Alan wasn’t sure if the drive was too long or too short but he was certainly ready to be done with it by the time they arrived at their destination. Lucas was a bundle of nervous energy. As soon as they had gone to the company’s motor pool and selected their vehicle Lucas yanked off his tie and threw his jacket in the back.
While Alan programmed the GPS and drove Lucas continued to page through Willow Remember Me? pausing to read wherever Edward appeared. Alan couldn’t tell if reading made Lucas more anxious or if the ride was making him tense the closer they came to their destination.
The picturesque New England countryside eventually gave way to a picture-worthy New England town. Lucas finally set down the book to take in his surroundings. He wasn’t sure if Brattleboro was larger than expected or smaller.
It was, in a word, quaint. Living in New York inured him to crowds and organized pandemonium. This town was far more peaceful and postcard worthy. Lucas breathed deep as they passed a mother and child and immediately pictured Sarah and Zoe walking along with Daisy on her leash. A smile appeared on his face. He could almost see Zoe dancing around her mother eagerly asking questions as the puppy spun circles.
This was the perfect place to raise such a precocious child. What would it be like to walk along these storefronts with them? Just the thought of it was easing the knots in his shoulder and back. Without a word Alan pulled up to a storefront and parked.
“Why are we stopping?”
“Since I found out Sarah lived here I had a friend do some digging. Apparently she owns this store.”
Lucas blinked looking at the window sign: Cindy’s Antique Chic. He frowned, “Who’s Cindy?”
“Her mother.”
“Oh.” Lucas fell silent.
That was right. Samuel said their mother had been into antiques, a love she passed to Sarah. Apparently Sarah named the store after her mother. Maybe this store was a dream her mother once entertained but was never able to attain. It was a shame really considering Sarah’s father certainly had the means to help her mother establish such a store but apparently he never did.
Considering how much money Sarah made as an author there really was no reason for her to operate such a store except as a passion project to honor her mother’s memory perhaps the only family member she loved and acknowledged.
After a moment of thought he stepped out. Alan followed his example and entered the store. It was small and cramped but organized. It was clear Sarah paid a lot of care and attention to her shop. Though her income didn’t depend on it she approached it with complete seriousness.
Lucas slowly circled the displays noting how she set up areas as if part of a living space. A rocking chair sat in the corner beside shelves laden with books and tin toys. The space was set aside by a woven rug and a lamp made of tarnished copper tubing, a birdcage strung with beads and Edison bulbs. Another corner had been set up like a living room with a reupholstered chair and side table. Near the door was a kitchen cabinet with cast iron pots and pans as well as dishes and utensils.
Curio cabinets were loaded with various collectibles and interesting finds. Lucas paused studying a shelf loaded with interestingly shaped, colored bottles. In fact there was a chandelier over the checkout counter with bottles hanging from it. Not everything was valuable but value and beauty were in the eye of the beholder.
“Can I help you?” the clerk emerged from the back carrying a crate with more items.
“Just browsing,” Alan said with a smile while Lucas ignored him.
“Oh…you two together?” the clerk asked setting the crate on the counter glancing from one to the other.
“What? No. He’s just my boss,” Alan shook his head. “He’s…looking for a gift for his wife.”
“Oh. I can suggest something. What kind of things does she like?”
“Well, that’s the problem. He doesn’t really know,” Alan shrugged. “And I’ve never been interested in women so it’s basically like two blind people stumbling around in a china shop.”
The clerk shared chuckled with him before hesitantly repeating, “Not interested in women?”
“Yeah. I don’t…swing that way. If you know what I mean.”
“Me neither,” the clerk muttered as he carefully removed items from the crate to price.
Though he spoke low Alan heard his words well enough. Hesitating he sidled closer to the counter, “So what are you interested in? I mean…what is there to do around here?”
The clerk gave him a startled glance before answering, “Well anything you want really. I’m part of the theater troop.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, last year we put on a performance of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. I was Rosencrantz.”
“No kidding? I saw that play back home. Wish I could have seen yours.”
“Well, it was nothing special,” the clerk blushed. “I’m Kyle.”
“Alan. So are you putting on a play this year?”
“Yeah, ah, Into the Woods.”
“Never heard of it.”
“What? Really? Well, it’s a musical…”
Lucas sighed slowly turning to take in the whole store. This wasn’t getting him anywhere. Glancing at his watch he saw the time. Shit.
Heading to the door he paused when Alan didn’t follow. Looking over his shoulder Lucas saw him talking to the clerk he hadn’t even acknowledged. In fact Alan almost seemed to be…flirting?
Alan wasn’t one to talk about his personal life but Lucas knew he had a difficult time meeting prospective partners. Considering he worked as many hours as Lucas it was understandable there wasn’t much time left for other activities. The business world, like all others, also labored under its prejudices and misguided misogyny making it difficult for anyone who wasn’t a straight, white man to achieve success and prestige.
Alan never complained. He simply did his job but in the back of his mind he had to be boiling. As much as Lucas wanted to let him have this moment there simply wasn’t time. It was another three-hour drive back and they were already pushing their luck.
“A-hem!” Lucas cleared his throat.
Alan grimaced glancing over his shoulder before turning back to Kyle, “Looks like I’m being paged. I know I should have insisted he get his license.”
Kyle smirked.
“Ah, here,” Alan grabbed a piece of paper from the crate and wrote down his phone number. “Uh, call me? I’d really like to see your new play.”
His cheeks turning pink Kyle nodded. He reached for the cash register and pulled out a length of receipt tape jotting down his own phone number before handing it to him. They both smiled shyly as Alan backed away and eventually made it outside where Lucas waited by the car.
“Did you get what you needed?” Lucas asked.
“Not yet but…” Alan paused feeling his cheeks warm.
“Sorry to cut you short but we are in a bit of a time crunch.”
“Right.” Alan nodded climbing behind the wheel as Lucas slumped in the passenger seat beside him.
“Look at it this way, he works for Sarah so if I can find a way to keep her in my life you’re guaranteed he’ll be in yours.”
“So my love life depends on yours?” Alan said. “That’s not really comforting.”
“Just drive.” Lucas rubbed his temple. “You know her address, right?”
“Yeah.” Alan sighed and pulled away from the curb.
They left town and drove another mile or so before Alan turned at a mailbox and drove down a narrow driveway. The trees suddenly parted allowing them to enter a small, homestead complete with barn and pasture. Even though Lucas was expecting a farm it was still a shock to see.
Like the town they just left the farm was quaint and charming. Lucas stepped out of the car slowly taking it in. This was where Sarah chose to raise their baby. Miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city it offered fresh air and woods full of discoveries for an enterprising little girl. He felt himself relax as he pictured her running around the yard with Daisy at her heels.
“There’s the horse!” Alan excitedly exclaimed stepping toward the pasture to snap a picture on his phone.
At the fence a bay gelding stood watching them. It took Lucas several moments to recognize the horse from the back of the third book. Alongside it was a donkey and two goats. All four animals watched them curiously before gradually losing interest and wandering away from the fence. Several chickens pecked around the barnyard wholly unconcerned with their visitors.
Lucas turned his attention back to the house. It had a large open porch that covered two sides of it giving its occupants pleasant views of the barn and yard. With a sigh he climbed the steps and hesitantly tried the door only to find it locked. He let out a disappointed sigh. What else did he expect?
Lucas was ready to turn away as Alan joined him, “Locked?”
He nodded.
Alan squatted checking under the welcome mat to find nothing. Standing he stepped up to the door and felt along the head of the door frame. With a smile he took down a key that had been placed there.
Lucas raised a brow as Alan unlocked the front door and gestured for him to enter. With some trepidation Lucas stepped into the house Sarah and Zoe had made for themselves.
Unlike the house in Astoria which had largely been left untouched it was clear Sarah made this one to suit herself. The kitchen was painted a bright yellow and the living room a warm goldenrod. There was artwork: photographs by M. Gray as well as a large painting over the mantel. The shelves were lined with books, not just Rosemary Thomas but also classics like the Scarlett Letter, Pride and Prejudice, Sherlock Holmes among others including more recent titles like Reading Lolita in Tehran, Mala’s Cat and the DaVinci Code.
It was clear Sarah was an avid reader and her tastes in literature rather eclectic. Yet it wasn’t the books that caught his attention. It was the pictures. Across the mantel and scattered on different shelves were framed photographs all featuring Sarah.
There was an image of her in a jumpsuit standing beside a small plane with a half dozen others as well as a picture of her in the air tandem jumping with an instructor. Another featured Sarah on horseback in full western gear as they rounded a barrel. In a different picture Sarah wore a masquerade mask alongside another woman with mocha-colored skin. Both were rather flushed and toasting the camera.
Lucas’s mouth went dry as his gaze fell on an image of Sarah in a bikini and scuba gear. There was one of her, Macey and the twins. Caden and Aria couldn’t be more than three at the time confirming just how long Sarah had actually known them. Another pictured Sarah on a tropical beach with a parrot perched on her shoulder.
There were so many with just as many stories to tell. Then he spotted the ones with Zoe. On the wall was a frame with a single picture in the center surrounded by other smaller ones. The center picture showed Zoe in NICU. All round it were smaller pictures labeled: one month, two months, three months…clearly charting her growth through her first year. There was a picture of Zoe and the two goats outside. Another featured her and her mother riding double on Applejack. One showed Zoe sitting with the same mocha-skinned woman from the mask picture as well as a boy about the same age as Zoe. Another included the same boy with Zoe rolling out dough with an older lady. There were also pictures of Zoe and Ruth as well as a few with Tailor on some sort of camping-fishing trip.
The only one missing was Lucas.
Silently he picked up a picture with Sarah and Zoe on an unnamed beach in their swimsuits building a sandcastle. Lucas didn’t know where they were but he desperately wished he had been with them. He was such a fool.
“Hey! This must be her writing desk,” Alan said in awe sitting down as he ran his hand along the polished top.
All of the furniture in the house were antiques rescued from various sales and stores. The wood had been carefully oiled and restored while the upholstery had been replaced and recovered allowing it to look like a matching set despite the differences in style. The desk was no different. It had been carefully sanded and varnished. There were still some scuff marks and discoloration from use and age but it just gave the desk more character.
Alan smiled as he ran his fingers along the grain. For years he wondered what Rosemary’s writing desk looked like, what kind of home she maintained to spark her creativity. Now he knew. Alan looked out the window in front of him to see the large play set in the yard. A solitary chicken perched on the climbing dome made from metal framework.
So this was Rosemary’s world.
Alan glanced over his shoulder to see Lucas had joined him and was studying the view out the window.
“…So. I suppose the bedrooms are upstairs,” Alan said. “Did you want to take a look?”
Lucas’s cheeks tinged pink at the thought of seeing Sarah’s bedroom. After a moment he shook his head his gaze going back to the picture in his hand with Sarah and Zoe on the beach. As much as he wanted to see the bedroom he wanted to be invited first.
“We need to head back,” Lucas said. “It’s getting late.”
“Right.” Alan nodded. “Let’s go. You have people waiting for you.”
The thought almost brought a smile to his face if only it were true. Maybe Zoe was waiting but Sarah was still too distant. How could he possibly close the gap? Leaving the house as they found it Alan locked the front door before re-hiding the key.
With Lucas quiet in the passenger seat Alan retraced their journey back to the interstate and another three-hour ride home. Setting the cruise control Alan sighed and stretched. He glanced at Lucas who remained silent staring out the window.
“Hey, what’s that?”
“Hmm?” Lucas blinked.
“That.” Alan pointed at his hand.
Lucas followed the gesture to see he still clutched the photograph of the beach holiday. Staring at the scene he said, “I guess I forgot to put it back.”
“Well, it’s too late to return it,” Alan sighed. “But I don’t think it would be a good idea for Sarah to find out.”
Lucas grunted not taking his eyes off the picture. Alan glanced at him and smiled.
“What?” Lucas warned.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”