nice to him and what I thought was flirty. Come to find out, she was just a genuinely nice person. I ignored her the best I could, even though she tried her best to be nice to me. One day, I stayed behind after class to speak with my teacher about an assignment. When I left the room, I found Jenna waiting for me. She asked why I didn’t like her, and when I told her the reason, she explained that she had no interest in Lincoln other than friendship. She actually had a boyfriend who lived a couple of towns over. With stars in her eyes as she spoke about him, I knew she was telling the truth. That was the day our friendship started.
“Anyway, enough about me. Tell me how you’ve been. Besides being swamped at work.”
Putting the phone between my ear and shoulder, I grab my bottle of water, twist off the cap, and take a swallow.
“Not a lot, really. Since I hired the new vet, I’ve had more time off work. Lincoln and I decided to try for another baby.”
I giggle and snatch the phone away from my ear when she squeals.
“So this means I’ll have another niece or nephew soon?” she asks excitedly.
“Well,” I grin, “I have to get pregnant first, but yeah, that’s the plan.”
“This makes me so happy for you guys. I know how much you want another baby.”
A tiny pinch of pain pierces my chest. I have wanted another baby for a while, which makes the reason why those three negative pregnancy tests hurt so much.
We spend the next few minutes catching up on life since the last time we spoke. In the background, I hear Violet calling for her mom, so I let her go play momma.
“I want to know as soon as you find out you’re pregnant,” she demands before we hang up.
“You’ll be the first I call,” I promise.
“Good. Love and miss you!”
“Back at you.”
Hanging up, I drop my phone on the coffee table. It was really good talking to Jenna again. I’ve missed her so much since she moved away. Growing up, if I wasn’t with Lincoln, which was rare, I was with Jenna. Or the three of us were together.
I grab my journal and make my way to the hallway where the attic door is. I pull the short string hanging and it creaks as the stairs lower. Before my head peeks through the opening, I get the same feeling I always get when I go into the attic. It’s not the normal creepy feeling you’d expect. It’s more serene than anything and gives off a familiarity vibe. It’s weird, to say the least.
As with a lot of attics, this one is taller in the middle with the slopes of the roof making the outer portions shorter. Luckily, I’m on the shorter side, so I don’t have to hunch over much as I walk to the boxes stacked in the corner.
Flipping open the top, I smile when I see the painted covers of several journals. Lincoln always paints the covers before giving me a new one, just like he did the first one he gave me.
I set the newly-filled journal down on top of the others and close the box. Just as I turn away, something over in the other corner catches my attention. The lighting in the attic isn’t great, but it’s worse in this part. I move closer and notice several stacks of boxes I’ve never seen before. A distant memory filters through my mind. I have seen these boxes before. The day the realtor showed us the house. I must have forgotten about them.
I grab one of the top ones and turn it around, looking for a label, but find nothing written on the outside. I flip the lid open, and I’m surprised to find it full of books.
I lift the box and put it on the floor before opening the one beneath it. This one is full of books as well. I check the stack next to it and find two more boxes filled with the same. Frowning, I grab one of the books and fan the pages. My eyes widen. These aren’t books. They’re journals. It’s full of feminine writing. Despite the journal appearing old, the pages seem to be well preserved. I open it to the middle and find the date July 28, 1859 written at the top of the page. I read the passage.
William surprised me today with a picnic.