Simple Secrets (The Harmony Series 1) by Nancy Mehl Page A

almost swear I saw something stirring there.
    I decided to change the subject. “You and John Keystone don’t get along very well. Is there a problem?”
    He shrugged. “Keystone’s only been in Harmony a little over a year. He came here with an attitude. I’m not the only one he doesn’t like. No one’s been able to forge a friendship with the guy—except Mary.”
    It seemed odd that someone with no roots in Harmony would move here and start a business, but John Keystone wasn’t my problem. I had other fish to fry. I pointed to the last shop on the street. Hoffman Candles. Now there was something I could get into. “I love candles. Let’s finish our tour—and then to the bakery.”
    Sam nodded and stood up. He swept one hand toward the candle shop and bowed slightly. Then he followed me to the white clapboard building with large windows and dark blue shutters. He ushered me into a room that contained a hodgepodge of aromas. Shelves with different kinds and sizes of candles shared space with interesting holders made of wood and metal. Some were freestanding while others were made to mount on the wall. I’d never seen so many different types of candleholders before and mentioned it to Sam.
    “Levi Hoffman makes the candles, but the holders are created by Harmony residents,” he said. He pointed to a set of burnished metal holders. “These were built by Cora and Amos’s son, Drew.”
    “Wow. They’re very good. He’s very skilled.”
    “Yes, he is.”
    I heard something in his voice that made me look up at him. Sam smiled. “Drew has Down syndrome. Cora and Amos have done an outstanding job with him. They don’t treat him as if he has a disability. He’s a great kid, and he’s achieved so much more than most people expected.”
    I nodded but didn’t say anything. Grant, my boss, had a son with Down syndrome. I’d watched his struggles with Jared and felt great compassion for the Crandalls.
    “Who’s that out there?” A voice rang out, breaking the silence.
    “Levi, it’s Sam. I’ve brought Ben’s niece to meet you.”
    A curtain hanging in the back of the store parted, and a man stepped out. He couldn’t have been much older than my father, but his hair was almost completely white. With his bushy beard and chubby body, he looked like a real-life Santa Claus. His eyes twinkled, and he broke out into a big smile when he saw us. Although he had certainly changed since the picture in the café, I could still see traces of the handsome young boy in his face.
    “So this is Gracie?” he said in a deep voice. “I’ve been waiting for her. Abel stopped by a little while ago and told me you were making the rounds.” I held out my hand, but instead of taking it, he wrapped me in a robust hug.
    “Nice to meet you,” I said, my words muffled by his shoulder.
    He let me go and then stared at me with interest. “My goodness. She’s the spitting image of Ben. I can hardly believe it.”
    “I know,” Sam said. “It’s a little disconcerting.”
    “Well, I think it’s wonderful.”
    I was getting a little tired of being talked about and not addressed directly. “Were you and my uncle close?”
    Levi stepped back a few paces. “No one was really close to Ben,” he said, a note of sadness in his voice. “But I cared for him.” He walked over to a nearby shelf and picked up two tall wooden candleholders. “He made these.”
    He held them out, and I took them from his hands. They were oak, stained dark. Each one had carved round balls at the top where the candle was supposed to sit. Then they straightened out for about six inches before the bottom spread out into a carved base. I looked closely. The carvings were of birds and flowers.
    “They’re beautiful, Levi.”
    “Please, I want you to have them. Let’s find some candles to go in them. What would you like? Sandalwood, vanilla, rose, lilac...”
    “I’d love lilac,” I said, “but let me pay for them.”
    “Pshaw. This is a gift.