Lowdown Pawn Shop Leprechauns: A Flea Market Magic Mystery by Madison Shawntelle

Author:Madison, Shawntelle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Valkyrie Rising Press
Published: 2023-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

After that lovely phone call with Wilhelm, the sunshine and clear skies did nothing to brighten my mood. Even the packages waiting on my doorstep—like the bright red blender and Happier Holidays case—were a reminder of my faults instead of the positive things I had going for myself.

To ensure my mood didn’t drag my poor husband down with it, I headed over to my parents’ house. The mid-summer sun had yet to set, but the sounds of laughter and the TV floated out of the Colonial’s open windows. Mom had already cooked dinner, but nobody would balk if I warmed up a plate.

When I walked in, I found Dad on his recliner. The familiar sight made me grin. Dad’s socked feet were propped up, his smile carefree. Whenever I came home late from hanging out with friends, he used to wait for me like that.

“Hey, Dad.” I patted his arm.

“Is Thorn with you?” he asked.

“Not this time. I wanted to see everyone by myself.”

“Get something to eat, then come sit with me.” He gestured to the TV with his remote. “The good part is coming soon.”

“Sure thing.” I was already at ease. My parents’ place was magical like that.

Grandma and Mom quietly chatted in the kitchen, so I headed that way. My nose told me Mom had made stuffed peppers and rice. Every now and then, she mixed things up and skipped the meat. Instead of finding them enjoying a conversation over dessert, the two women examined a bunch of stuff on the table.

I glanced over Mom’s shoulder. “What are you doing?”

A small stack of papers were filled with Grandma’s chicken scratch notes in Russian, while other piles of maps and library books were scattered from one corner to another. Some notes were faded as if Grandma had collected them for a long time.

“Just some research.” Mom used her backside to bump me out of the way.

“Research on what?” I picked up an old Maine map from the 1880s. “You have quite the haul here. What are you looking for?”

“I remembered something not too long ago,” Grandma murmured. “Your mom’s helping me search for a very special shop.”

I laughed a bit. “I live for this kind of thing. Why not ask me?”

“You’ve got enough on your plate.” Mom prepared some hot tea and pushed a cup into my hands. “Take your grandma into the living room. Your father is watching her favorite show.”

“Mom, every show is her favorite.” I held the steaming cup for a bit and stared her down with suspicion. What were those two doing? “Why does Grandma need to find that shop?”

“Go, go.” Mom twisted my shoulders around, gave me a hard peck on the cheek, and sent me on my way.

Not long after, I joined my babushka on the couch as she watched recordings of old Russian TV game shows with Dad. Two hours of hearing my grandma guffaw at the contestants’ antics did my heart good. And who wouldn’t feel better seeing some dude

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.