Divided Interests (Southern Bride 3)

“What do you think he asked May? To marry him?” Paige asked.

“I don’t know. The date on the note doesn’t make much sense. I didn’t think they were engaged that long.”

I looked back down at the paper, then at the chair. “We need to take that seat off.”

“You’ll ruin the chair, Lucas.”

Without paying any attention to her, I leaned down and pulled at the chair bottom.

“Lucas!” she protested, but stopped when it popped off and revealed a little chest.

“Is that the chest?” she whispered.

I shook my head as I reached for it. “No, the chest we’re looking for has a lock. Remember, the key?”

“That’s right,” Paige said, reaching over and gently touching the chest. “What is this?”

“Maybe a jewelry box?” I said, slowly turning the latch and opening the box.

“It’s empty,” Paige said, disappointment laced in her voice.

With a wide grin, I lifted on the little tab sticking up on the inside of the box, and it revealed another folded-up paper.

“It’s another letter!” Paige screamed right into my ear.

Jerking, I glared at her. “Yes, and now I’ve lost all hearing in that ear, so thank you.”

She shot me a dirty look. “Open it, Lucas! See what it says before I do more damage to you!”

I handed the small box to Paige and unfolded the paper. It was old and brittle.

“My Dearest M, you have forever saved my broken soul. You were brought into my life when I thought all hope was lost. I give you this conservatory to do with as you wish. It is my wedding gift to you.

Yours truly, William”

One quick glance at Paige, and I couldn’t help but smile and shake my head. “The old man was a romantic.”

“Stop it! Keep reading.”

When I looked back at the paper, my smile faded, and a lump formed in my throat.

“What’s wrong?” Paige asked.

“The date is wrong.”

“What do you mean, the date is wrong?”

“The wedding date. It’s earlier than Granddad and Gram’s wedding.”

“Maybe they changed the date, got married later than they had first intended.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. That’s weird, though. They didn’t get married for almost another year after the date on this letter.”

A strange feeling came over me. An uneasiness I wasn’t sure how to respond to. It felt like I had stumbled upon a secret, one that I wasn’t supposed to find.

“Lucas, is everything okay?”

I looked at Paige. “Yeah, it’s fine. Maybe it’s like you said, they just had a long engagement. But Granddad used to talk about their rush to get married because they couldn’t wait.”

Paige chewed on her lip and I knew we were thinking the same thing. Granddad had always said his relationship with Grams had been a whirlwind. They married quickly, for reasons beyond their control.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking? About the stories of their…”

“Whirlwind romance? The quick wedding?”

Paige didn’t answer; she simply looked at the box, then back up at me.

With a sigh, I said, “We need to find that goddamn chest, and now.”

Paige

LUCAS RUSHED OUT of the greenhouse and down the path, back to the house.

“Lucas! Wait! Where are you going?” I called out as I attempted to follow him without tripping over a rock or stick.

“The attic. It has to be in the attic. It’s nowhere in his room; I’ve been looking,” Lucas called out.

Once we got back into the house, I rushed ahead and stepped in front of him, blocking him from going up the stairs.

“Stop for one second, please.”

“Why? I figured you were ready to get all of this over and done with. The only way we are going to get any answers is to find the chest.”

I walked up two steps backwards, then placed my hands on his shoulders to keep him from moving.

“Trying to search in the attic in the dark isn’t going to help. We need to do it in the morning.”

He shook his head. “We need—”

“To calm down. Lucas, these letters were written before your grandmother and grandfather were even together. You’re reading into this and getting all the wrong ideas about their relationship. Take a breath and think for a moment.”

He looked down to the floor and sighed. “I just don’t understand what’s happening. What is he wanting us to find, Paige? And does it have anything to do with us?”

“It has to! Why would he give us both this house? We can’t overthink it. They had a long engagement, or maybe they broke up for a while. Or they did get married, and that’s all that mattered in the end.”

His eyes jerked back up. “They broke up?”

“I don’t know. But we know they got married, they were happy, so let’s just take a moment and not freak out. We’ll find the answers, Lucas. I know we will.”

He nodded. “You’re right. I guess I felt, hell, I don’t know what I feel anymore.”

I squeezed his shoulders. “We’ll figure it out, Lucas. First thing in the morning we can tackle the attic.”