Page 96 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass

“Let me know if you change your mind.”

“I will.”

Callie looked up as a cold drop hit her on the hand. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye.” She hung up and went inside, breathing in the scent of books and crayons, smiling as she thought of her elementary school days.

Jillian stood from the table she was sitting at—a middle-aged woman with her glasses perched on her nose and her graying hair wrapped in a tight bun. “Good afternoon.” Her smile warmed. “You’re Nathan’s friend.”

Callie smiled. “Yes. Callie.”

“That’s right. Callie. Welcome, and take your time looking for your books. We’ll get you a library card and check you out when you’re ready.”

“Actually, Leah called me at the bakery. She’s stuck on the ferry and asked me to come over and see what I can do to help with the project you’re working on for Grandpa Morris’s retirement party.”

Jillian shook her head apologetically. “Marsha must have put a bug in Leah’s ear that my hands aren’t working so well today. The weather’s not so friendly to them, I’m afraid.”

Callie’s heart went out to the woman as she quickly glanced at swollen joints and a couple of fingers that didn’t bend quite the right way. “I would love to help with anything I can.”

“All right. I’m working on sorting through pictures for the slideshow we’re going to have playing on the computer—something to help us remember years past. Seems fitting for our town historian.”

Callie grinned. “Yes, it does.”

“If you could give me a hand with that, I can scan them in.”

“Yes. Of course.” Callie took off her purple fleece and sat down on the opposite side of the table among the stacks of files.

“I was just getting started, so you’ll have a chance to look through some of our treasured first photos. If you could select fifteen to twenty pictures from each decade, that should give us a nice assortment to run through.”

“I’m still getting to know everyone, so I’m not quite sure which ones are the most important.”

“They’re all important, honey. All of these pictures tell a story about our history. You can’t go wrong.”

“Okay.” Callie started with the protective photo cases farthest away, taking out images from well over a hundred years ago. She studied the serious faces and the 1800’s dress, then turned them over, reading that the man and woman were Charles and Adeline Sanderson. She pulled another photo at random and smiled when she realized it was one of Nate’s decedents. She picked several more, loving it when she found one of Mary Carter. She’d been so young. So pretty with hopeful eyes.

Time passed as Callie made it through the decades and centuries, fascinated by every picture she pulled. Black-and-white photography gave way to colored images. She opened the next folder marked “1990-2000.” She chuckled when she found a shot of a young Nate, Brad, and Molly eating ice cream at the Main Street Diner, then another of Nate as a teenager—maybe fifteen or sixteen—holding hands and smiling with a stunning redhead at the Fall Festival. “Elizabeth,” she whispered. Nate and his ex-wife had been an attractive couple. Callie slid her thumb over his handsome face and could only be thankful fate had brought her to the island to find him. Setting down the photograph, she continued flipping through, finding pictures of a long ago Fourth of July. Marching bands and Gwen on a float, waving as she wore a Little Miss Carter Island sash. Callie found one of Nate’s mother grinning with Mini and Leah. She looked at another of a beautiful blond and her sweet-faced child and set it down.

Frowning, her gaze wandered back to the image, and she picked it up, studying the photograph more closely. The woman wore a red strapless sundress while she sat on a curb by the old church, smiling and cuddling the little girl standing between her legs as the child held a Stars-and-Stripes balloon. Callie’s heart started pounding as she scrutinized the preschooler’s face. The girl with the pigtails looked so much like she had when she’d been a child. And the woman—she looked so similar to Callie now. Her mouth went dry and her stomach pitched as realization struck, and she rushed to her feet. “I have to go.”

Jillian blinked as she looked at her. “But it’s pouring outside, honey.”

Callie looked toward the windows, only now hearing the rain pounding on the roof.

“Is everything okay? Are you feeling all right?”

“Yes. I just—I’m sorry I have to leave.”

“Okay, honey. Thank you. You’ve helped me so much.”

Callie nodded, afraid she was going to be sick. Grabbing her purse and jacket, she headed out into the downpour, protecting the photo beneath her shirt. She got into her seat, glanced at the picture again, and backed out with a squeal of tires. Pressing on the gas, she traveled the quick mile and a half to Nate’s place, slammed on the brakes, and ran to the door, forgetting her items in the vehicle as she let herself inside. She moved into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, shaking as she grabbed her phone from her back pocket and dialed Mom’s number.

“Callie, honey—”

“Mom, I need you to send me a picture.”

“Okay. What’s wrong?”