Something strange was going on. I couldn’t understand why Cora was rushing my buyer out the front door. And I couldn’t bear to see that she had not brought a suitcase, backpack, or even big purse along with her.
“Are you all packed already?” I asked her.
Cora slid her eyes to the buyer and back to mine. “Sorry, Mr. Talbot was just leaving.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Morris,” Thomas Talbot said.
I shook his hand and ignored his open staring. I turned back to Cora. “So, do you travel light or is there a stack of steamer trunks on the driveway?”
“Don’t worry. We can talk about that later,” Cora said.
“Why is it that ‘don’t worry’ makes me more worried?” I asked her and the buyer. “How about now? I’m sure Mr. Talbot won’t mind waiting in the parlor but let’s not keep him long.”
“No, I might start humming a new song,” Thomas Talbot said. He stood rooted to the foyer, still awestruck.
I shook my head then shrugged. “Now what am I not worrying about?”
“I’m just not sure, um, what to pack.” Cora bit her lip and wouldn’t look at me.
“You’re not coming.” My voice fell flat.
“I’m staying; there’s a big difference.” Cora reached out to grab my arm. “Storm, just let me explain! Um, later.”
Thomas Talbot was openly gawking at us like we were a live reality television episode right in front of him. I gestured for the daft man to go into the front parlor, but he just shook his head and stuck to the front door.
“You’re right, Mr. Talbot. This conversation is over, and there is no reason why we can’t conduct our business right here,” I said.
Cora was livid. “Wait, now we’re not going to talk about it?!”
“I’m going. You’re staying. What more is there to say?” I turned to Mr. Talbot. “I’ll just grab the paperwork for us.”
“No, Mr. Morris. Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.” Mr. Talbot seemed to come out of a trance. “I can see there are many reasons why the house should stay in your possession.”
The knowing look he shot Cora made me furious. “You’re backing out of the sale?”
It was louder than I intended, and Mr. Talbot scrabbled to open the front door. “I’m afraid I don’t have the artistic bent to, ah, thrive in such a place.”
“Well, at least let me give you a private tour of the place first,” I said.
Mr. Talbot couldn’t resist. Whatever nonsense Cora had gotten into his head was not powerful enough to overcome his fandom. His eyes immediately roved all over the curving banister my father’s rock ballad had once featured. It thrilled people to know how close to reality my father’s songs were.
“I was here once before; did I tell you that?” Mr. Talbot gushed.
Cora refused to leave and dogged us down the hall. Mr. Talbot was lost in his own awe and nostalgia, and she tried to pull me back as he wandered.
“So, that’s it?” she whispered. “Just go our separate ways?”
“How are we supposed to avoid that when you won’t come with me?” I hissed. I then faked a smile for Mr. Talbot and ushered him down the hallway. “Up ahead is the library with the original fireplace.”
“And you won’t stay,” Cora said. “You won’t even listen to why I’m staying!”
I whirled around and crossed my arms. “Fine. Why are you staying?”
“I don’t have a job, I wasted everything…” Cora paused as Mr. Talbot gushed his way into the library. Then she dropped her voice and, in a pained whisper, said, “I can’t pay for a cab ride out of Murtaugh much less a trip around the world.”
“This is about money?” My voice raised again.
“Oh, no, Mr. Morris. The money is no problem. In fact, to be honest, I would have gone higher,” Mr. Talbot called from the library.
“I have pride, too, you know,” Cora snapped. “And so does my mother. She’s losing the gallery and everything. How can I leave her?”
Mr. Talbot rejoined us. “I guess it’s really about the history of this place. I thought buying it would preserve it, but Ms. Cora pointed out that it’s more.”
“She did, did she?” I balled my fingers into fists.
Mr. Talbot didn’t notice the tension and continued to reassure me the selling price was not too high. “I would have paid more to see this place remain the same, but it needs you. The town of Murtaugh needs you.”
I was at a total loss. “The town of Murtaugh?”
“You know, the place just down the road,” Cora snarked.
“Yes,” Mr. Talbot interjected. “The quaint little Main Street with all the shops. Cora told me the tourist trade dried up when the ‘for sale’ sign went up here. All those truly unique places that cropped up in the glow of the Morris magic.”
He trailed off with a nostalgic smile and left me in the cold void of realization. It had never occurred to me before that the local businesses depended on the mansion and my family to bring in tourists. I cringed to discover I was guilty of such a gross oversight.
“The record store,” I muttered. Rick had never once said anything to me about how my family and legacy affected his business.
“Yes, exactly! You know how many formative albums I bought at that store on my short visit? It looks the same, and it holds the same magic, I swear!” Mr. Talbot said.
“I’ll be sure to tell Ricky you said so,” Cora told him.
Mr. Talbot was delighted to connect with the locals and clapped his hands. “See? I should spend my money there instead. I hope you understand.”
“And Caroline’s art gallery?” I choked out.
“Another sublime legend!” Mr. Talbot cried.
Cora swallowed hard and said, “She’s losing everything.”
“And how can you leave her at a time like this?” I finished for her.
A cold quiet filled the hallway, and Cora looked ready to cry. Then she shook herself off and took charge. Regaling Mr. Talbot with stories about her mother, Cora lead him off down the hallway. There was no convincing him, so I didn’t even try. I didn’t even move.
Cora shut the front door behind Mr. Talbot and walked slowly back down the hallway to me.
I couldn’t move. It felt like the entire weight of the mansion was crushing me into the ground. Then each of the quirky old buildings up and down Main Street stacked on top. It was suffocating.
And it was inevitable.
I knew even when I had received the offer from Mr. Talbot that the sale of the house would never go through. It had all been a reckless daydream, and I was finally awake, back where I was in the first place.
Except for Cora.
My head spun even after she stopped in front of me. That morning, I had imagined us across the globe, cuddled close for photos in the most fantastic places. It had felt so free, so exhilarating, and now I wasn’t sure what I felt.
“I didn’t mean for you to find out like this,” Cora apologized.
I rubbed my chest and was immediately on high alert. Find out what? I had been taken advantage of and seen master manipulators hunt my father like a big game trophy. Had I missed Cora’s real motives all along?
“Find out what? That you scared off my buyer?” I snapped.
The hallway was too confining, she was too close to me, and there was real concern in her eyes. Or so I thought. I strode back to the foyer so quickly I had to stand and wait for Cora to reappear.
She didn’t hesitate, but she didn’t rush, walking straight-backed and focused until she was again two feet in front of me. “I want to stay because I think you should stay, too. And not just for the town.”
“Oh, so that’s it? You’re a sacrifice sent from the town in the hopes of keeping me here?” I edged backward to the foot of the grand staircase.
“What are you running away from?” Cora asked.
I scowled at her and stood my ground, towering over her. “I’m starting over. I thought we were starting over together.”
“Aren’t you sick of it?” Cora stopped me with a light hand on my arm. “Always starting out on a rocky foundation and then wondering why things fall apart?”
I yanked my hand away and had to go up a step or stumble over. From even higher, I told her, “You’re the one who’s afraid. Afraid the world will fall apart if she’s not there. What if nothing happens, Cora? What if nothing ever happens?”
“You call this nothing?” Cora yelled.
I marched back down the steps and strode past her, yanking open the front door. “Why would I listen to anything else you have to say? You only came here to manipulate me.”
“Storm, wait.” Tears streamed down Cora’s cheeks. “It’s not like that. And I’m telling you, this is something. That’s why I want to stay and build on it. On equal footing.”
I couldn’t stand it anymore. My head was spinning, and her tears were making my stomach clench and twist. I left the front door open and strode off, really living up to my name.
Tyson appeared in the hallway and blocked me. “Why not just start with a weekend trip?”
I was in no mood for his patronizing style of compromise. “Aren’t you the one always telling me to keep a lookout for cons and fakes?”
“I’m not fake!” Cora cried. “And I’m not trying to con you. I’m just hoping you’ll do the right thing for the town.”
“Spoken like a master manipulator,” I spat.
My head hurt, and I couldn’t make sense of any of it. The whole day had been a roller coaster, and I was in no mood to sort it all out. I bullied my way past Tyson and made it to the kitchen before I realized I was cornered.
“Stop panicking,” Tyson said. He held out both hands.
“I’m not panicking.” I grabbed a bottle of whiskey out of a cupboard. “I’m clearing my head. And I don’t need you telling me how to do it!”
“All she’s asking you to do is slow down, Storm. Just slow down and think about things before you sell the house. And especially before you tear out of here,” Tyson said.
I dodged past him and was furious to find Cora still in the foyer. So stubborn! She opened her mouth to talk it out again, and I couldn’t stand it. I kicked over my suitcase and left through the front door of my own mansion.
I seemed destined to never escape it.