walked over her grave.
Shrugging off the unwanted sensation, Natalie twirled the combination lock on the white wooden box marked “Letters to Cupid” in stenciled red block print. The lock popped open and she raised the lid.
As usual, it was stuffed with letters. She pinched up the full skirt of her shirtwaist dress with one hand, forming a sling to hold the letters as she emptied the box. The dewy morning air kissed her knees. After one-handing the padlock closed, she limped over to the bicycle she’d left parked on the pathway and deposited the letters into the wicker basket strapped to the front.
One swoop of her foot released the kickstand. She slung her leg over the cruiser saddle seat and she was off, pedaling through the back of the garden to the dirt-packed alley that ran between the gardens and the stables.
The wind ruffled her hair, brought with it the scent of horses. A long-tailed flycatcher perched on a telephone line, its split tail hanging underneath it like scissors. She smiled as the sun warmed her face, more at ease on a bike than she ever was on her feet. When she rode, no one could see her limp.
She bumped through the alley, turned left on Murkle Street, and waved to Deputy Calvin Greenwood, who was also a cousin. Calvin was coming out of the Divine Bakery with two boxes of doughnuts in his arms and headed for his patrol car.
Smiling, she waved a hand, paused in the middle of the road.
“Morning, Nat,” he called. “Lots of love letters this week?”
“Usual Monday morning. Cupid’s got his hands full.”
“That’s a good thing, right? Keeps our economy rolling.” Cal balanced the doughnut boxes in one hand while he opened his cruiser door with the other.
“You can say that again.”
“Maybe you should write a letter yourself.”
“To Cupid?”
“Yeah.”
“Why would I do that?”
“So you’d have a date to mine and Maria’s wedding next month.”
Natalie snorted good-naturedly. “Cal, there’s no such thing as Cupid.”
“Shh.” He pressed an index finger to his lips. “Don’t let that get out. Maria thinks that’s how she caught me.”
“Any sign of Red?” Natalie asked him about her long-term boarder who’d disappeared four days ago without a word of warning. It wasn’t the first time Red had gone missing, so she was trying not to worry too much, but he’d left all his possessions behind.
“Haven’t seen him, but you know these war vets.” Calvin shrugged. “They ain’t like regular folks. Red can take care of himself.”
“But you’re still keeping an eye out for him?”
“ ’Course.”
“Now you’re just patting me on the head.”
“He’s a drifter at heart, Natty. I warned you about that when he moved in.”
“That’s the issue. He doesn’t have anyone else to worry about him.”
“Your heart’s too big, cousin. It can’t hold the whole world.”
“Doesn’t have to hold the whole world. Just my corner of it.”
“Funny that he disappeared the day the rent was due.”
“If he just left, why didn’t he take his things?”
“Tell you what, I’ll do some more asking around,” Calvin promised. “Now I gotta get to work. Have a good day.”
“Don’t eat too many doughnuts,” she hollered over her shoulder as she took off again, the bike picking up speed on the downhill slope.
She had so much to do that morning—take the letters to the community center for Aunt Carol Ann to sort out, cut fresh flowers for the guest rooms, make sure Zoey got up in time to make it to her anatomy class at Sul Ross, greet the guests at breakfast, order organic multigrain flour before her cook, Pearl, actually followed through on her idle threats to quit, and make a decision about Red. She didn’t want to give his room away, but if he wasn’t coming back, she needed to rent it out.
Natalie had put off the decisions because she kept thinking that Red would pop back up as he usually did, but something felt different this time. Lately,
Shrugging off the unwanted sensation, Natalie twirled the combination lock on the white wooden box marked “Letters to Cupid” in stenciled red block print. The lock popped open and she raised the lid.
As usual, it was stuffed with letters. She pinched up the full skirt of her shirtwaist dress with one hand, forming a sling to hold the letters as she emptied the box. The dewy morning air kissed her knees. After one-handing the padlock closed, she limped over to the bicycle she’d left parked on the pathway and deposited the letters into the wicker basket strapped to the front.
One swoop of her foot released the kickstand. She slung her leg over the cruiser saddle seat and she was off, pedaling through the back of the garden to the dirt-packed alley that ran between the gardens and the stables.
The wind ruffled her hair, brought with it the scent of horses. A long-tailed flycatcher perched on a telephone line, its split tail hanging underneath it like scissors. She smiled as the sun warmed her face, more at ease on a bike than she ever was on her feet. When she rode, no one could see her limp.
She bumped through the alley, turned left on Murkle Street, and waved to Deputy Calvin Greenwood, who was also a cousin. Calvin was coming out of the Divine Bakery with two boxes of doughnuts in his arms and headed for his patrol car.
Smiling, she waved a hand, paused in the middle of the road.
“Morning, Nat,” he called. “Lots of love letters this week?”
“Usual Monday morning. Cupid’s got his hands full.”
“That’s a good thing, right? Keeps our economy rolling.” Cal balanced the doughnut boxes in one hand while he opened his cruiser door with the other.
“You can say that again.”
“Maybe you should write a letter yourself.”
“To Cupid?”
“Yeah.”
“Why would I do that?”
“So you’d have a date to mine and Maria’s wedding next month.”
Natalie snorted good-naturedly. “Cal, there’s no such thing as Cupid.”
“Shh.” He pressed an index finger to his lips. “Don’t let that get out. Maria thinks that’s how she caught me.”
“Any sign of Red?” Natalie asked him about her long-term boarder who’d disappeared four days ago without a word of warning. It wasn’t the first time Red had gone missing, so she was trying not to worry too much, but he’d left all his possessions behind.
“Haven’t seen him, but you know these war vets.” Calvin shrugged. “They ain’t like regular folks. Red can take care of himself.”
“But you’re still keeping an eye out for him?”
“ ’Course.”
“Now you’re just patting me on the head.”
“He’s a drifter at heart, Natty. I warned you about that when he moved in.”
“That’s the issue. He doesn’t have anyone else to worry about him.”
“Your heart’s too big, cousin. It can’t hold the whole world.”
“Doesn’t have to hold the whole world. Just my corner of it.”
“Funny that he disappeared the day the rent was due.”
“If he just left, why didn’t he take his things?”
“Tell you what, I’ll do some more asking around,” Calvin promised. “Now I gotta get to work. Have a good day.”
“Don’t eat too many doughnuts,” she hollered over her shoulder as she took off again, the bike picking up speed on the downhill slope.
She had so much to do that morning—take the letters to the community center for Aunt Carol Ann to sort out, cut fresh flowers for the guest rooms, make sure Zoey got up in time to make it to her anatomy class at Sul Ross, greet the guests at breakfast, order organic multigrain flour before her cook, Pearl, actually followed through on her idle threats to quit, and make a decision about Red. She didn’t want to give his room away, but if he wasn’t coming back, she needed to rent it out.
Natalie had put off the decisions because she kept thinking that Red would pop back up as he usually did, but something felt different this time. Lately,
Similar Books
