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Maya hurried downstairs to greet him, her arms laden with the photo albums she’d discovered thus far. She placed the albums on the foyer table, unlocked the door, and threw her arms around him. She was suddenly aware of how lonely she’d been in that house all day, as though the heaviness of her family’s memories had fallen upon her shoulders.
“Brad,” she said, her smile widening. “I need to get out of here.”
“Dinner?” Brad suggested.
“I’m starving!”
Maya collected the photo albums and followed Brad into the shimmering snow. They decided to leave Phoebe’s car behind and take Brad’s back to town, where they parked in front of the local diner Maya had gone to that very first day, jumped out, and grabbed a booth in the back. It felt as though they had far more energy than their ages should have allowed, as though they were teenagers on the brink of the rest of their lives. Several Hollygrove locals waved to Maya happily, thanking her again for the festival. Although she greeted them with happy smiles, now that Maya was immersed in the world of her aunt’s mansion, she hardly remembered the festival at all.
Brad and Maya ordered milkshakes— chocolate for Brad and strawberry for Maya. After they came, Maya positioned the photo albums on the table and clambered around to Brad’s side of the booth so that they could look at them together. The heat from Brad’s body emanated from him, and she felt immediately calm.
“Look at this,” she said, gesturing vaguely toward photographs taken even before her mother’s birth. “This is my grandmother. I think these photos were taken a few weeks after my Aunt Veronica was born.”
“And that must be your grandfather?” Brad suggested, pointing at the tall and stoic man behind the woman and baby, his hands in his pockets.
“He’s not photographed often,” Maya said. “But I assume that’s him.”
“Maybe he took most of the photographs?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Any sign of the heirloom necklace?”
Maya nodded. “Here.” She flipped toward the back of the album to find a very old photograph of her grandmother wearing the heirloom. In her twenties, she was glamorous; her neck arched like a swan, and she stared into the camera lens provocatively as though she wasn’t afraid of anything. Of course, the heirloom adorned her beautiful neck, glinting in a forgotten afternoon.
Just as the waiter arrived with their burgers, the door’s adorning bells jangled to alert an influx of customers. Maya closed the photo album delicately and placed it to the side, then raised a fry toward Brad and smiled, wanting to thank him again for indulging her. But Brad looked stricken.
Maya followed Brad’s gaze and turned toward the door, where Rainey and her friend, Olivia, stood together, their arms crossed over their chests. Rainey glared at them, while Olivia’s expression was more difficult to read. This was what it was like to live in a small town, Maya realized. Everyone knew where you were at all times. There was no privacy.
“Evening, Ms. Michaels,” Brad said with a nod.
Rainey put on a false smile and strode toward them. “How funny, Brad. Olivia and I were just talking about you. And Maya, of course.” Again, she showed too many teeth.
Maya set down her fry and squinted up at them. Olivia’s eyes were on the photo album, and Maya had the strangest instinct to protect it. It was as though Olivia wanted to steal it. But that was crazy. Wasn’t it?
“So! You must have gotten the keys to the mansion,” Olivia said. Her tone was surprisingly light.
“Yes,” Maya said because she could see no reason to lie.
Olivia clasped her hands together. “You have to tell us how magical it is. I’ve always longed to go inside. It’s like something out of a fairy tale.”
Maya was confused. The Olivia she’d met at the Christmas Festival on Saturday had seemed stony and unwilling to have an ordinary, flowing conversation. Yet this version seemed eager, almost friendly.
“Is it really as spectacular as everyone says?” Olivia pushed it.
Maya slid her tongue over her teeth. “It’s something special,” she said finally.
“I must sound insane,” Olivia offered, waving her hand. “I guess I should tell you. I’m a photographer. I go around the country, photographing old, historical buildings like yours.”
Rainey gazed at Olivia with pride. “She’s really good.”
“I’d love to see your stuff,” Maya said, trying to be nice.
“I have an exhibition coming up in Manhattan,” Olivia said. “I’ll have to let you know.” Her eyes glinted. “And you know, I would love to swing by your estate and take a few photographs. It’s the oldest of all the buildings I’ve photographed so far. It would complete the show.”
Maya’s heart opened. “Oh!” She glanced at Brad for some sense of danger, but Brad looked just as surprised as she felt. “I don’t see why not.”
Olivia tugged her card from her wallet and handed it to Maya. “Just call or text that number any time it’s good for you,” she said. “I’d prefer to come over sometime this week, but if it isn’t manageable, I’m sure we can work something out.”
