“Still do, actually. Oh, I can’t run it anymore.” Rita gestured to the wheelchair. “Body’s too old to get around, but I couldn’t bear to sell it. I own the building. Antique store downstairs, apartment upstairs. There’s still quite a bit of inventory in the store.”
“See, now you can follow your passion and stay here and help Daddy and me with Tides,” Addie said matter-of-factly. Even though she was mixed up on who was here running Tides, the sentiment was the same.
It got Andie wondering... would she be as happy here running an antique store as she was as an appraiser at one of the best auction houses in the world? Then again, was she really happy in her current job? “Civil War papers and old diaries are interesting, and I like dealing with the people, but I’m sure there’s nothing of real significance in these old towns.”
Rita shook her head. “Not true. Old Harry Westin came in with a tiny painting he found in his mother’s jewelry box, and it turned out to be an old Russian icon dating to the 1300s. How it got in Harry’s mother’s jewelry box is a mystery, but it was quite a find, as it was in incredibly good condition. Written up in all the papers.”
Andie thought she remembered something about that.
“And don’t forget, we have one of the oldest houses in New England right here in town, and it’s just bursting with undiscovered treasures.” Rita’s eyes lit up.
“The Thompson house.” Andie had heard rumors about the house, one even claiming that it had been part of the Underground Railroad and another that it had been a hideout of Blackbeard the pirate. She didn’t think either of them were true, but the house was still interesting because of its age.
“Thompson?” Addie cut in, her face drawn in a scowl. “Did you say Sadie Thompson? I wouldn’t trust anything she has. She stole my green sweater!”
“Oh dear. That was probably just an honest mistake, don’t you think?” Rita said to Addie.
Addie's scowl deepened. “No.”
Rita turned to Andie. “It happens a lot here. People forget which items are theirs.”
“I can imagine.” Andie remembered the sweater incident well. They actually had found her mother’s sweater in Sadie’s room. “Sadie is here at Tall Pines.”
“Yes, I know. Her room is right down the hall. I never did talk her into letting me into the attic. The house has been in the same family for three hundred years. Oh, the things that might be there! But I guess it won’t happen now. Don’t know why I’m holding on to that shop. Won’t be of use to me. I suppose I should think of selling, but it would have to be to the right person.” Rita raised a brow and looked at Andie out of the corner of her eye then clapped her hands. “Well, I suppose I better get going. I wanted to help with the sing-along. You coming, Addie?”
Addie jumped up. “Oh yes! I’ll go with you. Bye, Bridgie.”
As Andie watched them leave, she felt something shift in her perspective. Was she ready to give up her dream career at Christies and start a new one in Lobster Bay?
Andie took the long way out of Tall Pines so she could peek into Sadie Thompson’s room.
The old woman must not have liked sing-alongs, because she was sitting in a recliner, the television remote in her weathered hand, as the TV blared a talk show. She might be missing her memories, but she was alert. Her head swiveled to the door, her forehead creasing. “Addie?”
“It’s Andie, actually, Addie’s daughter.” The similar names were confusing enough, but Andie did look like her mother.
“Don’t you fool with me. I know who you are. Are you going to the dance tonight? I heard Bobby Gleason will be there.” Sadie looked quite pleased about this.
Andie didn’t know who Bobby Gleason was, but it was clear that Sadie thought she was a teen again. Sadie and Addie used to hang around back then. Andie was used to these fuzzy memories from her mother. She and Jane had decided it was better to play into the memories as long as they were pleasant. Trying to remind Addie of the year or to get her to recognize who someone really was only brought confusion and anger.
Andie stepped into the room. “Of course I’m going. It should be fun.”
Sadie nodded, her eyes clouding for a second then clearing again. “You can come over before the dance if you want.”
“That sounds nice. I’ve always liked your house. It’s so old and charming.”
Sadie nodded, her face lighting up. “Built by my granddaddy’s granddaddy’s granddaddy.”
“I bet there are a lot of memories in there.” Andie wasn’t prying, not really. Sadie seemed so happy to be talking about the house that Andie couldn’t help but encourage her to get lost in those memories. Who knew how long she’d have those for?
“Oh yes. And there’s a library and a conservatory and secret passages.”
“Secret passages?” Andie’s thoughts went to the rumors. “Have you been in them?”
Sadie laughed. “Of course, silly. Remember we went in one together? But we didn’t go up in the attic. Mom said there was too much junk up there.”
“Excuse me. Justwhoare you?”
The angry voice made Andie whirl around, guilt heavy in her stomach. Not that she’d been doing anything wrong, but the way the woman was looking at her, you’d have thought she’d been torturing the poor old lady.
