Page 21 of An Island Summer
Meghan looked into the closet again, wondering where it had come from, but she couldn’t find anything amiss.
Tess came back in with the envelope, and Meghan pulled out the small key, slipping it right in. “Ha!” she laughed. “What are the odds?” She ruffled Charlie’s fur. “You found it—good boy!” Charlie’s tail wagged furiously.
Unlatching the small door, Meghan peered inside. She pulled out a black velvet jewelry box and opened it up. “Oh, wow,” she said, peering down at a pair of diamond and emerald dangly earrings.
“Now, those are some pretty fancy fishing lures,” Tess said, leaning closer to view them.
Meghan only half smiled, the joke not registering as she moved the box in the light to make the diamonds sparkle. “They were my grandmother’s,” she said, remembering seeing the earrings in her grandmother’s jewelry box. Years ago, when she was about twelve, she’d reached for them and her mother had stopped her.Not those, she’d said.They were Nanna’s favorites. They’re real gemstones.
“When I was little, I used to dress up in my grandmother’s fancy clothes from when she was younger.” The memory wrapped her up like a warm hug. She and her mother would pull Nanna’s dresses from the back of the closet and Meghan would put them on, wobbling in her high heels while she bunched up the dress to see herself in the mirror. “She died when I was about eight, so I never really got to know her very well.”
“They look awfully formal,” Tess said. “Hard to believe someone with those earrings would live in this secluded little beach shack on the edge of the ocean.”
A swell of happiness rose in her chest. “Pappy was worth it. He was a well-spoken, intelligent man.” She toyed with the box. “He traveled the world for about a year. He visited exotic places. I remember him telling me about a secret island off the coast of Croatia that he adored. But at the end of the day, he believed in a simpler life—ten minutes with him and he’d have you completely convinced that this was the only place you wanted to be.” She set the box down on the table, the gemstones shimmering between them. “He used to have a saying:At the end of the day, all we have is the only thing we really need—love.I haven’t thought about that in a long time, but he’s so right.” In that moment, she knew that was the real thing pulling at her day in and day out. She’d lost the last person to really show her love.
“He must have been a great guy,” Tess said.
“He was,” Meghan said.
“I wonder where your nanna wore these…?” Tess said as she studied the earrings.
“Mama told me once that my grandmother knew all the wealthiest people on the island, and she and Pappy were known to have attended a fancy dinner party or two.” A grin spread across Meghan’s face. “Mama said Pappy wasn’t thrilled about getting dressed up, but he’d do anything for Nanna.”
“What was your nanna’s name?” Tess asked.
“Audrey.”
“Like Audrey Hepburn,” Tess said, batting her eyelashes.
Meghan laughed, but then sobered. She’d had so many family members that she’d never had a chance to grow up with. “I wish I could have known her better.” With a deep sigh, she closed the jewelry box.
“What else is in there?” Tess asked.
Meghan peered into the small container once more, an insignificant piece of paper lying at the very back. She pulled it out and unfolded it, revealing three numbers: 34-26-19.
“No explanation?”
“It’s smeared,” Meghan said, squinting at the words above the numbers to try to make them out. “Pi… something. And then a word ending in S. It’s probably nothing.”
“See? Pi… Maybe I was partially correct and it’s his Pick-3 Lottery numbers,” Tess said. “You should definitely play them.”
With a lighthearted huff, Meghan placed the paper back into the box. “It’s probably his locker combination at the marina. I’m sure he just wanted me to have the earrings.”
“They’re sooo pretty,” Tess said.
“Yes, they are,” Meghan replied, thinking she’d probably never go anywhere that would require gorgeous gemstones like those.
NINE
On her way in to see Rupert the next morning, she met one of his nurses in the lobby. “Rupert has responded quite well since your two visits,” the woman said. “He’s done everything he’s supposed to do.”
“That’s wonderful,” Meghan said, joy filling her right up.
“I’m about to update the doctors on his care. Would you mind sitting in with me to answer a few questions about Hester Quinn and his state when he’s in his fantasies? It would be really quick.”
She struggled with the nurse’s request, the idea that there would be a record of her visit giving her pause, but at the end of the day, the nurse had said herself that Meghan’s visits were helpful. “Sure,” she said, following the woman.
The nurse clapped her hands together. “Excellent. Why don’t you stop by his room and let him know you’ll be back with him shortly?”
