Chapter 1
Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this!
—Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Nora Pennington dropped multicolored marshmallows into a mug of hot chocolate and then smothered them with whipped cream. As she added a dusting of rainbow sprinkles to the turret of cream, she felt eyes on her.
Deputy Jasper Andrews stood at the ticket agent’s booth window, gazing at the Disney Fantasia mug with unconcealed longing.
“No wonder the kids think your Harry Potter hot cocoa is magical.”
“You’re never too old for rainbows.” Nora jerked a thumb at the pegboard of mugs behind her. “Want one? That new Star Trek mug has your name on it.”
Before Andrews could answer, a ginger-haired boy appeared at his side. Pointing at the
Fantasia mug on the counter, he said, “That’s mine.”
Andrews raised his hands in surrender. “You’re a lucky kid.”
The little boy took in Andrews’s black boots and snow-dusted sheriff’s department coat and forgot about his drink.
“I got my teeth pulled. I can’t bite apples anymore. Not until my big teeth grow in. See?” He bared his teeth like a wolf cub and stuck his tongue through the gap between his lateral incisors. “Mom’s buying me a book because I was brave and didn’t cry. Any book I want!”
Nora and Andrews exchanged grins as the boy stood on his tiptoes and reached for the handle of the mug. The movement caused sprinkles to slide down the slope of whipped cream and fall onto the counter.
Andrews looked around for the boy’s mother. She wasn’t sitting in the Readers’ Circle or perusing new releases in the North Carolina Authors section. And because Nora’s shop was a labyrinth of book-lined shelves, it was impossible to see much past the Hot Enough to Melt Snow display at the beginning of the Romance section.
“Brian’s mom is in the Children’s Corner with a two-year-old and a newborn,” Nora explained. “Brian wants to drink from a mug like his dad, and since he was so brave at the dentist, I said I’d carry his not-too-hot hot chocolate for him.”
Andrews looped his thumbs through his belt. “How about this, Brian? I’ll put your drink on that coffee table and hang out with you for a bit.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I want to know if the marshmallows really taste like magic.”
“Me too,” Brian whispered back.
Suppressing a smile, Nora handed Andrews a compostable spoon. She watched the tall, lanky deputy with the boyish face escort Brian to the Readers’ Circle and made a mental note to tell Hester Winthrop, owner of the Gingerbread House bakery, and one of Nora’s closest friends, that her boyfriend was a very sweet man.
Ten minutes later, Andrews returned to the ticket agent’s booth.
“Brian’s got his eye on a book about policemen. Kid’s got good taste. Now, I need to find something to read.” Blushing, he added, “I also need your help with something. Something really important.”
Nora stepped out of the narrow room, where an agent had once sold tickets to people traveling by train to cities like Asheville, Raleigh, and Charlotte.
Oscar’s Theater. I never dreamed that he’d want to live in the same town as me, but we’ve come a long way over the past year.” Her eyes grew misty. “When he asked if he could take me to church on Christmas Eve, I felt like I was in a Hallmark movie. Having him beside me and hearing him sing ‘Silent Night’ was the miracle I’d been praying for since I left New York.”
“You made that miracle happen,” said Nora. “You stood by Tyson when he hit rock bottom and moved mountains to help him get back on his feet.”
June nodded. “But it’s time for him to stand on his own. Lots of men his age are married with their own kids. Those damned drugs stole fifteen years of his life. I sure hope he gets this job.”
“Me too,” Nora said.
As the women bundled up in coats, gloves, and scarves, they tossed around more ideas for Jasper’s movie night proposal. Estella thought it would be cute if he hid the ring inside a box of Twizzlers.
June’s mouth twisted to one side. “I don’t know. We don’t want her to end up in the ER.”
Nora switched off the floor lamp in the Readers’ Circle and followed her friends into the Children’s Corner. They paused at the edge of the colorful animal alphabet floor rug and waited for her to turn off the lamps stationed at opposite ends of the tallest bookshelf.
A waterfall display topped with the sign IT’S A NEW YEAR, BABY was positioned slightly in front of the shelves, and the light from the Paddington Bear lamp fell directly on the row of board books.
Nora’s gaze skipped over DK’s Baby Faces, Hayley Barrett’s Babymoon, Helen Oxenbury’s Say Goodnight, and Jimmy Fallon’s This Is Baby, to rest on I Love You Like Crazy Cakes, Rose Lewis’s heartwarming story about adoption.
“You okay?” Estella asked.
Without taking her eyes off the book, Nora said, “There’s a possibility we haven’t considered. What if Hester says no . . . or isn’t ready to say yes? He’s going to propose in front of an audience. That’s a lot of pressure. And Hester’s already under pressure.”
June and Estella didn’t respond. They just stared at the baby books.
All three women were thinking about Hester’s secret. She’d shared it with them years ago. They were the only ones privy to it. She’d never told the man she loved. She was always waiting for the right time.
Her friends were suddenly aware that the time had come.
The silence suddenly felt heavy. The shadows, banished to the corners during the day, now seemed to stretch and grow.
Nora was the first to move. She turned off the Paddington Bear lamp and walked over to the Winnie-the-Pooh lamp on the other end of the shelf. She noticed how its light landed on the eyes of the plush animals and puppets, making the toys look eerily sentient.
Nora glanced down to find that she was standing on the letter S.
A snake formed the letter’s spine, its elliptical pupil and wobbly grin looking more sinister than goofy in the dimness. Nora felt compelled to step off the rug.
“Maybe Hester’s secret can stay buried,” June said without conviction. “Maybe she and Andrews will be okay.”
Estella shook her head. “It’ll come out. And then what’ll happen?”
“It will destroy them,” Nora whispered.
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