Angel's Rest(51)

As she donned the Christmas gift Sage had given her in the bedroom Celeste had assigned to her, Nic glanced in the mirror and finally shook off her blue mood. Okay, maybe Sage’s idea wasn’t so stupid after all. Feeling delightfully silly, Nic headed downstairs. At the second-floor landing, she paused and eyed the banister. Dressed like this, she was tempted to slide her way to the ground floor.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Sarah said from the ground floor below. “I wanted to do it, too.”

Nic looked at her friend and laughed. “Oh my gosh, Sarah. You look ten years old.”

Like Nic, she wore fleece footed pajamas, green frogs against a pink background print. “I think I look darling.”

“You do look darling. We both look darling.”

“That yellow looks good on you. I love the puppies.”

“Thank you.” Then, indulging in her inner child, she balanced her butt on the banister and slid her way to the floor. She and Sarah both were laughing when they entered Celeste’s drawing room to find Sage and Celeste already waiting for them. Noting the prints on their pajamas—butterflies for Sage and angels for Celeste—Nic shook her head and asked, “How perfect. Where did you find these, Sage?”

“A little store in New England. The owner bought one of my butterfly paintings, and she sent me my pair with a note saying that my work inspired her.”

“Well, I love my pair,” Celeste said, holding out a foot and wriggling it. “They’re so soft and warm and perfect for a slumber party. Now, y’all take a look at the sideboard and tell me if I’ve forgotten anything.”

Nic spied chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, pimento cheese sandwiches, popcorn, peanuts, chips, crackers, and party mix. “I get a stomachache just looking at all that food.”

“Not me,” Sarah said, filling a plate with fats and calories. “I’m starving. I was running late leaving Gunnison, and I didn’t stop for dinner.”

Celeste offered her a kindly smile. “I’ll bet your mother loved her room. Meadows Place is a wonderful facility.”

Earlier today, Sarah had taken her mother to a memory-care assisted-living facility for a week of respite care—Sarah’s Christmas gift from Celeste. Sarah had been reluctant to keep the reservation until Nic and Sage lobbied long enough to convince her that Ellen Reese would enjoy the activities the five-star facility had to offer. “It’s a great place, Celeste, and a too-generous gift.”

“Nonsense. Every woman deserves a week of pampering now and then.”

“Here, here,” Sage said, snagging a cookie off Sarah’s plate. “Now, what’s this big surprise you promised us, Celeste? The one that’s supposed to make us forget we are sitting in footie pajamas drinking hot cider with nary a man in sight on New Year’s Eve?”

Nic tossed a piece of popcorn at her. “Hey, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t this sleepover your idea? Didn’t you buy these PJs specifically for tonight?”

“Yes. You’re right. My bad. It’s because of the date from hell last New Year’s Eve.”

Sarah spoke to Celeste. “If we stay up late and get silly, ask her to do her imitation of Gareth Hollingsworth the Third.”

“No.” Now Sage threw popcorn back at Sarah. “I promised I wouldn’t make fun of him anymore. It wasn’t kind.”

“He’s a man. You don’t have to be kind.” Nic dropped down into her favorite chair in the room, the wooden rocker that felt like it had been made for her butt. “Except when it comes to Colt Rafferty. I love this chair. The man is an artist with wood.”

Sage wrinkled her nose, her usual reaction to the mention of Colt Rafferty. The woman had a competitive streak a mile long when it came to her art. Nic found it amusing to watch.

“The surprise, Celeste?” Sage repeated before Nic could think of a good way to tease her further about Colt.

Celeste nodded and lifted an envelope from the mantel. “As you may know, a few weeks ago I contacted Jack Davenport in search of any information he might have regarding our Cellar Bride. As a result of that query, he provided me letters written by Daniel Murphy to Jack’s great-great-grandfather, Lucien Davenport. One of them proved quite illuminating.”

“Awesome,” Sarah said.

Celeste continued, “Nic, would you read it aloud for me?”

Nic wiped her fingers on a paper napkin, then accepted the envelope from Celeste. Paper crinkled as she carefully removed a folded sheet of paper and opened it. She read aloud: