“But it does happen.” He shook a book right back at her and raised a brow. “Don’t you remember your very own parents said it was love at first sight for them. They met in April and married in October, I think?”
Clara rolled her eyes, but the reminder of her parents’ sweet romance brought a sudden sting to her eyes. Oh, how they’d adored each other. “Well, they’re an anomaly, and—” She snatched the next book Robbie raised from his hand. “Granny Sadie didn’t go about wooing some man named Oliver Camden. That would have put her position at Biltmore in jeopardy, and she respected the Vanderbilts way too much to do something like that. Remember how Dad said she talked about Mrs. Vanderbilt in particular.”
He shook his head and placed the last few King books on the shelf in beautiful order. They looked less terrifying in a straight line on a shelf with only their spines showing.
“I just wish I knew where she put that deed, Robbie. If it had ever been in Dad’s possession, he would have filed it away with extra care and order as he did every other document.”
“Well, what else can you do? It’s been over a hundred years since Granny Sadie purchased this place.”
“I’ve made a few phone calls over the last week, leaving messages with several people who might have some idea. I even contacted Stephen Long, the great-grandson of the guy who supposedly sold the bookshop to Granny in the first place, just to see if he has any record of the transaction.”
“Maybe you should be a little more discreet on sharing that kind of info, Clara.” Robbie’s freckled brow pinched into wrinkles. “Especially with Duncan’s trying to purchase the place. If they found out you didn’t have the deed, well, I don’t know what that might do to you or the bookshop, and…” He pressed a palm to his chest and stood. “This place is as much a part of my history and heart as yours.”
She took his outstretched hand, and he pulled her to a stand. “Do you really think someone would try to steal it from us?”
His expression relaxed and he placed a palm to her shoulder, taking his role as the “big-little brother” in her life seriously. “Just be careful. For our sakes and—” He glanced around the upstairs, bookshelves lining almost every wall. “For this place.”
They walked down the stairs to the main level, where Mama had just turned the sign to Closed. The quiet after a flurry of early Christmas shoppers settled over the empty rooms, a time Clara had always believed signaled to the characters in the books to come from their bindings and visit the world beyond the pages. Or at least, her father always said so.
“I couldn’t wait to close up tonight, you two.” Mom rushed forward and gestured for them to follow her. “Come, come. I want to tell you about my research.”
Robbie sent Clara a bemused smile, and between the three of them, they finished locking up before retiring to the apartment, where Mom had laid a plate of cookies on the coffee table beside her laptop. Oh yes, she had a plan.
“Sit, sit.” She waved toward the chairs and pulled her computer onto her lap, her eyes glimmering. “I know you’re laughing inside, but I haven’t had so much fun in a long time.”
Robbie’s snicker burst out.
“Fun?” Clara stared at her mother. “Mom, we can’t find the deed to the bookshop.”
“Oh, I know, and we’re all looking for it, aren’t we?” She typed something into her laptop, totally ignoring Clara’s gaze. “But there’s also this wonderful mystery about Granny Sadie that I think she meant for us to find.”
Oh dear, Mom had resorted to her Agatha Christie days. Despite Clara’s concern, she couldn’t tame her own smile. It had been over a year since she’d seen her mother this sprightly, this engaged. Father’s death had taken such a toll on her heart, this glimmer of excitement hearkened back to their family outings to discover history and relive the journeys in books.
Clara almost sighed. It had been years and years since those times. “All right, Mom. What have you found?”
“Well…” She adjusted her glasses, but they almost immediately slid back to the end of her nose. “Not only did I locate Camden House from the address you took from Marlana, I’ve also been in contact with the current owner.”
Clara sent Robbie, who’d crammed a second cookie into his mouth, a look and sat up straighter. “You spoke to Oliver Camden’s descendant?”
“What?” Mom looked up over her computer, her eyes lit by the screen. “No, not his descendant. The Camdens don’t own Camden House anymore. Actually, they haven’t for over seventy years. I corresponded with Gillie Weston. She and, I suppose her husband, Maxwell, purchased Camden House from a previous owner and have turned it into a bed-and-breakfast.”
Her mother paused, studying her screen.
Clara sent another look to Robbie, who was chuckling behind his napkin. He wasn’t any help at all.
“Mom?”
She looked up and her eyes widened. “Yes, sorry. I was rereading the email.” She waved away concerns no one voiced. “It seems that the Camdens sold the house so suddenly that they left many of their belongings there. The previous owners moved the items into the attic of the main house and Gillie said that neither she nor Maxwell have had time to sort through them yet.”
“Why would Oliver Camden have anything to do with the deed for this bookshop?”
“Bookshop?” Mom blinked and stared at Clara as if she’d lost her mind. “I’m not wondering about the bookshop. I want to know if the Camdens have any information about this romance of your granny’s. Your father asked her about it over and over, and she never gave any real clues. She told me a few vague things once, but I can’t recall them now, and your father would
