Page 82 of Tangled Up In You

"Happy birthday!" she said.

"Thanks. Are you coming to the barbecue tonight?"

"I wanted to ask you what you thought about that. I'd like to come, but I don't have to. It's been a crazy weekend. I can stay home. It's not a big deal. I want your birthday to be the way you want it to be, with whoever you want it to be with."

"Are you done?" he asked, as her nervous ramble came to an end.

"I think so. I don't want to make things awkward for you, Adam."

"They won't be awkward. I want you to come. All your friends will be there. Even Drew and Cassie are coming."

"Oh, good. I was hoping Drew would agree to go."

"Drew and I had a chat this morning. It went deeper than any other conversation we've had recently. He's really taken with Cassie. He asked if he could stay here past Christmas."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I'm happy to have him, as long as he's working and staying out of trouble."

"He's really a good kid, Adam. I think he's smarter and far more together than his father gives him credit for. I'm glad you talked."

"Why do I get the feeling you encouraged that?"

"I say a lot of things. Most people don't listen," she said with a self-deprecating laugh.

He smiled to himself. "I bet you'd be surprised. How did your sidewalk sale go?"

"Really well."

"What are you doing today?"

"I just went for a walk and got some decadent pastries from the bakery. And then I'm going to start looking through Caroline's things. Any updates?"

He filled her in on his conversation with Brenda and that fact that Rebecca was missing.

"It's odd that the housekeeper has disappeared," Molly said. "It makes her look guilty. Maybe she told Caroline she was giving the diamond to Phoebe, but she kept it for herself. But I wonder who had the fake diamond made?"

"Could have been anyone, including Caroline," he said. "She didn't want Charles to get the diamond."

"That's true," she said. "I should go."

"So, I'll see you later?"

"You will. Bye, Adam."

"Bye," he echoed, as he let out a breath. Then he went to take a shower—a cold one.

Before Molly started unpacking the boxes, she decided to make a little room in the apartment for whatever she might find. She walked over to the antique and weathered desk that Phoebe had told her was one of the few things she'd kept from her parents' house after they'd been killed in a car accident. Phoebe had loved to sit at the desk and write letters or jot down notes in her bible, as she called it.Which reminded her…

She pulled open the first drawer and took out the two-inch thick, three-ring binder. Sitting down at the desk, she leafed through the pages. The first section was devoted to products, the second section to ideas that Phoebe had for creating her own herbal combinations, and the third section was about her customers.

Phoebe had written down notes about many of her regulars: Phil Stanley always came in saying he was looking for vitamins, but what he really wanted was something to help grow his hair back. She smiled at that note, seeing that Phoebe had suggested other products that would make him feel better: a multi-vitamin, a skin cream for aging, a travel book. She'd also mentioned setting him up on a date, which had resulted in a relationship that was still ongoing.

Turning the page, she paused as she saw Jackie's name. Apparently, Jackie kept reporting Phoebe to the city for alleged violations that were basically nuisances, and she always seemed to be worse in the fall. Phoebe finally realized what was behind the seasonal bursts of anger. Jackie had lost her daughter in September. Every year, right after Labor Day, Jackie went into a funk. Phoebe had decided that instead of fighting with Jackie, she would try to make her life better.

She dropped off her special brand of tea designed to combat insomnia, as well as a lavender-scented eye mask. She'd also left candles and a blank journal in the hopes that Jackie might find a way to vent somewhere else. It had worked. She and Jackie had made a truce. She'd even talked to her about how important it was to get sleep. Jackie admitted that she rarely slept more than an hour or two. Phoebe had jotted down additional notes on other ways to help Jackie sleep better, especially in the fall.

Molly sat back in the chair, thinking about that. It was September now, and Phoebe had died two weeks ago. She'd been preoccupied before that with Caroline and her own health issues. She probably hadn't thought about Jackie at all.

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