“I was in the middle of something important. Is everything okay?”
Emma blew out a breath, and her eyes swept over a few more books, a strange niggling in the center of her stomach. “Yeah, it’s fine, I think. I was at the library. I thought I’d brush up on the eclipse since it’s a rare event and all, and I heard these women talking about some treasure.”
Henry sighed. “Since when do you pay attention to idle gossip?”
“Since it has to do with our family.”
Henry’s voice was stiff when he spoke again. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact they seem to be under the impression that the eclipse is going to reveal the whereabouts of the infamous Sullivan family treasure. Any idea what it could be?”
He was quiet for so long that Emma thought he’d hung up.
Slowly, she pulled the phone away from her and pressed it back again. “Hello? Are you still there?”
“You shouldn’t waste your time on imagined myths and folklore. There’s plenty of books here if you want to learn about the eclipse.”
Emma twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Well, yeah, I know it’s probably not true, but I thought you might have some idea of why this rumor started or how to get to the bottom of it.”
Whenever she caught snippets of conversation around town, it was all anyone could talk about.
At least it gave them something else to fixate on, other than her impromptu trip.
Emma hated being the center of attention—she always had—and digging into the lore of local myths and traditions gave her something else to focus on.
Having to deal with her parents was bad enough on its own, but being forced to interact with them around the holidays, a time that carried too many painful memories of bare Christmas trees, half-wrapped presents, and whispered arguments behind closed doors, was too much. She had imagined her parents had moved past treating the holidays like any other day. During her last years in the house, they’d made a conscious effort to turn things around, having been determined to get into the Christmas spirit.
Why had they regressed?
It almost made her want to go back to the comfort of Boston.
In the hustle and bustle of the city, she could barely hear her own thoughts, much less have time to dwell on them.
Rockport was different.
Shewas different.
Hours later, with Henry gone on one of his usual moonlight outings, Emma crept into his study and rifled through the drawers. When she found an annotated map in a hiddencompartment, she held it up to the window and snapped a few pictures. Jules’s voice jolted her back to the present, and she hastily rolled up the map and shoved it back. In the living room, Jules and Marie were curled up on the couch whileThe Holidayplayed in the background.
Emma reached for the scarf and hat behind the door. “I’m going to the library to get some work done. Don’t wait up for me.”
Jules stuffed a handful of buttered popcorn in her mouth and twisted to look at her. “Now? Are they even still open?”
“For another hour or two.” Emma wound the scarf around her neck and pulled the hat over her ears. Then, she shoved her arms into the gray puffer jacket and swatted a wayward lock of hair out of her eyes. “Don’t stop the movie on my account. Do you want me to pick up anything on the way back, Mom?”
Marie glanced over her shoulder, a soft smile playing on the edge of her lips. “No, thank you, sweetheart. Good luck with your work.”
Emma stuffed her feet into a pair of boots and unlocked the door.
As soon as she set foot outside, a blast of cold wind hit her in the face, making her eyes water. She rubbed her hands together, considering going back inside, and frowned. Trudging through the snow-covered lawn, she was panting by the time she made it to the car. Emma was still cold when she pulled up to the empty parking spot across the street from the library.
Inside, it smelled like candy canes and cinnamon-scented air freshener.
Emma was still rubbing her fingers and blowing hot air onto them when she collided with a small figure, and they both nearly ended up sprawled on the ground. At the last second, she righted herself, and her hand darted out to help the librarian,who looked up into Emma’s face and squeaked, her hazel eyes growing wide as saucers.
“I’d heard you were back.” Marley pushed her glasses up her nose and tugged on the edges of her red sweater. “I was hoping to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too, Marley.” Emma’s lips lifted into a half-smile. “I didn’t know you worked here.”
