“Even the teacups are in good shape,” Sara said, examining a cup she had just unwrapped from a nest of tissue paper. “I can’t believe we’re so lucky.”
The proprietress, a sixtyish woman with hair an improbable shade of red styled into a bird’s nest, saw their interest and came over. “Hello, Sara. Aren’t those lovely? I just got them in. Extremely rare, you know.”
Reece thought the box had probably been sitting there for months, since it was covered with the same dust that coated everything else around it. But he wasn’t going to argue.
“How much are they?” Reece asked. “I need three dinner plates, five-”
“I can’t break up the set,” the woman said. “The whole box will cost you four hundred.”
Sara looked up, horrified. “Fiona. Four hundred?”
“I’ve got to make a profit, dear heart,” the woman named Fiona said, sounding almost ashamed.
Reece was considered a skillful negotiator. When it came to shaving a few thousand dollars off the price of company assets or an office building, he usually prevailed. Even Max had been impressed with the way he’d negotiated for his car. He wasn’t going to be taken in by one crafty old lady.
“I’m willing to go two hundred,” Reece said.
“I can’t let them go for less than three,” Fiona said apologetically.
Reece pretended to consider. “I could do two twenty-five.”
“Two fifty,” Fiona said, looking pained.
“Deal. If you’ll wrap the dishes securely, I’ll pick them up tomorrow.” He picked up the box and carried it to the front desk.
Fiona gleefully snatched Reece’s platinum Visa from his hand.
Sara stood next to him, looking as if she wanted to explode as he completed the transaction. Only when they were outside did she speak again.
“I can’t believe you were so cheap,” she said.
“Listen, I’d let Miss Greer verbally flail me for weeks before I’d pay four hundred dollars for a box of old dishes. Fiona knew we were desperate. She must have heard us talking.”
“But you heard her. She has to make a living.”
“She probably paid twenty dollars for those, if that. The way she came down on the price so quickly means she had lots of wiggle room. Dealers expect you to counteroffer, especially the ones who quote you prices out of thin air.”
“It hardly seems fair.”
Reece had noticed that Sara didn’t dicker over prices at all. The dealers around there probably rejoiced when they saw her walk through their front door.
Another fundamental difference between himself and Sara, and another reason anything long-term with her was out of the question.
She let go of their argument quickly, though, and he appreciated that about her. She could never stay in a bad mood for long.
When they arrived at Miss Greer’s room, they found she already had a visitor-a woman in her thirties with long blond hair in a ponytail. She was sitting in a chair next to the elderly woman’s bed, holding her hand.
She had the look of money about her-designer clothes, expertly cut and highlighted hair, sedate gold jewelry.
Miss Greer looked up when they entered, surprise and something else-something furtive-registering on her face. “I didn’t think you were coming today.”
“I know it’s later than usual,” Sara said apologetically as she approached the bed and kissed Miss Greer on her wrinkly cheek. She gave the other woman a curious look.
The blond woman stood. “Hi, I’m Valerie.”
Sara held out her hand. “I’m Sara. I work at Miss Greer’s bed-and-breakfast.”
Valerie smiled. “She mentioned you, how helpful you’ve been.” But Valerie didn’t offer any further clues to her identity. She exchanged a look with Miss Greer that Reece couldn’t interpret. “I think I’ll, um, stretch my legs,” Valerie said, “and give you all a chance to visit.”
When she was gone, Sara took the chair Valerie had abandoned. Reece said hello, then pulled up another chair. An awkward silence descended, punctuated only by hisses of Miss Greer’s roommate’s oxygen.
“How do you know Valerie?” Sara asked casually. “I don’t believe I’ve met her.”
“She’s not from around here,” Miss Greer said uneasily. “She’s from Michigan. She’s, um, well, she’s my granddaughter.”
Sara gaped like a landed fish, and Reece was shocked himself. He thought Miss Greer had never married.
“I had a child when I was twenty,” she explained. “Nowadays it’s no big deal, but back then it was scandalous to be pregnant without a husband. I went to a home, and I gave the child up for adoption. A few months ago she located me. She said she’d been searching for years.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Sara said.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to meet her,” Miss Greer said. “It was a painful chapter in my life, one I had put well behind me. But when I broke my hip, it occurred to me that I might not have that much time left. So I called Doreen-that’s the name her adopted parents gave her-and told her I wanted to meet her, meet my grandchildren.”
“That’s wonderful.” Sara’s eyes swam with tears. “A whole family you never even knew about.”
“I thought she would resent the fact I gave her away, but she apparently doesn’t. She’s coming for a visit with her whole family next month, but Valerie wanted to come right away. She’s a physical therapist, you see, and she’s between jobs, so it works out perfectly. She’s going to stay at the B and B with me and get me back up to full speed.”
“Wow. That’s wonderful,” Sara said again. “Is she nice? Do you like her?”
“Of course I like her!” Miss Greer said. “She’s my granddaughter. Don’t be impertinent. She’s already talked to the doctor about my therapy, and we’re all set. In fact, they’re releasing me tomorrow since I’ll have a qualified medical-type person to take care of me. I thought Valerie could stay in the Lilac Room. Can you make sure it’s ready for her?”
“All the rooms are clean, Miss Greer,” Sara said primly.
They talked about neutral subjects for a few minutes until Valerie returned bearing a fluffy blue fleece throw. “I saw this in the gift shop,” she said cheerily. “You were complaining about your toes being cold, and I thought this was the perfect thing to wrap them in.”
“How thoughtful!” Miss Greer said, greedy eyes on her granddaughter.
Reece and Sara stayed only a few more minutes. Valerie seemed a nice, friendly person, but Sara was less than her usual, effusive self. She was polite, but not overly much.
Finally she made up an excuse, and she and Reece left with Valerie’s promise that she would bring her grandmother home tomorrow.
“Wow, what a story,” Reece said as they waited for the elevator.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“I never suspected Miss Greer as the type to have had an illicit affair in her youth. I wonder what happened to the baby’s father, and why they didn’t marry.”
“Who knows? Already married, maybe. Or he might have just taken off. Men do that.”
“Women do it, too.” He thought about the possibility of Sara taking off for her California movie job. Or a job on a cruise ship.
“Yeah, guess you’re right,” she said, sounding disturbingly glum. He wasn’t used to that from her, and was further bothered when she didn’t shake off her mood right away. She seemed unusually pensive, and he struggled to come up with a way to cheer her up.
His phone rang. He checked the caller ID and inwardly groaned. His father again, probably wanting to remind him for the tenth time about some meeting. He let the call roll over to voice mail.
“Don’t you need to answer that?” Sara asked.
“Nah. Want to grab dinner?” Though they’d eaten a late lunch, he was hungry. “I’ll take you out. I’ll even let you pick the restaurant-anywhere you want.” God help his stomach.
“I’m not really that hungry.”
Okay, now he knew something was really wrong. “Sara,” he said, carefully, after they’d settled in his car, “I
