April and Bella shared a glance. So he was talking about her to his mother. The knowledge warmed her heart.
“He makes a nuisance of himself sometimes but I’m hopeful he will learn to behave most of the time. Come in and have a look around the shop.” She guided the woman into the center of the shop and watched her face light up as she took it all in.
“This is lovely, dear. And, please, both of you, call me Leslie. Mrs. Morrison always makes me look around for my mother-in-law, bless her heart.”
“I must get back home anyway before Jake goes to work. Nice to see you again, Leslie. Catch you later, April.” She wiggled her fingers and walked out leaving April with David’s mother.
“So, Leslie. Can I interest you in a cup of chamomile tea? I was just about to have one.”
Leslie smiled and April felt immediately drawn to her. “Why thank you, April. I’d love to.”
“Why don’t you have a look around the shop or if you’d prefer you can come upstairs while I boil the kettle. Hamish will let us know if anyone comes in the shop.”
“If you don’t think I’m in the way, I’d like to see what you’ve done with the place.”
April led the way up the stairs. “Oh, do you know the building then?” She opened the door and walked in.
“Yes.” Her visitor followed her upstairs and walked right over to the framed prints of Pierce’s artwork. “I love his interpretation of life. Such a clever man, and so thoughtful, too.”
“Yes, he is. I’ve always been a fan. I gather you don’t share David’s tastes then. He seemed a little bit scared by it all.”
Leslie laughed and moved over to stand closer to April. “His tastes tend to run more in the old masters or cold landscapes. I tried to get him interested in other styles but he resisted. I think he gets a lot of his style from my dear sister-in-law. Such a wonderful woman she was. A spinster, you know. David adored her, and the feeling was mutual.” She pulled out a chair and sat at the small round table. “When David was old enough to travel, she’d take him to Europe to all the best museums and art galleries. Such an education he had, too, thanks to Cecily.”
“Wow, how wonderful for him.” April dropped tea bags into cups. “I wondered where he got his love of opera from. Now I know.”
“Yes it was Cecily that nurtured that love for him, as she did with her brother. I adored my husband, too, of course, but we had very different opinions about what we did and didn’t like. He tended to lean toward the same style as David and Cecily while I preferred brighter colors and jazz music. Some days I wondered what on earth we had in common. It caused some interesting moments from time to time, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
April filled the blue and white mugs with boiling water. “A dash of honey, Leslie?”
“Oh, yes, please. I love what you’ve done up here, April. So vibrant and full of life.”
April stirred a teaspoon of honey into the tea and then placed the cup in front of her visitor before she picked up her own.
“You mentioned seeing what I’d done to the shop and apartment. How did you know it before?”
“Oh, well. Let me see how long ago it was. It must have been around forty years ago, I guess. My father-in-law owned the paper press and when he was widowed he moved into this apartment. When he died, we moved back here from Seattle to sort through things and never left. My poor husband found himself sucked back into the quieter way of life and I have to admit, I didn’t complain. Cecily was here, of course, and David was a toddler.” She took a sip of the tea, gazing away into the distance. “I tried to convince him to keep something, anything to remember his father by but he insisted he had everything he wanted. I was in town one day and saw the old roll top desk out on the pavement. The cleaners were waiting for someone to come and do a dump run. They’d also stacked boxes of old newspapers outside too. So much history in those editions. I think my father-in-law thought they were worth keeping but he must have been the only one.” She sighed and sipped her tea.
“Anyway, I got them to bring the desk back inside, insisted it could stay with the shop when it was sold. The new owners didn’t seem to mind because it’s still here. In hindsight, we should have kept the building, considering Colin ended up leasing one side of it when he opened his practice but that’s in the past.” She sipped her tea.
“Oh, what a shame about the newspapers. How nice it would have been to have them still. I could have, oh, I don’t know, maybe put some on display in the reading nook or used some as wallpaper on one wall. I love old things repurposed.”
“Really? Well, I couldn’t see them dumped out so I did save a couple of boxes. They’re gathering dust in my shed. If you would like them, they’re all yours.”
“Wow. Thank you so much. I’ll come over and collect them.” Her mind raced as she envisaged one wall in the front room plastered in yellowed newsprint, especially local newsprint. What a talking point that would be.
“I really shouldn’t take up your time, April. You must have lots to do but I appreciate you letting me have a look up here. It’s certainly a lot brighter than the last time I saw it.”
“David never told me it belonged to your family.”
“He wouldn’t. He’s not that sentimental, much like his father. I, on the other hand, am, and I suspect you’re the same, the way you use old things to bring your creations to life again.”
“Yep. Can’t help myself.”
“I don’t
