Chapter III Part III
It felt strange going about mundane things like going shopping. However, a glance in the refrigerator had shown Grace that Brigitte had had to throw almost everything away. Fortunately, there was a small shop around the corner where she could buy essentials. She mainly opted for frozen food. If she was honest, she was looking forward to being able to make herself comfortable on the couch later. Without a lots of work and without pressure.
Grace had packed most of the groceries away when the doorbell rang. She looked up in surprise before setting the toast aside and making her way downstairs. From the spiral staircase she could see a young woman with fiery red, chin long hair standing in front of the door. She wore a red coat that clashed with the color of her hair a little. She wore black lipstick on her lips. She glanced in curiously, evidently noticing Grace. With a smile, she raised her hand in greeting. Irritated, Grace went to the door and opened it.
"Yes, please?"
"You're Grace aren't you? Hi, I'm Sidney Evellyn's employee."
"Oh, I ... can I help you in any way?"
"Well, I thought, since I'm already being paid, I can come over and see if I can help with anything. I wanted to call, but then I thought that you might not answer the phone at all. I would find it strange to do anyway. "
"That's right. To be honest ... I have no idea if there's anything to be done. You'd better come in first."
Apparently Sidney wouldn't be told twice, because she immediately accepted the invitation. She took off her coat. Underneath she wore a black sweater with a round neckline and a black skirt.
"I'm sorry for attacking you like that. I just couldn't sit around at home. Since Evellyn's dead ...", Sidney squirmed before sighing, "My condolences. That was certainly very surprising."
"That it was. Can I offer you something? A coffee or something else?"
"Oh coffee, that would be great."
Together the two women went upstairs to the kitchen and Grace started to make the coffee. Meanwhile Sidney wandered onto the balcony. Grace had the feeling that she had been up here a few times, the way she moved through the rooms. Mr. Steel said Evellyn and her clerk had gotten along well.
"Did you know Evellyn was sick?" Asked Grace.
"I knew that she would get dizzy sometimes and that she could no longer lift heavy things. She then told Kyle, me or Bjorn to do that."
"Bjorn?"
Grace started looking for the name in her head.
"Oh, Mr. Steel."
Sidney came back into the kitchen and leaned against the counter.
"I only found out that she was so sick when she got to the hospital. To be honest, I thought she would be back soon."
Sidney looked down at the floor, embarrassed. Grace wanted to say something, but she couldn't really think of what to say. Apparently Evellyn had really tried not to burden anyone with it.
"I wish she'd talked to someone about it. I kept telling her that she was overcharging herself."
Sidney shook her head before looking a little startled at Grace.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to sound insulting or anything. It was just ..."
She shrugged her shoulders somewhat helplessly. Grace couldn't help but smile. When she thought about it, she probably wouldn't have told Evellyn otherwise.
"It's okay. Brigitte has already told me something similar. And my family didn't know anything until she died. So you can say with certainty that Evellyn didn't pass on stressful things to others."
Sidney nodded in embarrassment and let out a deep sigh.
"I'm still sorry. I mean, we don't know each other and I'mstarting to spread out everything here in front of you."
"I don't see that you have to apologize. Afterall I asked."
A big smile appeared on Sidney's face.
"Well then that's good. It would be bad if I messed up with my new boss right away. I hope I don't sound ... brash, but how old are you?"
"It's okay. I'm twenty-five."
"Hey, only two years older than me. You're studying, aren't you? Evellyn told me about it. I'm about halfway through."
"What do you study?"
"Exercise Science. I plan to work in a gym."
"Then you have clear goals in front of you."
"We'll see. Maybe I'll say something else in a few years", Sidney laughed out loud, "What about you?"
"You mean what I'm studying? Economics, with a focus on market research."
Sidney twisted the corners of her mouth in appreciation.
"Sounds exciting."
"Really?"
Grace looked at her skeptically. Sidney had to grin at that.
"Okay, maybe I imagine you juggling numbers for hours. I honestly have no idea what you're learning."
"A lot with numbers."
At her answer, Sidney burst out laughing again. Grace caught herself giggling a little herself. Sidney's laugh was contagious. It seemed open and completely free.
"Oh man. I think I was more nervous than I thought," Sidney said after she had calmed down.
Grace frowned as she poured the coffee into the pot.
"Nervous? What about?"
"Well, to meet you. I didn't know if you'd be kicking me out the door right away, with the resignation letter in hand."
"Honestly, I haven't even thought about it," Grace admitted.
"I can imagine. There are certainly a few things to do with the funeral and inheritance."
"You are pretty well informed."
Sidney scratched her head in embarrassment.
"I am often told. I don't eavesdrop ob anyone, honestly. But somehow I always notice a lot of things. I think Evellyn mentioned that you are the heiress when she talked to Björn in the hospital. But never mind. If I can help in any way, please let me know. "
Grace nodded, but didn't reply directly. She wasn't sure what to do herself. She would probably know more after tomorrow. She took the cups, some cheesecake, and the coffee and went out into the winter garden. Who took her seats back in the armchairs where Grace had sat with Brigite the day before. Sidney got visibly shiny eyes at the sight of the cheesecake and took a questioning look at Grace. This took the time until she had taken a sip of coffee.
"Tell me Sidney, how was it going in the bookstore?"
"Very good", Sidney replied, while she was already putting a piece of cake in her mouth, "There aren't that many bookshops here and the people liked Evellyn. Everyone liked coming here because they always found what they needed. And the café did its part too. Nothing against yours, but Kyle's coffee is the stunner. "
"Right, there is still Kyle."
"Haven't you met him yet?"
"No, nobody was here yesterday except Brigitte."
"Oh, then that'll come. I'm pretty sure he'll stop by sometime."
Grace nodded lost in thought. Her mind had wandered ever since she'd brought up the situation in the store. Apparently it was true that the place was doing well. And as Sidney said, Evellyn had relied on her. Mr. Steel had drawn a similar picture of the saleswoman. Presumably she would be able to help her well in a stock sale.
"How is it actually? Are you going to open the shop again?"
The question caught Grace by surprise. She shifted restlessly back and forth in her seat. In the end she gave herself a jerk. Sidney had apparently been open with her, basically she owed her the same.
"To be honest, I was thinking about doing a warehouse sale."
The person opposite paused to put the fork in her mouth and examined her intently. Grace immediately felt herself getting hot and cold.
"I suppose that would make sense. I take it you want to sell the shop?"
Sidney poked at her cake.
"I ... probably."
At her words Grace's gaze wandered across the winter garden. The feeling of stones in her stomach began to spread and she had to swallow hard.
"Makes sense. You study in Germany. And you must have imagined something else."
A slow nod was the only answer Grace could think of. An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Grace stared at her mug. She didn't dare look up. The disappointment in Sidney's voice was enough for her. She was sorry that she had to come around with that answer. But what else should she do? She could hardly give up her studies to move here. She had absolutely no idea how to run a bookstore.
"You know what? I have a suggestion."
Grace looked up in surprise when Sidney suddenly broke the silence. Her surprise did not diminish when she saw the smile on the face of the person opposite. Not responding immediately, Sidney just kept talking.
"From now on I'll be back in the afternoon like normal. We'll hang up a new shop sign so that people will know that the shop is open in the afternoon. Then we can see what books are still there and maybe we can still sell some. I mean that there are still a few orders and then people get their books. How do you like that? "
Grace continued to look at Sidney. She opened her mouth, but the words didn't really come out of her. She didn't know what made her so perplexed. This situation only became more and more surreal. Sidney cocked her head a little.
"What do you say? I don't want to offend you or anything."
"No. I mean it isn't," Grace finally managed.
What a strange conversational partner she was, that she just sat around and opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Sidney had to think that she had stepped on her feet.
"I'm sorry. I was just surprised. To be honest, I wouldn't have resented you if you'd said goodbye right away. It seems that the place is very important to you."
"I like to work here, that's right. But let's be honest, I'll only be here as long as I'm still studying. And somehow ... well, I'm probably so used to Evellyn and her love for the shop. Me will definitely miss it. "
Sidney fell silent for a moment and looked down at her hands.
"If we're being honest ... I think I'm only just beginning to realize how Evellyn's death will affect my life."
Grace could see her raising her hand to her eye to wipe tears from the corner of her eye. She didn't know what came over her, but she just got up, walked over to Sidney and gave her a quick hug. When she straightened up and realized what she had done, she felt a searing heat grasp her cheeks. She cleared her throat, embarrassed, and stepped back quickly.
"Excuse me."
She heard Sidney sniffing. Her eyes wandered back to the other. By now tears were running down her cheeks.
"Please don't apologize. That was nice."
Sidney reached into her pocket and took out a handkerchief.
"I have to apologize. I cry easily."
She patted her eyes and cheeks dry. Strange to see how much Evellyn had apparently meant to Sidney, Grace was pleased on some level. Somehow she had always thought that Evellyn had been alone a lot. But now she realized that the thought had been nonsense. Sure, she had been far from her family, but what did that mean? She was sure that Evellyn had made a new family with everyone around her. She put a comforting hand on Sidney's shoulder.
"I think your idea is good. Let's do it like that."
"Really?"
Sidney looked up and a slight smile made it onto her otherwise sad face. Grace nodded in confirmation, causing Sidney to sniff again. For a moment the pressure on her hand increased, as if the other was leaning against her hand. As if she was looking for support. They stayed like that for a long moment. The only sounds were the birds outside and the occasional sob. At some point Sidney straightened up again and dried her face. She looked a little embarrassed when she looked at Grace again. And she had to admit that it made her even more personable.
"Then I'll finish the sign and bring it with me tomorrow. I think word will get around pretty quickly that the store is open again."
"If you say that."
Sidney grinned.
"Believe me, the people love this place. And they'll be eager to meet Evellyn's grandniece."
Grace grimaced. The thought made her shiver slightly.
"Don't know if I like that."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure they don't attack you too much."
"Do you promise?"
"I promise," Sidney replied with a laugh, "don't worry about that."
They had had coffee together until almost 4 p.m. and chatted a little. Most of the topics had revolved around their subjects and which parties were coming up in their semesters. Sidney had also talked about her boyfriend with whom she lived. In the end, Grace hadn't paid much attention. She slowly felt her head refusing to take in new information. She could only hope that it would be a little quieter in the evening.
Grace had put away the dishes and was now walking along the long bookcase by the dining table. She ran her index finger over the individual spines of the books. Title after title lined up in front of her. Different genres, different authors. It was no wonder that Evellyn always had a book tip ready. She must have made something that was close to her heart her profession. A quiet sigh escaped her before she glanced at the bottom row of shelves. In addition to illustrated books, she discovered leather photo albums there. She pulled one out at random and placed it on the table behind her. The photo album was heavy, about the size of a folder and thick as the palm of her hand. As she opened the album, she let herself slide into the chair. Apparently she had picked one up with very old pictures. All were black and white, taken on the coast or in houses. At first she wasn't sure, but the more she looked at the pictures, she knew that the young woman in the center was Evellyn. Grace was amazed at how much resemblance her great-aunt bore to her mother and also to herself. She had never noticed it that way, but probably that was mainly due to the age difference. In fact, Evellyn wore her brown hair long and tied in a knot at the back of the neck in the old photos, just like Grace now. Her face wasn't as narrow as hers, however. It elicited a slight smile from Grace when she noticed that Evellyn's hair was apparently very stubborn too. No matter which picture she was looking at, some strands always danced out of line and fell down slightly curly.
Many of the pictures showed a young man, mostly in military uniform. From what little she knew, she concluded that this must have been Evellyn's husband. It wasn't hard to see why she'd married him. He looked very good and in every photo that she saw with the two of them, they beamed all over their faces. The affection of the two could even be felt through the picture. Grace turned the pages. Most of the people she didn't know,, probably friends and relatives from this area. She only found a few pictures of her grandmother at the wedding. Almost at the end, Grace noticed that she was beginning to recognize the house. Apparently Evellyn and her husband had moved in here a year after their wedding. The lower part of the house was barely recognizable. Back then there hadn't been windows and there was probably an entrance area and living room below. A lot had changed over the years. At the end she closed the photo album and pushed it back on the shelf with an effort. Just as she was about to straighten up, she thought she heard footsteps below. Grace automatically held her breath as she listened intently. The minutes passed in which she stood motionless. Had her senses played a trick on her? It had to be like that. Nobody could be down there. Sidney had a key, but she would have rung the doorbell to warn her. When after another moment nothing could be heard again, Grace let out a breath and straightened up.
Are you getting paranoid now? The night is still in your bones.
She shook her head. It was an old house. It just made noises. And probably it was just a creak. Her nerves had run away with her and her head had turned the whole thing into steps. Maybe it wasn't so bad that she came out a little more tonight.
