Heart of Gold (25 page)

Zoey stood and picked up the box. “I got a really big surprise yesterday, and I want to share it, so when I come over to you, just open your hand.”

Because OG was seated in the first booth, he was her first. When she placed the coin on his palm, he viewed it with puzzled eyes that suddenly widened, and his jaw dropped. Next, Mr. James, Rocky, and Siz. They too studied the coin, and when she moved on, they were staring at one another in confusion. She gave coins to Crystal and Eli, Amari and Preston, Leah and Tiffany and their dad. By then everyone was staring her way, but she kept moving: Mr. Bing and Mr. Clay. Ms. Marie and Ms. Genevieve. Reverend Paula. Then on to the Paynes and Amari's parents. When she stopped before Devon, he sheepishly dropped his gaze. “Hold out your hand,” she demanded.

He looked up, and she placed the coin in his hand. Although he didn't deserve one, he did. She saw that Wyatt and his gram had taken seats in the very back and off to the side, as if they weren't certain of their standing in their new community, but she marched right over and gave one to him and two to his grandmother, as she'd told her mom she would.

Every eye in the place followed her when she walked back to her seat, and you could hear a pin drop.

Tamar stood. “Well?”

Finally Preston asked, “What is this?”

“Is it real?” Clay asked.

“They're 1885 uncirculated Double Eagles. Very real, and very, very valuable. The
s
signifies they were minted in San Francisco. And from what little we know, they were originally intended for a miners' payroll, but were stolen en route by outlaw Griffin Blake.”

“Wow!” the colonel said, and a buzz filled the room.

Marie asked excitedly, “This is the gold the old people always talked about being buried somewhere close by?”

Trent added. “And every kid who grew up here spent summer after summer trying to find.”

“Yes. Cephas had it.”

Louder buzz.

“So how'd Cephas get his hands on it?” Bing wanted to know.

“No idea, but after he died I found an old saddlebag that had the gold inside, along with a newspaper account of the robbery. I'm assuming Blake buried the gold somewhere on the property back in 1885.”

Genevieve asked, “Zoey, why'd he leave it to you?”

She shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe because I took him some cake.”

That drew laughs, and heads shook in amazement.

“How much are they worth?” Rocky asked.

Jack was already on his phone doing a search. “Says here, they can go as high as fourteen hundred dollars?” he exclaimed in a stunned voice.

Eli did a fist pump. “Yes!”

Everyone began talking at once after that revelation. Zoey glanced over at Wyatt and saw tears standing in his grandmother's eyes. They looked like happy tears, so she hoped the gold would help them not be poor.

Amari, ever the realist, asked, “So, how do we turn this into cash?”

Tamar gestured for Ms. Bernadine to answer. “My friend Tina has offered to help. Collectors will pay top dollar for those coins at auction, so if you want to cash them in, she can set something up. I assume you want as much for them as possible.”

“Oh, yeah,” Crystal called out.

For the next little while questions were asked, and Ms. Bernadine did her best to answer. In the midst of that, Rocky and Siz came out of the kitchen carrying a tray holding sliced pieces of chocolate cake, and the sight drew a round of applause. She said, “I figure if cake brought Zoey this gold, we all need to eat some. Who knows what it may bring next?”

Laughter.

“And the first piece goes to our very own golden girl.”

A thunderous standing ovation followed, and everyone began shouting her name. “Zoey! Zoey! Zoey!”

Emotion made her heart so full, Zoey started crying. Her mom was crying too, and even Tamar, who no one had ever seen cry before, wiped at her tears.

All in all it was a pretty memorable evening at the Henry Adams Dog and Cow.

That night, as a happy Zoey lay in bed, she looked up at her mom and said, “I think everybody really liked their gold.”

“I think so, too. You did a good thing this evening, cupcake.”

“Did you see Wyatt's gram? She was crying.”

“Everybody was crying. Even Tamar.”

“I saw that. That was so awesome.”

“I was proud of you for giving one to Devon, too.”

“He's a dummy, but he's sorta my brother too, just like Amari and Preston. Amari said he's buying every video game Amazon sells.”

Her mom laughed, leaned over, and gave her a kiss on the cheek “You rock, girlfriend.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Now get some sleep.”

Her mom left, and as the night-light lifted the darkness, she hugged Tiger Tamar, smiled, and burrowed deep to sleep.

Friday after school, Roni and Zoey flew down to Toledo. The visit with the aunt was scheduled for the next morning, so they checked into a hotel. Roni continued to give Yvette Caseman the benefit of the doubt, hoping she'd changed her mind and embrace Zoey as her niece.

On Saturday morning, Roni drove the rental car to the neighborhood where the Casemans lived and stopped in front of the house. “Here we are,” she said, keeping her voice light.

“I like their house,” Zoey said.

They got out, and Roni braced herself, praying this wouldn't go sideways.

As they walked up, a woman of average height wearing blue sweats stepped out onto the porch. According to Bernadine, Yvette's hair had been brown, but it was now blond. She must've just stepped out of the shower, because it was wet and hung in strands close to her face. Even from a distance her resemblance to Bonnie and Zoey was plain.

“That's her,” Zoey cried excitedly, and before Roni could stop her, she took off running, calling, “Aunt Yvette! It's me, Zoey!”

The woman instantly drew back, and her reaction stopped Zoey in her tracks. Roni's heart broke.

The aunt tried to fake a smile, but it didn't work. The silent Zoey checked her out and glanced back at Roni, as if seeking an explanation.

When Roni came abreast of her, she took Zoey's hand. “Come on,” she said softly. “It'll be okay.”

Mrs. Caseman stood silently as they approached the porch. Roni took the lead. “Hi, Mrs. Caseman. I'm Roni Garland, and this is your niece, Zoey.”

Yvette stared at Roni with surprised eyes. “You didn't tell me you were—” She waved away whatever else she was about to say. Roni assumed she was referencing her race, but didn't allow herself to be offended.

Looking out from inside the screen door were a girl and boy who appeared to be near Zoey's age. The girl sneered, “We don't like crackheads.”

Zoey stiffened.

The boy added nastily, “Mom said we're not letting you in the house because you'll try and steal something.”

Yvette turned beet red. “Get away from the door!” she snapped.

But the damage was done.

Zoey's chin rose, and she met her aunt's eyes.

The woman appeared embarrassed and stammered, “So, Zoey. How are you?”

“Fine.” She reached into the pocket of her Danica jacket and pulled out a gold coin. “My mom Bonnie owed you some money, and I wanted to pay you back.” She handed over the coin and turned to Roni. “I'm going to sit in the car.”

Roni watched her daughter walk stiffly away before she turned on Zoe's aunt, who was staring with awe at the coin in her hand. Her first instinct was to curse her up one side of her house and down the other, but she held her tongue.

“What is this, something out of a candy machine?”

“No. It's an 1885 double eagle. It's gold and worth about fifteen hundred dollars.”

“Where'd she get this?”

“She didn't steal it, if that's what you're worried about. Your niece is a very wealthy young woman, but that doesn't matter because you'll never see her again, just like you asked. Thanks for taking the time to see us. Have a good day.” Roni started toward the car.

“Wait! Why don't you come in?”

Roni shook her head in disgust at the sudden change in tune but didn't slow. Furious, she got in the car and drove away. She glanced over at her sad, silent child. “I'm sorry, baby.” Roni didn't ask if Zoe was okay; the answer was obvious. “Do you want to get something to eat before we meet Katie at the airport?”

“She didn't want to see me, did she?”

“No, honey, she didn't. She told me that on the phone, but I was hoping she'd find it in her heart to change her mind.”

“I hate those kids.”

“They weren't very nice.”

When Roni looked her way, Zoey was staring out the window. “So, do you want to get something to eat?”

“No, Mom. I just want to go home.”

“Then that's what we'll do.”

C H A P T E R

20

I
n her office on Monday morning, Bernadine was saddened to learn that the visit with Yvette Caseman hadn't gone well. Like Roni, she'd really hoped Zoey would be welcomed by the family. What would her sister Diane have done had Bernadine treated her with similar disdain? Instead, she'd been taken in, and as promised Bernadine purchased a car for her; a small sparrow-brown economy sedan that had lots of mileage on the odometer but was in relatively decent shape. She sensed Diane wasn't ecstatic about the vehicle's age and looks, but she had the good sense to keep her complaints to herself. She didn't seem any happier about her job than she'd been the first day, but there'd been no further complaints or tears. Bernadine dared to hope she was growing up, but knew only time would tell.

“Ms. Brown?”

“Hi there, Gemma.”

“Do you have a minute?”

“For you, I have all the time in the world.”

She took a seat. “I just wanted to swing by and say thanks for everything, again. The house is fabulous. Never lived in anything so nice before. I signed all the paperwork Lily gave me, and knowing that my rent is actually going toward buying it—there are no words.”

“Just trying to give you a helping hand.”

“You've given me way more than that. And the gold! Oh my goodness. Do folks here do that kind of thing all the time? I was so excited I couldn't sleep.”

“That was pretty special, wasn't it?”

“Yes, it was, but Zoey gave me two coins. She probably didn't notice, with all that was going on, so I just wanted to return the extra one.”

Bernadine found herself adoring this woman. “There was no mistake. Her mom told me she intentionally gave you two because she thought you and Wyatt might need a little extra help.”

Tears glistened in Gemma's eyes. “What a sweetheart.”

“Gemma, girl. You and those waterworks have to stop.”

They both laughed, and Gemma wiped at her eyes. “I've just never been blessed this way before.”

“Hopefully it will be the first of many. Henry Adams is a very special place. You and Wyatt will thrive here.”

“I'm thinking of going back to school once we get settled in. Not sure what kind of classes, but I want Wyatt to go to college, so I need to set an example.”

“That's great, and you can always talk to Jack about which classes would be right.”

“That's a great idea. One sour note, though. Astrid Wiggins stopped by my place last night.”

“What did she want?”

“To know about the gold. Where it came from. Was it really all Zoey's. How many people got coins.”

Bernadine tensed. “What did you tell her?”

“That it was none of her damn business.”

“Did she say how she found out about it?”

“She said from her niece, Megan Tripp. Since Megan goes to the academy, I'm assuming one of the kids must've told her.”

“Megan Tripp is a Franklin?”

“Yes. Her mother is Astrid's younger sister, Becca, but Becca and her husband are good people, not crazy like Astrid.”

Bernadine blew out a breath. In hindsight maybe she should've told the kids to keep the coins on the down-low.

Gemma reinforced her concerns. “If Astrid can figure out a way to turn this into drama, she will. She made it real clear she doesn't like you.”

“I know—she's made that clear to me, too.”

“Didn't mean to mess up your day but I thought you should know.”

“You did the right thing. Thanks.”

“You're welcome.” Gemma stood. “I need to get to work.”

“Thanks again, Gemma.”

Bernadine wasn't happy knowing Astrid was nosing around, especially hearing that she'd specifically asked about Zoey. If even a drop of drama touched Zoey's life as a result, Bernadine would blow the woman straight to hell.

Lily came on the intercom. “Walk to your window and look out.”

“What?”

“Just go. I'll be right there, soon as I make a few quick calls.”

Confused, Bernadine went to the window. The stream of trucks and cars and jeeps slowly making their way down Main dropped her jaw.

Her phone rang. It was Astrid. “Good morning, Ms. Brown. Just so you'll know, I've alerted all the newspapers and TV stations around about Zoey's good fortune. With any luck every piece of riffraff that can spell the word
gold
will descend on your little town, hoping to dig up more. Not bad for a kitten, huh? Have a nice day.”

Furious, Bernadine immediately began making calls.

After Bernadine's call to her, Roni took a look out her front window and saw her lawn swarming with reporters and camera people. “Dammit!” She was going to have to run a gauntlet to get to the school, and she wasn't looking forward to it. One her way to the garage, she put in a call to Reggie down in South Carolina. She got his voice mail, so she told him to call her as soon as possible. She started the truck and hoped the press had sense enough to get out of her driveway, because she'd be backing out at full speed and she didn't have time to let them know.