“No, not that. Where’s a grocery store that’s, well, cheaper than the organic one?”
Roy’s eyes lit up as she smiled. “Go there. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the final total. Colin didn’t say so, but it’s my guess that he took you there to show Ellie that you’re now an honorary Frazier. She’ll give you the family discount.”
“Even though I’m a temporary resident?”
“If you’re with Colin, that’s enough for all of us.”
“I’d think that privilege would be reserved for Jean.”
Roy took a while to answer. “Doesn’t she wear the most beautiful high heels you’ve ever seen? Two years ago she broke a heel off on our brick sidewalks and I haven’t seen her in Edilean since.”
Gemma could only blink at Roy as an understanding passed between them. She wasn’t in favor of Colin and Jean being together. Smiling, Gemma said good-bye and left the office.
Instead of returning to the guesthouse, she decided to walk around the square at the shops. Each one was pretty and well kept. At the end of the block from Colin’s office was a large building with locked doors and shades over the windows. Paint had been scraped off the glass doors but she could see that it used to read EDILEAN FASHIONS. This was probably the gym Colin had told her about. If her side wasn’t so sore she would have knocked on the door, but she didn’t.
After she’d circled the block, not going into any store, she got in her car and drove out McTern Road to Ellie’s store. A couple of people waved hello, but no one stopped her. As before, Ellie was in the back behind the deli counter.
“I hear you’re going to my daughter’s barbecue with Tristan,” Ellie said.
Gemma wanted to get away from that subject. “Is it true that Mike scares people in the gym?”
Ellie smiled. “If people sit around on the benches and talk too much, he can be very scary. So are you going with Tris?”
“Yes,” Gemma said.
There were three other women waiting their turn, and all of them stared at Gemma as though to ask how she’d finagled that date.
Ellie’s eyes twinkled. “Give everyone kisses from me, especially Tris and Colin.”
At the mention of the second man, the women’s mouths fell open. It seemed that Tris and Colin were the town’s prize catches.
“Here you are,” Ellie said as she handed Gemma a white package. “Lots of sliced turkey. Be sure and get some brown mustard. Colin likes it, but then you probably already know that.”
Smiling, Gemma turned away, but Ellie’s voice made her look back. “And Tris loves pickles. Better get at least four kinds. Now, ladies, what can I do for you?”
Gemma had to suppress her laugher as she went in search of mustard and pickles.
10
THE NEXT MORNING, Colin called again. The connection wasn’t any better than the first time. “Mom and the others left,” he said. “They’ll check on you soon.”
“What about you?” she shouted into the phone. “When do you get back?”
“I don’t know. Days. I’m helping with the cleanup. Miss me?”
“Yes,” she said.
There was what sounded like a crash and it was a minute before Colin got back on the line. “I have to go, but I wanted to tell you that no one’s been hurt. I’ll see you when I get back.”
Gemma hung up and held the phone to her for a moment. That he’d called even when he was so very busy made her feel good.
By that afternoon, she was well into her research. As she dug deeper
, she had to remind herself that she was doing a family history. She didn’t have to be as precise as she usually would be. This was for fun, to please a family—or, more precisely, Mrs. Frazier.
The truth was, she was rationalizing. She didn’t want to delve into medieval history but to stay in the nineteenth century. She wanted to know about the piece of letter she’d read. Who was Julian? Who was “that woman” who’d not cared about his death?
She’d been through Jocelyn’s genealogy charts and had even exchanged a few e-mails with her, but they could find no one named Julian.