Ink and Shadows(Secret, Book, & Scone Society #4)(3)

“Where do you want this, ma’am?” asked the older man.

“Put it in the window, please.” Celeste said. Her tone was surprisingly light considering how upset she’d just been. “I’ll use it as a display. There aren’t any mistakes in art. Only marvelous new creations.”

As the men carried the wing inside, Sheldon mopped his brow with a handkerchief. He was still breathing heavily.

“Go back to the shop and put your feet up,” Nora whispered to him. “You’re as white as that angel.”

Sheldon bobbed his head at Celeste. “Excuse me, neighbor, but when my skin goes from Greek god bronze to blanched almond, it’s my cue to leave. I hope the rest of your move is uneventful.”

While Celeste thanked Sheldon for his concern, Nora stared down at the angel.

The hair that framed her face was wavy and fell all the way to the embroidered belt at her waist. Attached to the belt was a thick chain. The chain reached the hem of the woman’s floor-length skirts, and the last link was broken. The angel’s hands were cupped, and the stalk of a leafy plant was tucked under her left arm. Though she reminded Nora of the statues in European church naves, there was something modern about the woman’s expression.

She isn’t humble.

The angel’s gaze was direct. Unflinching. Her chin was raised. Was she confident? Or defiant?

“Does Juliana have a story?” she asked Celeste.

The question clearly pleased Celeste. “She sure does. It’s my story too. And my daughter’s.” Her face glowed with pride. “For many generations, the women in my family have been called Juliana. Sometimes, as a first name. Sometimes, as a middle name. That’s how important she is to us. She and I are centuries apart, but we share the same passion. She devoted her life to healing, and almost all of her descendants have followed in her footsteps.”

The workmen reappeared on the sidewalk with more rope. They eyed the sculpture warily before winding rope around her torso.

“What’s with the chain?” one of them asked.

There was a far-off look in Celeste’s blue eyes. “Some say she was chained to a devil. Others say it was a dragon. Since I sculpted her, I decided to set her free.”

The younger workman frowned. “Why not just get rid of the chain?”

Celeste glanced at Nora before answering, “Because once you’ve danced with a devil—or been burned by dragon fire— you don’t ever want to go near those things again. The chains are there as reminders.”

“Shit, I’d rather tie a string around my finger,” the man said.

A movement in the window directly above the store’s entrance caught Nora’s attention. Shielding her eyes against the sun’s glare, she looked up and saw a milk-pale face and dark eyes peering down at her. The ghostlike vision drew a finger across its throat before smiling in delight.

Suddenly, Nora’s burn scars began to tingle. The sensation started on the back of her hand and traveled up her arm to her neck. It crept over her cheek and forehead, even though a plastic surgeon had erased those scars over a year ago.

“I’d better go,” Nora stammered to Celeste. “Good luck with everything.”

She shot a glance at the second-story window, but no one was there.

Nora turned and started walking fast, eager to get back to Miracle Books. Her skin was still tingling like crazy.

Must be prickly heat.

At the end of the block, the tingling turned to itching. Nora put her hand to her forehead. Her hairline was damp. She needed to get out of the sun. She’d left her hat inside the shop and though she always wore sunscreen, she probably needed to reapply it.

As she paused under the welcome shade of the hardware store awning, the itching stopped. She now felt the weight of eyes on her back.

Was Celeste watching her?

Or the person who’d made the throat-cutting gesture?

The tickly feeling of being watched stayed with Nora until she entered the bookstore.

“And you said I was pale,” Sheldon cried from behind the espresso machine. “The ghost emoji on my phone is tanner than you. Sit down. I’ll get you water.”

Five minutes and a glass of water later, Nora was herself again.

“That was weird—for both of us to get overheated like that,” she said. “At nine thirty in the morning?”

“Not really. I skipped breakfast and you went on a hike before work. I need food and you need fluids. Doctor Vega is in the house.”

Nora waved a hand, dismissing the subject. “Is the paper back there? I think I saw a short piece about Soothe on the front page.”

With the paper in hand, Sheldon sat down in the purple chair opposite Nora’s mustard-colored velour chair. Three other mismatched chairs formed a circle around a glass coffee table. This was the readers’ circle, the most popular place in the shop.

“All right, children, are you ready for storytime?” Sheldon cleared his throat and began to read. “‘The Greene Building has a new tenant. Ms. Celeste Leopold has signed a three-year lease on the retail space and two-bedroom apartment. Ms. Leopold’s boutique, Soothe, an eclectic mix of merchandise meant to reduce stress and take the sting out of chronic pain, will open in late September. Soothe will also stock organic food and drinks in the form of CBD comfort muffins and anti-inflammatory teas.’”