Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
I stared at the iron skeleton key my mom handed me the next morning.
“I kept it in my personal drawer all these years and had completely forgotten about it,” my mom said, sitting beside me at the kitchen island.
Ian and I had finished breakfast and were on our second cup of tea when my mom arrived, key in hand.
“I was eager to bring it to you, recalling last night how adamant your aunt had been about me keeping it until you needed it. She reminded me again and again through the years not to lose it.”
“You said that she told you I would need it one day. Did you ask Aunt Effie why I would need it?”
My mom chuckled softly. “Of course I did. I was curious, but your aunt would smile and press her finger to her lips and that made me think it was a secret she wasn’t ready to reveal.”
I looked at Ian and saw the eagerness in his eyes that I felt in thinking that the key could hold the answer to the supposed Willow family treasure.
My mom finished her tea and looked down at Mo who had immediately gone and fetched his vest upon my mom’s arrival and had parked himself next to her leg so she couldn’t leave without him.
“Do you mind if I take him again today, Pepper?” my mom asked.
“On one condition, Mom,” I said, and she waited to hear along with Mo who looked at me with pleading eyes. “That you make no mention of this key to anyone, except Dad, of course, and that you spread the word that I have your keys to the Willow Mansion.” She went to argue, and I shook my head. “It’s nonnegotiable, Mom. I’m not going to see you hurt.”
“And I don’t want to see you hurt either, Pep,” Ian said.
My mom was quick to take Ian’s side. “I agree with Ian, and I know your dad would too.”
“I think Dad would agree with me. I was terrified when I saw you lying on the ground, blood pooling by your head, and you not moving. Dad and Josh were just as terrified, not to mention how worried Danny, Kelly, and Thomas were when they heard. Then there was the incident at the cemetery.” I shook my head. “No. I will not take the chance of losing you.” I glanced at Ian hoping he would back me up on this and he didn’t disappoint me.
“Pep will do just fine, and I won’t let anyone hurt her.”
My mom reached across the counter to pat Ian’s hand. “I believe you, Ian, but Pepper has a way of getting herself into less-than-ideal situations.”
“This from my mom who wound up falling into the college fountain with two men. And there better not be a repeat of such outrageous shenanigans tonight,” I warned teasingly.
My mom gasped. “Good heavens, don’t say such a thing. An incident like that could lose me the mayorship.”
“I don’t know about that. It won Dad the sheriff’s position.”
My mom laughed. “It did, though he doesn’t think so. Come on, Mo, we have a busy day ahead of us. Oh, I am going to be at the senior center today after lunch and Charlie Gibbons will probably be there if you want to stop by and talk with him.”
“I do. I will see you there. So, Mom, I assume you agree with my condition for you to take Mo for the day,” I said as she got busy getting Mo’s vest on him.
“I do, but I have a condition of my own,” she said with a sly smile which sparked a bit of concern in me. “You be the one to tell your dad what you did.”
I never saw two people leave a room so fast, neither of them wanting to stick around while I spoke with my dad. So, he may yell and tell me how foolish it was of me that I didn’t think it through, and I made things worse not better.
Waiting or hesitating to do something you dread only worsens the task and prolongs the agony. I grabbed my phone before I chickened out and as soon as my dad answered I rushed to tell him what I did. His response stunned me.
“Thanks, Pepper. I have been so worried about your mom’s safety and while I also worry about the consequences of what you did, you are young and quick and more likely to avoid the danger your mom faced. Don’t tell her I said that.”
I didn’t let my dad hear me laugh. “I won’t and I’ll be careful.”
“I’d like to think that, but I doubt it. You already have charged into this thing headfirst. The one thing that helps me to worry a little less than usual is that you now have Ian, and he doesn’t hesitate to come to your rescue when needed. But please, Pepper, be extra careful.”