The Lady in the Attic Read online

  She swallowed hard, pushing down the guilt. With the free time she had, it would have been easy for her to head north. “I spoke to her a week before she died. Just one word from her, and I would have been here immediately.”

  “I can see that.” Alice’s tone softened. “If it makes you feel better, I pitched in whenever she let me. She asked me to plant these impatiens. But of course she was a bit stubborn.”

  “A bit? Try a whole lotta stubborn.”

  They both chuckled, which went a long way in patching up Annie’s heart.

  “So how long are you staying?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know.” Without a concrete goal, she decided to take it one day at a time. She’d had a place here once. What about now? “I made arrangements when the lawyer called, but that’s about as far as my plans go. I guess I’ll stay as long as y’all will put up with me.”

  Alice chuckled, that infectious sound Annie remembered so well.

  “What?” asked Annie.

  “You’ve been gone a long time. Love the accent,” said Alice.

  “Yeah, I’ve picked up a word or two.”

  “You’re not in Kansas or, in your case, Texas, anymore.”

  “Believe me, I know that’s true. The clerk at Hansen’s asked me to repeat myself at least three times when I asked how he was doin’.”

  “People will warm up soon enough.” Alice shifted from one sandaled foot to the other. “Your grandmother didn’t blame you for not coming up here. She knew you had your family to worry about.”

  “Sounds like you knew her pretty well.”

  She shrugged. “A few years ago I moved next door--in what we used to call the carriage house, though Betsy had sold that corner lot. I was going through a rough patch, a divorce actually, and I spent some time with Betsy.”

  “So you were one of her strays?”

  “Afraid so.” A wistful smile passed over Alice’s face. “I appreciated her advice and wisdom.”

  “Even though I didn’t get back here, trust me, I called her often for just the same. She really knew how to take a problem and turn it around to the positive.”

  “That’s why we all loved her.”

  Annie took hold of Alice’s hand. “Thanks for being there for Gram.”

  Alice patted hers. “I’m sure I got more out of the time I spent with her. She was a special lady.”

  They stood in compatible silence for long moments before Boots returned, wrapping herself around Annie’s ankles.

  “Boots has been with me since Betsy passed. I’m sure she’ll be glad to be home again.”

  “And I can use the company. It’s going to take some getting used to, roaming around the big house without Gram here.”

  “I saw a bag of cat food in the pantry. Just in case Boots decides to split her time between Grey Gables and my place, I’ll keep the bag I bought.”

  “She’s that finicky?”

  “You have no idea.”

  Annie placed a hand over her stomach. “Speaking of food, I need to get some. Hansen’s didn’t have much stock. Is Magruder’s Groceries still open?”

  “Yep. Right along with Malone’s Hardware. Mike runs it now. And The Cup & Saucer.”

  “Still the place to get gossip?”

  “Small-town living never changes.”

  Annie grinned. “I have to stop by Mr. Procter’s office in the morning. I’ll get reacquainted with the town tomorrow.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Alice said, finally warming up to her long-lost friend. “It’ll be nice to get to know each other again.”

  Annie thought she noticed a glint of hope in the other woman’s eyes. She knew the feeling. “I agree.”

  Her smile brightened. “Well, you must be exhausted after your long trip. I need to get back home. But if you need me, I’m just next door.” She pointed down the driveway to the right. Annie could just make out a roofline through the heavily leaved trees separating their properties.

  “Thanks, Alice. I’ll certainly take you up on that.”

  Annie watched Alice walk away. Contentment washed over her, filling the empty void she’d lived with for so long now.

  Turning on her heel, she hurried back into the house. “Boots,” she called, “let’s get acquainted.”

  Boots raced by her, tripping her slightly as she crossed the threshold. “I take it we’re friends now?”

  While Boots shot down the hallway to the kitchen, Annie headed upstairs, anxious to see her old bedroom. There were four bedrooms upstairs, hers being one of the smaller ones. It hadn’t changed much, a single bed with a brass headboard and a dresser she’d painted during her last summer there. She’d begged and Gram gave in, never expecting Annie to choose hot pink as her color. Still, it matched the pink flowered wallpaper.

  She smiled as she headed to the master bedroom. In this room Gram had left her mark. A quilt rack, piled up with mostly discarded clothes instead of quilts, angled against the far wall. A pearl necklace and gold clip earrings, along with perfume bottles, were scattered on the dresser top. The closet door was slightly ajar, revealing a pair of tattered slippers. It was as if everything remained the same, waiting for Gram to stroll back in and resume her life.

  Like always, Annie was drawn to the window that overlooked the front yard. She opened the window, taking in the outstanding view of the ocean. She could hear the waves breaking on the rocky shoreline. Seagulls dipped into the water, looking for a meal.

  Fighting the unshed tears, Annie crossed the room and sat on the bed, enjoying the silence while she gently brushed her fingers over the time-worn patchwork quilt. She gratefully noticed that someone had put fresh linens on the bed. Probably Alice. Her mind turned to memories. She’d spent lots of time here, sitting on Gram’s bed as they chatted about life, hopes, and dreams. Back then, she knew exactly what she wanted, knew how she wanted to make her mark on the world. What had happened to that girl? Annie didn’t know, but maybe in this place, she could find herself again.

  A loud thump broke her musing. In the quiet room, the noise reverberated, making her heart jump. “What in the world?”

  The sound came again, followed by a faint meow.

  “Boots?” Annie stepped into the hallway and listened. Nothing but stillness and the occasional creak. She moved cautiously down the hallway, noticing a slightly open door.

  “Boots?” she called again.

  An answering thud coming from the attic greeted her.

  “So that’s where you ran off to.”

  She eased open the door and made her way up the steep stairway to the attic, sneezing when she reached the top. Just as she remembered, clutter filled every available space. Clutter and dust. Gram had kept everything she ever owned, plus other people’s belongings, stored here. How many rainy days had Annie spent up here during her summer visits, hunting through treasure after treasure? Or playing dress-up with Alice after finding a box of old skirts and scarves? Oh, the tea parties she’d held using mismatched china found in an old wooden box.

  Annie carefully weaved through the tiny path until she found the pull string hanging from the lone ceiling light. She tugged. Illuminated now were bulky items wrapped in sheets and tucked under the eaves, odds and ends Gram always said she’d keep in the family. It would take weeks to go through all this stuff. Okay, make that months.

  Annie groaned. “Oh, Gram. What were you thinking?”

  Overwhelmed by the sea of boxes, Annie stood stunned among years of collections her grandmother had taken to heart and stored here for future generations. Antiques. Crystal and china. Crocheted afghans. Her eyes misted, and she wished Gram were here so they could uncover each and every secret together.

  It was all too much to deal with so soon. She turned to leave. And that’s when she noticed a large, sheet-covered object in the corner. It was set between a trunk and an old washstand, almost as if protected from the rest of the jumble. Compared to everything else up here, the sheet looked relatively new, with very li
ttle dust. Curious, she tugged the sheet free. What it revealed made Annie gasp.

  In a roller frame, the largest, most detailed cross-stitch she’d ever seen featured a woman sitting on a porch. As she bent to look closer, she realized it was her grandmother’s handiwork. Yet somehow this piece had a different feel to it, like nothing Annie had seen in Gram’s work before. The technique, colors, and texture took on a life of their own, almost as if it were a watercolor painting. Incredible.

  With a loud meow, Boots came leaping from some hidden spot. Annie nearly toppled the frame as she jumped, catching hold of it just before it hit the ground. Making sure the piece stood safely upright, she covered it again and made her way back to the stairs, hurrying after the cat.

  “Okay, okay, I get the message,” she yelled after the cat, her heart racing. “I’ll feed you. But first, you and I are going to have a long discussion about scaring me in the future.”

  She followed Boots into the kitchen, ready to hunt for the cat food. Instead, she found a homemade flyer for the “Got Junk?” man. She picked it up from the counter with shaky fingers.

  Suddenly the reason for this trip weighed heavily on her shoulders. She’d barely been able to sort through Wayne’s things, sort through her own life to see how she now fit in the world. How could she possibly conquer all this?

  “One stitch at a time.” She repeated the mantra Gram had uttered whenever she would tackle a mountain-sized task, whether it was a new cross-stitch design or a life-altering crisis. And that’s how Annie would deal with this. One stitch at a time.

  2

  By the time Annie’s meeting at the attorney’s office ended, exhaustion sapped her. Going over the paperwork, worrying about making the right decisions, plus the overlying sadness about not being there for Gram at the end, really drained Annie’s energy.

  Of course, not having slept well last night might have been part of the problem. The creaks and groans of the dear old house hadn’t helped relax her. She’d grown used to being alone, but for some reason being alone here felt different. She’d tossed and turned in her old bed, finally giving up to head downstairs for a glass of water then roam around. Eventually she’d ended up in Gram’s bed where she finally settled down, only to rise with the sun and prepare for the meeting with the attorney this morning.

  Now she stood on the steps outside the law office, in need of a coffee break.

  Mind made up, she strolled the two blocks to Main Street, made a turn, and headed directly toward The Cup & Saucer. A row of lampposts, straight out of a Dickens novel, created welcoming beacons along the aged sidewalk. The thoroughfare appeared exactly as she remembered; a typical New England downtown, quaint and long lasting. Parking spaces lined the street, providing customers with easy access to the diner, Steiner’s Shoe Repair, Finer Things, an upscale housewares store, and Dress to Impress, the premier dress shop in town--just to name a few. Town hall and the Town Square were situated about midpoint. Old Glory flew proudly over the Town Square. Annie recalled many Fourth of July celebrations there, especially the fireworks.

  She made her way down the street, glancing through windows. Alice was right, many of the businesses were just as she remembered, though maybe the storefronts had been updated with time. Annie recalled dashing up and down the sidewalk when she was younger, running errands with Gram--stopping at Magruder’s Groceries, where old man Magruder would hand out penny candy to the children on Saturdays, or the Stony Point Library, holding the annual summer Read-a-Thon. Annie loved to read, but she especially loved the big blow-out party at the end of the summer, just before she headed home to Texas. Balloons, hot dogs, and a free book--what pleasant memories. And, of course, The Cup & Saucer had been a frequent stop. Where else could a girl get a stack of blueberry pancakes as tall as she was? As Annie pushed open the door, she was greeted with the familiar chime of a cow bell over the door, along with the scent of fresh-brewed coffee and sizzling bacon.

  “Mornin’,” a waitress called out. Annie waved before wending her way to the only vacant table in the corner, taking the laminated menu from its place between the salt and pepper shakers in the shape of cows and pigs. A plump, younger woman in a pink uniform with a white frilly apron scurried over, a harried air about her, with coffeepot in hand. Tucking her short dark hair behind one ear, she poured the rich brew into the mug already placed on the table. “Hi. I’m Peggy. What can I get you?”

  “Just wheat toast, light butter.”

  The woman eyed her a bit warily, then nodded and headed to the kitchen.

  With a sigh, Annie poured a bit of cream into the coffee and took a sip. “Ahh,” she murmured, hoping the caffeine worked its magic quickly. After another swallow, she set the mug down and surveyed the room. The noise level had lessened, and if she didn’t miss her guess, all eyes seemed to be regarding her, if a bit covertly. She hid a smile, realizing that she was indeed an outsider and would therefore be treated to undue scrutiny. She’d expected this, especially when Mr. Procter had warned her of this very reaction not more than thirty minutes ago. And since The Cup & Saucer was more of a local hangout than a tourist haunt, she didn’t expect any less. Still, the humor of the situation didn’t escape her.

  Peggy returned shortly. “Here’s your toast,” she announced, setting the plate on the table. Annie noticed that she hesitated. Peggy was working hard to keep her curiosity in check, but it won out after a few seconds. “Visiting someone in town?”

  “Actually, I’m staying at Grey Gables. Betsy Holden was my grandmother.”

  Peggy’s gaze warmed a bit. “We were all sorry about Betsy. She was a popular lady around here.”

  “I know. I spent summers here when I was younger.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure. I used to pal around with Alice, um, MacFarlane. I believe that’s still her last name?”

  “For the time bein’.” Peggy glanced around the room, then back to Annie. “So where are you from?”

  “Texas.”

  “You’re a long way from home.”

  Might as well make nice so the good people around here wouldn’t treat her like a stranger, Annie thought. “In miles, yes, but Stony Point has always held a special place in my heart.”

  “Here for long?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’ll let you know when I figure that out.”

  A slight smile turned the woman’s lips. She nodded at Annie’s mug. “Need a refill?”

  Annie nodded and the waitress hurried off for the pot. When Peggy reached the coffee station, she whispered to another woman dressed in a matching uniform, who then spoke to a couple seated at a table near the window. Just as Annie had expected, the rumor mill had begun. And Annie knew her indecision about staying would just add fuel to the fire.

  How do I figure all this out? she wondered for the hundredth time. Being stuck in this limbo made her out of sorts and lost. She didn’t like this feeling, not one little bit. She’d always been a take-charge type. When she and Wayne had run the business together, she always had a clear-cut goal and a plan to get there. But now, it was as if all the events that had happened during the past couple of years had left her at a standstill. Instead of getting easier, her indecision was getting worse.

  If she were home, she’d probably call LeeAnn and get together so she could talk things out. That’s what they’d always done before. But Annie was in Maine and LeeAnn was in Texas. She didn’t want to burden her daughter with her concerns, especially when Annie hadn’t quite figured out what those concerns were.

  A deep throbbing started in her temple. Great, now she was giving herself a headache. Not the best way to start the day.

  After taking a bite of the toast, Annie decided to bite the bullet and read the legal documents Mr. Procter had given her. Gram had laid out everything plainly; Annie inherited the house and land. There were no stipulations that Annie must reside in Stony Point to keep the house, nor that she should never sell the house under any circumstances. Gram preferred to keep Gre
y Gables in the family but left the decision making in Annie’s capable hands. There were other odds and ends--nothing Annie couldn’t handle.

  Still, the nagging feeling that she was missing something, something unsaid on Gram’s part, bothered Annie. Probably one of the reasons she’d had trouble sleeping last night. What was she going to do? Again the question plagued her as it had when she’d first arrived and walked through the house. The thought of selling Grey Gables didn’t set well, but what would she do with two houses? Split her time between Maine and Texas? And what about LeeAnn and the twins? Did Annie want to be so far away from them? On the other hand, the thought of them visiting her in Maine warmed her heart. Especially during the summer months. She could make new memories with her family in the house she loved. The thought definitely appealed to her.

  But Grey Gables had seen better years. Annie was no handyman, as her husband had teased her through the years. She wasn’t allowed to use a hammer or screwdriver on any important home-improvement job. Wayne had always handled the tools, especially after he caught her hammering a nail in the wall with his “good” wrench. It wasn’t that Annie was clueless; she just didn’t have the aptitude for construction. Needlecrafts? Yes. Honey-do lists? Well, she made them; she didn’t execute them.

  Annie put away the paperwork, finished her coffee, and paid her tab. With all eyes still flitting her way amid the hushed chatter about the new girl in town--who really wasn’t so new--she paused at the door and waved back at the room. She chuckled at how busy everyone suddenly became. The townsfolk knew she was back, that’s for sure.

  With the intention of stopping at Magruder’s, she headed south down Main Street. She hadn’t made it very far when a new shop--well, new to her anyway--caught her interest. Stenciled on the wide storefront window was the name, A Stitch in Time. Intrigued, Annie peered inside. From her vantage point she could make out floor-to-ceiling shelving, a counter near the door with an old-time cash register, and a cozy circle of overstuffed armchairs. Despite her need for groceries, Annie pulled open the frosted glass door. Had she entered paradise?