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“I have also had a mishap,” Chi-Chi offered. “One time when I was on a date, we were slow dancing. When he tried to kiss me, his hands got tangled in my braids. The more he tried to unravel them the more tangled he became. He spun me around and we almost fell on the floor.” Chi-Chi demonstrated by pulling on several of her two dozen braids, yanking her head from side to side.
At this point, the women were doubled over. “What’s all the hilarity?” Cullen’s voice was heard coming through the adjoining door.
“Nothing.” Luna was trying to keep her equanimity, but her latest sip of coffee went up her nose. Cullen stood stoically. Luna tried to look up at her brother, but the coffee was now running from her nose and down her chin. She couldn’t stop laughing.
“I’ll come back later.” Cullen began to turn away.
“No. No. Please.” Chi-Chi beckoned him with a graceful wave.
Luna finally regained some poise. “What can I do for you, my brother?”
“I was wondering about that trunk.”
“Oh. And so you’ve been bitten by the mystery bug, eh?”
“I don’t know if I should deposit the money order or not.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to start something I can’t finish.”
“Now, that has never, ever happened. What’s bugging you, bro?”
“The whole thing. The more I thought about it, and what you said, the creepier I felt.”
All eyes went around the table. “What is making you feel creepy?” Chi-Chi asked.
Luna and Cullen explained about the mysterious, smoke-laden steamer trunk, letter, and money order that had been delivered anonymously that morning.
“I really don’t have time to start the project right now, but I am curious about all of it,” Cullen added.
Ellie looked at her watch. “It’s almost time to open the center. Why don’t we reconvene later and we can have a group think about it?”
“I like that idea.” Luna shot up from her seat. “We can make it a group project. I’m sure there are a few things we can do to help.” She looked at her brother.
He smirked. “Not sure what I’m getting myself into, but yes, let’s meet up later. Say five thirty?”
“Works for me,” Luna said.
“We close at five today, so that is fine with me, too,” Chi-Chi answered.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, young man.” Ellie stood and patted him on the shoulder.
Cullen chuckled. “I hope I won’t regret this.”
Luna flicked him on the back of his head.
Chapter Two
Thirty miles from Stillwell Art Center
Present day
Tori was just leaving her doctor’s office. Her hands were still shaking from the news. She was pregnant. Again. Sure, lots of women have babies at thirty-eight. But those are normally planned. True, she had missed her last period; but she was never “regular.” She suspected it was a result of a not-so-romantic situation with her husband.
Their first child was also unplanned, but she had been nineteen back then. Nineteen. She thought she was in love and that everything was going to work out fine. Work out fine in spite of the rocky beginning they had had. Not a chance. But she had believed. She believed that people could live “happily ever after.” Shehadto believe it because that’s exactly what he promised when he convinced her to run away with him the night of the party. “No strings to people who don’t give a crap.” She thought they would conquer the world. He had $5,000 in cash. Back then, it seemed like a lot of money. How naïve she had been.
The initial shock came when they realized that a month’s rent and security deposit took a chunk out of his loot. Tori had wasted no time looking for a job. She scoured the papers every day. Google was barely up and running at the time, and websites like Indeed and ZipRecruiter hadn’t been created yet. She finally landed a job as a hostess in a local restaurant. Her experience? Busing tables at the local pancake shop. With her pretty, youthful looks, it was enough for the proprietor to hire her. The pay wasn’t great, but she treated it as an opportunity to hone her organizational skills, anticipating that she would eventually get a better job. The restaurant business was not where she wanted to spend her career, such as it was.
