Kaleidoscope Summer (Samantha's Story) Read Online Free PDF Page A

eyes reflected confusion . I wanted to help , b ut people generally had to work through this kind of stuff on their own . “How’s your morning ?”
    “Eventful. Received an email from Anne ’s attorney, Taylor Jones. T here’s somet hing he’s not telling me, I’m sure of it. ”
    “Mos t of the locals use Jones . Anne’s will should be pretty straightforward , u nless she left a codicil with unusual stipulations in it. H e didn’t elaborate?”
    “Not reall y. ”
    “ Anne must’ve left instructions for Taylor to sen d you the keys to the shop. ”
    “Yes, and he also mentioned the apartment upstairs. Seems Anne thought of e verything .” She tilted her head to the side. “I had a visitor this morning, a woman by the name of Lilyan—didn’t catch her last name.”
    “What did she want?” I rubbed the back of my neck . Lilyan’s histrionics not only worked overtime—they never stopped.
    “To say hello . And drew a couple of invisible bounda ry lines.”
    “B oundary lines?” M y jaw tighten ed .
    “ Bizarre. L ike your hers, so hands off. ”
    I t hought I had settled this the last time Lilyan pulled this stunt . B efore I had a chance to explain, Goldie’s ears popped up and Sam looked toward the front of the shop . Her alert system made her aware someone had came in , before I even knew the door had opened .
    Maggie t ook a seat next to me and glanced at Sam . “Doing okay?”
    “I am. The pain is better . ”
    Maggie leaned on t he table. “My assistant came in for the afternoon . W e can go home when you’re ready.”
    “I ’ll drop you at Maggie’s later .” I reached to scratch Goldie behind her ears , but she pulled away , moving clo ser to Sam .
    Sam laughed. “ Don’t take it personally. W hen Goldie has her ves t on , she’s a working dog and is tr ained to respond only to me because she’s on duty .” Sam reached down and ruffled the dog’s fur. “Th ere are a few more desk drawers I’d like to go through , if it isn’t an inconvenience.”
    A chance to spend more time with Sam stay ed on my mind a lot these days . “No problem.”
    Maggie pulled her keys from her crochet ed bag. “See you at home then. B e careful and d on’t overdo .” She left through the rear of the shop , to the alleyway where she usually parked.
    I caught Sam ’s attention . “Lilyan and I have never dated. I’ll talk to her and make sure she doesn’t bother you again. ”
    “ L ike I told her, I’m only here to put Anne’s affairs in order . My life is in Stone Valley. ” Sam stood and Goldie popped up besid e he r. “ I’m going to get busy on those drawers .” Sam cross ed the room to Anne’s desk and began poring over letters and pictures she had pulled from a bottom drawer . I moved and sat across from her .
    “Pictures of you? ” I picked up the photo closest to me. Even as a small child , her azure eyes and honey blond hair were unmistakable.
    She shuffled through the photographs. “ M y mother sent these snapshots to Anne. Evidently, t hey exchanged letter s. I found the notes Anne had written to my mother— that’s how I learned about the adoption . Why the secrets? Why the deceit? Why the lies?” She lowered her voice to not much more than a whisper , apparently directing the ques tions to herself.
    I to uched her hand and she looked up. “It’s possible they both loved you.”
    “So why withhold the truth?” A mixture of anger and s adness filled her eyes . “If you d on’t mind, I want to get out of here .” She reached down to the bag sitting on the floor and winced with a sharp intake of breath.
    I helped her lock up the shop . My earlier conversation with Maggie still lingered . I f a meeting could be arranged with Sam’s grandparents—t hey’d fall in love with her. How could they not? Those eyes and that smile— man .
    As I drove , Sam peered from one side of Main Street to the other. “This town— it seems fictional. If I could custom design a