Safe Landing (21 page)

I stared at him. If my ribs hadn’t hurt so badly, I would have lifted the pillow next to me and thrown it at his face. “Seriously? You can actually sit there with your gigantic lip and ask me that?” I sat back slowly, wincing the whole time. “I mean isn’t it obvious? Hank and I are madly in love.”

“What the hell am I supposed to think?” He pressed his hand to his lip for a second. “Crap that hurts.” He lowered his hand. “You were totally coming on to him at the party.”

I scrolled back to the beach party in my mind. I hardly had to try to get Hank to invite me to his house. The guy was a blob of desperation. “We were playing a volleyball game. You act like I was climbing all over him.”

Moses walked out with bags of ice. Trudy followed with a look of worry that resembled an expression of my mom’s.

“So what does the Warner boy have against you two?”

I took the bag of ice and slid it under my shirt, pressing it gently against my skin. “Geez, that’s cold.” I peered up at Moses and Trudy. “It’s not that bad, really. I’ll be able to ride in a few minutes.”

Trudy scooted in front of Moses and sat down on the coffee table across from me. “Nonsense. The horses will be fine with a day off. Now, why did that wretched boy attack you?”

It was happening again. The true explanation of my involvement with Hank was a little too bizarre to tell people. I had to come up with a baloney explanation quick. “I called the guy a lump of sh—  a lump of crap at school the other day.” That part was at least true, although it was definitely not the reason Hank was so pissed at me. In fact this whole fiasco was Sebastian’s fault, he and his Emily obsession.

“Hank has hated me since grade school,” Seth piped up. He handed Trudy the ice pack. “Thanks, I think I’ll get to work now.”

“Are you still up to it?” Moses asked.

“Yeah, it’s just a swollen lip.” He stood and walked out.

Moses watched him leave. “He looks a bit shaky. I think I’ll go out and help him.”

“Do you think there’s any bruising?” Trudy asked. “You might have broken some ribs. Maybe we should report this whole incident to the police.”

I shook my head. “This was my fault. I jumped in front of Hank’s fist. He meant to hit Seth. They had a fight not that long ago in school. I guess there’s still a lot of bad blood between them.”

Trudy smiled. “You like Seth, don’t you?”

I looked at her wide eyed then smiled back. “He’s pretty darn cute.”

“I’ll say.”

“And I guess you could say he sort of came to my rescue out there.”

Trudy winked. “A girl likes to be rescued every once in a while, even us tough cowgirls. Although it sounds like you might have returned the favor out there.” She looked pointedly at the ice pack on my ribs.

“Yeah, I guess I did.” That’s when I realized that when I saw Seth getting hurt, I wanted to do anything I could to protect him. I had it bad for the guy. My feelings for him went way beyond anything I’d ever felt for Blake or any guy for that matter. Shit, it must be love. The whole thing made me think of Sebastian.

“Do you have a picture of your Grandma Emily when she was young?” I asked out of the blue.

“I might. I have a chest filled with some of her old things. It’s down in the basement.” She shot me a puzzled look. “Those letters must have really gotten your curiosity flowing. You’re sitting on the couch with a bag of ice on your ribs, and you’re thinking about my grandmother.”

“His letters were pretty intense. It makes me curious what kind of girl she was. I mean he was so crazy about her, she must have been very special.”

“I believe she was. And beautiful too. She had many suitors, but I do think the Middleton boy was her particular favorite. At least that’s what I’ve heard.” She stood. “If you’re up to it, we could go down to the basement and look in the chest for a picture.”

I jumped off the couch, completely forgetting my ribs. “Ouch. Too fast.”

Trudy frowned. “That horrid boy. Moses will call his brother tonight to see if something can be done about the bully.” She put out her hand for me to take. “Let’s take a little trip into history.”

We climbed downstairs to a basement that was your typical musty smelling, dingy, cramped space where the water heater and electrical box took up one wall and unused old stuff was piled against the other.

An old chest, complete with a brass nameplate and hand carved flowers, stood at the front of the pile. “It’s actually a beautiful old chest. I just don’t have any place to put it in my room.” The light in the basement flickered weakly. “It’s been a while since I’ve been down here. That old light bulb is so covered with dust, it’s a wonder it works at all.”

I helped Trudy lift the lid. Knitted shawls, linen handkerchiefs, and a set of hair brushes with a handheld mirror were neatly stored inside. Tucked in along one side was a parasol.

“The parasol— I wonder if it’s the one Sebastian pulled from the dog’s mouth?” My question came without thinking, like my words so often do.

Trudy’s forehead crinkled as she looked up at me. “What parasol is that, dear?”

“Oh, I mean the parasol looks like something—the letters,” my shoulders relaxed. “Sebastian Middleton described the day they met in one of his letters,” I lied. “He wrenched Emily’s parasol from a dog’s mouth.”

“Really? How marvelous. I would really love to see those letters.”

I swallowed. Man lies could really get you into some deep crap. “Sure.”

“Brazil, keep your hand on the lid so it doesn’t slam shut on me.”

I grabbed hold of the top and Trudy leaned inside. “Now, there are a few books and I think there are some pictures down here too. Tiny woman that she was, she was nearly swallowed up by the chest as she leaned in further digging beneath the shawls and linens. “Here we are.”

She came up and brushed back the hairs that had fallen from her bun. She dropped something back into the chest and pulled an envelope from inside an old book. Then she returned the book to the chest as well. She plucked out a picture from the envelope. It was one of those faded, brownish-toned photos of a group of girls.

Trudy moved under the dim light bulb and I followed. She squinted at the photo. “This was a photo from the school she’d attended.” Her finger pointed to one of the girls in the top row. “And this is my grandmother, Emily. She must have been around fourteen in this photo.”

I pressed my face closer but it was hard to see her. The one thing that could be seen clearly was her bright smile. It took up half her face and it was perfect. “She looked incredibly happy here.”

“I think she was quite spunky for those days.” Trudy laughed. “From what I hear, she gave my great-grandfather quite a few gray hairs.” Trudy looked at the photo again. “I’m sorry I don’t have a better picture, but back then photos were very expensive so very few people had them taken. And the quality was not very good either, I’m afraid.”

We returned to the chest to put the picture back. That is when I looked down at the books she’d placed back inside. The top one was bound in leather and the name Emily was carved into it along with a vine of ivy. A tiny brass lock sealed it shut. I nearly fell forward into the chest as I stared down at it. “Is that her diary?” I asked weakly.

Trudy reached in, picked up the book, and turned it over in her hands a few times. “I believe it is. I’ve never looked inside.”

My throat went completely dry as my mind raced to figure out a plan to get my hands on the diary. “Do you think I could read it?” I decided on the straightforward approach. “I—I mean, the letters have been so interesting. I would love to know how Emily felt about Sebastian. You know— if she returned the affection and all.”

Trudy paused for a minute, considering my request. She smiled and handed it to me. “Just be sure to return it. Oh, and I want a full summary of what you find.”

That was it. No flirting around with the worst guy in town, no pissing off the best guy in town, no skulking around a stranger’s closet. Just like that, I had Emily’s diary in my hand. Man, did I have news for my transparent friend tonight.

****

Leaning over to take off my riding boots took some effort. I found that it was less painful if I held my breath. I called Mom to pick me up and told her I had tripped and fallen on a saddle rack. I saw no reason to get her fired up about Hank. I figured the incident would go away faster if I dropped it. Hank was definitely the revenge type, and I didn’t need him plotting against me. Or Seth, for that matter.

Sebastian appeared while I was untying my laces. “You’re not as late tonight. You must have missed me.”

I peered up at him with a lifted brow. “Yes, Mr. Delusional, that is why I’m home early. But I do have some interesting news for you.” I straightened and winced at the pain.

Sebastian floated closer. “You’re hurt. Did you fall from the horse?”

“Not exactly.” The worry in his voice made me smile. Emily really missed out on not marrying him. What girl didn’t dream about having some guy worry about her? “I got in the way of a flying fist.”

The air around his image chilled instantly. “Who was it?”

“Do you want to hear my interesting news or not?”

“I want to know who hurt you?”

“What are you going to do? Challenge him to a duel?”

His form shrank back in humiliation and I felt horrible about what I’d said. “I’m sorry, Sebastian. I shouldn’t have said that. I think it would have been wonderful to have an honorable, caring, brave guy like you as a boyfriend. Emily really lost out when she moved to New York.”

The expression on his face cleared. My words had lifted his mood. 

“I’ve got a surprise for you.” I paused a moment for dramatic effect and then whipped the journal out from beneath my sweatshirt.

Sebastian’s image wavered between crystal clear and fuzzy as he stared down at the diary in my hand. “That’s it. That’s Emily’s diary.”

I fingered her etched name. “Yeah, I kinda figured it was since her name is on it. Her granddaughter, Trudy, had it all this time. It was in a trunk with some of Emily’s things.” I grinned up at him. “She kept the parasol. The one you pulled from the dog’s jaw. It was in the trunk with the diary.”

His face showed a look between hurt and hope as he contemplated the idea that she’d kept the parasol that brought them together.

“I don’t want to damage the diary because I need to return it. I wonder if I can pick the lock with a paper clip.” I put the journal on my bed and walked to my desk to rummage for a paper clip. I found one, straightened it into one thick wire, and turned back to the bed. Sebastian had not moved, but he continued to stare down at the journal.

“This should work,” I said quietly. My nerves were starting to fray. What if the pages held bad news for Sebastian? Could ghosts have nervous breakdowns?

I poked the end of the clip into the tiny keyhole and swiveled it around. The faint scent of almond and the cool, slick feel of wintergreen surrounded me. Then he flashed to the window. “I don’t want to know what’s inside. I could not bear it if she no longer loved me. I beg you, don’t open it.”

I pulled the clip from the hole doubting that I’d made any headway at all in budging the lock. “I flirted with the absolute worst guy at school. Let me amend that, the worst guy on the east coast, possibly the western hemisphere, so I could get into his house and retrieve this diary while all the time it was sitting in a trunk in the attic of my employer. The one guy who I think I really could have liked, now mistrusts me for it. I played volleyball in my freakin’ bikini, ate cold hot dogs, and made my arms black and blue. Now you don’t want to know what Emily felt?” I tossed the book onto my nightstand and plopped back on my pillow. “You’re a very unstable ghost.”

He darted back to the bed and hovered over my nightstand. “Why don’t you read it, then you can tell me if it’s good news or bad news.”

“I’m not really that interested. Besides, I don’t want you going all wiggy on me if it’s bad news. I’ve seen how you get.”

“You’re right. I’ve been rather irrational about this whole thing.” He disappeared. Two seconds later he popped back into the room. “But you could read it and not tell me anything. I could just tell by your expression. You aren’t very good about concealing your emotions.”

I looked at him for awhile as he drifted in air above my floor. “What is my expression telling you right now?”

“You are perturbed by my presence.”

“Very much so.”

Sebastian vanished.

I glanced over at the shriveled, worn diary. I could open it and take a quick peek without him knowing. Right. That was going to happen.

I sat up and went to the mirror where I’d hung the small key from the bookshelf drawer next to Sebastian’s picture. I carried the key and book to the window seat, and, with some effort, snapped the stubborn lock. The pages were dry, fragile, and filled with delicate, girlish script. Several pictures fell out when I opened the back cover. One was a faded brown picture of a girl and boy in front of a shop. They were holding ice cream cones. I knew instantly the tall, handsome guy with the dark curls and black coat was Sebastian. And the girl, of course, had to be Emily. Even though they both wore the somber stiff expressions common in pictures from those days, she looked perky and blonde. Definitely a girl who knew how to have fun. And Sebastian looked proud, incredibly proud, to be standing there with ice cream melting down his hands, and his one sweet love standing beside him. I sensed Sebastian behind me.