the old grandfather clock in the corner. Harper's Jewelry looked almost exactly as she remembered, glass display cases lined with velvet trays, brass sconces casting a golden glow, and the faint scent of metal polish and cedar cleaner.
“Well, if it isn’t Hannah Leigh,” Sandra Kinker called from behind the counter, her silver hair swept into a perfect twist. “Wondered when you’d make time for me. You here for your aunt’s bracelet repair or just to make a little trouble?”
“A little of both,” Hannah Leigh said with a grin. “Actually, I was hoping you could help me with something.”
Sandra peered over her glasses. “What’ve you got there?”
Hannah Leigh placed the locket on a square of black velvet. The gold oval looked even more delicate under the light.
“Well, I’ll be,” Sandra murmured. “That’sthelocket, isn’t it?”
“Thelocket?”
“Honey, this looks an awful lot like the one that folks around here have told stories about for years. The dogwood tree story.” Sandra then dropped the act of pretending she’d recognized it, and said, “Plus, Birdie already dropped some hints you’d be coming.”
“Of course, she did.”
“Gotta love her.” Sandra motioned toward the workbench. “Victoria, come look at this.”
