Bud and Lucas’s mother still hadn’t set a date yet, but odds on the General Store porch were running in favor of a Christmas wedding. Lucas wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the prospect, but he was spending more time with Bud these days, and the two of them had even gone fishing.
And there was a third proposal that summer too—right in our bookshop! Augustus Wilde swanned in on a scorcher of a day in August—“my namesake month!” he announced to no one in particular—practically hidden behind an armload of purple roses. Getting down on one creaky knee wasn’t easy for him, but he managed. His proposal was appropriately flowery, and he even worked in the title of his latest book, Forever Mine, the one he’d been working on during our play rehearsals. Belinda nodded shyly, took his flowers, and gave him a kitten in return. Augustus quietly slipped it into his backpack when she wasn’t looking.
“We’re planning to elope,” Belinda confided later to Aunt True and me. “Too old for all that wedding stuff.”
Thanks to a literal boatload of witnesses, my claim to the treasure held up in court under the finders keepers law. We were worried that maybe Amanda Appleton would try to contest it, but she didn’t.
“Wisely so,” my aunt said. “You don’t mess with tall timber.”
What Dr. Appleton did do was cash in on the publicity gold. She gave interviews that painted her own role in discovering Dandy Dan’s secret as much larger than it actually had been, which sent Saga of a Ship skyrocketing to the top of the best-seller list.
I didn’t mind, though. After all, without her book, I would never have heard of Dandy Dan. And her media blitz ended up benefiting us, too. The auction house estimated that my coin could fetch a sale price of more than a million dollars, thanks to all the hoopla in the press.
Which it did.
Even more boggling was the fact that the money was technically mine.
“You found it, Truly,” my father told me. “It’s yours. The best woman won, fair and square.”
That was nonsense, of course. It was Lovejoy gold to begin with, and it would remain Lovejoy gold. My family would never have to worry about money again. Inspired by Prudence Lovejoy’s generosity—and Nathaniel-Daniel-looks-like-a-spaniel’s, too—I did have a few requests, though. I talked it over with my parents, and they agreed that Cha Cha and Jasmine and Calhoun and Scooter and Lucas should each get a share for their help in unraveling the mystery. It would go into their college funds, which thrilled their parents. And I insisted on sending a check to Delphine as a thank-you for the shimmertail, and to Sirena as a thank-you for teaching me how to swim in it. They were both surprised and delighted by this gesture.
Finally, I also secretly funded the restoration of the Pumpkin Falls Grange. I knew Prudence would be pleased, since she’d founded it, and I wanted to do something “civick-minded” to honor her. Our town’s history was important, and it was worth preserving. Ella Bellow could be a pain, but she was right about that. She probably guessed who was behind the donation, as I noticed that she was being nicer than usual to my family and me, but for once she didn’t say anything.
As for The Pirates of Penzance, it was a big success. There was one final surprise on opening night, though. When the curtain went up and the overture started, the audience applauded at the sight of the Rockin’ Mermaid Malt Shop, which the stage crew had stayed up late the night before finishing. My family and friends cheered as I was rolled onstage on top of the diner’s counter. I hammed it up, leaning back on my elbows and waving my flukes in the air the way Zadie and Lenore had taught me and smiling a big Esther Williams smile. I knew the set looked great, from the black and white floor and fake tile to the shiny red vinyl on the stools and booths to the jukebox, vintage Coca Cola machine, and shelves filled with sundae dishes, milkshake glasses, and—
“Hey!” blurted Lucas. “Isn’t that the missing trophy?”
Elmer Farnsworth had had it all along! He’d picked up the paper bag containing the silver pumpkin on race day, thinking it was junk, and stuck it in his truck, then got distracted and forgot about it. The bag wound up in one of the bins in his barn, and he’d gathered it up along with a bunch of other stuff while looking for props for our set. It was after midnight when he’d put it on the shelf next to the vintage toaster, and he was tired and hadn’t been paying attention.
Thelma Farnsworth’s face had flushed with embarrassment. “Can’t you tell the difference between trash and treasure, Elmer? And don’t tell me you didn’t hear all the fuss about the trophy being missing!”
“ALL THE FUSS ABOUT KISSING?” shouted Elmer, looking perplexed.
Calhoun and I exchanged a smile at that. We still hadn’t had the opportunity for our first kiss. We would, though. I was pretty sure of that.
Things were a whole lot quieter on the porch of the General Store after Thelma insisted that Elmer get hearing aids. Meanwhile, the trophy was delivered to the window of the Starlite Dance Studio, where it would stay on display until next Fourth of July.
My mother followed through on her promise of a mother- daughter day all to ourselves. Shortly before summer camp ended and my sisters were due to return home, she whisked me away on a surprise overnight trip to Boston. We stayed in a hotel overlooking the Public Garden, and we took a ride on the swan boats and went to tea at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square and got manicures and pedicures and facials—which I didn’t think I’d like, but which I
