Coming Home to Seashell Harbor (Seashell Harbor #1) - Miranda Liasson Page 0,26

to the other. “Wonder where he got that from?”

“That was supposed to be a secret.” Kit barely held back a grin.

“Hey,” Darla said. “At least we controlled ourselves and didn’t teach him anything worse.”

Hadley took a sip of wine. She felt better already, being among her dearest friends. They always had her back. And always would.

“So we want to hear more about your run-in the other day at the hospital.” Darla dumped a pile of sweaters on the bed. “With Cam.”

“Ancient history.” Hadley waved her hand. “Wait a minute…” She looked at Darla. “How did you know I had a run-in with him at the hospital?”

“Because I was getting some bloodwork drawn and I ran into Jenny Falkes. It was huge news that Cam showed up on the ward.”

“Who knew your high school ex would become so famous?” Kit said.

“Do you even call high school boyfriends exes?” Darla asked. “More like first loves. Sweethearts.”

“I’m definitely sticking to ex,” Hadley said. “Nice and unemotional.” Yes. She didn’t want to complicate her current dealings with Cam with any words that would bring back memories of being head over heels for him. Or remind her how he was still capable of raising her body temperature a hundred degrees, two hundred if he happened to smile.

“Agreed.” Darla clinked glasses with Hadley.

“At least Nick is a nice guy for an ex,” Kit said.

“Being nice doesn’t guarantee you can make it work,” Darla said. She and Cam’s brother had married young, right out of college, and had divorced a couple of years later. As far as Hadley could tell, they did their best to avoid each other.

“Do you two ever talk?” Kit asked.

“Not really,” Darla said. “I mean, he called me every week during my chemo and always offered to drive me but we really don’t have much to say. I originally wasn’t going to buy this place because he’s nearby but then I thought, life’s too short, you know? I didn’t want anything to stop me from moving back home, close to my mom and the place that I love most in the world.”

It was also no accident that Darla had bought the most modern house on the beach. Cammareri Vintage Home Remodeling didn’t have a chance of ever stepping foot in this home.

They got to work unpacking boxes and helping Darla load up her closet. But when Hadley sliced open her next box, she found, atop a pile of clothes, an old cigar box, like the kind she used to store her crayons in as a kid. “Where do you want this?” she asked, holding it up.

“I have no idea what’s in there.” Darla walked over to examine it. “Oh, I remember. My mom gave me this. It’s some old stuff from when her great-aunt died. She said something about vintage scarves—thought I might be able to use them. But my hair was pretty grown in by then so I never got around to opening it.”

Inside the box was a bundle of letters tied with a rubber band, a few old silk scarves, and…an old sock.

Hadley held up the sock. It was long, handmade, and woolen, with darning over the toes and heel. “Keep or pitch?” Hadley asked, making a face. Because it definitely did not look like the kind of sock anyone would keep.

“Just pitch it,” Darla said.

Hadley tossed it onto the pitch pile, but a weight in the toe pulled the sock down, falling on the wood floor with a thud. Jagger tore back in from the other room in a heartbeat, picking up the sock and trotting back to Hadley with it.

Hadley took the sock from his mouth, praising him for the save. “There’s something in the toe.” She felt the sock over with her fingers as she walked over to Darla. “It feels like a stone.”

Darla worked the object up the length of the sock. They all waited in suspense as she pulled out something shiny. It caught the light and sparkled so much that Hadley had to blink a few times. It was a vintage ring with a silver filigree band.

Darla’s breath caught. “Wow.”

“That’s beautiful,” Kit said. “And old, with that filigree work around the stone.”

“Is it a diamond?” Hadley looked at the sizable rectangular-cut stone.

“I’d say it’s a Seashell Harbor diamond.” Darla was wide-eyed. “I think you might have found my great-great-grandmother’s ring.”

“Whoa,” Hadley said. “A family heirloom?”

Darla looked completely thrown, which was unusual for her. “I grew up hearing stories about the ring but no one knew