Chapter 1 Tay

CHAPTER 1

TAY

Tay Dove returned to Dove Pond early one frosty February evening. She didn't go straight home, though. Instead, she headed for her special place: Rose's Bookstore.

Whenever Tay felt sad or upset or lonely, she always went to a bookstore. Some people enjoyed online book shopping, with its slick, algorithm-driven ease, but she preferred to touch the books as she shopped, to smell the vanilla-and-ink scent of new pages, and even read a chapter or two when possible. She especially loved older bookstores, those with worn and raspy floors and overcrowded shelves packed with rows of gems. They calmed her, soothed her, pacified her, and even healed her.

Of all the bookstores in the world, none was better than Rose's Bookstore, which sat on Peach Tree Lane in Tay's hometown of Dove Pond. The old bookshop was on the bottom floor of an old stone building with large wrought-iron windows and a huge green door—the very one, in fact, that Tay was standing in front of right now.

She stepped inside and was welcomed by the delightfully familiar jingle of the bell that announced her arrival. In Tay's opinion, Rose's should have been declared a national treasure. Inside, the old wooden floors creaked with each step and gleamed as the setting sun spilled through wavy windows. All around, the scent of pine oil and books rose from large oak bookshelves. It was a truly lovely place with amazing ambience, but the best thing about Rose's was the thousands of books that waited for new homes, all carefully selected by the meticulous curator.

Try as she might, Tay couldn't think of a single time she'd left the store without at least one book, and usually more, tucked under her arm. But as excellent as Rose's taste in books might be, it was obvious she wasn't a fan of organization. Books were on shelves sometimes two rows deep, sitting in random corners, and even stacked in numerous too-tall piles left on tables and windowsills. To an ordinary person, such chaos might mean it would be hard to find a specific book. But somehow Rose always knew where each and every book waited.

Normally, Tay would have found such disarray annoying. But over the years, she'd grown to love the older woman's unconventional methods, especially when—in an effort to keep customers from bothering her when she herself was reading at the front counter—she labeled stacks with bright pink Post-its scrawled with things like "Hallmark Channel Cocaine," "Not-Creepy-Heroine-Obsessed Heroes," or "Scary. DO NOT READ BEFORE BED."

The whole place was glorious and chaotic, and Tay always felt that she was on a treasure hunt as she browsed. Growing up, whenever her sisters were at the library, she would sneak out the back door and make her way here, where she'd wander up and down the aisles, looking for that one special book that would take her away for an adventure or—when times were tough—offer a refuge from life.

Which was why Tay was in Rose's Bookstore when she should have been on her way to see her three younger sisters, who were waiting for her at their family home, ready to bombard her with a thousand-and-one questions, none of which she wanted to answer right now.

Up until five months ago, if someone had asked, Tay would have said she had a wonderful life. She had a PhD in history with a focus in literature, loved her job teaching at a prestigious university in Boston, had had numerous papers published in a number of accredited journals, and had just finished a book she'd coauthored. And, added to all of that, unbeknownst to her colleagues and almost all her sisters alike, she'd been in what she'd thought was a serious romantic relationship.

Sadly, she now knew that she'd been the only one to think her relationship was either serious or romantic. That alone was as embarrassing as it was heartbreaking. "I should have known," she muttered, the words annoyingly loud in the nearly empty bookstore.

It was just an hour to closing time, so it was quiet. Other than the creaky floor under Tay's feet, the distant hum of a furnace, and the sound of Rose Day, the eighty-two-year-old owner, turning the pages of her ever-present book as she sat at the checkout counter, it was deliciously peaceful. Rose had nodded to Tay when she'd come in but hadn't offered anything more, knowing that a book search was a solitary and personal quest, not a group effort. Oh sure, if Rose saw a reader hesitating, she would ask if they needed something, but for the most part, she allowed her customers the comfort of wandering uninterrupted.

Yet another sign that Rose's Bookstore was a special, perfect place. And right now, the bookshop was balm to Tay's ragged soul. For the next half hour, she walked up and down the aisles, soaking in the feeling of the place, although she wasn't having the best of luck in finding a book to read. Normally, she'd find something within minutes of arriving. But this time, she found herself randomly picking up books just to put them back on the shelf unread, her thoughts as listless as her bruised spirit.

"So?" a sharp voice said from behind her. "Is anything calling to you?"

Tay turned, and there, at the end of the aisle, stood Rose, looking like a silver-haired, bright-blue-eyed, rather sarcastic elf. Tay slid her reading glasses back to the top of her head. "I've looked at a few, but they haven't held my attention. I keep getting lost in my thoughts."

Although Rose's tongue had sharpened over the years, her eyes still held the same warm sparkle. "Lost in your thoughts, eh? That's dangerous. If you wander around inside your head like that, you might not be able to get back out."

"Don't worry. I have a map." Tay forced a smile. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you since the last time I was in town. It's been a while."

"I'm doing better than you, it seems." Rose came down the aisle, the rubber tip of her cane thumping on the creaky floor. "I'm not the one lost in a fog. I said hello twice."

"It's just jet lag. I came here straight from the airport."

"Ah. You were in England, weren't you?"

"I was doing research for a book I coauthored with my—" Boyfriend. The word hung on her tongue. He wasn't her boyfriend. Not anymore. In truth, he hadn't ever been that. Not really.

She realized Rose was still waiting on her to finish her sentence, so she said instead, "My department chair. That's who I coauthored the book with."

"I see." Rose placed both hands on her cane and leaned on it, her bright gaze never leaving Tay. "Have you been teaching a lot of classes?"

"No, I've been on research leave since August. That's what I was doing in England. I'm not scheduled for any classes until the fall term."

"Then you'll be staying here for a while?"

"A month, at least. The book is finished, so I'm hoping to start a new project." She could have gone home to her apartment in Boston and taken a break there, but then she'd have no excuse to avoid campus. The last thing she wanted right now was to see Richard with his new girlfriend.

Rose nodded her approval. "I'm glad you're here. I saw Ella this morning. She stopped in to pick up a Suzanne Enoch book, Every Duke Has His Day . Such a fun one."

Tay agreed. "Ella's been on an historical romance kick this year. I love those, too."

"She stops by often, but it's been almost a week since I've seen either Sarah or Ava."

Tay's youngest three sisters all lived in Dove Pond, while her three older sisters lived elsewhere. She was glad she didn't have to face all six of them right now. Three would be enough. Too much, in fact. "Ella says Sarah and Ava are crazy busy right now. Ava's tearoom is booming, and Sarah's reorganizing the library's historical section."

Rose snorted in disbelief. "It's not just work keeping them busy. All three of your sisters have boyfriends now. I'm waiting for the wedding invitations to start arriving. I hope they need Crock-Pots, because I bought six from that huge sale at the Costco in Asheville in November, so that's the only wedding gift I give out nowadays."

Rose was right about Tay's younger sisters. Despite the fact that their hometown was ever-so-small, they'd all somehow found love. Meanwhile, over the past year, Tay'd traveled to visit archive collections in three different, wonderful countries and had been surrounded by fascinating men, only to be conned and dumped by the last person she should have been dating.

She realized Rose was studying her, so she grabbed a random book off the shelf and pretended to examine it. Rose was sharp, and Tay didn't want anyone digging around for the real reason she was back in Dove Pond. "I haven't been home yet, so I'm not sure what they're up to. I came here first to get something to read in case I can't fall asleep tonight. Different bed and all." It had been months since she'd slept well—five, in fact. And no book would help her change that. However, they did help pass the time during the darkest, loneliest hours.

"That's not the book for you, then." Rose tapped the one in Tay's hands. "Lisa Gardner writes thrillers. It'll get the adrenaline running. But sleep? I wouldn't count on it."

"It'll be fine. To be honest, I always plan on sleeping. I just never seem to do it." Not since— No, don't think about it. Not right now.

A flicker of concern crossed Rose's face, and she shifted from one foot to the other. "Are you okay? You're thinner than you were the last time you came to town. A lot thinner, in fact."

No. Everything was not "okay." Tay's heart had been broken, and—worse—it was her own darn fault. She kept returning to the same painful question: How had she been so foolish? The signs that the relationship was one-sided at best, and toxic at worst, had been glaringly evident, but she'd ignored every one. I'm not an idiot, so why didn't I pick up on the clues?

"Oh dear. There's no need to cry." Rose awkwardly patted Tay's shoulder.

Tay realized a tear had indeed slipped out and was even now dripping down her cheek. Darn it! Her face heated, and she reached into her purse for a tissue. "I'm sorry. I'm fine. It's nothing, really. I was—" The words stopped on her tongue, refusing to come out. Why am I hiding it? It's been over for months now. And yet I still can't bring myself to say it out loud.

Maybe that was to be expected. During the seven months of her relationship, whenever anyone asked her if she was seeing anyone, she'd lied and said no, for no other reason than because Richard had asked her to. He'd said he was worried that if their colleagues knew they were a couple, they might think he was favoring her when, as department chair, he set schedules, approved requests for leave, and divvied up prime research opportunities. He'd even suggested that other people in the department might question her recent promotion from assistant to associate professor, which had happened a few months before they'd started seeing each other and had very little to do with Richard, as it had been decided by a committee. But she'd been so swept up in and so enthralled by him that she'd agreed without hesitation.

It had even been fun at first. They'd shared covert glances, hidden notes, and top secret dates. When she'd headed to Oxford six months ago to finish the research for the book they were cowriting, they'd gone to great lengths to hide from their friends and colleagues his two brief visits during her first month there. But she'd soon realized that he'd had other reasons for keeping their relationship in the shadows.

"You need a pick-me-up," Rose announced. She moved down the aisle, her purple tennis shoes scuffing across the wood floor as she began examining the shelves.

"I could use a happy book," Tay admitted. "It's been a rough year."

Rose glanced back and raised an eyebrow, waiting for Tay to continue.

Tay supposed she'd better get used to saying it out loud, so she took a steadying breath and added, "I was dating someone, but it ended badly." There. That was a start. Cara would be so proud of me.

Of her six sisters, Cara was the only one Tay had confided in, as the two of them were closest. They'd shared a room growing up and, as teenagers, had looked so much alike that people who didn't know them often assumed they were twins. They didn't look alike now, thanks to the fact that, after moving to New York City to start her elite matchmaking business, Cara had become a fashionista in order to impress her wealthy clients, while Tay had gradually slipped into a style that Ella mockingly referred to as "Comfy Professor."

Still, Tay and Cara remained close and called each other often. When Tay's world had crumbled after she'd discovered Richard was cheating on her, it had been Cara who'd gotten the sobbing, middle-of-the-night phone call.

"Men can be idiots." Rose bent down to eye a row of books at knee level. "I didn't know you'd been dating someone. Ella never mentioned it when I saw her, and she usually shares all the family gossip."

"She doesn't know about it. Neither do Sarah or Ava." Nor did her friends. Or, true to Richard's request, anyone in her department at work, either. "I didn't tell many people about the relationship."

Rose had picked up a book, but at that, she turned back, frowning. "Wasn't married, was he?"

"No! Nothing like that. Richard was a colleague. Is a colleague, I should say." Tay tentatively took a measure of her feelings and was disappointed to discover that not one drop of her hurt and sadness had melted with that admission. She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, where a slow ache was beginning to appear. "Not many people know we dated, since he's also my boss."

"Ah. Dating your boss can be complicated. That'll take a heck of a good read to get over. Probably more than one." Rose slid the book she held back onto the shelf and then stepped away, scrutinizing the titles in front of her like a general evaluating the strength of her troops. "I don't suppose he cheated, did he? Seems like a good setup for it, what with you needing to keep things on the down-low."

Tay couldn't keep from wincing. Five months ago, the department had held their annual birthday party for the division secretary, a sweetheart of a woman who kept them all caught up on the rather tangled paperwork required by human resources for annual leave, insurance, and other irritating issues. At the time, Tay had still been in Oxford working on the book, but she'd seen the pictures her colleagues posted. In those random shots, Richard was hovering over Dr. Abigail Metcalf, the division's new Asian history professor, as if staking a claim.

Tay wasn't the suspicious type, but it had bothered her, especially as Richard had been calling her less and less. So the next day she'd found an excuse to call one of her closest colleagues in the history department, Dr. May Freeman, and casually ask about the new professor. It hadn't taken long before Tay's worst fears were realized. According to May, Richard and Abby had hit it off from the first day. "She's only been here a month, but it's obvious he's crazy for her," May had said with what seemed like gushing enthusiasm. "They're so cute together, always holding hands and making eyes at each other."

Sick to her stomach, Tay had quickly gotten off the phone, her mind spinning. It was as if someone had ripped a blindfold from her eyes. Richard had begun a new relationship without ending theirs. As if that wasn't insult enough, he was obviously more than comfortable letting the world know how he felt about Abby while his entire relationship with Tay had been kept in the dark.

How had she not seen this coming? On some unspoken level, she'd known things weren't good. He hadn't been calling as often, and the very few times he had visited, he'd spent a significant amount of time on his phone. But for reasons she couldn't yet fathom, she'd pretended not to notice. How did I get to be so foolish? So many signs and I just ignored them all, one after the other. That was the part that struck fear in her soul. She was an educated, capable woman—or had thought she was, anyway. How had she ended up in such a stupid predicament?

"Men can be such nuisances." Rose pulled a book from the shelf and scanned the back cover. "Dating a boss only works in Hallmark movies, and not always there, either. To get over that, you need a cheerful book. Something not too romantic, but still hopeful."

As if such a book existed. Tay glanced at her watch. "I should get going soon. I'm sure my sisters are already wondering what's keeping me."

"This is the one." Rose handed the book to Tay. " The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. Chicken soup for the reader's soul." She tapped the book with one finger. "This will make you smile and restore your belief in humanity."

As if anything could right now. "And if it doesn't?"

"I'll refund your money." Rose limped toward the checkout counter, her cane thumping with each step. "We'd better get you home before your sisters come looking for you."

Tay followed. She guessed there was no real benefit in putting off her return any longer. She placed the book on the counter. "I didn't tell them I was stopping by here, but I bet they've figured it out."

"They figure out a lot of stuff, those sisters of yours." Rose scanned the book and then frowned at the wand. "It didn't beep." She glared at the mechanism and shook it. "Darn Luke and his newfangled crap. What was wrong with the old way of doing things?"

The "old way" consisted of Rose handwriting each title and price in a carbon-copy notebook of receipts and then using a calculator to figure out the tax and total, so Tay could think of a few reasons why the "old way" might have needed an update. "Who is Luke, and why is he putting newfangled crap in your bookshop?"

"He's my grandson. He moved back to Dove Pond three months ago. He was born here, but his parents relocated to Atlanta when he was six. That's where his sister, Caitlyn, was born. I doubt you remember either of them, as they only visited on holidays. But now Luke's moved here permanently with Caitlyn's daughter, Lulu."

But not Caitlyn? Catching the flicker of worry across Rose's narrow face, Tay decided not to ask any more questions. "I bet it's nice having a child around."

Rose's expression softened. "Lulu is a card. She makes me laugh a dozen times a day, mainly because she's realized that her uncle Luke is a nerd." Rose nodded to the copy of the New York Times that sat beside the register, folded open to the half-finished crossword. "If it has to do with computers or puzzles, he's there for it."

"I'm glad you have some help."

"It's been nice. Luke did tech stuff for some companies in Atlanta, so he keeps trying to ‘update' things here." Rose squinted at the computer screen and then poked it. "Let me try that wand again. I think that fixed it." She rescanned the book and this time was greeted with a satisfying beep. "Ha! Beat you at your own game, you stupid computer." She sent Tay a sheepish look. "I'm not saying I'm not grateful for Luke's help. The last few years have been tough for the shop. Luke says that if we don't improve things…" She clamped her mouth closed over the rest of her sentence. "Sorry. You don't need to know all that."

Tay suddenly wished she'd bought more than the one book sitting on the counter. "I'm sure things will get better. I love this place. Remember when I was a kid and you bought that beanbag chair because you didn't like me sitting under the table in the children's reading corner?"

Rose chuckled. "No one else could use the reading table when you were under there because you'd accuse them of kicking you. This place was much busier back then. Now…" She cast a wistful glance around the empty store. "People still come, but a lot of them just decide what book they want and then go home and order it from an online retailer. Which would be fine if it paid enough to keep the lights on."

Tay glanced around the bookshop and noticed a few things she hadn't before. The wood floor urgently needed refinishing in some spots, while two of the light fixtures weren't even working. The color on the walls, which had once been a warm pumpkin shade, had faded over the years into a mild peach, and one corner of the ceiling looked a little damp, as if a slow leak was just beginning to show. When had things gotten so worn-out looking?

She always came to this bookshop, but it was as if she were seeing it for the first time. Apparently, she had blinders on when it came to both the places and people that she liked. I guess it's easier to see what you want to see, rather than what's really there. How many times would she be guilty of that? The reassuring smile that had been on her face started to quiver, and she hurried to fix it more firmly in place. "I promise to buy a lot of books while I'm in town."

"I know you will." Rose leaned her cane against the counter and then slipped back onto her stool. "Things are different now, aren't they? There's e-books and online shopping and something Luke calls ‘streaming.' He says we could compete against one of those things but not all three, not unless we start doing things differently." Rose sighed and tucked the receipt into Tay's book before sliding it across the counter. "Oh well, what can you do?"

"Rose, are things that bad? Are you—"

"Pah! I'm fine, and so is my bookshop. There's no need to worry." Rose waved an impatient hand. "Luke's overstating the situation because he doesn't know this business the way I do. Things will get better. They always do. That said"—Rose nodded toward the clock that hung over the door—"it's getting late, so you'd better head home. Heaven knows, I don't want your sisters descending on us like a plague of locusts. Especially seeing how excited they are about the tin box they found. Ella said they're all dying to know what you think of it."

Oh yes. The box Ava had found behind a loose fireplace tile in the dining room. Right now, that discovery was the one bright spot in Tay's life and, as Cara had so wisely pointed out, had been a terrific excuse to visit Dove Pond instead of returning to the office. Tay would stay here, at home, until she found a way to get over Richard.

Rose leaned forward, her eyes bright with interest. "What was in that box, anyway?"

"Ava said there are some love letters, a few Valentine's Day cards, and some other things. It's not clear who wrote the letters or cards, but they were addressed to Sarafina."

"Sarafina Dove," Rose said in a thoughtful tone. "I'd say she's the most famous person to come from this town."

Tay agreed. Way back in the late 1890s, Sarafina Dove had become one of the first female reporters to win acclaim when she wrote for a New York City newspaper about the horrid conditions of children who worked in the many wool mills lining the banks of the Hudson River. The scathing, well-documented series of articles she'd written had caused a huge public outcry and later led to the passage of important child labor laws, many of which were the basis of those still in existence today. That had been only the first of Sarafina's many contributions to the world, each one making it a better, safer place.

"She was a pioneer." Rose crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. "She put Dove Pond on the map. Didn't the Smithsonian run an exhibit on her life?"

"I saw it. They had a lot of information on her reporting, as well as some details about her personal life after she arrived in New York, but Dove Pond was barely mentioned, as not much is known about her life before she went to the city."

"That tin could be a big find, then." Rose tilted her head to one side, reminding Tay of a curious wren. "Can you use your Dove family gift and figure out who wrote those letters?"

"I'm going to try." For centuries, the people of their little town had known that whenever the Dove family had seven daughters, each of the daughters would be gifted with special talents, which they would discover at various times in their lives. Her sisters all had amazing abilities. Her oldest sister, Madison, could tell how someone felt with a simple touch, while Alexandra could commune with animals, and Cara knew just by looking at two people if they should be together. Ella's delicious baked goods stirred up precious memories, and Ava knew which plants and flowers could heal people and used that knowledge to make the most amazing teas. To the delight of the town, their youngest sister, Sarah, could talk to books and knew which book needed to be read by whom—the perfect gift for the town librarian.

While Tay deeply respected her sisters' gifts, she was disappointed by her own. Instead of being able to do something helpful like curing illnesses, or something interesting like flying through the air like Supergirl, whenever Tay touched someone's handwriting, she got a flash of the world through the author's eyes at the exact moment their pen or pencil crossed the page. Included with that flash was an unvarnished glimpse of their location, feelings, and thoughts.

But that was it. Try as she would, she'd never found a genuinely useful day-to-day application for her special talent, using it only to facilitate her research on various historical figures. That was as far as she'd been able to take it. As special abilities went, Tay's was both useless and, most of the time, boring.

Rose reached across the counter and patted Tay's hand. "Let me know what you find out from Sarafina's letters. One's ancestry is important. I'm the Day family archivist and keep all our family records back there." She inclined her head toward the office at the back of the bookshop. "Luke says they should all be scanned in, but I like being able to touch the old papers and certificates and whatnot. It's a form of living history, isn't it?"

While the Days needed an entire office space for their records, Tay's family, who had founded this town, had only a few small boxes of scrapbooks, photos, and assorted birth, wedding, and death certificates stored in their attic. "We should have a family archivist."

"Family records teach us where we came from." Rose's bright blue gaze returned to Tay. "Sarafina was a real hero in her time. Our town could use more of those."

Tay couldn't argue with that. "I'll let you know what I find out." She collected her book from the counter. "I'd better get going. It was nice seeing you, Rose."

"You too. Come again."

"I will." With a wave, Tay headed out to her car. At least she was here in Dove Pond and away from her empty apartment and the complications of being in her office right now. She supposed she wasn't the first person to run back home after a big upset. She definitely wouldn't be the last, either.

And at this moment, she had a wonderful new book to read, and—hopefully—an exciting new research project to distract her from her tangled, painful thoughts, which had refused to dissipate, no matter how many days marched past.

For now, that would have to do.