Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson

Author:Melanie Dobson [Dobson, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Christian / Historical, FICTION / Romance / Historical / 20th Century
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2018-09-04T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

“Story Girl!”

Ella Nemeth races toward me. I’m standing on a stool instead of reading from one, placing a boxful of new arrivals in their proper place.

As I climb down, Ella twirls to display the pink ribbon around her ponytail, then motions toward a couple in their sixties standing near the door behind her.

The man is dressed in neatly pressed khaki shorts with a button-down shirt, his brown hair graying at the temples. The woman beside him has on a paisley sundress, the hem nearly reaching her tan-colored sandals. Her copper hair is clipped short, her nose the same shade as her hair, as if she’s plagued by a cold.

The woman sneezes into the crook of her arm, confirming my thoughts.

“Who are these fine people?” I ask as Ella reaches for my hand, tugging me toward them.

“Grammy and Gramps.”

“It’s better than Grumps,” the man says with a smile before he shakes my hand. “Peter and Lottie Nemeth.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Nemeth.”

“Likewise,” he says. “And please call us Peter and Lottie. It makes us feel younger.”

I decide right then that I like Dr. Nemeth’s parents. “Are you from Columbus?”

“Atlanta is our official home, but Ella is our only grandchild, so Columbus is like home for us as well.”

“Josh said he emailed you a few days ago about their adventure,” Lottie says.

I nod. “He told me they found a wooden box in Lake Grundlsee that looked promising, but when they recovered it, all they found inside were milk bottles.”

“I never believed Leo’s story,” Peter says, “but he convinced Josh and my other two sons that Hallstatt and those other Austrian lakes were stocked with treasure.”

Lottie blows her nose. “Josh and his team are arriving in Hallstatt today.”

I already know this but don’t say so, worried that they might wonder about the relationship between their son and me. Dr. Nemeth has been keeping me informed about the team’s expeditions in the surrounding lakes and his search for Annika’s family.

Ella tugs on my shirt. “Are you reading a story soon?”

“No.” I stack the books onto an empty shelf. “We have story time on Saturdays.”

Her lower lip trembles as if this is catastrophic news, and when she wipes her sleeve across her eyes, my heart begins to plunge.

Lottie leans over, whispering to me. “She’s missing her dad.”

Ah. Sad and sweet alike that she misses her dad. At her age, I’d always been thrilled to see mine walking out the door.

And it makes me wonder—why isn’t she missing her mother as well? Dr. Nemeth has yet to mention his wife in our correspondence. If she stayed behind with Ella, where is she today when her daughter’s heart is breaking?

I glance at the empty rug near the back of the store. “Any day is a good day for a story, isn’t it?”

Ella pumps her head slowly at first and then deliberately, rubbing the back of her hand over her eyes again.

“Would you like me to read one right now?” I ask her.

“Yes, please.”

I look up at her grandparents.

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