When she reached the Victorian house, she found Nana June in the living room, already dressed in a lavender cardigan and her favorite walking shoes. Pippi sat at her feet, tail wagging hopefully.
"How did it go?" June asked.
Sara Lee sank into the sofa, suddenly exhausted even though it wasn't even noon yet. "Barb doesn't know anything. But her family might."
She relayed the conversation from Barb's innocent pride in her father's business, the money that appeared several years ago to open her business, and the way Bob and Bill kept Barb at arm's length from their lumber business operations.
June listened carefully, nodding occasionally, her expression thoughtful. She murmured, "That's interesting timing."
"Why?"
"Because that's around the time when the town gossip spread that Raymond lost his job at a loan company for shady business dealings. But I’ll see if I canfind out more." June pulled out her notebook and made a notation. "I wonder if those two things are connected."
"You think Raymond loaned Bob money?"
"Perhaps. Or they were involved in something together that went wrong." June tapped her pen against the notebook. "Bob is a good man, but good men can make bad choices when they're desperate. If Raymond had leverage over him… knew something about how Bob saved his business, that would explain the argument we saw at the festival."
"Barb can never know," Sara Lee said fiercely. "She's so proud of that coffee shop. So grateful to her dad. If we find out he got that money through something shady, or if Raymond was involved..." She couldn't finish the thought.
June's expression was gentle but firm. "We'll protect Barb as much as we can. But we also have to follow the truth, sweetheart."
Sara Lee nodded, knowing her grandmother was right but hating it anyway.
"I'm going to visit Ted," June said, standing and collecting her purse. "He was the Melton family attorney for years. If anyone knows the history between Raymond and Horace, it's Ted."
"Will he tell you?"
June's smile had a mischievous edge. "I think I can be just sweet enough to get him to let down his guard."
10
JUNE
June walked at a brisk pace toward Ted's house, enjoying the warm morning and the familiar streets of Meadowlark Creek. She'd lived here her whole life, had walked these sidewalks as a young woman, then as a mother, and now as a grandmother. She knew every house, almost every family's history, and many of the secrets that time had tried to bury.
That knowledge could be a burden, but today, it might be useful.
Ted's house was a neat craftsman-style bungalow with a well-maintained garden full of roses. Just like her Victorian had been the house she’d lived in when her husband was alive, the craftsman was the house he’d shared with his wife before her death. She sighed as those memories floated through her mind. June and her husband had been best friends with the Mastersons for many years. June missed his wife and knew Ted grieved the loss of her husband.
He was outside when she arrived, planting flowersby the front walk, his movements careful and precise. When he saw her coming up the walk, his whole face lit up.
"Junie! To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"
"I thought I might take you up on that standing offer for coffee," she said, returning his smile. "If the invitation's still good."
"It's always good for you." Ted stripped off his gardening gloves and gestured toward the porch. "Come on up. I'll put on a fresh pot."
They settled into comfortable wicker chairs on his screened-in porch, the morning sun filtering through the trees, painting everything in gentle light. Ted brought out coffee in delicate china cups. She smiled, recognizing them as his late wife's good set. He headed back in and returned with a plate of store-bought cookies arranged as nicely as if he'd baked them himself.
"This is lovely, Ted," June said, and meant it.
"I'm just glad you finally said yes." His eyes twinkled. "I was starting to think I'd have to wait until we were both ninety."
"We're getting close enough as it is," June teased.
They sipped coffee in comfortable silence for a moment. June had known Ted since they were children together at Meadowlark Creek Elementary, although he was a few years older. They'd gone through school together, remained friends, married their childhood sweethearts, and built their lives. But the friendship had remained constant, a thread running through all the decades. He joked and flirted at times, but she knew their close friendship was all either needed.
Which made what she was about to do feel slightly dishonest. "Ted," she began carefully, "I wanted to ask you about the Meltons. About Raymond and Horace."
