“Go get in bed. I’ll bring your tea and maybe a couple of crackers. Do you have any?”
Addie shook her head. “I don’t think so. I haven’t had to go shopping since you and the ladies set me up with food.”
“Well, that’s all right. I’ll go back to the shop and tell Otis what’s going on while you rest. Then I’ll come back with some soup and crackers for you.”
“Pearl, I don’t want to cause problems for Otis. Your shopis doing so well. I saw the numbers on the sales of the cameras. He’ll soon have to send away for more.”
“He already has, but never you mind. We can have Bertha help in the shop today. She seems to have a real knack for that kind of thing.”
“She’s good at taking pictures too. She told me she’d like to have a little shop of her own someday.”
“I think that might work very well for her.” Pearl motioned Addie back to her room and followed to tuck her in.
Addie climbed obediently into bed and allowed Pearl to draw her covers up. Outside a light rain had started to fall, and Addie could hear the drops against the window. For reasons beyond her understanding, the sound made her sad, and tears formed in her eyes.What’s wrong with me?
“Oh, Addie, I’m so sorry you don’t feel well,” Pearl said. “I wish you would unburden your heart and tell me what’s wrong.”
Addie wiped at the tears with the edge of her sleeve. “I don’t know why I’m crying. Something about the weather just made me feel blue.”
The tea kettle started to whistle. “You stay put, and I’ll bring you a cup of tea.”
Pearl left the room, and Addie propped another pillow behind her and sat staring out the window. She’d pulled back the curtains when she’d first awakened that morning. Her mind had been on her meeting with Isaac. Who could have ever guessed that he’d been so fixated on her that he’d told his nieces stories about their time in the Yukon?
“Do you want milk or sugar?” Pearl called from the other room.
“Nothing, thanks.”
Addie thought of those precious little girls and how delighted they’d been to meet her. She would have loved getting to know them ... befriending each one. She could imagine the fun she and Isaac could have spoiling them. Then maybe one day with children of their own, they could have outings with the girls. They could help with the children. It would be like one big family.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head.
“Here you are.” Pearl brought her a cup and saucer. “There’s a clear place on your nightstand to put the cup once you’re finished. I will head back to the shop and return as quickly as possible. I know the restaurant near the Ferris wheel has chicken soup. They use it to ease the upset stomachs of folks who’ve ridden the rides one too many times.” She smiled. “Don’t fret. I’ll have you feeling better before long.”
Addie wished that might be true. She sipped the hot tea and thought of the situation with the due diligence of someone figuring out a puzzle. Isaac was the type of person who would pursue the truth at all costs. She would eventually have to tell him the truth, but the truth wouldn’t matter to him. He would never let her go.
Perhaps if she left Seattle before seeing Isaac again, then he would understand that she meant business. It would hurt him, but then maybe that pain would keep him from following her.
Of course, there was the house to consider. Perhaps Otis could rent it out for her. Maybe someday Addie could return to it and live a quiet life there by Lake Washington. She sighed. Ever since Isaac left the Yukon, she had longed to see him again. He was the same as she remembered. The boyish charm was still there, the twinkle in his eyes and his playfulspirit. It was just like him to make their time together sound like a fairy tale.
A heaviness settled over her heart. She would always love him. Always.
Pearl was back within an hour and true to her word she’d brought chicken soup and crackers. Addie had found sleep impossible, but the tea had helped to settle her stomach.
“I think you’ll find the soup will go even beyond what the tea has done,” Pearl announced, bringing a tray to Addie in bed. “It’s a very tasty soup. I sampled it to make sure I didn’t need to do something to help it along.”
“Thank you, Pearl. You’ve always been so kind to me.”
Pearl settled the tray on Addie’s lap and drew up a chair. “I’m going to take advantage of that comment and tell you that you owe me an explanation.”
“I do.” Addie knew she could trust Pearl. But still, there was that tiny seed of doubt. Pearl was well respected in the church. If Addie told her the truth of her past, Pearl might feel obligated to separate herself from their friendship. She might feel compelled to have Otis fire her.
“What has happened to cause problems for you?”
Addie swallowed the lump in her throat with a spoonful of soup. “I saw a friend from the Yukon. The boy I told you about.”
“The one you had hoped to marry one day?” Pearl asked, sounding excited.
“Yes, Isaac Hanson. He came to one of my presentations on the gold rush. He’s a teacher, just as he always wanted to be, and he was there with his students.” Addie reached beneath her pillow. “I took the photograph of his class and then this one.” She handed the postcard to Pearl.
