Treasure on Lilac Lane - SAMPLE

Chapter Two

Jess sat behind the cash register, her hands busy with knitting needles and a ball of super-soft, pale yellow yarn. Foot traffic was slow this morning at her store, and it gave her time to work on the blanket she'd started knitting way back in June.

Summer in Jewell Cove was always busy—a frenetic crush of tourists descending on the pretty seaside town for whale boat tours, sea kayaking, and lying on the beach. The waterfront was generally crowded on sunny days—kids begging for an ice cream cone from Sally's Dairy Shack, families taking over the picnic tables on the grassy fringes with platters of fish and chips or lobster rolls from the Battered Up canteen. On Thursday nights in August, a local drama group put on Shakespeare in the Park at Memorial Square, in the shadow of the statue of Edward Jewell, the town's founder.

It was Jess's most lucrative time of year, too, and for the most part she loved it. Her store, Treasures, was always bustling with people looking for handmade local items. She enjoyed meeting them, listening to different accents, learning where they were from. She enjoyed the long days of sunshine, the way the sun sparkled off the water of the bay, and the crazy riot of blooms which happened up and down Main Street. Window boxes and planters were always a profusion of petunias, geraniums, impatiens, and trailing lobelia.

But she loved this time of year, too—late September, right before the leaves turned into a glorious kaleidoscope of color. It was like a brief oasis of calm between the busy seasons of summer and autumn. The air cooled, and the front stoops were decorated with the hardier potted mums. The gardens let go of their brazen summer hues and settled into the more sedate colors of asters and goldenrod.

The fall lineup of workshops she held at the back of the store would start in another week or so. Then there was the quilting club at the church, where she coordinated different projects for the quilt show in the spring, which in turn made a fair bit of money for the women's group and attracted visitors from all along the midcoast. When winter arrived, Jess could really focus on her first love—creating many of the items that graced her store shelves. Beaded jewelry, soaps, scented candles, felted articles. But for now, she was enjoying the time to herself before all the leaf watchers descended en masse to admire the fall colors in Jewell Cove.

Her first project was to finish the soft blanket she'd begun when she'd found out her sister, Sarah, was pregnant, then put aside when Sarah miscarried. It felt wrong to have those stitches sitting on the needles, incomplete. Jess planned to finish it and pack it away. When the time was right, she'd pass it on to someone. She figured she'd know when. And who. Life was funny that way.

Besides, maybe she could save it for her almost cousin-in-law, Abby. Abby Foster had inherited the legendary Foster mansion up on Blackberry Hill and in a few short months had managed to steal the heart of the town's most eligible bachelor, Jess's cousin Tom. Jess was particularly happy for them. Both had had their share of heartbreak, but Abby was perfect for Tom. Abby fit right in with their family and felt like another sister. It was hard to believe she hadn't always lived in Jewell Cove. Jess figured they might not wait too long to start a family of their own.

The door to the shop opened, bringing with it a gust of sea air. Speak of the devil, Jess thought with a smile.

"Morning, Jess." Abby smiled brightly. As of course she would. Her wedding to Tom was only a few weeks away.

"Hi, Abs. What brings you by this morning? Say muffins. Please."

Abby lifted a bag of muffins. "Straight from the bakery. Raspberry cream cheese."

Bingo. "You're a mind reader. I'll put on some tea."

In the summer months they'd gone through this routine occasionally, only with iced tea or lemonade and in between customers. Jess slipped to the back room and switched on the kettle. "How're wedding plans going?" she called out.