The Mill River Redemption (8 page)

E
ARLY IN THE AFTERNOON ON
J
ULY 1
, T
HE
B
OOKSTOP HAD
a flurry of customers. The date was not lost on Ivy, and she had been keeping an eye on the houses across the street to see whether Rose and Emily would show up. When she finally had a spare minute, she fixed herself a glass of iced tea, plopped down in her porch swing, and hung her cane over the armrest. It felt wonderful to slip her feet out of her sandals. She was still there, holding her empty glass, dozing and humming to herself, when a male voice spoke to her.

“Hey there, Ivy, how are you?”

She opened her eyes to see Kyle Hansen, his daughter Rowen, and Claudia Simon coming up to the porch.

“You look comfortable,” Claudia said with a smile.

“I’m good, and I am,” she said. “Anything I can help you all find?”

“Well, I guess we’re not sure yet,” Kyle said. “Rowen’s birthday was last week, and she wanted to come by and see what’s new.”

“Dad and Cla—I mean, Miss Simon, gave me twenty dollars!” Rowen said. “Ten dollars each, because I turned ten years old.”

“And it’s been burning a hole in her pocket,” Kyle added with a laugh.

“Well, the most recent book in the Greek demigod series you love just came out,” Ivy said. “I’ve still got a few copies left. And
there are some other good titles, too. Have a look, and holler if you need anything.”

“Awesome!” Rowen said as she pulled open the front door.

Claudia followed close behind and turned to Kyle. “You coming in?”

“Nah,” Kyle said. He sat down in the swing next to Ivy. “But take your time. I’ll wait here for you and keep Ivy company.” Once they had entered The Bookstop, Kyle turned to Ivy and grinned. “Women and their books.”

“Women?” Ivy said.

“Women. Believe me, Rowen’s ten going on thirty. Sometimes it freaks me out how fast she’s growing up.”

Ivy’s attention was suddenly drawn to a sleek black BMW sedan that pulled up along the curb across the street. It was followed by a U-Haul truck, which parked directly behind it.

“That’ll be Rose and her family,” Ivy said, more to herself than to Kyle. “I
knew
she’d come.” She’d heard from Rose only once since the wake, to offer an apology for her comment about the urn and ask for a copy of Josie’s letter. Her great-niece hadn’t given any indication that she intended to spend the summer in Mill River. Ivy was gratified that her feeling that Rose would show up had proved correct.

“That’s your niece, right?” Kyle asked. “I think I remember her from Josie’s wake.”

“Great-niece, yep, one of ’em,” Ivy said. “The other one’s Emily, and I expect her to be along any time.”

“I’ve heard bits about the situation from Fitz … something about their mom setting up some sort of plan to force them to start talking to each other?”

“Yes,” Ivy said, and she glanced over at Josie’s quiet house next door. The shades were drawn and the lawn was in desperate need of its weekly mowing. She hadn’t gotten used to seeing the house
so still, with no sign of habitation. She gave Kyle a quick summary of Josie’s plan to explain why the sisters would be spending the next couple of months in Mill River.

“Well, it’s unusual,” Kyle said. “I don’t know whether you can ever force two people to like each other who don’t, even if they’re related. In fact, some people who don’t get along are best left separated.”

The sounds of car and truck doors slamming came from across the street. Ivy and Kyle watched as Sheldon, Rose, and Alex filed through the front door of one of the little houses that faced The Bookstop. After a few minutes, they came back out with Sheldon leading the way and Rose’s screeching bringing up the rear.

“Sheldon, can you really not grasp how bad this is? Or, maybe it just doesn’t matter to you, since you’re not the one who has to spend the next two months in a shoe box with no air-conditioning!”

Sheldon seemed to be doing his best to ignore Rose’s ranting. He kept his back to her as he unlocked the U-Haul, slid up the metal door, and began unloading boxes. Even though she didn’t have a great view from across the street, Ivy could have sworn she saw Sheldon flinch when Rose started up again.

“So what if the truck’s due back tomorrow? You could stay the night and still get it back in plenty of time. It’s not like you have a job or anything else to get back to.”

Ivy sat up a little straighter. Rose’s comment was worrisome. If it were true, it might explain the reason behind Rose’s return.

Kyle whistled low under his breath. “Sounds like one happy family. Fitz told me what happened with Rose at the wake … you know, with the ashes … and I sort of thought he was exaggerating. But now …”

“He wasn’t,” Ivy said. “Rose is one hot mess, that’s for sure.”

At that moment, Claudia and Rowen came back outside with a few books apiece.

“How’d you make out?” Ivy asked. “Find everything all right?”

“Oh, definitely,” Claudia said. “I think we could spend hours in there.”

“I could
live
in there,” Rowen said. “Miss Ivy, I got the Percy Jackson book you told me about and the first one in the
Wimpy Kid
series. A lot of my friends at school are reading those.”

“I know you’ll love both of ’em,” Ivy said as she got out of the swing and slid her feet back into her sandals. “Let me ring you up.”

After she had completed the purchases, Ivy grabbed her cane. “Since my bum knee seems to be behaving today and I haven’t taken a lunch break yet, I’m going to walk across the street and visit with my niece and her family.”

“Did Alex come?” Rowen asked. “The boy who was at Mrs. DiSanti’s house?”

“Yep, he did,” Ivy told her. “Looks like he’s going to be here with his mom for the summer.”

“Can we go say hello, too?” The little girl looked up at Kyle. “Please, Dad? I’ll bet he doesn’t know anybody his age but he probably wishes he did.”

“Sure, that’d be a nice thing to do,” Kyle said. “We don’t have anything else going on, anyway.” He raised his eyebrows at Ivy and said in a whisper, “Told you. Ten going on thirty.”

Ivy led the way toward the moving truck. Rose came out of the house and saw them just as they reached the sidewalk.

“Hi, Aunt Ivy,” she said. Rose wore skinny jeans and a black tank top. She pushed her dark sunglasses up onto her head and wiped the sweat from her nose as she approached. “I was going to knock on your door once we got everything inside. Sheldon has to get back to New York tonight.”

“That’s okay, honey. I had a little break and thought I’d come over.” Ivy kissed Rose on the cheek and squeezed her in a tight hug.
“You doing all right? I’m glad you decided to come. Your mom would be happy.”

“Yeah,” Rose said in an irritated tone. She lowered her voice. “Trust me, this isn’t something I’m too happy about.”

Ivy fought the urge to laugh. “I know. It’s probably selfish of me, but I’m glad you’ll be so close by for a while. Alex, too. Hey, you remember Kyle Hansen, one of our police officers, and his daughter? And his friend, Claudia Simon? They were over at The Bookstop when you pulled up. Rowen wanted to say hello to Alex.”

“And we wanted to welcome you, too,” Claudia said, extending her hand to Rose. “I’ve lived in Mill River for only a short time myself, but it’s a wonderful place.”

Ivy watched Rose’s smile falter for a moment before it quickly reappeared even wider than before. “I actually grew up here,” Rose told her, “and it really hasn’t changed much.”

“Well, Claudia lives just over on Main Street, next to St. John’s, and Rowen and I live in an apartment above the bakery,” Kyle said. “We’re all close by, if you need anything.”

“That’s very nice of you,” Rose said with the same fake smile. “My son is inside getting his room set up, but I’ll tell him you asked about him. I’m sure he’ll be happy about that.” She gave a cursory glance to the books in Rowen’s hands. “Alex loves to read, too, so you’ve got something in common.”

“You know, I couldn’t help but notice your car up there is parked alongside a fire hydrant,” Kyle said. “I’m not sure who’s on patrol right now, but Fitz is pretty strict about people parking near hydrants and in handicapped spaces. I’d hate for you to get a ticket on your first day here. You could swing around and park across the street, at least until the truck’s out of here.”

Rose stared at Kyle, blinking, for a moment before she answered. “Fitz’s wife was my mom’s best friend. I highly doubt he would let anyone ticket
me
, especially when I’m trying to get things
moved inside. Which reminds me, I’ve got to get some stuff unpacked before my husband leaves. Would you excuse me?”

“Of course, honey, go on,” Ivy said.

“Nice seeing you again,” Claudia added.

“Likewise,” Rose said. She squeezed Ivy’s hand and smiled before she walked back to her house.

No sooner had the front door closed behind Rose than another car pulled up along the curb and beeped its horn. Ivy turned around to see Emily smiling from behind the wheel of her old hatchback.

“Right on time,” Ivy said. “Well, you all might as well stay for a few more minutes and say hello to my other niece.”

Emily’s old Subaru stood in contrast to the BMW parked further up the street. The Impreza’s faded silver finish was scuffed and had several dents in various places. The engine rumbled loud enough to be heard a few blocks away, and the interior of the car was crammed with boxes and bags. A large dog with floppy brown ears and a brown-and-white-splotched coat sat in the front passenger seat with its head stuck out the side window.

“Aunt Ivy!” Emily said as she climbed out of the car. Her younger niece caught her in a huge hug so exuberant that Ivy had to lean on her cane to steady herself.

“I’m glad you made it all right. I was a little worried about you, driving cross-country all by yourself in that old car.”

“Aw, my car’s fine. Needs a new muffler and probably a new clutch, but I’ll get all that taken care of once I’m moved in. And I wasn’t by myself.” Emily opened the front passenger’s door and clipped a leash to the dog’s collar before it jumped down from the seat. “This is Gus. Gus, meet my aunt Ivy, and”—she looked at everyone standing next to her aunt in turn—“Kyle, was it? And Rowen? And, I’m so sorry, I can’t seem to remember your name, but I remember you were at my mom’s wake, too,” she said to Claudia as her cheeks turned a bright pink.

“I’m Claudia Simon.”

“Claudia, that’s right! I should have remembered. Anyway, I found this big boy years ago at a shelter in California. The staff had him in the kitten room while they were cleaning out cages, and all these tiny babies were climbing all over him, jumping on his head, chewing on his ears, and he just lay there with his tail wagging and let them do it.” Emily reached down and massaged the dog’s ears while she spoke to him in low, drawn-out manner. “Dis big boy jus’ wuvs wittle kitties. Who wouldn’t fall in wuv wif such a sweet puppy?” Gus whined in reply and thumped his tail against the ground.

“Oh, can I pet him?” Rowen asked.

“He seems gentle, but it’s up to Emily,” Kyle said.

“Sure,” Emily said. “Just let him smell your hand first, so he gets to know you a little.” Rowen gave her books to Claudia and approached Gus cautiously with her hand outstretched. The dog stood up, sniffed and then licked her hand, and lowered his head a little as she began to stroke him.

“You didn’t bring all that much,” Ivy said. “Not compared with your sister, anyway.” She jerked her chin up toward Rose’s U-Haul and rolled her eyes. “They got here just a minute ago.”

“I didn’t know whether she’d come,” Emily said, “but the truck? Not surprised.” She leaned back against the Impreza. “This is all my stuff. The lease on my apartment was up next month, but since I was going to be here for a while, I didn’t renew it. I just packed up and brought everything with me.”

“Hey, why don’t Claudia and I help you get your things inside?” Kyle asked after they were all silent for a few seconds. “Since you’ve got just a carload, the three of us could do it pretty fast.”

Ivy saw Claudia’s eyes widen for a moment as she looked up at Kyle. “Uh, yeah,” Claudia said quickly. “Maybe Rowen could hang out with Gus while we unload?”

“That would be awesome!” Rowen said. “Could I?”

“Wow, thanks, guys,” Emily said. “Sure, Gus’ll be fine here for a few minutes. I’ll tie his leash to the side mirror so he can’t run off, but he probably wouldn’t anyway.” She looked down at Rowen and smiled. “He really loves belly-rubs, you know.”

As if he were following the conversation, Gus whined, dropped to the ground, and rolled over onto his back.

Ivy let out a loud snort as she laughed with the others. “He’s a smarty,” she said. “I’d better get back. You’ll come by once you’re all settled in, won’t you, Em?”

“Sure thing,” Emily said, and she kissed Ivy’s cheek. “You care if Gus tags along?”

“Nope,” Ivy said, as she started across the street. “Not so long as he’s house-trained. See you all later.”

C
LAUDIA GAMELY CARRIED SEVERAL ARMLOADS OF CLOTHING AND
boxes into Emily’s house. Soon, the only thing remaining in the car was a large, flat wooden crate marked
FRAGILE
. She had no idea what was inside, and she watched Emily struggle to pull it from the hatchback and lower one end to the ground.

“Looks like a two-man job,” Kyle said. He rushed over and grabbed one side of the box, and he and Emily lifted it together with some effort.

“I can help, too,” Claudia offered, but Kyle shook his head.

“Nah, we’ve got it. It’s so wide that a third person helping wouldn’t fit through the door, anyway.” Claudia stiffened, automatically reacting to what she once might have considered an insult.
But not anymore
. Kyle and Emily maneuvered the box up the front steps into the house. It was several minutes before they reemerged.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad,” Kyle said as he wiped his brow.

“Excuse me, Kyle?” Ivy’s voice called from across the street. A UPS truck was leaving the front of her house, and a newly delivered stack of cardboard boxes was on her porch. “I see you’ve gotten into the moving business. Would you mind giving an old woman a hand with a few heavy boxes?”