Don't Forget to Write: A Novel(97)

“She did.”

“And this is what she wanted—me to be able to be free without losing my family.” My mother opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. “You did exactly the right thing. There’s no need for apologies.”

She smiled again, sadly. “When did you get so wise?”

I grinned, shaking my head. “Sometime between that stained glass window and becoming possibly the wealthiest woman in Philadelphia. It’s been quite a summer.”

“That it has.” She looked toward the kitchen. “I’m glad you and Dan found each other. He’s good for you.”

Two months earlier, that comment would have sent me running. But the idea of the stove no longer scared me. Besides, I was an even worse chef than my mother. There was no way I was doing the cooking in any scenario. “I am too.”

She reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “It’s hard letting your baby go off into the world. But I know you’re ready for it.”

“Thank you, Mama.”

She nodded briskly. “And don’t you take too long finishing that book. I expect to see you on the bestseller lists soon.” She picked up the plate she had been working on and carried it into the kitchen.

I sank into one of the dining room chairs, elbow on the table, my chin resting on my hand, contemplating how completely the world had turned upside down in the last few days. Ada always did like to shake things up. Don’t ever think that I don’t know what I’m doing, she said in my head, just like my first night in Philadelphia, when she threw the rock that landed me in a bush.

“Thank you,” I whispered to the empty room.

And for a brief moment, I swore I smelled her perfume, as if she had walked behind me with a nod.





CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE


Lillian left on Sunday. Our goodbye was tearful, but she promised I would see her again soon. She held Sally tightly. “You come find us, okay?”

I said I would. I had never been to Chicago, but it seemed like a good place to go on an adventure. And I had time for adventures now. I scratched behind Sally’s ears and kissed the top of her head. “Goodbye, you little terror. What kind of dog is she anyway?”

“A schnauzer,” Lillian said.

“If you’d told me I would miss that dog . . .”

“She’ll be happy to see you,” Lillian promised. “She’s a wonderful judge of character.”

I nodded. “That she is.”

Thomas took her to the train station in Ada’s car, promising to return it after he dropped her off. “I’m not worried,” I told him.

We embraced one more time, and then Lillian was gone. Frannie offered to stay over if I wanted the company until Dan returned the following day to go to Avalon with me. But I told her to go home to her family.

She cleared her throat. “I just wanted to say thank you—”

“No. Thank you, Frannie. Ada loved you dearly. And I appreciate everything you did for me this summer.”

“But you didn’t—”

I smiled at her. “What would Ada say right now?”

She grinned wanly. “To take the gift, say thank you, and shut up about it.”

I chuckled. “That is exactly what she would say.”

“I can come back in the morning—”

“I can handle toast and coffee. Take the week off. And once I figure out what I’m doing, I’ll let you know.”

She hugged me tightly. “Ada loved you. Even if she didn’t say it.”

I squeezed her back. “I do know that. Now go on home and enjoy your family.”

And then I was alone in the house that would always be Ada’s to me.

I spent the evening looking back through the albums I had made for her. And because it was Sunday, I put on Ed Sullivan, poured myself a hearty glass of wine from her generous stock, and had a running commentary with her empty chair about that night’s “really big shew.”

In the morning, I opened the door to her bedroom. I half thought she would be sitting on the bed, ready to admonish me. But the room was empty. I looked around. It was mine now. I could take the biggest bedroom if I chose.

I shook my head. Maybe someday. But not now. Instead, I went to her vanity, took the jewelry box, and brought it to the bed, where I sat with it. I knew what I was looking for.

It was in the third drawer. The sapphire engagement ring that had been her mother’s. The one she let me wear to Atlantic City. That would be my engagement ring from Dan. I knew I should wait for him, but I slipped it on my left ring finger. It fit perfectly, as if it belonged there.

There was still time before Dan was due to arrive, so I looked through the rest of the jewelry before moving on to the closet.

Her closet was a sight to behold. Dresses for every occasion. Hats. Shoes. More jewelry. Furs. I discovered there was an entire other row behind the one in the back. I felt behind the second row, wondering if there would be a third, but my hand brushed a door frame.

Curious, I pushed the clothes aside, revealing the narrow door. Narnia, I thought. I reached for the knob, half convinced I was about to meet Aslan and the White Witch and that instead of Ada, I was the one who had died. The other half of me was sure it would be locked, its contents remaining a mystery.

But the knob turned easily. I peered through the darkness, then stepped through into another, empty closet. I opened the door and stepped out into Lillian’s room.