The Chesapeake Diaries Series 7-Book Bundle: Coming HOme, Home Again, Almost Home, Hometown Girl, Home for the Summer, The Long Way Home, At the River's Edge (117 page)

Stef was still poking around on the Internet, having progressed from the ideometer effect to automatic writing and dowsing when the phone rang at two minutes before eleven.

“Hey,” Wade said when she answered, “I have a great idea. Why don’t you sleep over here tonight?”

“Won’t that be a little awkward? What will Berry think?”

“Berry’s still at Archer’s. She’s been there for the past day or so.”

“My, that sounds serious.”

“I’m thinking I’ll need to have a talk with him, find out what his intentions are toward my great-aunt.”

She looked at the clock. “I guess I could throw some things into a bag and drive over.”

“Great. We can all have breakfast together in the morning.”

“All of us?” Stef frowned. “Who’s
us
?”

“You and me and Dallas and Grant.”

“Grant’s there?”

“Yeah. That’s why I can’t come over there. When
Berry’s not here, Grant stays over, so Dallas isn’t really listening for Austin, if you get my drift.”

“I can’t stay there if Grant is there,” she said, horrified.

“Why not?”

“He’s my brother. It’d be too creepy. I don’t even want to think about it. Him with Dallas right down the hall. Me with you.” She shook her head. “Uh-uh. I can’t.”

“You leave me speechless sometimes, Stef.”

“It’s part of my charm.”

“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.”

“Let’s plan on tomorrow night,” she suggested. “I’ll close up at seven and then I’ll come over, and after Austin goes to bed, I’ll even take you out to dinner.”

“And if Berry still isn’t back?”

“Then you’d better track Archer down and have that talk.”

“Good point.”

“I stopped over at Ness’s tonight. Wait till I tell you.” She related everything that had happened at Vanessa’s.

“You really believe that some spirit told you that this Alice was Horace’s Daisy?” He sounded incredulous. “Once again, I am almost speechless.”

She told him what she’d learned about the ideometer effect.

“Well, that would make sense, that somehow you or Grace were guiding the answers. But even if you were, why would you think that Alice and Daisy are the same person?”

“Vanessa gave me Alice’s diary to look over, and
while I was reading it, an old, dried-up flower fell out of the book. It could have been a daisy, and that got me thinking and connected her to my dining-room-wall Daisy. Of course, that made me think about Horace, so I guess it was all jumbled in my head and I suppose that was enough for me to connect the dots and somehow control the planchette.”

“The what?”

“The little triangle thingy that you put your fingers on and it moves. Or not.”

“I see. And this is the same Alice who you said wrote something about Aunt Berry and Archer in her diary?”

“Her journals.”

“Why would she write about them? I wonder.”

“Wade, Alice used to practice …” Her voice trailed away.

“She practiced what?” When Stef didn’t answer, Wade asked, “Law? Medicine? Voodoo?”

“Close.”

“Which one?”

“The last one.”

“She practiced voodoo? There was someone who lived in staid old St. Dennis who practiced voodoo?”

“No, magic. She … Alice … she knew how to put spells on people.”

Wade laughed out loud.

“Wade, I saw her book.” The words spilled out. “She taught some of the girls from town how to cast love spells. Berry’s name was in her book, Wade. Alice taught Berry how to do a love spell.”

“Stef, there is no such thing as spells.”

“I’m serious. I saw the book. One of the girls she taught was my nana Cummings. Another was Grace Sinclair, who just a few months later married Dan.”

“I suppose next you’re going to tell me that you put a spell on me.”

“No,” she told him. “Vanessa did.”

“Vanessa put a spell on me?” Through the phone, she could hear him chuckle. “That just goes to prove that this is nonsense. I didn’t fall in love with Vanessa. I fell in love with you.”

“That was the spell. I thought it was all hokey at the time, I never believed it, but here you …” Stef felt slightly panicked. “I don’t know if she can reverse it.”

“Why would we want it reversed? Don’t you love me?”

“Well, yes,” she said, exasperated. “That was the whole point.”

“I don’t think I understand the problem.”

“The problem is that I wanted you to love me because of
me
, not because of some spell. Which is why I told Vanessa not to—”

“Stef, I do love you for yourself, not because of a spell.” Wade paused. “Are we really talking about this? I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”

“I can’t believe it really worked.”

“Stef. There was no spell.”

When she started to protest, he said, “I don’t care what Vanessa did or what she thought she was doing. There’s no spell. And the only magic I believe in is the magic we make when we’re together.”

After a long silent moment, Stef sighed. “That was the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard anyone say.”

“You’re going to find that I am a very romantic guy.”

“I’m packing a bag and I’m going to ignore the fact that right down the hall from your room, my brother and your sister are … never mind. I’ll be there in ten minutes …”

Stef was already up and out by the time Berry arrived home. From the kitchen window, Wade watched his aunt park her big old Mercedes sedan and walk slowly to the house. Berry looked crestfallen, and he wondered if things had gone all right with Archer.

“Coffee?” he offered when she came in through the back door.

“Oh. Yes, thank you.” Berry dropped her overnight bag and her purse on the floor near the table. Having heard her voice, Ally came racing down the steps and flew into the kitchen. “There’s my girl,” Berry crooned to the dog. “There’s my very sweet and precious girl.”

Berry sat on one of the chairs and stroked her dog’s head. “Finding Ally was one of the nicest things I’ve ever done for myself,” she told Wade. “She always loves me, no matter what. And she’s always happy to see me. No matter what.”

“Much like Dallas and me.” Wade smiled and brought Berry’s coffee to the table.

“Where is the little fellow?” Berry asked.

“I took him to the babysitter’s for the morning. I have some calls to make about equipment. It’s tough to watch him and try to get work done.”

“Now you know what mothers deal with every day.”

“Are you sorry you never had kids, Berry?” he asked.

She turned her head and seemed to study his face but didn’t immediately answer.

“I have a few regrets when it comes to children, yes,” she finally told him, “though probably not quite what you meant.”

It was his turn to stare. It wasn’t like Berry to be cryptic.

“Is your sister here?” Berry asked.

“She’s in her office. The library.”

“Be a darling and ask her to join us, please.”

“Berry, are you all right?”

“That remains to be seen, dear. Now please …”

“I’ll get her.”

What the hell, Wade was thinking as he went down the hall to the room Dallas used as an office. He knocked on the door, then pushed it open.

“Dallas, Berry wants you in the kitchen.”

She glanced up from her desk. “When did Berry get home?”

“Just a few minutes ago, but she wants you now.”

“Is she all right?” Dallas rose from her seat and placed her glasses on the desktop.

“I asked her the same question, but I didn’t get an answer that made any sense. I just got the impression she wants to talk to both of us at the same time.”

“Then she shall.” Dallas led the way back to the kitchen.

“Hello, Berry.” Dallas kissed the older woman on the forehead, then sat next to her. “Wade said you wanted to see me.”

“Both of you. I need both of you for this.” Berry
took a sip of coffee. With her free hand, she petted Ally, who leaned against her leg.

“What’s wrong, Berry?” Dallas put her arm around her aunt.

“Tell us what’s bothering you. We can help.” Wade sat on Berry’s other side.

“Oh, dear. I had my courage up all the way from Archer’s, and now it seems I’ve lost it again,” Berry said.

“Why do you feel you need courage to talk to us?” a confused Wade asked.

“It’s such a tangled web, I barely know where to begin. Just like Shakespeare said. I have deceived you both—I’ve deceived everyone—and the web I’ve woven has finally tangled me up in it.”

Wade fought a smile. Whatever was bothering Berry, her sense of the dramatic was still intact.

“Well, why don’t you tell us what you’re talking about, Berry.” Dallas rubbed her aunt’s back with obvious affection.

Berry sighed deeply and for a moment, Wade thought she’d changed her mind, that she wasn’t about to untangle any of her webs after all.

“I made a mistake—a very, very terrible mistake—a long time ago. I was young and headstrong and vain and self-centered and I was convinced that I should always have my way.”

And that’s different from now in what way?
Wade was tempted to ask, but he thought better of it. Berry was obviously in no frame of mind to be teased.

“Berry, we’ve all done things in our youth that we’ve come to regret later. We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it and not make the same mistakes today that we made back then.”

“My dear, it simply wouldn’t be possible for me to repeat
that
mistake.” Berry took a deep breath and visibly steeled herself. “You see, I … oh, dear. I don’t think I can go through with this.” Tears pooled in her eyes. “You’re all I have, and once you know the truth, I’m afraid you’ll hate me, and I won’t be able to bear it.”

Wade looked at his sister. She looked as confused as he felt.

“Berry, there is nothing—I mean, nothing—that could make us hate you. We love you. You’re more than a great-aunt to us. You’re more like our beloved grandmother, and I know I speak for Wade, too—”

Berry burst into tears.

“Nothing can be that bad.” Dallas turned Berry’s face to hers while Wade retrieved a box of tissues from the powder room.

He handed her a tissue and remarked, “Berry, I don’t know that I ever saw you cry before.”

“I knew this day of reckoning would come, but truthfully, I thought I’d die before it got here. A heart attack in my sleep, perhaps. Or a slip off the dock some night into the river …”

She might be distraught
, Wade thought,
but she still knows how to deliver a line
.

“Berry, take a minute to relax and collect your thoughts. We’re here for you, whatever the problem is,” Wade assured her.

“You’re such a dear boy. So like your father.” Berry began to sob all over again.

Wade shot a what-did-I-say look to Dallas, who shook her head.

“Berry, perhaps you should take a few sips of water
and calm down. Then just start from the beginning,” Wade told her as he fetched a glass of water for her.

“Thank you, dear.” Berry took a few sips. “All right, then. I suppose I must get through this.” She sighed deeply. “Years ago, when I was just a girl growing up here in St. Dennis, I had many admirers. Oh, I should just come out and say it. The truth is, I was the prettiest girl in town. Well, of course, there was Sylvie, but our personalities were so very different. I always had a flair for the dramatic, and Sylvie was always so shy. Everyone told me I belonged on the big screen, and I totally agreed with them. I knew that was my destiny. I couldn’t wait to turn eighteen so that I could leave this dull little town behind and strike out on my own. I knew in my heart I was going to be a big star.”

“And you were,” Dallas reminded her. “And will be again.”

“Yes, yes, but you’re getting ahead of the story, Dallas.”

“Sorry.” Dallas appeared to be biting back a smile.

“Anyway. I was young and beautiful and talented and I had the world by the … well, on a string, let’s say. My future was bright and I knew that my life was going to be glorious.” She stopped and dabbed a tissue at her eyes. “There was one thing standing in my way, though.”

“What, Berry?” Dallas asked.

“Not what, dear. Who. I was in love with the most wonderful man, and he loved me, too. We had plans to marry, you see. I wanted him to come to California with me and share my dreams of fame and glory. Unfortunately, his dream was to be a lawyer, maybe even
a judge someday. But here, on the Eastern Shore, not Hollywood, no. He wanted no part of that life.”

“You’re talking about Archer, aren’t you, Berry?” Dallas said softly.

Berry nodded. “So, off he went to Columbia, up in New York City, and off I went to California. We did see each other, and for a while we did try to work things out, but after a time it became clear that neither of us was going to budge. After one of those weekends in New York—” She stopped again, the words seeming to be almost too painful even now, all these years later.

“Berry, listen, we—” Dallas began. She was interrupted by Ally’s mad dash to the front door just as the doorbell rang. Fleur, who’d been sleeping on the second-floor landing, flew down the steps to join her.

“I’ll go see who it is,” Wade said. “I’ll be right back.”

He reached the door and opened it to find Archer Callahan on the front porch.

“Ah, Archer …”

“Wade.” Archer stood in the doorway. “May I come in, please? I’d like to see Berry.”

“I don’t know if this is really a good time.” Wade lowered his voice. “She’s upset about something and …” He stared at Archer. “Did you do something to upset her? Did you have an argument with her?”

“Dear Lord, I told her to wait.” Archer stepped past Wade and went straight into the kitchen.

“Archer, for heaven’s sake,” Berry said when she saw him. “I told you I would deal with this myself.”

“And I told you that I would not let you go through this alone. I wasn’t there to stand by you then, but I’m standing by you now.”

“Oh, Archer.” Berry looked up at him with eyes filled with love.

“Have you told them yet?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’m working up to it.”

“As only she can.” Wade’s remark earned him The Look.

“Will one of you please tell us what’s going on?” Dallas looked from Berry to Archer then back to Berry.