3. Chapter 3

three

"You'll get your keys when we get word that your loan has gone through."

Harper tapped the bank's app on her phone. "I'm paying cash."

"Oh." The peppy, efficient, and—Harper guessed—thirty-something real estate agent looked momentarily knocked off balance. Harper had arrived in town the night before. While spending the night at the Will O' the Wisp, she had mulled over the purchase. If she moved, Gina was the only thing she would miss from Raleigh, but they weren't best friends; they were occasional buddies. And Gina could always come to visit.

Hoping to glean more information, she discussed the neglected little shop with one of the Will O' the Wisp's owners. Shelly said the property had fallen on hard times, for sure, but Frank was elderly when he passed away. It had been hard for him to keep up with changing business trends. But she said that area of town had increased its foot traffic since the revitalization, starting with the Birdsong Theatre opening, around nine years ago. In her opinion, it wouldn't be a bad investment.

"And it would be good to give Bryan Greene a little competition," Susan said with an impish grin. Harper remembered her instant antipathy for Bryan Greene and decided her instincts had been on target.

Caution was one of Harper's defining traits. But when she remembered how optimistic she'd felt when peeking into the shop's windows, she decided it was time to take some risks. She couldn't really remember the last time she'd felt that way. And with the money Tim had left her, she could afford to make a few mistakes.

Within minutes of entering the store with the chirpy, well-dressed realtor, Monica Tolbert, Harper had made up her mind. The first thing she noticed was that the store, despite being closed for over a year, carried the refreshing scent of river water and pine trees. The aroma reminded her of her grandmother and their hikes in the summer. She took that as a positive sign. But there was also something undefinable in the shop's atmosphere that made Harper feel secure and peaceful. While she couldn't nail down the reason, she had an uncanny feeling that she belonged here. It made no sense, but there it was. Her hand reflexively reached into her pocket and closed around her mirror. "I'll take it."

Monica blinked and brushed the elegant silver reindeer pin on her lapel. "Do you want to make an offer first?"

Harper fixed her round eyes coolly on the agent. "No. I think what they're asking is reasonable."

Harper never haggled over money. She'd seen her parents do it in their real estate dealings, and she knew it was expected. But she'd made up her mind: she wanted to leave Raleigh. And now that she'd found something promising, she wanted to waste no time waiting on counteroffers.

After locking the shop's door behind them, the two women made their way up the street to Migration Realty, where Harper signed the paperwork. Her bank wired the money immediately. Within two hours, she had the keys in her hand. Tired but happy, she spent one last night at the Will O' the Wisp, where the hosts gave her and all the guests a free glass of champagne to celebrate. The next morning she left for Raleigh, eager to put her monstrous house on the market.

Her housekeeper Susan reacted to the news with dismay until she found herself presented with a severance package worth two-and-half years of salary, plus health insurance—enough to take care of her until she retired. As part of their agreement, Susan would continue to take care of the property until it was sold.

The easy part over, Harper debated how to tell Olivia. Her daughter could be temperamental, and Harper wasn't sure how she might react. And even though she knew Olivia probably wanted to spend a fair amount of her upcoming holiday visit with friends, she hoped to convince her to take a short trip to Whippoorwill Gap to see the shop.

Olivia favored her mother in appearance. She had Harper's blonde hair but had inherited Tim's blue eyes instead of her mother's hazel ones. At five foot, nine inches, she looked down her mother's five foot, six. Friends had often suggested that she should try her hand at modeling, but Olivia wasn't interested. Her daughter's personality and drive reminded Harper of Tim and her own parents. Olivia earned good grades, was a good athlete, and enjoyed being around people; she had always been popular with her classmates. She picked her close friends carefully and usually well. But while she clearly adored her father, she had always been impatient with her mother.

Harper first suspected she embarrassed Olivia when Olivia entered kindergarten. She never asked Harper to come eat with her for lunch. Her playmate Jennifer Smith had always begged Kelly to come. Naturally, as Olivia got older, she became increasingly mortified by her mother.

"Couldn't you at least have tried to get a job teaching at Duke or Chapel Hill?" she had asked her mom as an eighth grader.

Harper had explained that no, she couldn't, not unless she wanted to go back to school for a PhD. With only a master's degree, she wasn't eligible to teach at either one.

Olivia crossed her arms, a gesture she'd picked up from her dad. "Why don't you get a PhD then?"

"I could if I wanted to. But I'm happy where I am. Why add extra pressure when it won't make my life any better?"

Harper had been shocked when her thirteen-year-old had rolled her eyes. She'd seen her daughter demonstrate disrespect this way toward other people and had corrected her for it. But she'd never been so rude to Harper. Before she could speak, Olivia continued. "I plan to make a name for myself. When people hear the name Olivia Wood, they will stand up straight."

Harper, too stunned and hurt to reply, had gaped at her daughter. Olivia shook her head in disgust and stomped up the stairs to her bedroom, locking the door behind her. From that point on, Harper knew her daughter respected her as little as her parents and her husband did. But what was worse, Olivia also seemed contemptuous.

Harper was at a loss as to how to turn things around. She'd been tempted more than once to tell Olivia about her father's affair, but she always decided against it. Why disillusion her daughter about her dad? Chances were, Olivia wouldn't have believed it anyway. In her fury when she'd confronted him, Harper had thrown her only proof, the note he'd written to his "secretary," to the kitchen floor with the vase of roses and left it there. She'd never seen it since.

But things were different now. Olivia was older, and Harper hoped that by buying a business and taking control of her life she would build a bond between them. While opening a used bookshop couldn't compete in prestige with a grand academic title, it provided Harper with an opportunity to take the reins for her life. If all went well, Olivia would be proud and supportive of her decision.

On Christmas Eve, Harper picked Jeremy and Olivia up at the Raleigh airport, braving the crowds and the dicey weather. She'd made reservations at Olivia's favorite restaurant, Babette's Bites, where they chatted over Middle Eastern dishes and made their plans for the holiday. Jeremy, she discovered, would fly back to Toronto in three days, while Olivia planned to stay through January second.

Mother and daughter got along well while Jeremy was there. Harper liked her tall, quiet son-in-law. He worked hard as a biotechnology and pharmaceutical firm researcher, supporting Olivia while she worked on her Master of Business Administration. They complemented one another. With his laid-back and caring demeanor, Jeremy balanced out Olivia's feistiness and drive. But like Tim, he was also ambitious.

When Harper first announced over dinner that she'd purchased the shop and planned an imminent move, Olivia seemed surprised but not upset. She appeared amused by it until Jeremy left. Then, when Harper suggested they take a trip out to see her new hometown, Olivia balked.

Pouring herself a mug of English breakfast tea after Jeremy caught an Uber for the airport, Olivia said, "Mom. You know I want to spend time with Jenny and Cassidy. I'm only here for a short visit and I don't want to spend part of it in a little town in the middle of nowhere."

Harper stirred cream into a cup of decaf. "We'll only be gone for one night, Olivia. I thought we would head out day after tomorrow and come back the next day. That gives you several nights to do something with your friends."

Olivia sat quietly for a minute, frowning at the ceiling. "I guess you're right. I should see where you'll be living. But please don't expect me to visit a lot there. This is my home." She looked at her mom as her voice grew tighter. " Raleigh is my home. My friends are here. My memories of Dad are here."

Harper was surprised to see tears in her eyes. Olivia had never been prone to crying. But then, she'd never gotten a chance to say goodbye to her dad, either. She reached over to hug her, but her daughter pulled away. "It's bad enough that he's gone. Now you want to take away all my connections to him, too."

"Olivia, you know that's not why I want to sell this place! I've never been happy here. It's not fair to ask me to stay just so you can visit occasionally. And this house is huge! It's much too big for one person to live in." She took a deep breath. "Look, I know this is hard for you. And I know how much you loved your dad. But I don't think he would want me to hang on to this place unless I wanted to. It's just a house."

The younger woman gave an exasperated sigh. "In case you've forgotten, Mom, it's also where I grew up. You don't have to hang on to this house. But couldn't you at least find a condo or a small house in Raleigh to keep? All my friends are here . Where am I going to stay when I visit them?"

"You could get a hotel room …"

Olivia shook her head and looked away. "You could afford to keep a small house here."

Harper's throat constricted in frustration. "That's not reasonable, Olivia. Even a small house would cost more than it's worth." She looked at Olivia's pretty profile and decided to change the subject. "Let's not argue. I've saved some of your dad's things for you to keep if you'd like. Why don't we go upstairs and look through them?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, pulled her phone from her navy blue Adidas jacket's pocket, and got to her feet. Harper bit her tongue. She had hoped Olivia had outgrown the eye-rolling, but evidently not.

While her mother waited, Olivia made plans to meet her friends at a winery that night. Then the two women made their way upstairs to the master bedroom suite. Harper told her to claim any furnishings she wanted, as most would be donated to charity. But Olivia wanted remarkably few of the items Harper had collected for her there.

Olivia claimed Tim's watch and his Wake Forest class ring, but she declined his Eagle Scout memorabilia. She wanted a picture of him that had hung in his office, taken when Surgical Solutions went public. But Harper was disappointed that she rejected family pictures of the three of them or any of Harper and Tim together. She also declined all pictures of her grandparents. Since Olivia had never been close to any of her grandparents, that made more sense. Both Harper's parents were dead by the time Olivia was six, and Tim's parents lived in Alabama. They'd only seen the two of them once or twice a year and now they, too, were gone. Perhaps one day Olivia would be more interested. In the meantime, Harper planned to keep all family photos Olivia declined for herself.

Next they went to Olivia's childhood bedroom and began going through her things. Harper asked if Olivia wanted any of the furniture in the room, since she picked it out herself. When they last decorated it, they had closely matched everything in the room to the bedroom of a Gossip Girl character. Black, white, and pink were the predominant shades. Olivia snorted. "No, Mom. My tastes have changed since I was fourteen."

Harper stopped short. "Do you realize that was only thirteen years ago, Olivia? It just hit me—that hasn't been all that long ago. It's strange how time seems to speed up with the years."

"Seems like forever to me. But I guess that makes sense, with me being so much younger and all." Olivia pulled out her phone and glanced at it, then put it away.

Then she walked over to the small trophy case her dad had given her for Christmas one year. Olivia had been an excellent basketball player, and had also excelled at swimming and equestrian events. Both her parents had been proud of her achievements.

She ran a hand over one of its black lacquered sides. "I'd like to keep this. I think I could make room for it."

Harper nodded. "You've got it, Sweetheart. I'll have it all packed and shipped to you sometime in January." She hesitated, then added, "Olivia, I'd be happy to give you any of my jewelry if you'd like …"

" No , Mom." Olivia was beginning to sound irritated. Then she paused and softened her tone. "Our tastes aren't the same."

"Okay. Would you like some of the books I read to you when you were small?" Harper had saved Little House in the Big Woods , Anne of Green Gables , and picture books, in case Olivia wanted them.

Olivia grimaced. "Do what you like with those. Children's books aren't my thing."

Harper felt desperate to connect with her only child. She hesitated for only a moment before holding out her precious, intricately decorated mirror. "Would you like the ‘fairy mirror' Grandma gave me when I was a kid? You used to play with it when you were little."

Olivia barely glanced at the mirror in her mother's hand. "I remember wondering why you seemed to like that mirror so much, since it was all tarnished and no one could see themselves in it."

Then she looked at her mother's downcast face and relaxed her features. She smiled for the first time that day. "No, Mom. Your grandma gave that to you . I wouldn't dream of taking it."

Disappointed, but also relieved, Harper put the mirror back in her pocket. "Don't want anything of mine?"

"If you're going to insist I take something, I guess I'd like the pearl earrings that Dad gave you when I was born. I know you wouldn't mind giving those up."

This was unfair. Harper wanted to say, I'd give anything for you to know how much I love you , but she couldn't force the words out. Instead, in a strained voice she said, "Of course, Olivia. Of the two, you were the best gift."

At that, Olivia smiled again. They retrieved the earrings from Harper's bedroom, then went downstairs to a small dinner of leftover ham, with its Christmas fixings, before Olivia changed out of her activewear and her friends picked her up.

The Will O' the Wisp was closed when Harper called the next day to reserve a room, but their voice message recommended an inn on the outskirts of town called The Bird in Hand. Harper made a reservation for a room that promised a spectacular view of the mountains, with two double beds. She and Olivia headed out after breakfast the next morning.

The inn was lovely, perched on a mountainside with wide lawns, porches, and forest trails threading the property. The room was done up in mountain cottage style, in shades of evergreen and sumac red with accents of ochre. It provided a stunning view of the surrounding countryside. Olivia, despite her misgivings, was impressed by Whippoorwill Gap's quaint business district and surrounding neighborhoods, still decorated to celebrate the Christmas season. Afraid to risk a bad dinner, Harper had reserved a table for two at the winery where she and Gina had eaten dinner their first night in town. It was good choice; Olivia was pleased with the food and the warm, elegant atmosphere.

The next morning, after eggs Benedict at the inn, they made their way to the Robin's Nest. Olivia, who clearly enjoyed the trip so far, had little to say as they entered the bookshop. She took in its subdued, shabby blue interior without comment.

But Harper, once again, had a palpable sensation of homecoming. Her heart rate slowed as her spirits rose. She delighted in the running water and pine smells that permeated the shop, despite the late December chill. Owning it felt miraculous.

But Olivia proved oblivious to its charms. "I wonder why were you so quick to buy this? This doesn't seem like something you would do. Couldn't you have rented it for a while to see if you would like it?"

Harper, engrossed in looking at the shelves, answered absently, "No, renting wasn't an option. It was a ‘buy as is' offer."

"Did you come down and look at the inside before you bought it? Geeze, what are you going to do with all these old books? Nobody's going to buy these," Olivia shouted from the back of the shop.

"Of course I came back and toured the shop before I bought it, Olivia. I didn't want to be stuck with black mold. And I also wanted to be sure I would feel comfortable living here."

Olivia turned around and looked at her mother, her mouth hanging open. "You mean you plan to live here? Mom, you can't be serious."

Harper stiffened. "Yes, I'll have the upstairs remodeled. I plan to live there and run the shop from this floor and the basement. Would you like to look upstairs? There's a beautiful view of the park and the river from up there."

Annoyance wafted from her daughter like a cloud of pollen. "Okay. But I'll be honest, from what I see now, I think this is the craziest idea you've ever had. Why don't you just buy a small house near here to live in? And I don't understand why you want to work anyway. Why don't you get a small house in Raleigh and travel like a sensible person?" She shuddered. "This place gives me the creeps!"

Once they were upstairs, looking at the promised view, Harper tried to explain. "I like the idea of living and working in the same building. Think of the time I would save every day on the commute! And besides, if I decide I don't like living here, I can always rent this floor out to someone else."

"I guess." Olivia bounced up and down on her toes. "It's freezing in here. Let's go downstairs, look at the basement, and then go get something to eat. The quicker we get back to Raleigh, the happier I'll be."

The basement held tables and stacks of boxes. Most of the visible books had titles like Ghost Tales from the Lower Appalachians and Native Folk Remedies . Harper couldn't wait to get back here to start digging through these boxes. Who knew what delights might be within? It was thrilling to feel enthusiasm for the first time in years.

Without thinking, she opened one of the boxes and began flipping through its contents. Olivia walked around looking at the shelves for a few minutes before announcing, "You can stay in here if you want. I'm getting hungry, so I'm going to the coffee shop next door. I'll wait for you there. Want me to order something for you?"

Harper reluctantly closed The Olive Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. "Okay, Olivia. I guess you've seen all you need to see. I'll lock up and join you there." Harper placed the book back on the table and frowned. There was a small, perfectly dried daisy on the table where the book had been lying. She hadn't noticed it before. Where had it come from?

Maybe it fell out of the book. She placed the daisy inside the worn green cover and carried it out with her. After all , she thought with a fresh jolt of adrenaline, everything in the shop belongs to me now . She locked the door behind her and made her way to next door.

Harper entered the warm, bustling coffee shop, where she was immersed in the cheerful sounds of clinking cutlery and conversation, and joined Olivia at the counter. She recognized the plump, middle-aged woman behind it, who gave her a big, warm smile. "Hello, there! I've been seeing you a lot lately. Welcome back. Are you new to the area?"

Her sunny smile demanded a wide one in return. "Yes! I'm happy to say I am. I bought the bookshop next door."

"Really?" The woman's black eyebrows shot up. "We knew it had sold. Then I guess we'll be neighbors. I'm Deanna Chandler. I run this little joint." She proudly waved a hand around the large room. "Your order's on me as a welcome gift. What will you have?"

"American, black, with a cup of vegetable beef soup for me, please," Olivia said without hesitation. Deanna nodded and looked at Harper. "And what would you like …?"

"Harper. My name is Harper Wood. And this is my daughter, Olivia Howard." Deanna smiled and nodded at Olivia.

"I'll have a coffee with cream and a cinnamon bun. Thanks so much, Deanna. Once I get the shop running, I'll treat you to a free book."

Deanna expanded to her full five foot three inches. "Great! We were all hoping it would still be a bookstore, weren't we, Walt?" She turned to a fit-looking man, roughly Harper's age, sitting at the counter. He sported a startling head of brown, black, and gray locks which escaped the red Whippoorwill Gap ball cap on his head. She'd never seen anything quite like it. When he looked at Harper, she was as amazed at his large brown eyes, streaked with flecks of gold, as she was with his hair.

"Welcome to Whippoorwill Gap." His resonant voice struck her as musical, somehow familiar, and haunting.

"All right, get yourselves a table and I'll be over with your order in a wink." Deanna bustled back toward the kitchen.

After settling at a table near the window, Olivia asked, "When did you start drinking cream and eating cinnamon buns? Come to think of it, you've been eating all kinds of stuff you never used to eat. Don't you care if you gain weight?"

Harper stopped smiling and looked at her daughter. "I hadn't thought about it. But it is the holiday season and I feel like celebrating. And honestly, Olivia, I've always been a bit too thin. Would it be terrible if I put on a few pounds?"

Olivia looked at her phone. "I guess not. It's your health. You're the one who always drilled into me that your health is everything."

"Well, now I think maybe it's unhealthy to be too strict with yourself. This is just lunch. I'll make up for it with a healthy dinner when we get home. How about that?" Olivia raised her shoulders and lowered them quickly as Deanna brought their lunch.

Olivia eyed Harper's plate. "That does smell good."

Harper cut off a chunk and scooted it to the edge of her plate. "You can have some."

"Don't tempt me." Olivia chuckled and blew on a spoonful of steaming soup.

Harper reached absentmindedly into her pocket and pulled out her mirror. On opening it, she gasped in surprise. Olivia glanced over. "That's probably not the most hygienic thing to be handling while you eat."

"It's strange. The mirror seems to be clearing up." She held it up for Olivia to see. "It's mostly only misted over now. How is that possible?" She returned the mirror to its place in her pocket. "Did you know your Great-Grandmother Sophie died near here?"

Olivia blanched, her eyes wide. "No! I didn't know that!" She looked at her mother with renewed horror. "Don't tell me you bought that place because you wanted to be near where your grandma died!"

Harper considered this seriously. "No. I didn't buy the place to be near where Grandma died. I wasn't thinking of that at all when I decided to buy the shop. I know it sounds crazy, but I bought the shop because it felt like I was meant to own it. But the fact that Grandma died near here doesn't bother me at all. I hadn't thought about it, but I guess it does make me feel closer to her somehow. Is that bad?"

"I've just never understood you, Mom. It's not bad, it's just, well, weird . That's the thing about you … you've always been different. Different from my friends' moms, different from my teachers, different from all the other adults I've ever known. When I was growing up, I never could understand why you were so quiet. You'd just stare at everyone else with those great big eyes, saying nothing. It was embarrassing."

Harper stirred her coffee. She watched as Walt paid his bill and walked to the door. He nodded to them on the way out. Harper felt something deep pull in her abdomen as his eyes looked into hers.

The shop was warm and cheerfully noisy. But her patience with her daughter was running low, and she worked to keep her voice level. "Olivia. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you while you were growing up. But you're old enough to understand that I couldn't help, and I still can't help, being the way I am. I wasn't put on this earth to please other people, not even you. If I were meant to be like everyone in Raleigh, I would have been. And the fact is, you were never around a lot of the people in Raleigh. How do you know there isn't a whole herd of people there who are just like me?"

"I'm sure there are people like you there, Mom. They probably all hang around libraries and museums. They aren't the kind of people I hang around with."

Harper glanced around the room, anywhere other than at her daughter. "That's fair enough, I guess."

Harper reflected that even though Olivia's comments stung, they had done one good thing: they had convinced Harper that she was making the right move. If she was too weird for Raleigh, Whippoorwill Gap might be a better fit. Time would tell.

After they finished their lunches, she walked to the counter and thanked Deanna again, adding that she would soon be back for good. As they left the coffee shop, hugging their coats close against a blitz of cold wind hurtling down the street, she noticed another sizable group of robins huddled on the sidewalk in front of the bookshop. And now that the temperatures were even colder, it seemed especially odd to see them out here.

As she and Olivia dashed across the street to Harper's SUV, she heard an owl hoot. Glancing back at the park, she saw a lone great horned owl in a huge tree by the river, silhouetted against the blue sky.