Finders Keepers (18 page)

“Teacup collection!” Phil gave a hoot of laughter. “You’re pulling my leg now, Zachary. What a kidder. I’ll tell you what; this discussion about old buildings brings me right to the topic of the evening—and that’s the Chalmers Mansion.”

“Are you going to make Nick sit through this?” Pearlene asked.

“Well, take the boy back out and show him the puppies again, if you want. The adults here have got business to discuss.”

Zachary frowned as Pearlene and Nick rose from the table. Not only did he feel ambushed by Phil, but he was uncomfortable at the way Elizabeth was staring blankly at her dessert bowl, her cheeks still looking as hot as firecrackers. He had the strongest feeling that Miss Hayes was getting mad. And Nick had warned that when his mother got mad, she could yell. Though Zachary didn’t like the idea of Elizabeth’s anger turned on him, he decided it might be kind of interesting to watch—especially if Phil Fox were to take the brunt of her fiery spirit.

“Now that charter I found in the city’s files is as good as gold,” Phil began, launching into what Zachary realized was the point of the whole evening’s gathering. “Zachary, your great-grandfather meant for that house he built to remain standing. You can’t get around it. In fact, Sawyer-the-lawyer tells me that only some kind of a heavy-duty motion approved by the city government can change a legal charter. And I’m here to tell you that’s not going to happen. You see, those councilmen tend to vote the way I tell them to.”

“Is that right?” Zachary said.

“Yes sir, it is. I may not be the mayor yet, but I have an awful lot of influence in this town. Fact is, whatever I say goes. Now, I don’t want to cause any more trouble than we’ve already had over this matter. But I’m going to have to tell you that Liz, here, informed me that you possess a letter from Grace Chalmers. Liz says the letter states as plain as the nose on my face that your aunt wanted to keep the house standing. Is that right?”

“I have the letter here in my pocket.”

“I thought you might. Now, Zachary, with all the evidence going against you, I’m sure you’re feeling mighty uncomfortable. You own a piece of property that is completely useless to you. Have you thought about that?”

“Day and night,” Zachary said, waiting for the final ax to fall.

“Well, I have too, and I think the best course you could take would be to figure out a way to sell off that old place before the city is forced to do something drastic.”

“Like what?”

“Well … like condemn it.”

“You know what, Phil?” Elizabeth said, coming to life. She leaned across the table, her eyes fairly sparking blue flame. “Grace wrote that letter about me and about Zachary. It has nothing to do with you or the city council. The more I’ve thought about the letter, the more I’ve realized that Grace focused her whole life on people—not on buildings or town charters or city councils. She cared about Zachary, and she wanted him to have her house.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“No, you’re not. You don’t understand that it was not the
house
Grace wanted to save and protect. It was her
nephew.”
She threw her napkin onto the table. “You want Zachary to give up the house. You want him to turn over that property, don’t you?”

“Well, I … I don’t see what good the old house would do him.”

“You’re going to prevent him from tearing it down, and you know good and well he can’t ever sell it because it would cost the buyer too much to repair. So it’s worthless to him.”

“Yes, Elizabeth, that’s what I’m trying to tell him.”

“And how much do you want to pay for it—a dollar?”

“Now, Liz—”

“Tell me if I’m wrong, Phil. You want Zachary to make the Chalmers House a generous transfer of property in exchange for a nominal sum. Isn’t that where this is going?”

Phil shifted in his chair. “Actually, I
was
thinking about some sort of transaction along those lines. I mean, if Zachary can’t tear down the house and if he can’t sell the property, well, why not give such a valuable historic site to the city?”

Elizabeth pushed back from the table and stood. “And what would you do with Chalmers House, Phil Fox?” Without waiting for a response, she turned to Zachary. “I may dislike your architecture, and I may fight you tooth and toenail to keep Grace’s house standing. But I’ll do all in my power to prevent the Ambleside city council from ever taking over Chalmers House. Excuse me, but I have to get Nick to bed.”

Zachary let out a breath as she left the dining room in search of her son. “I don’t think she trusts you very much, Phil,” he said.

“Aw, Liz is too uppity for her own britches. She can just take her opinions and stick ’em in her ear. What I want to know is what you think, Zachary. What’s your opinion on the whole deal?”

Zachary stood. “Well,” he said, “what I think is that I don’t trust you any more than Elizabeth does. And if you’ll excuse me, I need to educate a certain young lady about the basic elements of high-class architecture in Jefferson City, Missouri.”

T
EN

Elizabeth lifted the old black Bible and gave the counter a squirt of glass cleaner. As she wiped away the dust, she peered down at her own reflection. How could it be that she was still so young and vibrant—when Montgomery’s mother had only a week or two to live? Just this morning, the news had passed through town like wildfire. They were bringing Ellie Easton home to die.

Laying the Bible on the counter, Elizabeth stroked the warm, comforting leather. She had lost both her parents when she was almost the same age as Montgomery. Elizabeth’s grandmother had taken the orphan into her home and had done her best to fill the empty spaces in the lonely child’s heart. Montgomery would still have a father, but who would do all the ‘mommy’ things for the little girl? Who would braid her long red hair? Who would kiss her scraped knees? Who would listen as she poured out the joys and sorrows of a first love?

You can do that, Elizabeth.

The words caught her full force in the stomach and filled her heart with conviction. It was true. Montgomery already loved and trusted Elizabeth. Nick’s mom provided a safe place to play, lots of yummy snacks, and guidance when things went awry. Elizabeth could help Montgomery adjust to the changes in her young life. And though it might sap the last of her emotional reserves, she would.

Elizabeth let out a sigh as she turned her feather duster to the tea set in her window. She could see Pearlene out sweeping the sidewalks for the third time that day. It was almost closing time, and Pearlene would be expecting a visit from Elizabeth. After all, manners in Ambleside dictated a follow-up thank-you call or visit the day after a lovely dinner party.

No doubt Pearlene would have realized by now the hopelessness of her quest to marry off her neighbor to the new architect in town. Their opposing views on the mansion were clear, and Elizabeth’s gaffe the night before had certainly put a strain on even a comfortable friendship with Zachary.

How could she have been so blunt about that church in Jefferson City? On the other hand, how could Zachary have designed such a monstrosity? The building annoyed her every time she drove past it. It was ugly and out of place in the historic capital’s downtown. But did she have to lambaste it right in front of Zachary? He’d probably never speak to her again.

The thought of losing his presence in her life sent a curl of sadness through Elizabeth. She could recall how often she had wished that Zachary Chalmers had never moved to Ambleside. Now the possibility of never again looking deeply into those gray green eyes left a void she was unprepared to fill. In spite of their verbal jousting—or perhaps because of it—she had come to enjoy Zachary’s company. She liked the way he took Nick under his wing. He was intelligent, hardworking, and—despite that one hideous church—talented in his profession. She had been touched by his vocal prayer of surrender to the Lord’s leading in the Foxes’ living room last night.

If Zachary was so willing to suppress his personal desires in order to follow Christ, shouldn’t Elizabeth be equally submissive? After all, she was the regular churchgoer. She was the one who had made such a big deal of her commitment to God. And yet she held on to her own opinions and her own plans the way a drowning person clung to a life preserver.

What if she stopped trying to keep herself afloat? What if she let go and took the hand of Christ, relying on him to carry her through every stormy sea in her life? Would she drown? Surely not. She professed to have given her life to Christ many years ago. She had. She truly had. But why was it so hard to actively trust him with each day’s troubles?

Elizabeth inwardly winced as Pearlene caught her eye through the shop window and gave her a jaunty wave. No doubt her business neighbor would have an opinion on the previous evening’s events. And it looked like Elizabeth was going to have to hear it.

“Hey, there!” Pearlene breezed into Finders Keepers with a jingle of brass bells. “Phil says you-all had words last night while Nick and I were out in the garage with the puppies. Well, I could tell right off he was in quite a mood. Making all those comments about me visiting a plastic surgeon, I’ll swan. I’ve been married to that man for umpteen years, and I never do know what’s going to come out of his mouth. Anyhow, I’m sure you’re just mortified about what you said about that church Zachary designed in Jeff City, but I think the best thing you can do is just put it out of your mind. Just put it right out of your mind.”

“I agree,” Elizabeth said. She opened her cash register and began emptying the drawer for the day. “I’ve decided the most important thing for me right now is to support the Easton family.”

“Well, that is so good of you. You know that little girl is just going to be devastated when her mama passes on.”

“It’ll be rough, but Montgomery is a very resilient child. I think she’ll make it through.”

“I’m sure she will; it’s her daddy I’m worried about. Don’t you know Luke Easton just about worships the ground that wife of his walks on?”

“Their love is obvious to everyone.”

“And you know what I’ve been thinking would be the best thing for Luke? To get himself married again as quick as possible after Ellie dies. Just don’t even let a month go by. That way he and Montgomery can keep things going along the way they have without hardly a hiccup.”

“I doubt Luke will want to marry again anytime soon, Pearlene. He’s going to be grieving over Ellie for a long time.”

“Not if he finds the right woman. Somebody like you, Liz. Now don’t look so shocked. You know Luke thinks a lot of you, and you’re practically a second mother to Montgomery already. You could just move right on into their lives like a glove on a hand, don’t you know? That would make Nick and Montgomery brother and sister, and I can’t think of a prettier picture.”

Elizabeth tried to regain control of her heart rate.

“Pearlene,” she said firmly, “I consider Luke and Ellie my brother and sister in Christ.” She jammed the day’s earnings into her zippered bank bag. “Luke Easton is a nice man, but I’m not interested in marrying him. I’m not going to marry anyone, OK? This may be hard for you to understand, Pearlene, but I have my own life, and I’m very happy with it. God has given me a wonderful son and a successful business and plenty of things to fulfill me. I don’t need a husband. And I sure don’t need Zachary Chalmers!”

“Rats.” The voice from the front door ricocheted down Elizabeth’s spine as Zachary stepped into the shop. “I was hoping we could use the chapel this Saturday.”

Pearlene laughed. “Good gravy, it’s the man himself. How’d you know we were talking about you, Zachary? Have you got that psychotic energy like they talk about on TV?”

“I doubt it, Pearlene. I don’t have to have ESP to know one thing for sure. That roast beef dinner of yours last night was the tastiest I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

“Aren’t you the sweetest thing? Listen, I’m sorry Phil got your back up over that town charter he found. He’s such a man of vision, don’t you know? And he’s sure he is doing what’s best for Ambleside. This is a pretty town, but we’ve got to bring it into the twenty-first century, that’s what Phil says. Anyhow, he’s got that charter under lock and key, protecting it like a daddy bear with a cub. Do daddy bears protect their cubs, or is it the mama? Whatever, he says nobody’s going to pry that charter loose from him until he gets what he’s after.”

“What’s he really after, Pearlene?” Zachary asked.

She swallowed. “Well, I’ve probably said too much already. Me and my mouth running on and on. I’m sure glad you liked my roast beef, Zachary. Did you drop by just to tell me that? Aren’t you the sweetest thing?”

“That, and I needed to buy another teacup or two from Elizabeth. I realized I can’t have much of a tea party with just one cup.”

“Well, that’s right. It sure is, but I don’t know who you’re thinking of asking for tea. I hope it’s not Liz, because let me tell you, she’s not just free for the taking, Zachary. I mean there’s other men in this town who would be more than happy to snap her up. There are single men … and there are men who are
about to be single,
if you know what I mean.”

“Is Phil divorcing you?”

“Not Phil! Oh, you are a kidder, I’ll swan. I’m stuck with that man for better or worse—and let me tell you there’s times I think it can’t get much worse. Well, I’ll just leave you two to your socializing. See you around, Liz. Don’t make yourself a stranger.”

Elizabeth followed her neighbor toward the shop door. “Pearlene, thank you so much for dinner last night. It was truly a wonderful roast.”

“I thought so myself,” Pearlene said with a wave over her shoulder. “A woman with a nice figure and a good hand in the kitchen is always a hot commodity—now don’t you forget that, honey. There’s more than one fish in the sea.”

Elizabeth stifled a growl of frustration and turned back into her shop. Now what? Why on earth had Zachary come to see her after the things she’d said to him the night before? And how could she apologize for her hasty words—but words she truly had meant?

“I like this one,” Zachary said, holding aloft a pink cup decorated with yellow roses and gold trim. “It has kind of a curlicue handle.”