Housewarming by Jennifer Bowen

Author:Jennifer Bowen [Bowen, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rosefall Publications
Published: 2019-06-09T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

“Ooh, how cute!” Tracy crooned.

She and Kara took in the wide, first-floor storefront window of Buried Treasures. An aged secretary desk was showcased with worn paperbacks and writing implements on its tabletop, set in front of a faux schoolhouse backdrop. Tracy went to the door as Kara stood back on the sidewalk, gazing up at long, narrow windows set into the second and third floors of the lavender building. She froze when she saw the flag suspended from the second floor. Underneath the store’s moniker on it was a whimsical caricature of a frog, squatting with one leg extended to the side and a girl beside it, carrying a parasol.

Tracy pointed at the rusted, brass doorknob that was chest-high. “This is so cute.” She pulled the door open. “How could a kid reach this?”

Kara didn’t comment, but followed her indoors, pretending the flag wasn’t similar to the statue Lilah carried around with her.

Wind chimes over the door tinkled as they entered the store, an open room filled with shelves of miscellanea. Kara looked around, surprised there were no other customers that Saturday afternoon.

“Hi!” They heard the woman before they saw her. Bespectacled, she came out from behind a counter tucked near the back. “Welcome to Buried Treasures. Is there anything I can help you with? I’m running a sale on arrowheads.” She smiled pleasantly, clasping her hands together.

“Hi,” Kara and Tracy replied.

Kara glanced briefly beyond the clerk, taking in the shelves stacked with pails and oil canvases depicting colonials and Redcoats. Tracy didn’t stray far from the entrance, finding interest in a floor-to-ceiling bookcase displaying dolls, dollhouses, and wind-up toy cars.

“We’re just looking,” Kara replied. Browsing through the front of the store, she stopped short, noticing a tin sign on the wall. It depicted a partially-clothed blonde leaning, grinningly, against the hood of a cherry red 1957 Chevy Bel Air.

“Not everything is to everyone’s taste,” the clerk chuckled. “But, I assure you, there’s something you’ll like here.”

“This place is so cute.” Kara moved on, glancing over a glass case carrying an assortment of thimbles made of brass, porcelain, and what looked to be paper. Her eyes drifted upward toward the ceiling, spotting a chandelier with beige-colored lampshades covering eight sconces. It was understated, but elegant. She knew it’d be perfect in her foyer. “Is that for sale?”

The clerk nodded enthusiastically. “My dear, everything’s for sale.” She came over and looked for a price tag, but when she saw there wasn’t one, she bobbed her head. “I’ve got everything catalogued in back. If you give me a moment, I’ll let you know just how much it is.” She went toward the back of the shop and pointed at Tracy on her way. “Your friend also seems to have found something of interest.”

Kara looked over, seeing Tracy had moved further into the store, squatting now, moving toy animals around a gray four-foot plastic barn. “Funny how it’s gray and not red.”

“Hmm?” Kara raised her eyebrows, walking toward her.

Tracy carefully opened and closed a hinged barn window.

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