Lost and Found in Lavender Bay (The Lavender Bay Chronicles #2)

38. Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Six

A month after they moved into the house on Orchard, Laura was upstairs in Edna’s bedroom, taking down the curtains that had come with the house and replacing them with a set Diana had made. Edwin was at the garage, and the girls were at school. Summer was over, and they’d turned the calendar page to October. The girls were already chattering about Halloween and costumes and pumpkin carving.

She stood on a kitchen chair and hung the first panel. She’d already replaced the curtains in Edith’s room. The girls had been excited about getting their own rooms, and she’d promised them that if they behaved, they could decorate them any way they liked. That seemed to be holding for now. She didn’t remember her and Lenore fighting like that when they were growing up, but then Lenore was six years older than she. What she did remember was Lenore helping Hilda do all the work while she sat around and watched, more interested in looking in the mirror. She shuddered; she’d been an absolutely horrid sister. It amazed her that Lenore talked to her at all these days.

From the window, she had a bird’s-eye view of the front lawn, and she admired the two cherry trees that Edwin had planted the weekend before. She was about to hang the second panel when she heard the phone ringing downstairs. Holding on to the back of the chair, she carefully stepped down and ran down the staircase to answer it.

Breathless, she picked up the handset from its cradle. “Hello?”

“Hello, Mrs. Knickerbocker?” said a male voice.

“Yes?”

“It’s Alfred Block from Block Answering Service.”

“Oh, yes, how are you?”

“I’m fine. I’m calling to see if you’d still like to come work for me,” he said.

For a moment, Laura was speechless. It had been more than a month since she’d gone in there to apply for a job. She’d given up. It was swing shift: afternoons and overnights, and she thought it would be perfect for when the girls were home. Edwin hadn’t been keen on her working any more overnights, but she’d reminded him that it was only part time.

“Mrs. Knickerbocker, are you still there?”

“I am, yes, yes, I’ll take the job.”

“Very good. Be here next Monday at four in the afternoon and you’ll be trained on the switchboard.”

“That’s wonderful news, thank you so much, Mr. Block.”

“You’re welcome. See you Monday.”

1948

With a heavy heart, Laura stood in the parlor of Bluebell Lane. Now that both her parents were gone, the house was going to be sold. There was an upcoming estate auction for the furniture and the dishes. She and Lenore had taken what they wanted. If she’d had the space, she would have taken everything. There was a memory attached to every piece of furniture, every plate, every knickknack, everything. She swallowed hard, trying not to cry. The red sofa in the parlor sat empty, and all she could think about was her parents sitting there together, her father with a newspaper, his foot usually up on the small, embroidered stool, and her mother next to him with her wooden embroidery hoop on her lap or reading a magazine.

Edwin came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Are you all right?”

She nodded, unable to speak.

“The car is packed up.”

“Okay. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Take your time.” He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, and Laura placed her hand over one of his for a moment. With a soft kiss on her cheek, he left her alone, going outside and shutting the front door behind him.

Lenore appeared from the kitchen. “That’s everything, I think.”

The two of them looked around.

“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?” Lenore said. “That they’re both gone, and we’ll never come to this house anymore.”

For Laura, who had lived most of her life in this house, the thought was downright depressing.

“I miss them,” she said .

Lenore stood at her side and put a hand on her back. “Me too. Life won’t be the same anymore.”

“No, it won’t.” Laura heaved a large sigh. “For so long, they were my moral compass.”

“They set a good example. But you’ve got your own compass now.”

“What are you going to do with your inheritance?” Laura asked. After the furniture and the house was sold, the proceeds would be divided evenly between them.

Lenore sighed. “My house needs a new roof. I’ve got buckets and pails all over the attic. So that’s where most of it will go: into the house. That, and I’ll put a little away for Johnny’s college education. You?”

“Edwin wants to invest it.”

“That’s wise.”

“I’ve got my eye on one of those newfangled refrigerators.”

Lenore laughed.

Laura looked around again, wistful and sad. Why couldn’t some things remain the same? “Lots of memories here.”

“Yes. Let’s take one last walk around the house before we leave. For old times’ sake.”

Laura smiled. “You never struck me as the sentimental type, Lenore.”

Her sister held up her thumb and forefinger as if she was going to pinch something. “Just a little bit. But don’t tell anyone.”

Laura laughed. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Together, they walked through each room of the house they grew up in, their hearts heavy but reinforced by happy memories.