“Okay.” He closed the door and stood by the wall, out of the way. There were two good-sized cardboard boxes on the table and a large, clear plastic bag, the kind used to line large waste bins. The bag was filled with folded clothing.
Harper went to the bag, untied the loose knot, and looked through it. She took out a white cardigan, embroidered with small, purple flowers and set it aside. She shook her head. “Nothing else in here I want, so all of this can be donated. I think it’s what Mom would want. She hated things going to waste.”
Mitch nodded. So far, she was doing all right.
She tied up the bag, moved to the first box and opened it, inhaling softly as she surveyed the contents. She swallowed before speaking. “Mom’s books.” She let out a little breath, asoft, almost amused sound, and reached into the box. “You’re not going to believe this.”
She took out an old, worn copy ofThe Light Within.
He blinked. “How about that.”
She smiled at the book. “I gave her this years ago. Right after I read it for the first time. I wanted her to have her own copy so she’d read it, and we could talk about it. She did, too.”
“You never told me about that.”
Harper nodded. “I’d kind of forgotten it, I guess.” She opened the book and paged through it. “Wow, look at this.” She held it out to him. There were notes in the margins. Passages underlined. Pages dogeared.
Mitch lifted his brows. “She took her reading pretty seriously, huh?”
“That was my mom. She knew I wanted to talk about it, so she read closely and paid attention.” Harper hugged the book to her chest and looked up at the ceiling. “I miss her so much. I’ve missed her for a long time, but this reminds me all over of just how incredible she was…”
“I know.” He put his arm around her. “I wish I could have known her. She sounds amazing.” He squeezed Harper a little tighter. “And I’m not just saying that because she was clearly a fan.”
Harper laughed and looked at him, eyes shining with unshed tears. “She would have loved getting to talk to you about your books. And she’d have been thrilled that we’re…involved.”
“So a fanandsmart.” He winked at her then looked in the box. More books in a wide variety of genres. “Your mom was well-read.”
“She read constantly. When she was first in here, I used to bring her books every time I came to visit. Later, as she lost her ability to do that comfortably, I got her audiobooks. Even those were too much for her to keep up with after a while.”
Mitch felt the weight of Harper’s memories. He understood how they could press down on you. How they could drag you under if you let them. “If you want to take all of these back, we can. It’s First Class. They aren’t going to charge for extra luggage. We’ll buy a cheap suitcase and pack it full.”
She took a breath like she was getting ready to argue, then nodded. “I would like that very much. Thanks.”
“Consider it done.”
She put the book back in, then closed the box up and moved on to the next one. She opened it and a soft, flowery scent wafted out. Harper closed her eyes. “Do you smell that? Lily of the Valley. That was her perfume.”
“Very feminine. And a little old-fashioned.” He smiled. “In a good way. It’s exactly how a mom should smell, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
He took a step back. “Take your time.”
She rummaged through the box a little. She took out a worn, blue leatherette clamshell jewelry case, about the size that might hold a necklace. She opened it and smiled. “My mom’s watch and her wedding band, both of which she always wore. This strand of pearls is ancient. It was a gift from her parents when she graduated high school. She wore it when she married my dad.”
“You should keep those, don’t you think?”
She nodded. “Definitely.” She closed the jewelry case and looked in the box again. “Maybe a few other things in here.”
“Let’s bring it all back. We’ll just buy a bigger suitcase.”
She turned to look at him. “Thank you. Can we do that? I would love not to have to decide about all this right now.”
“You shouldn’t have to. There’s no need. Let’s grab these boxes and get out of here. If you’re good with that?”
“Very good with that.” She tucked the cardigan into the box and closed it.
“I’ll take the books, you take that box, and let’s go.” He grabbed the box of books, which was heavy, but nothing he couldn’t manage.
