Sally nodded, her face alight with excitement. “Yes, she’s right at Tides. Betty! We grew up together, and Urchin was her family’s nickname for her. Jane, you must have heard me call her that when I saw them at Tides.”
Jane shook her head regretfully. “I remember seeing you greet them, but with all the commotion of the day, I must’ve missed that.” Jane’s expression turned somber. “I’ve got some bad news. They were planning to leave tonight.”
Bunny’s eyes widened, her heartbeat quickening. “Tonight? What time?”
Jane looked at her watch. “They weren’t sure. Actually, they did talk about extending to see the art show, but I don’t see them here, so I’m afraid they decided to leave.”
Bunny grabbed Andie’s hand and tugged her toward the door. “We need to get to Tides. There might still be time to catch them!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Betty strained to drag her now-overstuffed suitcase down the stairs. “I don’t know how I managed to fit everything in here!” she exclaimed, her voice tinged with both exasperation and delight.
Susan, Carol, and Margie looked up from the foyer and chuckled. “Well, it was a fruitful trip, wasn’t it? The grandkids will absolutely adore the art we got for them,” Carol remarked, smiling warmly at the thought.
Just then, a car screeched to a halt outside. Margie quipped, “Gosh, I hope that’s not our Uber driver showing off his skills.”
Peering out the window, Susan recognized Andie stepping out of the car, her face flushed and focused. Close behind her were Bunny and Sam. “Hey, that looks like Jane’s sister. She seems to be in quite the rush.”
Before they could speculate further, the door flew open, and in rushed Andie, followed by Bunny and Sam, their faces a mix of urgency and relief.
“Oh, I’m so glad we caught you before you left!” Bunny exclaimed, visibly relieved.
Betty felt a twinge of unease. “Is something the matter?”
“No, not really,” Andie assured her. “This might seem a bit odd, but we’ve been looking for someone with the nickname Urchin, and Sally said that it might be you.”
At the mention of the nickname, Betty’s expression shifted to one of bittersweet nostalgia. “Yes, that was me. My family used to call me Urchin because I loved the sea and would always find sea urchins in the tide pools as a child. It’s sad, really. You can hardly find them anymore.”
The room quieted for a moment, the weight of the memory settling in. “It was a special name, but it also reminds me of my sister, Heidi. She loved the sea just as much as I did.”
Bunny and Andie exchanged glances, sensing that they were on the cusp of resolving a mystery and yet uncovering new emotional depths they had not anticipated.
Andie carefully extracted the small, wrapped box from her pocket. “Then I think this is for you,” she said, extending it to Betty.
Betty’s eyes widened at the sight of the little package. There was something hauntingly familiar about the handwriting—she recognized it as Heidi’s. “Where did you find this?” she asked, almost breathless.
Andie explained that the tiny gift had been found in a trunk she’d bought at an estate sale. “We’ve been trying to find its rightful owner, and it looks like we’ve succeeded.”
The room hushed into silence as Betty contemplated the small package in her hands. “Should I open it?” she wondered aloud.
“Yes!” Susan, Carol, and Margie responded in unison, their excitement palpable.
Gently unwrapping the package, her charm bracelet jingling softly with each movement, Betty discovered a sterling silver urchin charm lying in the palm of her hand. Her eyes misted over at the sight.
It was unmistakably from Heidi, who not only had called her Urchin more than anyone else but had also contributed many of the charms that adorned her bracelet. Heidi must have bought this charm before her tragic accident and had been saving it. Somehow, it had gotten mixed in with the items that were sold off in the estate sale after they’d sold the house—during those sorrow-filled days when the family was steeped in grief.
But now, as she held the charm, Betty felt a profound sense of closure. This was the sign she had been seeking for years, a poignant, tangible connection to a past filled with love and a sister deeply missed.
“Thank you,” she said softly to Bunny, Sam, and Andie. The words seemed insufficient for the emotional journey the small object had taken her on, but they were all she had. Hugs were exchanged all around, their warmth reaching deep into her soul.
Just then, an Uber pulled up outside, breaking the spell. Betty, Susan, Carol, and Margie gathered their things and headed out, waving their final goodbyes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The next morning, Claire stood behind the counter at Sandcastles, ringing up a customer.
“Do you think she’ll show?” Hailey asked. Claire had filled her in about inviting Sandee for a chat.
