The Guests on South Battery by Karen White Read Free Book Online Page A

another classmate of Amelia’s and mine. They had a daughter, I believe, but she was sickly. She died when she was still a child. Anna and Sumter divorced shortly afterward, but Anna remained in the house with Button. She died about ten years later.”
    â€œThat’s so sad. What about Sumter? Did he ever remarry or have more children?”
    After a slight pause, she said, “No. He’d always wanted to be a mover and shaker on Wall Street and moved to New York after his divorce. Just a couple of years after I left Charleston to pursue my music career.” She sent me an apologetic glance, a brief acknowledgment that when she’d left Charleston, she’d left me behind, too.
    â€œI’m not sure if he ever came back, but Button told me he’d died of a heart attack. He was only fifty-three.” She gave me a lopsided smile. “Button adored him. I don’t think she ever got over it. That’s when she started taking in strays—animals and people alike. She’d pluck them from the streets and give them a room and money for as long as they needed it. I feel she got taken advantage of more often than not, but she said it made her happy to help others. That’s probably how she found your Jayne.”
    â€œPossibly. Jayne grew up in foster care in Birmingham. Maybe someone who knew Jayne came into contact with Button at some point and that’s the connection.”
    â€œCould be,” she said as she stood. “I must get home—James will be waiting.” Her cheeks pinkened and I tried not to think of my parents—recently remarried to each other—as having a healthy romantic relationship that included physical contact, but there it was when she merely mentioned his name. I should have been thrilled that my parents were madly in love with each other after all these years, but I was still their daughter and it made me a little queasy sometimes if I thought too much about it.
    She said good night to Nola and I walked her to the door, pausing just for a moment in the alcove to face me. “Why does Jayne want to sell the house?”
    â€œShe doesn’t like old houses.”
    She frowned, her eyes meeting mine. “Hopefully you can change her mind. Button wouldn’t have left it to her if she didn’t mean for her to keep it. Button was a wonderful person. The best kind of person. We should do our best to honor her request. Maybe you should tell Jayne what Mr. Vanderhorst told you.”
    â€œIt’s a piece of history you can hold in your hand,” I said softly.
    â€œYes. And that sometimes the best gifts in life are the unexpected ones. Including old houses.”
    She put on her cape, then opened the door to allow in a frigid blast of cold air. She kissed my cheek and pulled up her hood. As she tucked her hair inside, I said, “I don’t want to lie to her.”
    â€œBut would you be? Good night, Mellie.” She smiled and then walked down the piazza to the front door and let herself out.
    The large wrought-iron porch lights on either side of the door behind me grew brighter and brighter, humming with an unseen energy that made the lights pulsate twice before each bulb exploded one by one, leaving me in total darkness.

CHAPTER 4
    T wo days later when I left the house to go to work, Jack looked a little worried despite his terse assurances that he was fine with watching the children while he finished up his book revisions. I thought there was a trace of panic in his eyes when I told him I might be home a little later because I wasn’t sure how long it would take to go through the Pinckney house with Sophie and Jayne. It wasn’t the sort of thing that could be rushed, especially if there were any water issues, a fallen ceiling, rotted floors, or restless spirits—any of which could ruin my day.
    Despite reassurances from Mrs. Houlihan that she was still taking my dry cleaning to the same cleaners we’d