Three days had passed since the heart attack. Elizabeth was propped in a partial sitting position in bed with the mattress slightly elevated, her head resting on a pillow. Though the purplish bruise on her temple was still evident on her slightly pasty complexion, one of the IVs had been cleared away and only the heart monitor remained.
“You’re looking less tangled up today,” Garnet remarked.
“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed. “They took some of the tubes away this morning. They say I may even be able to go home next week.”
“Next week!” Dan said. “That’s quick.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I’ll need some hired help, of course. Maybe Gerdie will agree to stay with me for a while. We’ll see. In any case, if our search for the jewels goes the right way, it wouldn’t be for long. My roommate here has nearly convinced me that retirement-home living isn’t all that bad. Isn’t that right, Anna?” she said, smiling at the woman in the bed across from her.
But Anna, a slim woman with freckles and short, pinkish hair, around the same age as Elizabeth, was not paying attention. Her eyes were fixed on Garnet. Only when she realized that Elizabeth was waiting for a reply did she pull her gaze away and blink.
“Pardon?”
“I said, the retirement home isn’t all that bad,” Elizabeth said.
“No, no, it’s wonderful,” Anna said with a hint of a French accent. “There are daily activities and the food is delicious. Better than the food here, that’s for sure,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Anna, these are my young friends. Dan was a former music student of mine and Garnet is my guardian angel.”
Garnet’s head swung around. “Oh, Elizabeth ...”
“No, no, it’s true. If you hadn’t found me, I’d be, well ...” Her voice trailed off.
“Anyone would have done the same,” Garnet insisted.
“Don’t count on that,” Elizabeth said. “Not in this day and age. There are people in this world who only look out for themselves.”
Garnet regarded her more closely. “Elizabeth, do you remember anything about the day you had the heart attack?”
She thought for a moment. “Not really. Sometimes a vision comes to mind but then it’s gone again and I can’t identify it. No, I don’t remember.”
“Do you know anyone who drives a blue BMW?” Dan asked.
“No, I don’t think so.”
Garnet wondered whether Elizabeth didn’t know or whether she simply didn’t remember after the trauma she had suffered. The recollection of the smashed vase and Elizabeth lying on the floor in the front entrance after that car drove away was certainly still fresh in Garnet’s mind. Perhaps it was too soon after the heart attack to risk upsetting her with any further questions about what had happened, but once she regained her strength, Garnet was determined to get some answers.
“Elizabeth, Dan and I’ve been looking around the house and were wondering about the clock in the library. How do you wind it?”
“That old thing? It never did work. I just keep it on the mantel because it looks nice.”
“How often do you wind the other clocks?” Garnet asked.
“The porcelain one in the living room, once every five days. The grandfather clock, about once a week.”
Garnet caught Anna looking at her again and frowned.
“I’m sorry,” Anna said, appearing slightly embarrassed. “But you remind me of my granddaughter, Jenny, though she’s a little older than you. She’s in university now.”
A woman in a blue uniform arrived with a trolley, carrying covered trays of lunch. She pressed the button on Elizabeth’s bed to elevate her to a full sitting position before she wheeled the tabletop over and placed a tray on top of it. She delivered one to Anna in the same manner and left the room. Elizabeth peeked under the lid of the dish.
“Mmm. Would you look at that? Prime rib roast smothered in a peppercorn gravy with roasted potatoes and dilled carrots on the side. For dessert we have cherry cheesecake.”
Anna lifted the lid on her tray. “Oh,” she gasped, and she clapped her hands. “And I have a chicken cordon bleu with duchess potatoes and tender green beans in a creamy herbed sauce. And for dessert, my favourite: chocolate mousse. Only the finest cuisine for us!”
The two women looked at each other and giggled like schoolgirls. Garnet bent her head to see as Elizabeth lifted the lid all the way off, and wrinkled her nose. A piece of skinless overcooked chicken thigh, with mashed potatoes and cooked peas and carrots, was the only entrée visible. On the side for dessert was a portion of fruit cocktail.
“Time to go,” Dan said, “and let these ladies enjoy their fine dining. Bon appétit!”
The sound of the ladies’ laughter followed them as Garnet and Dan made their way down the hospital corridor.
“Want some lunch?” Dan asked when they reached the car. “My treat.”
“Okay.” Garnet’s heart flipped an unexpected somersault. Calm down, she told herself. It’s not a date. It’s just two people going for lunch because they’re hungry. She couldn’t help but wonder, though, what Laura would think if she knew.
They settled on the Harvey’s drive-through and ordered burgers, fries, and soft drinks. Dan paid, then drove to Victoria Park where they found a picnic table under a shady willow beside the lake. They sat down side by side and unwrapped their burgers. A family of ducks swam by as they ate.
“So, how’d you decide you wanted to study business?” Garnet asked.
“Oh, well, I think I always knew. I’ve always been interested in how the economy works: stock market ups and downs, marketing. What about you? What do you want to do?”
“Don’t have a clue,” Garnet replied. “I haven’t really thought much about it and anyway, I have two more years to decide. I’m just trying to get through the next few weeks so I don’t have to go to summer school.”
“But you must be interested in something,” Dan said, taking a sip of his Coke.
Garnet tilted her head. “I like old things,” she said. “I like restoring antique furniture to how it might have once looked. I like imagining how people used to live and what their hardships might have been. I like history, I guess.”
Dan nodded. “History’s interesting. It’s good to know what happened in the past to go forward into the future. That’s what my grandfather says, anyway,” he said, shrugging.
“Hmm. Never thought of that. Maybe that’s why my mother’s so stuck in her own search right now. She’s been looking for her father,” Garnet explained. “She thought he died when she was small and before my grandmother remarried. Then a few weeks ago, she found out that her parents actually divorced, and now she’s trying to find out if her father’s still alive. Sometimes when I watch her on the computer, she seems so absorbed, it’s like she’s paralyzed. Same with Elizabeth. She won’t sell that house until a piece of the past has been found.”
“It’s probably because they’re older,” said Dan.
“Nah, I don’t think so. Sometimes I think I get a little stuck, too.”
“You do? Why?”
Garnet pushed a loose red curl away from her eyes. “I don’t know. Sometimes, I guess I wish things would just stay the same. I mean, I know that some things get better with change, but some don’t, and that’s when I wish I could just coast or go back, you know? Like moving. My mom and I move a lot and I hate it. I hate always starting over. I wish we could have stayed where we were — or move back. I loved Owen Sound.” She dipped a fry into her ketchup and took a bite, thinking of Amy and their fizzling friendship.
“But change is what life’s all about.” Dan turned and looked straight at her. “I mean, it’s true that some changes aren’t so great and you wish you could coast or go back, as you said. But imagine if nothing were ever different. Life would be boring. There’d be no new technology, no computers. We’d still be using the horse and cart. You said before that you like to think about the hardships people had years ago. Well, try to imagine how they lived day to day. Some people call them ’the good old days,’ but were they really that good?”
Garnet shrugged. “Not when you put it that way. And anyway, it’s not what I meant. What I meant was, some things were good and are worth holding on to. Some things were simpler back then and I like to be reminded of that. Like when my mom and I refinish an antique chair with a good frame. We strip down the crackled layers of paint to see what’s underneath, and take out the horsehair stuffing. Then we refinish the wood, re-stuff the seat, and put new fabric on it. You can still appreciate the chair for what it once was and you keep it.”
“Yeah, but don’t forget, when you fix up that chair, the frame’s the only thing that’s still the same. Everything else is new. It’s like that old chair’s getting a fresh start.”
The ducks came around to circle the lake again and Dan and Garnet tidied up the empty wrappings.
Dan looked at Garnet. “Um, you’ve got a bit of mustard,” he said, pointing to the corner of his mouth.
Her hand flew to her face and she rubbed the indicated spot.
“Other side.”
She stuck out her tongue and licked her top lip, then rubbed again.
“Gone,” Dan said, but his eyes didn’t leave her. Garnet frowned. “Is there anything else?”
Dan gave her a lopsided grin. “Yeah, you’ve got red all over your face. And it’s not ketchup.”
Garnet rolled her eyes and groaned. “I hate it. I wish I wouldn’t blush so easily. Another curse that goes with being a redhead.”
“A curse?” Dan said. “I like your hair.”
“Oh, well, uh, thanks.” Garnet lowered her eyes and quickly turned to pick up the soft drink cups. They found a trash can and threw the garbage in.
“Want to go for a walk?” Dan asked.
“Sure.”
They found the trail, shaded by overhanging maples, and began to stroll along. Dan’s hand brushed against Garnet’s and she felt her heart quicken as he took her hand in his.
They walked in silence for a few moments before Dan spoke.
“Garnet?”
“Yeah?” Her voice sounded strange to her own ears.
“I was wondering ...” He stopped and turned to face her. “Would you go to the formal with me?”
Garnet’s eyes widened. “The formal? With you?” Had she heard correctly?
Dan nodded. “Unless you’re already going.”
“No. I mean, yeah. I mean, okay.” Her head was spinning. “But what about ...?” She stopped herself in time. What about Laura, she was going to say. Why wasn’t he asking her? Garnet could only imagine how heads would turn when he, Dan Peters, arrived at the formal with her, Garnet Walcott, gawky fifteen-year-old nobody.
Dan looked confused. “What about what?”
“Nothing,” she replied.
“So ... you’ll go with me?”
Garnet smiled. “Yeah.”
Dan smiled back and squeezed her hand. Then he gently pulled her to him and bent his head. He brushed his lips lightly against her cheek before pulling back. He looked down at her, his eyes, blue as the sky. He bent his head again, this time kissing her fully on the lips. How soft and warm his lips were, Garnet marvelled as she kissed him back. She felt as though she were floating, and never wanted this moment to end.
Just then, three boys came tearing down the trail on their bicycles, forcing Dan and Garnet to quickly move aside.
“Ooh, smoochy smoochy,” one jeered as he rode by.
“Kissy, kissy,” said another, making kissing sounds before he spat on the ground.
“Get a room!” said the third one. The boys laughed at this as they disappeared around the curve of the trail.
Garnet’s face felt hot. “How embarrassing.”
Dan chuckled. “Aw, they’re only about twelve. They probably do that every day.”
“How do you know? Do you come here every day, doing this?” she teased.
“No, but I think I’d like to.” Dan grinned and tugged at her hand. “Come on, let’s go.”