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“Huh.” Ella was at a loss. She blew across the book so that dust sprinkled toward the ground. It was a black leather journal tied up with two leather strings. The corners of her lips twisted into a smile as she said, “I wonder if it’s a map to buried treasure?”
Will appreciated the joke, chuckling as he swung his fingers through his hair. His eyes still echoed with love for her. Did she deserve it?Did either of them deserve a second chance after all they’d thrown away?
Ella leaned against the desk in the practice room and slowly wound the leather strings from the journal to open it. “What will we do with the buried treasure?” She wanted to be playful and light. Maybe that way, they wouldn’t have to discuss what the kiss had meant.
“Maybe we could buy every famous guitar in the world,” Will suggested.
“Oh. Great idea.” Ella laughed nervously. “We could finally buy Prince’s Cloud Guitar.”
“The one he used in Purple Rain?”
“The very one.”
Will wagged his eyebrows. “Lofty goals.”
Ella grinned madly, then opened the journal to the very middle. “Buried treasure, here we come.”
The moment Ella began to read the writing within, however, all the blood drained from her cheeks. “What is this?”
The page Ella had turned to was a very long list of what looked to be character traits.
Loves golf. Plays Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at Siasconset.
Has three children - Kendall, Charity, and Roy.
NOTE: He is not currently speaking with Roy because he doesn’t approve of Roy’s wife.
ALWAYS compliment his dog. Name: Ruthie.
Ella parsed through her mind for some understanding of this. “This is so weird,” she muttered. “It’s a list of stuff about one of my father’s best friends and colleagues back in the day, Marvin Hallmark. He had this dog named Ruthie that he took with him absolutely everywhere. And I remember the scandal when his son married someone he didn’t like. My dad said that Marvin swore he would never talk to Roy again.”
Ella turned the book so that Will could see the list, which continued to the next page. At the very end of the list, the same person had written the words:
BANK DETAILS: still working
“What the heck?” Ella hissed, her eyes flashing.
“What do the other pages say?” Will asked.
Ella continued to flip through the pages to find more details about various colleagues and ex-friends of her father. Gregory Puck’s list included:REMEMBER that he LOVES when you flirt with him in front of his wife.Under a female friend’s list was written:Feminist to a fault. Perhaps hint that you went to a pro-choice rally in college.Another man was listed as:HUNGRY for an affair. Make him think that he can have it with you.Some of the names had bank details listed, which had surely been difficult to get.
Ella’s heart thudded with a mix of fear and intrigue. Slowly, she flipped toward the very front of the journal, where she found the wordsBERNARD COPPERFIELDscribed in big, bold lettering. Around the name, someone had drawn little hearts.
“It’s like a maniacal schoolgirl wrote this,” Ella breathed.
“What does your dad’s list say?” Will asked, his eyes buggy.
Ella’s eyes watered. “I don’t even know if I want to read it.”
Will placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. “I’m right here. It’s okay. You can do this.”
Ella nodded, sniffed, and forced her eyes back to the page.
Absolutely obsessed with his time in Paris, where he met his wife (GRETA)
Greta is much smarter than she looks— be wary of her at all times.
Bernard is INCREDIBLY well-connected— in the literary, film, and music worlds.
