Kaleidoscope Summer (Samantha's Story) (11 page)

I sucked in a deep breath and tried to exude a confidence I didn’t possess. Maggie’
s home had become a safe haven
for me
. “I’m going to drive myself
this morning.”
I
w
aited for her to lodge a complai
nt.

“S
ure you aren’t rushing things?”

“I’ve been here
much lon
ger than I intended
,
and I’m pretty certain
you never
expected
having a houseguest
for almost a month
.” I’d come to adore Maggie
in the
few weeks I’d known her
.

Concern flashed on her face. “Did something happen? Did I say or do anything to make you feel unwelcome?”

“N
o
t at all. You’re wonderful
.
If I
make use of Anne’s
apartment
,
I can finish
settling
the estate
more
quick
ly
. I
intend
to sell the bookshop, o
nce the
infamous
Taylor Jones makes an appearance
.”

“
Life moves at a
reduced pace in a small tow
n.” She
covered my hand with hers
. “
If you find living
in town
uncomfortable, you
always
have a home
right here.
”

“
B
elieve me
,
I could st
ay right here and be
content.
”

“I’ve enjoyed your company
, too
.”
She folded and unfolded the edge of the placemat on the table.
“
You’ll love
Anne
’s place
.
I better get a move on—the shop won’t open itself.
”
At the mention of her friend’s home
,
sadness
fill
ed her eyes
. People seemed to think I should be grieving, but my
hurt
was
for
something I never had, b
ut now wanted in the worst
way. I wanted to
know Anne. I wanted to feel the
loss. I wanted to grieve for my birth mother.

“Ready for a walk, baby
?”
My
furry friend romp
ed across the lawn, while
I
soaked in the view
. A
big part of
me
wanted to stay
.

Goldie ran toward the house
where Ma
ggie stood in the opening of the back door
.
She waved to me.
“Gotta run.
”

I jogged over and hugged her.
“Thanks, Maggie—thanks for everything.”

“
See you in
town.” She
returned my hug and
pulled her cloth bag
t
o her shoulder. Inside
,
I
peered out
the window as she left. There should definitely be more
Maggie
s in life—the world would be a softer and warmer place.

I forced myself from the window and
s
howered, and
stuffed my suitcases into the back of the SUV.
“H
op in.” I held the
passenger
door open fo
r Goldie
and we were soon
traveling
toward Main Street.
Within a few minutes
,
I
turned
into
the alley behind the bookshop.
“
Okay,
g
irl. L
et’s go see our new living space.”

The tearful goodbye
with Maggie
dimmed in
comparison to an unexpected avalanche
of emotion
s
as
I
hesitate
d
at
the white enameled door
.
I’d avoided coming up here and now I understood why.
The other side possessed
the
heart of Anne’s private world—the
closest I would
ever
come to me
eting my birth mother
in person
.
Like the
Cowardly Lion
,
I
searched
for c
ourage.

A
nticipation moistened my eyes.
I twisted the knob
and crossed
the threshold
.
C
harm and
warmth
lay beneath layers of dust, whispering murmurs of
love.
The room
sent an invitation
to sink in
to
the sofa in front of a fire
, and chat
wi
th your best friend for hours.

I ached to know more about her, t
his woman who
’d gi
ve
n
birth
to me. W
hy had
she give
n
me away?
I saw
so muc
h of myself in the home she’d created
.
How was it possible
?

The
sunny kitchen,
painted
the creamiest
yellow,
blen
d
ed both
traditional
and modern
.
Down the hall
,
I found
a large
bedroom
.
A
classic
claw foot
tub
sat
in the middle of the connecting bath, like a stylish centerpiece.
The
two
room
s
boasted
shades of aqua and white linen, a peaceful atmosphere where one could relax from the cares of the day.
I opened the
folding doors
leading to
a balcony
with
a
sweeping
view of the sea
,
mimicking
the colors in the room
.
A
nne had created her own sanctuary
. M
y breath stopped for a mome
nt when I spotted an unfini
shed piece of artwork leaning against an easel
. No one in my family ha
d ever shared my love of painting
.
I lightly ran my
hand across the strokes of paint
on the canvas
. I resisted the urge to
pick up the brush and add my own
. I
nstead
, I
continued to explore
her home.

T
he second bedroom
look
ed to belong to a young girl
, filled
with s
wirls of softness like
fluffy
cotton candy on a
summer
day. I picked up a silver brush fr
om the dresser
,
a
n engraving of
the name
Samantha
Elizabeth
glared
back
at me. Was this room meant
for me?

T
he
pastel
fabrics had faded, sending a message
the room had waited
much too long.
Anne
, I’m
s
orry I never knew.
I need to understand
. I
f you loved me…why…
why did you give me away?

Every neuron
inside me was
firing overtime—shredding my emotions until I was unable to process anymore
.
B
usywork always helped
clear my mind
.

The dust layered on the
surface
s
defied
the beauty.
I pushed away the
stinging
questions
and
located
the n
eeded supplies
,
and tackled
the
largest bedroom
first
.
After
s
tripping
the bed,
I
popped
the sheets in to wash
and dusted
the room
. With the easy
part finished
,
I slid open
the mirrored door
s
. A huge closet overflowed with Anne’s clothes
. I immediately closed the door
and took Goldie
outside
. I wanted
to run back to Maggie’s—the closest thing to going home here in Serenity Cove
.

Goldie
sniffed around choosing
the ideal spot to do her thing, and then
we
wandered
next door to the coff
ee shop
.
I climbed onto a stool
at the counter.
Julia brought
the
carafe
and filled
my upturned mug.
“
Something to go with your coffee
?”

“No, thanks.
”
I hoped my voice did
n’t
sound as
gloom
y as the shadow quenching
my spirit
.

“You
oka
y?” Concern
reflected in Julia’s
eyes. She filled a mug
for herself and
gave Goldie one of the doggie treats she
now
kept under t
he counter
.

“I’ve bee
n cleaning the apartment. And I—
”

“Ah.
Anne
’s personal it
ems need to be dealt with. L
et’s
sat in a booth where it’s easier to
talk.”

I sa
t across
from her
with Goldie at my feet
. “How’d you know?”

“Sweetie, I’ve been there. My Harry pa
ssed last year.
F
orty-six years together.” She
worried the rings on her third finger.

“W
ow. F
orty-six years.
”
Julia nod
ded
and w
e sat as though
honoring Harry with a
long
moment of silence.

She
took a sip of her coffee
. “Back in the storage room
, I have a few boxes
. Fill them
with
anything you think is useable.
You can
drop the cartons
off at
Serenity
Cove Community
Church
.
”

“
Do they
send them to the needy?”

“
The church has a program called Open Closet
.
Some items ar
e sold at a yearly rummage sale
and the money is used for families in need. We h
ave local residents
who
also benefit from the clothing—they’
re always welcome to browse through the Open Closet
.
Nothing pleased
Anne
more than helping others
.
I miss her.”
She
dabbed a tear and I looked away
. Unsure if
the drop
s
of moisture
were
for Harry—or Anne
.
Maybe both
.

“Why did
n’t
I visit
Anne
before she
…
before
…” I picked up the mug
and
sipped the liqu
id
,
tr
ying to swallow
the b
itter regret
lodged
in my throat.