Chapter 5 Luke

CHAPTER 5

LUKE

"No," Lulu said for the umpteenth time since Luke had picked her up from school.

"Yes." He bent down so that his face was even with hers. "Homework first. Snack after."

Lulu crossed her arms and stared at the ceiling, rebellion in every line of her little body.

He stifled a sigh and said, "Tell you what. Once you finish your homework, we'll walk over to Ava's tearoom together and you can pick out your snack by yourself."

Lulu's blue eyes met his. "I can have anything?"

"Well… not a whole cake, no. But a cupcake? A donut? A scone? One of those? Yes."

She pursed her lips, her blue gaze considering. After a moment, she gave a deep, deep sigh and said in a morose tone, "Okay. Homework first."

She sounded so sad that he had to hide his laugh behind a cough. She was so funny, this little bundle of outrage, charm, curiosity, and—on occasion—fury. In her red flannel shirt, blue jeans, and dirty tennis shoes, her dark and curly hair contrasting with her blue, blue eyes, she was just about the cutest thing he'd ever seen.

He got Lulu situated at the small table in the children's reading area, and then dropped her book bag on the counter beside Grandma Rose. He caught sight of a filled book cart off to one side. "I told you I'd unpack the boxes of new stock. You'll hurt your back."

Grandma Rose got busy adding bookmarks to the small plastic stand beside the register. "If you want to help, stock the shelves."

"I already did that this morning."

"Then do it again."

He had to fight the urge to blurt out "No!" the way Lulu had just done. But he figured that stocking already overstocked shelves would be better than just standing around. The truth was, as much as he loved his grandmother and Lulu, he was bored. And not just a little bored, but deeply, wildly, painfully so. He missed the high-intensity pace of his old job, which he'd had to leave to take up residence here. Life in Dove Pond was charming but slow, and while it was good for Lulu, he chafed at the lack of challenge. Lately, the most exciting thing in his life was his quest to finish the New York Times crossword puzzle in thirty minutes or less, which was sad, to say the least.

Grandma Rose pointed to the cart. "The more stock on the shelves, the more people will buy."

That summed up his grandmother's entire business plan. Stack, stash, and stuff more books on every shelf and surface to make more money. Sadly, when he'd arrived, her accounts—handwritten in indecipherable handwriting in ancient-looking ledgers—had been proof of how ineffective a strategy that was.

Luke had been shocked when he'd realized how badly her business was actually doing. It was why he'd agreed to work in her bookstore a few hours every day. Not only did he want to give her a break now and then, but—unbeknownst to her—he was also trying to figure out how to get her much-loved business back in the black.

He shot her a curious look. "By the way, what did you say to Kat? She passed us on the sidewalk and was almost running. She looked like a bear was chasing her."

"She had some sort of meeting. Something to do with her real estate office and—I don't remember now. I—" Rose bent down, and Luke realized that Lulu was now standing up on her tiptoes so she could see over the edge of the counter.

Rose smiled. "How was your day, sweetheart?"

Lulu's rosebud mouth pressed into a full pout. "I didn't get to go on the playground."

"Why not?"

Lulu's pout deepened.

Luke slanted a frown down at Lulu. "Tell Grandma Rose what happened."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Something happened?"

Lulu crossed her arms over her chest, her chin in the air. "No."

Rose frowned. "Lulu?"

The little girl didn't answer, instead slowly sinking back behind the counter until she was out of her great-grandmother's sight.

Luke bent down, picked up Lulu, and set her on the counter. "Tell Grandma Rose why you were in time-out when I came to pick you up."

The little girl sniffed. "I'm too tired to talk right now."

"Secrets are burdens, Lulu." Grandma Rose reached over to smooth the little girl's messy curls. "Even small ones can grow if you don't air them out."

Lulu sighed and her little shoulders drooped. "I had to spend time in time-out today because I told Macie Lewis she was a…" Lulu's gaze flickered up to Luke and then away.

Rose leaned closer. "She was a what?"

Lulu's cheeks pinkened, and she heaved a huge sigh before saying in a sharp tone, "A horse's butt!"

Rose immediately turned away, choking on her own laughter. After a moment, she managed to say, "Why did you call poor Macie Lewis such a thing?"

That was a good question, one Luke hadn't been able to get his niece to answer. He eyed her now.

She picked up a nearby stack of bookmarks and pretended to straighten them, sending a good half of them tumbling to the ground.

Grandma Rose picked them up. "Well?"

Lulu fisted her hands in her lap, her bottom lip poked way out. "Fine. I'll tell you. She stole my boyfriend."

"Your what ?" Luke didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Grandma Rose snorted at his shocked expression. "You didn't know it started this early, did you?"

He blinked slowly, trying to grasp this new, horrifying revelation. "Lulu, I— You have a boyfriend in kindergarten ?"

Lulu nodded, her curls bouncing. "He gave me his lunch box and everything."

"He gave you— Why would he do that?"

Lulu sent him an impatient look. "When you have a girlfriend, you have to give them nice things. So Grant gave me his lunch box."

Grandma Rose's gaze sharpened. "Lulu, when Grant gave you his lunch box, did you give him something?"

Lulu nodded.

"What did you give him?" Luke asked.

"The house key."

Luke almost choked. " What? You gave our house key to a kid we don't even know?"

"Yes," Lulu said proudly, but then her smile disappeared and her eyebrows lowered. "But then Macie made him give it back."

"Do you have it now?"

Lulu reached into her pocket and fished out a key on a pink-and-silver pompom key chain.

"Thank goodness." Luke took it from her. "I'll hang on to that for now." Maybe forever, if this was an indication of how things were going to be.

Grandma Rose's mouth quivered. "Good to know our key is no longer in the pocket of some stranger, even one too short to reach the lock."

Lulu scowled. "He's not a stranger. He's my boyfriend." She caught herself and winced. " Was my boyfriend."

"Oh Lord." Luke rubbed his eyes, oddly exhausted by the implications of the whole thing. He thought he had a good eight years or more before he had to deal with stuff like this. "Lulu, we gave you that house key for emergencies. You can't give it to anyone else, not even a boyfriend. Do you understand?"

Lulu crossed her arms and turned her shoulder to him, her mouth in a mulish line. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. I need to do my homework." Muttering about how unfair everyone was, Lulu slid off the counter to the floor and then stomped back to her table. She dropped into her seat and started digging out some papers and a pencil from her backpack.

Grandma Rose gave Luke a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "You've been dismissed."

Luke said in a morose tone, "I just realized that the term ‘happy hour' was created by parents as a way to make it between ‘after school' and ‘bedtime.'?"

"Most likely." Grandma Rose glanced over at Lulu, whose bottom lip couldn't have poked out any farther. "Young lady, you'd better hope no bird flies by and sees that perch!"

Lulu gave a huge, noisy sigh before, with an air similar to that of someone who'd been sentenced to life breaking rocks, starting her homework.

Luke watched her, still stunned. "I don't know what to do with her sometimes."

"Just love her. The rest will come out in the wash."

"I wish it was that easy. She's driving me batty." He rubbed his stiff neck. "I guess I'll finish putting out the new stock." He sent his grandmother a sharp look. "In the future, leave the boxes to me."

Grandma Rose snorted. "I'm not a weakling, you know. But if it'll make you feel better, I'll refrain from picking up the bigger ones."

But he knew better. His grandmother was a strong, wonderful, and uniquely stubborn woman. She'd been alone since the death of her husband almost twenty years ago and had made it seem as if she didn't need help, but he knew otherwise. In fact, he was worried—

The bell rang as the door opened and a blond woman walked into the store, a leather satchel hanging from one shoulder. She wore brown ankle boots, and a heavy calf-length cardigan covered her springlike dress, which made sense as it was unusually warm today. She had a young air about her, like a college student even, but upon looking closer, Luke realized she was older than she appeared at first glance.

She paused and stood just inside the bookshop, her sharp gaze moving here and there, flickering over him, and then moving on as if he were nothing more than another bookshelf.

That stung for some reason.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Dove!" Grandma Rose called.

Doctor? Interesting. He leaned closer to Grandma Rose and asked in a low tone, "?‘Doctor' as in ‘How's your heart?' or ‘doctor' as in ‘Please write your name on your essay before you turn it in'?"

"Essay," Grandma Rose answered shortly.

Luke rolled the cart to a nearby aisle and started shelving books. He knew a little about the Dove family, as did everyone who'd ever lived, or had relatives, in their town. His grandmother, bless her heart, even believed the local lore that the Dove sisters all had special "abilities" that would have labeled them "witches" in any other town. Ha. As if.

Still, whoever this woman was, she didn't look like any witch or college professor he'd ever seen. She was tiny, for one thing—the top of her head would barely reach his shoulder. She's a little witch if she's a witch at all. She was also far prettier than any witch or professor had a right to be.

She sent him a flat look as if she'd heard his thoughts, and neatly tucked a strand of her shoulder-length hair behind her ear as she went to the counter. "Good afternoon, Rose."

"Good to see you again, Tay." Grandma Rose settled on her stool. "How was the Sarah Addison Allen book?"

Ah. Her name is Tay. She's short and snappy, too. It suits her.

Tay smiled now. "I read it last night. I was hoping you could show me her backlist. I even brought you a bribe." She set a small bag on the counter.

"Oho," Grandma Rose said. "What do we have here?"

"Orange scones from my sister Ava's bakery. Ella made them."

Grandma Rose opened the bag, a lovely orange scent lifting through the air. "I'll enjoy these. Mighty nice of you to bring them."

It was nice. Luke pushed the cart closer to the counter. "You're Tay Dove, aren't you? Hi. I'm Luke Day."

Tay cast him a brief glance and flashed a quick, I'm-really-busy-here smile. "Nice to meet you."

"You, too. What brings you here today?" He waved at the books still stacked on the cart. "If you're looking for something to read, I can make some recommendations."

"Thanks, but I came to see your grandmother." Tay's smile flattened from "polite" to "goodbye," and she turned so that her shoulder tilted toward him in a way that reminded him instantly of Lulu.

He'd been dismissed. That was twice today. Oddly enough, it stung just as bad when done by a stranger.

Tay smiled at Grandma Rose. "I opened that tin my sisters found hidden in the old fireplace surround."

Grandma Rose's face brightened. "What was in it?"

Interested despite himself, Luke moved a little closer, leaving the cart behind.

"There were a number of items, including love letters written by William Day to Sarafina Dove."

" What? " Grandma Rose's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

Luke knew all about William Day, although not from Grandma Rose. She never spoke about the infamous train robbery, saying there were more worthy members of their family who deserved attention. But Luke's parents, who'd grown up here in Dove Pond, had shared the tale whenever they were talking about the town's colorful history.

"I'm positive. I—" Tay glanced toward Luke and—finding his gaze on her—turned her back even more in his direction as she bent closer to Grandma Rose. "I saw him."

Luke frowned and moved a little closer, the cart now forgotten.

Grandma Rose's eyes had widened. "You saw him with your—you know."

Tay nodded.

What in the heck is a "you know"? He wanted to ask, but it was already annoyingly obvious he wasn't allowed to be a part of this discussion.

Grandma Rose said, "I see. Where are these letters?"

"At the house. I'll make copies and bring you the originals for your archives."

"Thank you. Are you certain they were written by William Day?" At Tay's nod, Grandma Rose sighed. "I guess you think you've found quite a treasure, then."

"I know, right?" Tay's voice had softened, excitement warming it. "No one knew William was in love with Sarafina, yet these letters prove it. That's why I'm here today. Ms. Rose, may I have access to the Day family archives? It's obvious their story had a tragic end, as William died in prison right after Sarafina moved to New York. Plus we know she eventually married someone else, but maybe something in the archives will let us know just how close they were."

Grandma Rose frowned. "I don't like bringing attention to William Day. He was a scoundrel, and I'd rather not have people discussing him any more than necessary."

"But he loved Sarafina. That's new information, and it needs further research. We don't know how they met, or when they fell in love, or—" Tay waved her hands. "So many things."

"You'd be wasting your time looking through the archives. I'm familiar with every piece of paper back there, and I don't recall seeing a single item that indicated the two of them even knew each other." Grandma Rose's face had folded into a deep scowl. "There are better members of the Day family to write about than William. There's Lilah Day, who was a nurse in World War II and lived a life of excitement and drama. Or Mander Jonah Day, who ran a ship against the British blockade during the Revolutionary War. There was Tallulah Day, too, who traveled all through Egypt and found not one but three hidden tombs. She kept great records, that one."

"I'm sure she did, but I'm researching Sarafina Dove, and there was a connection between her and William. That's the only reason I'm looking into him."

Grandma Rose's mouth thinned. "You're opening a can of worms. Some of the gold from that robbery was never found. People tore this town apart looking for it, too. We don't need a bunch of gold-seekers here now, either."

"No, but I—"

"They would do it; you know they would. You can't trust people."

A flicker of frustration crossed Tay's face. But she seemed to mentally shake herself, and—after an obvious struggle—she managed an awkward laugh. "I don't want this town deluged by fools looking for gold any more than you do. Fortunately, there's no need to make any decisions now, so just think about it. I can promise you this, though—I have no intention of portraying William Day in a negative light. In fact… Rose, why don't you read the letters before you decide? They may change your mind."

"Why?"

"They're beautiful letters. He was so eloquent that you can feel how real his emotions were. If people read them, they wouldn't think of him as just a train robber."

Grandma Rose looked slightly mollified, although not completely convinced. "I'll read them, but I'm not promising you anything."

Tay's smile was instant. "Perfect. There's one more thing I wanted to ask. I'd like to see the old copies of the Dove Pond Register. Your grandfather and father were both editors, and Sarah mentioned that you have copies of every issue they dealt with. Would you mind if I looked through them? The ones stored in the library basement are in horrible shape and most are unreadable. Sarah says yours are much better preserved."

Luke found himself nodding. It was a grand compliment when the town librarian admitted your family-kept copies were better than the town's official ones.

Grandma Rose's expression had softened, too. "There's almost a hundred years' worth of Dove Pond Register s in the back room. My husband insisted we keep the room humidity and temperature controlled to protect our stock, which was good for the newspaper archives, too."

Luke spoke up. "We should scan those, just in case."

Grandma Rose cast him an exasperated look. "Why bother? We've kept them in that storage room for years and years, and they're well preserved."

"It wouldn't hurt to have a digital copy. You never know what could happen. You could have a roof leak or a fire or a—"

"Stop being so negative. They'll be just fine where they are."

He had to fight the urge to argue with her. Grandma Rose had refused to consider getting a specially sized scanner to accommodate the newspapers, saying it would be too expensive. Luke hadn't yet told her that he'd already ordered one, as he planned on pretending he was borrowing it from a friend.

Grandma Rose was odd when it came to talking about her financial situation, getting riled up over the slightest mention, so he'd learned to avoid such conversations. Whenever he saw that she or the bookshop needed something, he would just buy it and explain it away with "I already had one" or "I borrowed it." Either of those worked.

"You're welcome to look through the Register s," Grandma Rose told Tay. "I keep them with the family archives in the storage office. You can't take anything from the premises, of course, but there's an old desk back there that you can use while you're here."

"That would be great. I won't need access right away, as I'm going through the town archives first. That'll take a week or two, at least."

"Come by whenever you're ready." Grandma Rose climbed off her stool and picked up her cane. "I'll show you where the Register s are kept and how they're organized."

Luke pushed the cart out of the way. "I'll do it."

"Nonsense," Grandma Rose said. "Ms. Tay here is on a deadline. She rarely stays in Dove Pond long, anyway, so I might as well be the one to take on the task."

She rarely stays in Dove Pond? What does that have to do with anything? He started to ask, when Lulu called for him to sharpen her pencil.

He stifled a sigh. He normally enjoyed helping Lulu, but today bigger things beckoned, like a coolly intriguing college professor and a real-life mystery featuring one of his own ancestors. It had been months since he'd heard anything so interesting. Three, in fact.

He watched as Grandma Rose and Tay went into the storage room. Hmm. Maybe Tay could use some help with her research. He got the impression she was the prickly and proud type, somewhat like his grandmother. Fortunately, he had some experience in dealing with just such women. If I prove myself useful in some way, she just may let me join in her search.

It was worth a shot. Besides, what else did he have to do?

Smiling once again, he went to sharpen Lulu's pencil.