If the lake had been real, was it still hidden someplace in these trees?
The car quieted again as their wheels rolled onto pavement. “Is that what you wanted to show me?” she asked.
He shook his head. “We’re almost there.”
Turning away from the creek, they drove several more miles until he pulled the car off the road near an old barn, the stone portions bleached by sun. “Here it is.”
Harper eyed three wooden buildings that extended behind the main barn like a blocky centipede, the shutters of each barn extension painted a different color. The Book Barn, according to the sign, opened in 1910.
“Everyone around here just calls itthe barn, but you’ll find plenty of good reading on their rambling shelves.”
“Are they used books?”
“Some of them are practically ancient,” Brett said. “You’ll get lost the first time you visit with the narrow halls and an attic with endless nooks and crannies.”
“Sounds like a place that I’d like to get lost.”
“The staff should be able to tell you more about Via Belle.” Brett’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at a text. “I need to head back to Philly soon.”
“Then I’m ready to meet Boss Man.”
The Sutton home was a two-story Italianate with a sunroom on one side and formidable steps leading to an arched front door, the height of which had scared her as a child. The combination of a gabled roof, dual chimneys, and bay window nodded firmly to its past life.
Brett unlocked the front door then handed her the key. “Welcome home.”
Home.
The entryway smelled like peppers and oregano. “Is someone making dinner?”
“Ingrid Lamb must have left you a meal.” Brett scooted past her, and she followed him into the kitchen to find a crockpot warming some sort of stew.
“Do I know Ingrid?”
“You probably met her when we were younger. We called her Mrs. Lamb back then.”
She had a faint recollection of the name, but it may be purely the power of his suggestion.
“I’ll leave Ingrid’s phone number with you,” he continued. “She said to call if you had any questions.”
“You must be Boss Man.” Harper knelt beside a black-and-white cat who looked like he’d been rolling in mud. He tilted his head but didn’t respond to her outstretched hand. “I think we’re going to become the best of friends.”
“Right.” Brett gave her a tour of the main floor and then two guest rooms above. “I hope one of these will work for you.”
“It’s wonderful.” If he wasn’t in a rush to head out, she’d tell him about her shack beside Evan’s house. These rooms on the second floor, with their poster beds and shared bath, seemed like paradise.
“And the last thing.” Brett handed her a small envelope, and she glanced inside at the stack of bills.
“What’s this for?”
“Spending money.”
She pushed it back. “I don’t need money.”
“Please take it, Harper. My parents have been paying a neighbor to care for the cat, but they’d much rather have you here.”
And how could she argue with that, especially when she really could use the money until she found another job.
“I’m quite sure that Mom will contact you soon.”
