Under a Georgia Moon: Georgia Moon Romance Book 1 (16 page)

“That’s right,” Addie said, dropping her hand. “I remember you now. You used to make the most amazing fudge.”

The woman snorted. “And you used to eat it as fast as a hot knife in butter. She eyed Addie critically. “I’m surprised you’re not fat.”

That was a compliment, right? “Thank you, Haz…uh, Miss Hazel.”

“I suppose you’re looking for your aunt.”

Addie moved to the fridge and retrieved a bottle of water. “Actually, yes. Where is she?”

“She had to take that rowdy bunch of men home since that old coot Harry Burns left his lights on and killed his battery dead.” Hazel pushed her chair away from the bar. “I’m supposed to feed you dinner.”

Addie knew by the tone of Miss Hazel’s voice that feeding her was the last thing she’d like to do. Hungry or not, her lunch could wait until Aunt Janie was back. “Oh, please don’t get up,” Addie said, before the grumpy lady could heave herself out of the chair. “I really appreciate the offer but I’m not hungry right now.”

Instead of being grateful, Hazel sank back in her chair and glared at Addie. “In my house you eat when it’s dinner time whether you be hungry or not.”

Good thing I’m not in your house
. Addie kept the snarky reply to herself and tried to use diplomacy. “Before I go take a shower, is there anything I can get you, Miss Hazel?”

Wow, while the woman didn’t actually smile, she at least wasn’t frowning any more. “Yes, thank you. I’d appreciate more of Janie’s sweet tea.”

Addie opened the fridge and found the pitcher of tea. She poured Hazel a glass, and was surprised when the woman thanked her again. “Anything else?” Addie asked.

Hazel looked to be contemplating another request, but finally shook her head. “No, thank you. You go on and take your shower. You look a mess right now.”

Biting her tongue, Addie hurried out of the kitchen. Honestly, she didn’t know how her cheerful aunt could be friends with such a grouchy person. On the way to her room, Addie noticed the cord hanging down from the attic stairs. Since she was already dirty, maybe now would be a time to look through the attic for old photos. Maybe one of them would inspire her to take the winning picture.

After putting away her camera equipment, Addie went out in the hall and stood beneath the attic entrance in the ceiling. She tugged on the string, and the aged stairs groaned as they unfolded. A cloud of dust swirled in the air, making Addie sneeze. Before climbing up the narrow staircase, she waited for the dust to settle.

“Girl,” Hazel said, making Addie jump. “What’re you doing?” She stood in the foyer with her hands on her hips, a deep scowl on her face. “You nearly scared me to death.”

“Oh, sorry. Before I shower, I decided to look for some old photographs Aunt Janie thought might be up here.”

“Well, don’t you go fallin’ and gettin’ hurt now. I sure ain’t gonna be climbing those skinny stairs to help you.”

“I’ll be careful. And I’m sorry about scaring you, Miss Hazel.”

Addie couldn’t be sure, but she thought Hazel Morris might be smiling. “I’m fine.” She waved her hand. “Holler if you need help. I can always call the fire department.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

The woman waved again before going back to the kitchen. Addie put her foot on the first step, and determined it to be solid. The wooden stairs creaked as she slowly climbed upward. She continued to look all around her, afraid to find a spider waiting to greet her. At the top, an uncovered light bulb hung from the ceiling. She pulled on the chain, flooding the attic opening with light.

Cobwebs clung to the rafters, swaying gently from the air flowing up the stairs. It was fairly clean, considering nobody had been up here in over ten years. Just to be safe, she continued to scan the area for spiders and other creepy things.

The cardboard boxes Aunt Janie told her about were pushed up against the bare studs and Addie prayed that nothing would run out when she pulled them away from the wall. The bottom of the box scraped against the wood floor as she drew it toward the light. To her relief, nothing stirred except more dust.

She rifled through it carefully and found a variety of old magazines. Most of them were past issues of
Good Housekeeping
, dating back to the 70’s. Another box contained more magazines, old property tax information and faded receipts from different stores. The musty smell of old paper made her wrinkle her nose and she pushed the box back against the wall.

In the next box she struck gold. There were at least a dozen black and white photographs of the yard, several of which had a few people posing that Addie didn’t recognize. There were quite a few of downtown Mitchel Creek and the old chapel that was now a museum. Beneath another stack of magazines, Addie found a framed picture of Aunt Janie’s house, taken from the side of the property where the gazebo stood.

She rubbed a layer of dust from the corner of the glass and saw a 1929 date stamped in faded gold letters. Addie felt a tad disappointed when she didn’t find anything close to the era of the Civil War.

“Addie? Are you okay up there?” Aunt Janie called from the bottom of the attic stairs.

“Yeah.” She scooted to the opening and poked her head out. “Just looking for pictures.”

Her aunt looked over her shoulder and hollered, “She’s fine, Hazel.” She glanced back at Addie. “She was worried you’d hurt yourself.”

“Nope. I only have a couple more boxes to look through and then I’ll be down.”

“Okay, sugar. Hazel and I are going to our book club meeting. We’re just gonna be down the road at the Jensen’s house so if you need me all you have to do is call.”

Addie loved how active her aunt was. She didn’t have time to grow old. “Okay, thanks. And have fun at your meeting.”

“Sure thing.”

Moving back to finish her search, Addie went through two other cartons without discovering any other pictures. Satisfied with her find, she pushed the box toward the stairs. It took some finagling but Addie managed to get the box of old photographs down. After putting the attic stairs back up into the ceiling, she picked up the box and carried it down to the kitchen table.

The pictures were easier to inspect in the natural lighting. She soon discovered some of them had writing on the back, and was disappointed to find out many of the pictures were taken on the grounds of the Mitchel Plantation. So far nothing had inspired her.

She picked up the frame containing the one picture she knew was of her aunt’s house. Holding it flat, she blew a light coating of dust from the glass, and noted a hairline fracture running across the middle. The frame itself was also in poor condition, and a corner of it broke off by her simply holding it. If her aunt wanted to protect the picture from any damage, the glass and frame would need to be replaced.

Knowing it was over eighty years old, she carefully removed the backing from the frame. Underneath she found the mat, yellowed and cracking. Gently, she peeled away the old mat and found there was another layer or possibly two. Her fingers tingled with anticipation. It was common to place another photo over an existing one. Many great finds had been made from this very thing.

Once again, she carefully repeated the procedure of parting the aged paper. The second photo was of the house again, only it was of the front porch. The type of photo paper was clearly from an earlier era, maybe from around the eighteen hundreds. Excitement bubbled when noted another photograph underneath this one. Praying it would separate as easily as the others, she carefully pulled at the corner. Slowly and meticulously, she peeled the old paper apart.

To her astonishment, in between the photos she found a thin piece of yellowed paper with spidery handwriting, fading from age. The remaining photograph was of a young woman, posing on the front porch and dressed in clothing from the late nineteenth century or early twentieth century. She was really quite beautiful and had a soft smile playing at her lips instead of the usual stern look that was so commonly found in older photographs. Was she the author of the letter?

Thoroughly intrigued with the single piece of paper, Addie arranged each photograph on the dining room table in the order they had been found. Picking up the fragile paper, she tried to decipher the elegant handwriting.

Dearest Lydia,

As I write this letter, I can scarcely keep from weeping. Robert has not returned, nor have I heard from him in the past six months. This wretched war has no doubt claimed his life, leaving me a widow at the age of nineteen. The Yankees have burned Atlanta and I believe ’tis only a matter of time before they invade our peaceful little town. You will remember the day I hid mama’s valuables? I’m afraid of remaining here without a man to protect me or my sweet little Margaret. I’ve taken everything I can carry and escaped from here, except the treasure you most valued. It will remain hidden until you are able to claim it. Dearest, never give up hope. Find comfort in the word of the Lord. In times as these remember the passage of scripture that has comforted me. The gospel of John 4:11-14. Is this not the evidence that all will be well? I will try to have courage and pray that we will meet again. If not in this life then in the next.

Love your sister, Marianne

Addie re-read the letter as a thrill of excitement rushed through her veins. If this Lydia or Marianne was related to the Caldwell’s, it would prove the rumor of the buried riches surrounding the house to be true.

Dying to tell somebody about her discovery, she debated about texting her aunt. She decided against interrupting her meeting, especially since Hazel would be put out with Addie for being inconsiderate.

Addie scrolled through her contacts, realizing she didn’t really have any close friends. Most of the girls from high school had either married or moved away, and she hadn’t kept in contact with the few friends she’d made in college. Truthfully, once she and Brandon started dating, they’d hung out with his friends.

She went to her favorites screen and pressed her sister’s number, only to get voicemail. A minute later a text came from Chellie saying she was on a field trip with Stephanie’s class and would call Addie later if it wasn’t an emergency.

Unless finding out I’m a loser counted as one?
Addie quickly replied that it wasn’t an emergency.

Blowing out a depressing breath, she acknowledged her lack of friends was entirely her fault. She’d stopped going to church activities and never socialized with anyone at work. Suspending her Facebook account had isolated herself even more. It had taken her aunt’s dogged persistence to get Addie to go out with a guy. A guy she only pretended to date while actually dating him. It didn’t help that she was extremely attracted to him either.

She groaned and lay her head down on the table. Aside from the fact that Chase was a hot country rock star and had a sexy southern accent, could her loser status be the reason she was so drawn to him? At least one good thing would come from their fake relationship. Once she got home, she was determined to make new friends and start dating again. She might even track down Biker Boy and ask him out.

Feeling a little better, Addie cleaned up the pictures. She put the letter and old photographs in a manila envelope and then carried the box back upstairs. Placing the envelope on her dresser, she lowered the attic stairs and returned the container of pictures back where it belonged.

Back in her room, she glanced at the clock and saw Chase would be coming in only a few hours. She tried not to get too excited about seeing him again, and reminded herself what the status of their relationship was: Friends. Nothing more.

Chapter Twelve

Chase
loosened his tie as he left his office. He took the stairs two at a time, eager to leave and pick up Addie. His shoes echoed against the marble floor, making the security guard look up from his desk. Chase waved his hand as he passed by. “See ya later, George.”

The older man grinned, his white teeth gleaming against his black skin. “Have a good night, Mr. Chase,” he said in a low gravelly voice.

“You too.” He waved and stepped out into the sunshine, glad to be free of his office. He picked up the pace and started to hum a tune he’d had in his head. It died on his lips when saw Hayden waiting for him next to his truck.

Her heavily glossed lips curved up into a seductive smile. “Hey there, handsome.”

Chase ignored her greeting and proceeded to unlock his truck. “What are you doing here?”

Hayden moved next to him, her arm brushing against his. Physical contact had always been one of her tactics to getting her way. “I’ve been thinking about you all day and wanted to take you out to supper.”

Chase stepped away. “Sorry, I’ve got other plans.”

“What kind of plans?”

He almost laughed out loud. The entire time they’d been dating, she never let him ask about her plans. Of course, that’s because she was cheating on him.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve got a date with my girlfriend.” Irritation flashed in her eyes, and Chase had to admit feeling a small measure of satisfaction. “If you’ll excuse me, I don’t want to be late.”

Hayden didn’t move. She eyed him for several seconds, her mouth slowly lifting into her signature smile. “I know your girlfriend said she would enjoy discovering all of your secrets, but I’ve discovered one that I know won’t make my daddy too happy.”

“What are you talkin’ about?”

“Well,” she said, closing the distance between them. “Daddy asked about us today. He seems pleased we’re back together.”

Chase’s chest tightened with anger. “I thought you would’ve told him by now that you broke up with me.”

“I didn’t want to do anything to make him angry with you.” She lifted one shoulder up. “You know, in case you need a good reference for the job in Nashville?”

A cold feeling of dread knotted his stomach. How had she found out about Nashborough? Chase knew Shanna would’ve never divulged his secret, especially to Hayden. No one else knew about the application he’d filled out. Although he’d talked to his parents about finding work in Tennessee, he hadn’t told them about the lead on the job yet. Not even his best friends knew.