Joce organized all she’d been able to find out about Miss Edi’s time with Dr. Brenner, typed it, then went over the earlier stories written by Miss Edi. Again, Joce laughed about Bertrand, marveled at the love between Edi and David, then, as always, tears came to her eyes when she thought of David’s death. If only they could have had a life together! she thought.
23
WHEN THE PHONE rang and the caller ID showed that it was Luke, Joce put her hand over her heart to quieten it.
“Did you miss me?” he asked without preamble, “or did you not even notice I was gone?”
What she wanted to ask him was if his annulment was finished, was he free, and she thought maybe she wanted to tell him that she loved him. “Yes and no,” she said. “I kept really busy. I met Sara’s new boyfriend and helped them paint the new shop.”
“Nice guy, huh?”
Jocelyn’s grip on her emotions left her. “You talked to someone here before me,” she half shouted.
Luke’s chuckle let her know that he heard her jealousy. “Not like you mean. Nana met the boyfriend, and she told Gramps, who told me. That make you feel better?”
“Not much. So your grandfather talked to you while you were away.” She knew she was sounding like a sulky little girl, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“Sort of,” Luke said, and she could hear how much he was enjoying all this. “He was with me part of the way, then I dropped him off and flew on. It was while we were together that he talked to Nana and she told him.”
“Is this supposed to make me feel better? Where have you been?! And don’t you dare call me ‘Mom.’”
“New Hampshire, then London. I left Gramps in New Hampshire, then I flew to London. I just got back an hour ago.”
“London?” she asked softly. “You did something about Miss Edi, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Oh! And I stopped in New York too. Gramps has some friends there. Does that answer all your questions?”
“Yeah, and now I’m completely content. When are you coming over here to explain what you and your sly grandfather have been up to?”
“He is sly, isn’t he? Good observation.”
“Why don’t I meet you at your house? That would make a nice change. I’d like to see how you’ve decorated it. Do you grow orchids in the shower?”
“Only if I haven’t had a bath in a couple of weeks. Then I get them in my left ear. I don’t know why it’s always the left and not the right one. And my belly button—”
“Stop it! Leave the bad jokes to me. I want to know what you and your grandfather have been up to these past weeks.”
“Snooping and spying in a big way.”
“Luke,” she said, and her voice was half warning, half pleading.
“Gramps went to New Hampshire to meet General Austin’s widow and sweet-talk her out of the letters.”
Jocelyn drew in her breath. “Did he get them?”
“Yes,” Luke said, but he was hesitant. “Listen, Joce, we found out some things that…”
“That what?”
“That I think might upset you a bit.”
“Oh, Lord, what now?”
“It’s nothing bad,” he said. “It’s just…I swore to Gramps that I wouldn’t tell you, so I have to keep my mouth shut. If it were up to me I’d be over there right now with a stack of papers that—”
“What kind of papers?”
“History,” Luke said quickly. “Gramps has to rest today. He can’t take all this traveling, so how about if I pick you up at four and we go to his house?”