Saving Abby Read Online Free PDF Page B

compliment. “The Hummingbird is a fine bakery, but you can’t beat homemade.”
    “We found that bookshop as well,” Claire continued. “I bought a few books for our shelves back home.”
    “Oh, you did!” Lolly clapped her hands together. “George is amazing, isn’t he? I just knew you’d like him. What books did you buy?”
    “The Alice in Wonderland series. I couldn’t resist. They were my favorite growing up.”
    Lolly nodded approvingly, and they continued on, talking about the vendors and the street food Josh and Claire had photographed.
    “So is that one more thing to mark off your bucket list, then?” Lolly asked just as Claire leaned over the armrest to retrieve her book.
    Every afternoon while having tea, Claire would pull out her notebook, which contained two sections. The front section was her set of list items, and the back section was a record of the places they’d visited and the things they’d seen.
    “The market has always been something I’ve wanted to see, ever since reading about it in my Paddington Bear books.” She loved checking off items on her bucket list, loved that sense of accomplishment and excitement.
    “And did you find a postcard, as I suggested?” Lolly stood up and headed toward a cupboard.
    “I did. We almost missed that little place with the old photos and postcards. I’m so glad you told us where to look. And you were right—it was hard to pick just one or two of my favorites. We ended up buying more than we’d intended.”
    “Good.” In Lolly’s hands was a box, and she set it down on the table between them. “We have a tradition here that my parents started when they first opened their home to guests. In this box you will find postcards from the last seventy years.” She picked up a few and looked through them, a sweet smile gracing her face as she did so. “I used to love taking this box to my bedroom at night and going through the postcards. A few I even memorized.” She handed them to Claire.
    Some postcards were hand drawn, some were black-and-white photographs while others were in color, and many of them featured well-known London landmarks. As she started to read through the ones Lolly had handed her, she could see why they meant so much to her. They were like snapshots from the past, brimming with fond memories and wishes for future visits.
    “I’d like for you and Josh to leave one here as well, if you wouldn’t mind,” Lolly said. “I remember my mother once explaining the idea to a guest. She said to think of it as a letter to your heart from your soul.”
    Claire held the postcards in her hands and thought about what it would mean to write one. She picked up the card she was looking at and read the back.
     
    There is a peace here within the gardens that I haven’t found elsewhere in a long, long time.
    My mind stops. The memories I’m running from disappear the moment I sit down and breathe in the sweet scents of jasmine, of delicate roses, and hear nothing but the sound of birds chirping.
    My soul has finally found rest, and I’m not sure I can leave.
     
    “That was written by a soldier after World War II. He went home to create his own garden and was even buried there years later,” Lolly said quietly. “That’s him there, standing beside my dad. His name was David, and I used to watch him sit in our garden for hours on end.”
    “It’s beautiful,” Claire said.
    “Feel free to look through the box, and then when you’re ready, to leave your own. Think about what you would like to say to yourself, to your heart.” She stood and patted Claire’s hand before leaving the room.
    Claire went through the postcards, tears welling in her eyes as she read through them. Some were so beautiful, haunting even, with their dreams for the future, their air of yearning, or their sense of loss from the death or illness of a loved one.
    What would she write?

MARRIAGE PROMISES
    CLAIRE AND JOSH TURNER
    Never go to bed angry with each other.