A Christmas to Cherish (A Festive Christmas #4)

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

“ S weetheart, your grandpa is going to be fine. They’re keeping him overnight for observation, and I’m going back there in a few hours to check in.”

Jules blew out a breath and kicked the door shut with the back of her leg. “That’s not what I asked, Mom. I asked if you were okay.”

Emma unwound the scarf from around her neck and peeled off her gloves. “Me? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I know you’ve been struggling to connect with Grandma and Grandpa. I hoped my being here would help…”

Emma unzipped her boots and paused to take both of Jules’s hands in hers. “Honey, I need you to listen to me. I love you, and I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but this isn’t your responsibility.”

Jules searched her mom’s face, a frown hovering on the edge of her lips. “I’m trying to help.”

Emma squeezed her daughter’s hands and led her into the living room. There, she stopped to light a fire and switch on a lamp, casting shadows along the walls. “Baby, your grandparents and I have a lot to overcome, and we will get there eventually, but I don’t want you taking this on.”

It wasn’t her burden to carry, no matter how well-intentioned Jules was.

This was Emma’s mess to clean up, and with or without her parents’ help, she was going to figure out a way through it.

She just needed a minute to catch her breath and figure out her next move.

Jules sank back against the pillows and sighed. “I know it’s not my responsibility, but I can still try to help, right?”

Emma sat down next to her and studied the flames of the fire. “Why don’t I make us some grilled cheese sandwiches?”

Jules’s phone rang, slicing through the air. She fished it out of the pocket of her jeans, and some of the shadows on her face went away. “It’s Kyle.”

“Go and talk to him while I make us some food. I’ll be upstairs in a bit.” Emma rose to her feet and wandered into the kitchen, half-expecting her mom to jump out from behind a corner. The house was quieter without her parents there, without the knowledge her father was ensconced in his study, safely peering at the world from behind his telescope.

She didn’t think either of them had ever spent the night out of the house, and while a part of her felt like an imposter lurking around her childhood home, another part of her was thankful for the reprieve. Emma had ducked in to check on her parents before she left, only to find them both asleep, and the sight had stirred something within her.

Whatever the eclipse was hiding, whatever her grandfather’s chest wanted them to find, she had to find out what it was.

It was the only way any of them were going to know peace.

Jules’s voice wafted over to where she stood, rummaging through the containers for the box of sliced cheese. She added a small cube of butter to the pan and waited for it to melt. After it did, Emma took out a few slices of cheese, placed them between the slices of bread, and waited.

When the two of them sat down to eat, the TV droned on in the background.

A short while later, Jules gave Emma a quick hug and kiss before disappearing up the stairs. After washing and putting away the dishes, Emma found herself standing in front of the back door, glancing out at the moonlit porch. A heartbeat later, her pulse quickened as she crept down the dim, carpeted hallway to her father’s study.

Outside, she stopped with her hand on the knob and tried to talk herself out of it.

She had already tried to open the box with a number of combinations, none of which were working.

There had to be something she was missing, and she had a feeling it was going to be in her father’s study.

It was the only thing that made sense.

With a slight shake of her head, Emma twisted the knob and stepped in, the smell of old books and leather hitting her first. Emma tiptoed around the study for a while, picking up and setting down several objects as she did. Her heart was hammering unsteadily as she went back to the false drawer at the bottom of the desk and held her breath.

Another letter fluttered out, and Emma caught it before it hit the ground.

She cast a quick glance around the room, tucked it into her jacket, and raced away. Emma took the stairs two at a time and stopped on the first-floor landing. Jules’s soft voice drifted over to where she stood; then, it went quiet again. Her fingers were trembling with impatience as she pulled down the ladder and climbed upstairs to the attic. A single light bulb dangled from the ceiling and gave the room a warm and eerie glow.

Emma ducked behind the boxes and exhaled when she saw her grandfather’s chest right where she’d hidden it, underneath a thin sheet. After pulling the sheet onto the floor, Emma sat down and tucked her legs under her. While she tried one combination after the next, angrily tugging on the lock as she did, she pictured her father’s gaunt face.

Then, she saw her mother’s blank expression as she looked back at her.

Was she really doing this for them?

What if finding the Sullivan treasure didn’t bring them closer together?

What if it only made things worse?

A part of her knew she should wait for Marley’s friend to help her authenticate the letter—they were the experts, after all—but the other part of her couldn’t wait any longer.

The truth hovered just out of reach, taunting her.

Emma’s back began to ache as she sat there, skimming over one of the letters for the umpteenth time. On her tenth read, she lurched forward and had to wipe her hands on the front of her jeans. Then, she held the newly retrieved letter up to the window and put in a new sequence of numbers. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, Emma gave it a firm tug, and the lock fell open with a click.

Her eyes widened as she peered into the chest and saw a map.

On shaky legs, she pushed herself to her feet and held it up to the light.

It was a map of Rockport with vague instructions on how to get to a tombstone on High Street across the way from the Rockport House.

Emma fished the phone from her pocket and held it to her face.

Marley picked up on the third ring, sounding out of breath. “Is everything okay? Do you need me to come over?”

“I’m fine,” Emma croaked before pausing to clear her throat. “I unlocked the chest. It has a map inside of it.”

“A map? A map of what?”

“Rockport. I think we might find the treasure, after all, and it looks like my grandpa was the one to hide it.”

Marley stifled a yawn. “Why would he hide the treasure in Rockport itself? Why not hide it in the house?”

Emma turned the map over and over. “I don’t know. Maybe he thought no one would find it if the house was sold or something. I think the treasure has something to do with his time during the war.”

“What do you mean?”

“He wrote data encryption for security purposes, right? What if, while he was working on one of those missions, he discovered something he shouldn’t have?”

Marley exhaled, and her breathing grew quieter. “You think he found something while he was encrypting data? Why wouldn’t he tell anyone though? It would’ve been his responsibility.”

“Maybe he didn’t know what he’d found until later,” Emma whispered with a quick look over her shoulder. “I don’t know if the answers are in his letters or somewhere else.”

“We have to go back to the secret room in the library.”

Emma lowered her hand and frowned. “Won’t you get in trouble again? I don’t want you having any more issues with your boss.”

“Are you kidding? This is way too exciting to give up now. Not the part where your grandfather might’ve lied while working for the Army, but the rest of it… Yeah, I want to know the truth. Don’t you?”

Emma leaned against the nearest wall. “Honestly? I’m not sure. What if finding out makes things worse?”

“You won’t know unless you find out,” Marley replied, raising her voice to be heard over the rustling. “I can come over, and we can look over the map together if you want.”

Emma glanced down at her watch. “It’s late. Also, I don’t even know if I should be pursuing this. I want my dad to focus on his health, not chase down some pirate treasure that may or may not exist.”

“Okay, first of all, it’s not pirate treasure. Second of all, what if it does exist? Think of all those hours your dad spent locked up in his study. Whatever he finds could change the face of astronomy as we know it.”

Except Emma wasn’t sure it would.

She didn’t know if she wanted it to.

Her father had enough on his plate without adding anything new to the mix.

Still, Emma turned Marley’s words over and over in her head and wondered if her fear of uncovering the unknown had more to do with her own uncertainty and less to do with her dad.

Emma already knew her father would be thrilled with whatever he found.

And what if the treasure could save the Sullivan property, with enough remaining to set her parents up for life?

What if Emma didn’t have to worry about their financial means ever again?

A part of her wanted to believe it was possible, knowing how desperately she wanted that for them, but the other part knew it wouldn’t be that simple.

Whatever they found would have to be investigated and evaluated.

It could take months or years before any decisions were made.

And that was if they could prove her grandfather hadn’t taken the treasure illegally.

Opening up that particular Pandora’s box could lead to a slew of other problems, including tarnishing her grandfather’s good name.

He was a respected World War II cartographer, and the last thing Emma wanted was to take that away from him.

Her grandfather deserved to have his legacy intact. So did her father.

Why would he leave clues if he thought the treasure would do more harm than good? That doesn’t sound like him.

“…are you even listening to me?

Emma blinked, and her vision swam back into focus. “Sorry, I was just thinking through this whole thing. I’m trying to imagine what would happen if the treasure was real.”

“I’m coming over. Let me just get dressed, and I’ll be there in ten, fifteen minutes tops.”

Marley hung up before Emma could say anything else.

She pulled the phone away from her ear, sighed, and shoved it back into her pocket. Then, she paced around the attic, the map feeling heavy in her hands.

Was this really about providing her parents with a secure future, or did she just want to go back to the city without the guilt following her around?

Emma didn’t even know if she was ready to leave Rockport behind.

Not again.

Not yet.

Not without so much she still hadn’t done.

And not when her kiss with Jack still made her lips tingle and her stomach flutter.

Frowning, Emma made her way down the stairs and peered through the living room window for Marley’s familiar outline. She materialized on her parents’ front lawn like she used to do when they were kids, and the thought brought a smile to Emma’s face. She swung the door open and pulled Marley in for a hug before she could talk herself out of it.

For a while, the two friends lingered in the doorway, hanging on for dear life.

Eventually, the sound of Marley’s teeth chattering prompted them to go inside. Emma made them both hot apple cider, and they sat down to review the map by the fireplace. Marley’s voice was hushed but full of excitement, and it took Emma back to simpler times.

When her entire world began and ended with Rockport.

Could she really leave her life in the city behind?

It’s not like there’s much left for you in the city anyway. At this point, they’ll probably never make you a partner, and Jules will be done with college soon.

As the red-and-orange flames of the fire wound down for the night, Marley adjusted herself on the couch, her eyelids growing heavy. Emma draped a blanket over her, curled her fingers around the lukewarm drink, and stared at the fireplace as if it had all the answers in the world.

She hoped her luck was finally changing so she could decide which way the pendulum swung, one way or another.