Chapter Eleven
Chloe and Brady drove along the highway between Boston and Newport in silence. Brady concentrated on the road, while Chloe thumbed through a book about opera that Belle had given her for her birthday.
Brady glanced over at Chloe who seemed to be engrossed in her book and muttered under his breath. "I don't know how you can read in a moving car."
Chloe raised her head and looked at Brady in confusion. "Huh?"
"I said... I don't know how you can read in a moving car."
Chloe furrowed her eyebrows together. "Well... it's actually quite easy, Brady. You just sound out the words in your head, and they form sentences. Just like in first grade."
Brady shook his head. "That's not what I meant. How can you not get carsick?"
"I don't know... I just don't. Why would I get carsick?"
"Hmm... maybe you're like Belle that way."
"What way? Brady... are you speaking another language? Cause, it sounds like English... but frankly, I don't understand you."
Brady sighed. "Alright, alright... See, for most of our family vacations growing up we would take a plane. But... every now and then, Dad would get this notion to make like the Griswolds and take a long road trip. Belle used to always like to read in the car, whatever little kid books she liked at the time... Anyway, Marlena would always tell us both that we shouldn't read in the car because it makes you carsick. Belle would do it anyway, and be fine... so I really didn't buy into the whole thing."
"But you never tried to find out yourself?"
Brady shook his head. "Not exactly... One summer we were driving to Minnesota and we took Shawn and Mimi along with us. I think they were all about 10, and I was probably 12 or 13. So, here I am... thinking I'm so much older and tougher than all these little kids. I didn't want to have to hear them blabbing about whatever was 'cool' and 'hip' in the 4th grade, so I decided to read some sports magazine I had. I didn't even get past the letters to the editor when..."
Chloe's jaw dropped in shock. "You threw up?"
Brady groaned in embarrassment. "You got it. All over the backseat of the van that Dad rented. All over Mimi."
Chloe drew in a breath and stifled a giggle with her hand. "Oh my God, Brady... that is terrible. Poor Mimi..."
"Poor Mimi? What about me? I was so embarrassed..."
"I'm sorry, Brady... You poor thing," she said with mock sympathy.
"Just don't ever breath a word of this to anyone..."
Chloe laughed out loud. "I don't have to... All the people I would tell your embarrassing stories to were there when it happened."
Brady cringed in his seat. "Well, that's good news..."
Chloe laughed again but pointed at something out her window. "Hey... it's our exit, Brady."
Brady moved the car onto the ramp and exited. "Uhhhh... so, where am I going now?"
Chloe took a quick glance at the map. "Mmmm... take a right up here, and then a left at the next light. We are out to find the house that Nancy grew up in."
***
(20 minutes later... or so.)
They drove up the tree-lined street looking for the house number that Chloe had found in her file on Nancy. As she looked out the window, Chloe realized that this was the neighborhood where Nancy had first learned to ride a bike, had her first kiss, her first broken heart and done all the normal things that most children do growing up. Things that Chloe had experienced, but never in a way that normal kids did. She didn't have a real family, or a place to call her 'hometown', or a house that she grew up in. All those things had been robbed from her and she had never known why.
She spotted the number she was looking for on a large brown two-story home. "Brady, that's it... 3514... that's what we're looking for."
Brady pulled the van to the side of the street in front of the house. He turned the ignition off and turned to Chloe. "What now?"
Chloe sighed. "I don't know... okay, that's the wrong answer, I know. I guess we should go up and knock. Maybe they'll let me see the house if I tell them my mother grew up here."
Brady looked at her with complete seriousness. "Chloe... are you really expecting to find something here?"
Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "No... not really. At least not anything about my father... but I still want to see it."
Brady nodded and got out of the van. Chloe got out on her side and waited for him to come around. She took a deep breath and clasped his hand. He smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead. "Alright... let's go then."
They walked up the wooden porch and Chloe rang the doorbell. She looked at Brady nervously, and he smiled back at her reassuringly. They stood there in silence for a few moments, until the door opened suddenly to reveal a pretty blonde woman in her mid-thirties.
"Hello... can I help you?"
Chloe paused nervously. "Yeah... uhm... I'm not here to sell you anything or try to convert you to my religion, but what I have to say may sound strange anyway."
The woman looked at her in confusion. "Well, go ahead..."
"My name is Chloe Lane... My mother grew up in this house."
"And you want to take a tour?"
Chloe nodded slightly. "Well... kind of... If you don't mind. But, don't worry... I can just go away, if it's a problem."
"What was your mother's name?"
"Nancy Miller..."
"Yes, right... My husband bought this house as a wedding present to me from Albert Miller. Is that your grandfather?"
Chloe nodded. "Yes, ma'am..."
The woman opened the door wider to allow Chloe and Brady entrance. "Well, I don't mind if you come in... just please be quiet. The baby is asleep in the living room."
Chloe and Brady entered the house and she closed the door behind them. Chloe shook her hand firmly and smiled. "Thank you so much... I really appreciate this... Mrs...?"
"Oh right... Mrs. Adams... Karen Adams. And you're welcome..."
Chloe let go of her hand and motioned towards Brady. "And, uhm... this is Brady Black."
Brady smiled politely and shook Karen's hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Adams."
Karen smiled at him but turned back to face Chloe. "So, Chloe... if you don't mind me asking... what possessed you to want come here? I mean, I've heard of people coming back to see their childhood homes... but not usually, their children."
Chloe nodded in understanding. "Well, it's a long long long story. But, basically... My mother put me up for adoption, and even though I know her now... There's a lot that I still don't know. Things that she won't tell me... So, I'm in Newport trying to find the answers myself."
"I'm sorry to say it, but I don't know how much help this house is going to be. We've redecorated since we bought the house, so it doesn't even look the same as when your mother lived here."
"Either way, I still appreciate you letting me in."
Karen briefly looked behind her into the living room and then turned back to Brady and Chloe. "I'm going to go check on my little boy... If you would like to go upstairs, I think your mother's room was probably the second door on the left. It's my daughter Mara's room now... She's at day camp, so feel free to go on up."
"Thank you so much..."
Karen nodded and turned into the living room as Brady and Chloe stepped up the stairs slowly. The door to Nancy's old bedroom was open and Chloe stepped inside.
Chloe took in a deep breath at the site of this little girl's room. It was decorated exactly how you'd imagine a girl of 12 or 13 would want it. Mara's room was the perfect cross between childhood and the teenage years. The bed was covered in a fluffy pink comforter with heart-shaped throw pillows, and the walls were adorned with pictures of ballerinas and posters of teen idols like the Backstreet Boys. There was a window seat on one wall with shelves on each side of the window. The shelves were filled with stuffed animals and dolls and tiny picture frames and trinkets.
Brady stood in the doorway and looked around. "Nice room... very... uhm... pink."
Chloe nodded and walked over to the window seat and sat down. She looked out the window at the street below. She imagined a young Nancy sitting here and staring out the window nearly every day.
Brady moved into the room and sat on the edge of the girl's bed. "Well, Chloe... is it everything you expected?"
Chloe chuckled softly. "I don't know... I didn't know what to expect. But, it is kinda odd just being in here..."
"Odd? How do you mean?"
"Well, I'm sitting here and all I can think is 'why'? Nancy seemed like she had a great childhood. She was a great student, she came from a wealthy family, and she was in love with her childhood sweetheart. And then what happened? She was raped... by someone she KNEW. She could have kept me, but she didn't. She did what her father told her. I want to know why... if she loved me so much... why did she let me go..."
Chloe had one solitary tear falling down her right cheek. She reached her hand up and quickly wiped it off. "I know that Nancy has been trying to be a mother to me now, but she never even tries to explain why she couldn't be my mother all along. I want to know why I was denied a family."
Brady stood up and came to sit down beside Chloe. He gently clasped her hand with his own and smiled. "Life isn't fair, Chloe... I wish I could tell you the reasons why, but I don't know myself. It's not fair that my mother died before I was even old enough to have memories of her. I don't know why it had to happen, but I'm sure God has his reasons.
Chloe shook her head. "Brady, it's different though. I don't mean to lessen the impact of losing your mother. But, at least you had people. You had your father, and Belle, and your grandfather. You know what it was like to grow up with love in your life, but I don't."
Brady nodded and wrapped his arms around her. "You're right. I'm sorry that I even tried to compare it. But, you have to look at the present and the future sometimes. You have love in your life now, and that's what you have to hold on to.
"I'm trying, Brady... but it's hard. Every time in my past that I thought someone cared for me... they just left. So, no matter how happy I am with the people in my life, there's always this part of me that thinks it's not going to last."
Brady moved out of the embrace and smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling at her. "Chloe... once somebody TRULY loves you, they will never stop. Nancy loved you, and you have to believe that she never stopped loving you all this time."
"I want to believe that... I really do." Chloe paused and noticed a doll on the shelf. It was a pretty porcelain doll with big blue eyes and curly chestnut colored hair. She leaned over and lightly fingered the edge of its velvet dress. "You know something, Brady. When I was a little girl... my adoptive mother gave me this doll and I carried it with me forever. I used to talk to it at night, and pretend that it was my best friend. I'd tell her all about my day, and tell her about my problems. I loved that little doll so much, and deep down, I always imagined that she loved me too. Unconditionally."
"So, what ever happened to her?"
Chloe sighed. "Right before I came to Salem I gave it to this little girl at the orphanage. Her real parents had given her up, and then her adopted parents were killed in a car accident... She was totally alone in the world, and I thought she needed her more than I did."
Brady nodded knowingly. "And... she reminded you of yourself."
"Yeah, she did. But, as much as I'm glad that girl has a friend now... I still wish I had her sometimes. Not all the time... but every now and then... just to have someone to talk to who won't talk back."
Brady laughed softly. "Well, you can always talk to me... but I can't make any promises on the 'not talking back' part."
Chloe laughed, but paused in the middle of the moment. She noticed something on the doll's foot and leaned in to take a closer look. As plain as day, etched into the doll's plastic shoe was a name. Chloe jumped back, and her mouth opened in shock.
"Brady... this doll... she has my name on her shoe."
Brady leaned in to get a closer look at it. She was right, in all capital letters it said 'CHLOE'.
"It's probably just a coincidence... a really strange one, but nothing to freak out about..."
Chloe shook her head in confusion. "Maybe it's a sign or something... it's just too weird not to be."
Brady waved a teasing finger at her. "Now, Chloe Lane... you don't believe in signs, remember?
"I told you that?"
Brady nodded affirmatively. "Oh yeah... long time ago."
Chloe bit her lip thoughtfully. "Well, maybe I should start believing in them..."
Brady laughed and stood up from the window seat. "So, are you ready to go downstairs or did you want to stick around here in BallerinaVille a bit longer?"
Chloe laughed and stood up. "I'm ready... not much else I can learn from this."
She smiled at Brady and they headed downstairs together. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Karen walked in from the livingroom holding a very alert blonde toddler. He smiled happily and waved at Chloe as she stepped off of the bottom step. Chloe walked towards him and waved back.
"Hi there sweetie... Mrs. Adams... he's beautiful. What's his name?"
"His name is Jared... and he just turned a year old last week."
Chloe ran a hand through his blonde curls and Jared gurgled appreciatively. "Well... he is adorable. Anyway, we're all done upstairs, thank you so much Karen."
"Not a problem... Can I get you two something to drink? Water, or tea or something?"
Chloe nodded thankfully. "Water would be just fine actually..."
Brady smiled at Karen. "Same for me too, please..."
"Okay then... you two can go ahead and have a seat in the living room if you want. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."
Karen led them into the living room and placed Jared in his playpen before heading into the kitchen. Chloe and Brady sat together on the loveseat and waited in silence. A few moments later, Karen returned with two glasses of ice water and a satchel hanging from her shoulder. She placed the glasses in front of Brady and Chloe. She pulled the satchel off of her shoulder and sat in the chair nearest to them.
Chloe sipped her water and smiled. "Thank you, Karen... for everything."
"You're very welcome... But, I have something to confess."
Chloe looked surprised. "You do?"
Karen fidgeted nervously in her chair. "Yeah... I... I wouldn't normally let just anybody come into my house, but when you said your name... it was familiar to me."
Brady raised one eyebrow and spoke. "Does this have something to do with that doll upstairs?"
"Oh. You saw that?"
Chloe nodded. "Yeah, but we thought it was just a coincidence... It's not?"
"Well, not exactly. Let me explain... A few years ago, I gave that doll to Mara and she named it Chloe. She always puts the names of the dolls somewhere on them so she can remember it forever. I was surprised by the name Chloe though... I mean, it's such a unique name so I asked her where she got it from. She showed me upstairs in the window seat. I didn't even know the damned thing opened up, but she had found some books inside. Journals actually... and one of the names written in the journals was Chloe."
Chloe gasped and placed one hand on her chest. She quietly muttered, "Oh My God..."
"They belonged to Nancy Miller... and I don't know why I've saved them for so long, but I guess I always thought maybe she would come back for them. But... you came instead."
Tears begin to fall from Chloe's eyes, and Brady wrapped an arm around her. She felt so shocked she could hardly form the words to speak. "I... I... can't believe it."
Karen picked the satchel up from the floor and handed it across to Chloe. Chloe sighed and pulled out three thick leather bound books from inside. Chloe lovingly ran her hand over the cover of the first one and smiled weakly.
"I hope you find your answers in there, Chloe.
Chloe clutched the books to her chest and smiled. "I will... I know I will... you have no idea how much this means to me. It changes everything. I don't know how I know, but I know that the answers are in these books."
Karen smiled back at her and stood from her chair. "I hope so... You seem like a nice girl, Chloe... I wish you the best of luck."
Chloe and Brady stood up together, and Chloe embraced Karen in a tight hug. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you... so much."
Chloe released her and Karen smiled. "I'm glad I could help... Listen, I have to take Jared to a doctor's appointment. If you want to stay here so you can read the diaries... you're welcome to."
Chloe shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I've already intruded enough for today. Brady and I can find someplace to go."
"Alright then... take care of yourself... both of you."
Brady shook her hand firmly. "We will... thank you for everything."
On the way out of the living room, Chloe stopped and waved goodbye to Jared who was playing in his playpen. He looked up at her and giggled, and Chloe smiled widely. "Bye cutie..."
Karen saw them to the door and Chloe ran to the van with a brand new sense of optimism in her heart. She got inside and sat in the passenger seat as Brady got in and turned the key.
He looked at Chloe and grinned. "So, where to next?"
Chloe smiled sweetly. "Well, I saw a park back up the street a bit. It's such a beautiful day out. I think I'd like to sit outside and enjoy the weather while I go through these."
Brady nodded and pulled the van out on to the street. "Your wish is my command."
Chloe sighed and clutched the diaries to her chest. She knew that if her own name was in these books, then the name of her father could be too.
***
Chloe and Brady drove along the highway between Boston and Newport in silence. Brady concentrated on the road, while Chloe thumbed through a book about opera that Belle had given her for her birthday.
Brady glanced over at Chloe who seemed to be engrossed in her book and muttered under his breath. "I don't know how you can read in a moving car."
Chloe raised her head and looked at Brady in confusion. "Huh?"
"I said... I don't know how you can read in a moving car."
Chloe furrowed her eyebrows together. "Well... it's actually quite easy, Brady. You just sound out the words in your head, and they form sentences. Just like in first grade."
Brady shook his head. "That's not what I meant. How can you not get carsick?"
"I don't know... I just don't. Why would I get carsick?"
"Hmm... maybe you're like Belle that way."
"What way? Brady... are you speaking another language? Cause, it sounds like English... but frankly, I don't understand you."
Brady sighed. "Alright, alright... See, for most of our family vacations growing up we would take a plane. But... every now and then, Dad would get this notion to make like the Griswolds and take a long road trip. Belle used to always like to read in the car, whatever little kid books she liked at the time... Anyway, Marlena would always tell us both that we shouldn't read in the car because it makes you carsick. Belle would do it anyway, and be fine... so I really didn't buy into the whole thing."
"But you never tried to find out yourself?"
Brady shook his head. "Not exactly... One summer we were driving to Minnesota and we took Shawn and Mimi along with us. I think they were all about 10, and I was probably 12 or 13. So, here I am... thinking I'm so much older and tougher than all these little kids. I didn't want to have to hear them blabbing about whatever was 'cool' and 'hip' in the 4th grade, so I decided to read some sports magazine I had. I didn't even get past the letters to the editor when..."
Chloe's jaw dropped in shock. "You threw up?"
Brady groaned in embarrassment. "You got it. All over the backseat of the van that Dad rented. All over Mimi."
Chloe drew in a breath and stifled a giggle with her hand. "Oh my God, Brady... that is terrible. Poor Mimi..."
"Poor Mimi? What about me? I was so embarrassed..."
"I'm sorry, Brady... You poor thing," she said with mock sympathy.
"Just don't ever breath a word of this to anyone..."
Chloe laughed out loud. "I don't have to... All the people I would tell your embarrassing stories to were there when it happened."
Brady cringed in his seat. "Well, that's good news..."
Chloe laughed again but pointed at something out her window. "Hey... it's our exit, Brady."
Brady moved the car onto the ramp and exited. "Uhhhh... so, where am I going now?"
Chloe took a quick glance at the map. "Mmmm... take a right up here, and then a left at the next light. We are out to find the house that Nancy grew up in."
***
(20 minutes later... or so.)
They drove up the tree-lined street looking for the house number that Chloe had found in her file on Nancy. As she looked out the window, Chloe realized that this was the neighborhood where Nancy had first learned to ride a bike, had her first kiss, her first broken heart and done all the normal things that most children do growing up. Things that Chloe had experienced, but never in a way that normal kids did. She didn't have a real family, or a place to call her 'hometown', or a house that she grew up in. All those things had been robbed from her and she had never known why.
She spotted the number she was looking for on a large brown two-story home. "Brady, that's it... 3514... that's what we're looking for."
Brady pulled the van to the side of the street in front of the house. He turned the ignition off and turned to Chloe. "What now?"
Chloe sighed. "I don't know... okay, that's the wrong answer, I know. I guess we should go up and knock. Maybe they'll let me see the house if I tell them my mother grew up here."
Brady looked at her with complete seriousness. "Chloe... are you really expecting to find something here?"
Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "No... not really. At least not anything about my father... but I still want to see it."
Brady nodded and got out of the van. Chloe got out on her side and waited for him to come around. She took a deep breath and clasped his hand. He smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead. "Alright... let's go then."
They walked up the wooden porch and Chloe rang the doorbell. She looked at Brady nervously, and he smiled back at her reassuringly. They stood there in silence for a few moments, until the door opened suddenly to reveal a pretty blonde woman in her mid-thirties.
"Hello... can I help you?"
Chloe paused nervously. "Yeah... uhm... I'm not here to sell you anything or try to convert you to my religion, but what I have to say may sound strange anyway."
The woman looked at her in confusion. "Well, go ahead..."
"My name is Chloe Lane... My mother grew up in this house."
"And you want to take a tour?"
Chloe nodded slightly. "Well... kind of... If you don't mind. But, don't worry... I can just go away, if it's a problem."
"What was your mother's name?"
"Nancy Miller..."
"Yes, right... My husband bought this house as a wedding present to me from Albert Miller. Is that your grandfather?"
Chloe nodded. "Yes, ma'am..."
The woman opened the door wider to allow Chloe and Brady entrance. "Well, I don't mind if you come in... just please be quiet. The baby is asleep in the living room."
Chloe and Brady entered the house and she closed the door behind them. Chloe shook her hand firmly and smiled. "Thank you so much... I really appreciate this... Mrs...?"
"Oh right... Mrs. Adams... Karen Adams. And you're welcome..."
Chloe let go of her hand and motioned towards Brady. "And, uhm... this is Brady Black."
Brady smiled politely and shook Karen's hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Adams."
Karen smiled at him but turned back to face Chloe. "So, Chloe... if you don't mind me asking... what possessed you to want come here? I mean, I've heard of people coming back to see their childhood homes... but not usually, their children."
Chloe nodded in understanding. "Well, it's a long long long story. But, basically... My mother put me up for adoption, and even though I know her now... There's a lot that I still don't know. Things that she won't tell me... So, I'm in Newport trying to find the answers myself."
"I'm sorry to say it, but I don't know how much help this house is going to be. We've redecorated since we bought the house, so it doesn't even look the same as when your mother lived here."
"Either way, I still appreciate you letting me in."
Karen briefly looked behind her into the living room and then turned back to Brady and Chloe. "I'm going to go check on my little boy... If you would like to go upstairs, I think your mother's room was probably the second door on the left. It's my daughter Mara's room now... She's at day camp, so feel free to go on up."
"Thank you so much..."
Karen nodded and turned into the living room as Brady and Chloe stepped up the stairs slowly. The door to Nancy's old bedroom was open and Chloe stepped inside.
Chloe took in a deep breath at the site of this little girl's room. It was decorated exactly how you'd imagine a girl of 12 or 13 would want it. Mara's room was the perfect cross between childhood and the teenage years. The bed was covered in a fluffy pink comforter with heart-shaped throw pillows, and the walls were adorned with pictures of ballerinas and posters of teen idols like the Backstreet Boys. There was a window seat on one wall with shelves on each side of the window. The shelves were filled with stuffed animals and dolls and tiny picture frames and trinkets.
Brady stood in the doorway and looked around. "Nice room... very... uhm... pink."
Chloe nodded and walked over to the window seat and sat down. She looked out the window at the street below. She imagined a young Nancy sitting here and staring out the window nearly every day.
Brady moved into the room and sat on the edge of the girl's bed. "Well, Chloe... is it everything you expected?"
Chloe chuckled softly. "I don't know... I didn't know what to expect. But, it is kinda odd just being in here..."
"Odd? How do you mean?"
"Well, I'm sitting here and all I can think is 'why'? Nancy seemed like she had a great childhood. She was a great student, she came from a wealthy family, and she was in love with her childhood sweetheart. And then what happened? She was raped... by someone she KNEW. She could have kept me, but she didn't. She did what her father told her. I want to know why... if she loved me so much... why did she let me go..."
Chloe had one solitary tear falling down her right cheek. She reached her hand up and quickly wiped it off. "I know that Nancy has been trying to be a mother to me now, but she never even tries to explain why she couldn't be my mother all along. I want to know why I was denied a family."
Brady stood up and came to sit down beside Chloe. He gently clasped her hand with his own and smiled. "Life isn't fair, Chloe... I wish I could tell you the reasons why, but I don't know myself. It's not fair that my mother died before I was even old enough to have memories of her. I don't know why it had to happen, but I'm sure God has his reasons.
Chloe shook her head. "Brady, it's different though. I don't mean to lessen the impact of losing your mother. But, at least you had people. You had your father, and Belle, and your grandfather. You know what it was like to grow up with love in your life, but I don't."
Brady nodded and wrapped his arms around her. "You're right. I'm sorry that I even tried to compare it. But, you have to look at the present and the future sometimes. You have love in your life now, and that's what you have to hold on to.
"I'm trying, Brady... but it's hard. Every time in my past that I thought someone cared for me... they just left. So, no matter how happy I am with the people in my life, there's always this part of me that thinks it's not going to last."
Brady moved out of the embrace and smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling at her. "Chloe... once somebody TRULY loves you, they will never stop. Nancy loved you, and you have to believe that she never stopped loving you all this time."
"I want to believe that... I really do." Chloe paused and noticed a doll on the shelf. It was a pretty porcelain doll with big blue eyes and curly chestnut colored hair. She leaned over and lightly fingered the edge of its velvet dress. "You know something, Brady. When I was a little girl... my adoptive mother gave me this doll and I carried it with me forever. I used to talk to it at night, and pretend that it was my best friend. I'd tell her all about my day, and tell her about my problems. I loved that little doll so much, and deep down, I always imagined that she loved me too. Unconditionally."
"So, what ever happened to her?"
Chloe sighed. "Right before I came to Salem I gave it to this little girl at the orphanage. Her real parents had given her up, and then her adopted parents were killed in a car accident... She was totally alone in the world, and I thought she needed her more than I did."
Brady nodded knowingly. "And... she reminded you of yourself."
"Yeah, she did. But, as much as I'm glad that girl has a friend now... I still wish I had her sometimes. Not all the time... but every now and then... just to have someone to talk to who won't talk back."
Brady laughed softly. "Well, you can always talk to me... but I can't make any promises on the 'not talking back' part."
Chloe laughed, but paused in the middle of the moment. She noticed something on the doll's foot and leaned in to take a closer look. As plain as day, etched into the doll's plastic shoe was a name. Chloe jumped back, and her mouth opened in shock.
"Brady... this doll... she has my name on her shoe."
Brady leaned in to get a closer look at it. She was right, in all capital letters it said 'CHLOE'.
"It's probably just a coincidence... a really strange one, but nothing to freak out about..."
Chloe shook her head in confusion. "Maybe it's a sign or something... it's just too weird not to be."
Brady waved a teasing finger at her. "Now, Chloe Lane... you don't believe in signs, remember?
"I told you that?"
Brady nodded affirmatively. "Oh yeah... long time ago."
Chloe bit her lip thoughtfully. "Well, maybe I should start believing in them..."
Brady laughed and stood up from the window seat. "So, are you ready to go downstairs or did you want to stick around here in BallerinaVille a bit longer?"
Chloe laughed and stood up. "I'm ready... not much else I can learn from this."
She smiled at Brady and they headed downstairs together. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Karen walked in from the livingroom holding a very alert blonde toddler. He smiled happily and waved at Chloe as she stepped off of the bottom step. Chloe walked towards him and waved back.
"Hi there sweetie... Mrs. Adams... he's beautiful. What's his name?"
"His name is Jared... and he just turned a year old last week."
Chloe ran a hand through his blonde curls and Jared gurgled appreciatively. "Well... he is adorable. Anyway, we're all done upstairs, thank you so much Karen."
"Not a problem... Can I get you two something to drink? Water, or tea or something?"
Chloe nodded thankfully. "Water would be just fine actually..."
Brady smiled at Karen. "Same for me too, please..."
"Okay then... you two can go ahead and have a seat in the living room if you want. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."
Karen led them into the living room and placed Jared in his playpen before heading into the kitchen. Chloe and Brady sat together on the loveseat and waited in silence. A few moments later, Karen returned with two glasses of ice water and a satchel hanging from her shoulder. She placed the glasses in front of Brady and Chloe. She pulled the satchel off of her shoulder and sat in the chair nearest to them.
Chloe sipped her water and smiled. "Thank you, Karen... for everything."
"You're very welcome... But, I have something to confess."
Chloe looked surprised. "You do?"
Karen fidgeted nervously in her chair. "Yeah... I... I wouldn't normally let just anybody come into my house, but when you said your name... it was familiar to me."
Brady raised one eyebrow and spoke. "Does this have something to do with that doll upstairs?"
"Oh. You saw that?"
Chloe nodded. "Yeah, but we thought it was just a coincidence... It's not?"
"Well, not exactly. Let me explain... A few years ago, I gave that doll to Mara and she named it Chloe. She always puts the names of the dolls somewhere on them so she can remember it forever. I was surprised by the name Chloe though... I mean, it's such a unique name so I asked her where she got it from. She showed me upstairs in the window seat. I didn't even know the damned thing opened up, but she had found some books inside. Journals actually... and one of the names written in the journals was Chloe."
Chloe gasped and placed one hand on her chest. She quietly muttered, "Oh My God..."
"They belonged to Nancy Miller... and I don't know why I've saved them for so long, but I guess I always thought maybe she would come back for them. But... you came instead."
Tears begin to fall from Chloe's eyes, and Brady wrapped an arm around her. She felt so shocked she could hardly form the words to speak. "I... I... can't believe it."
Karen picked the satchel up from the floor and handed it across to Chloe. Chloe sighed and pulled out three thick leather bound books from inside. Chloe lovingly ran her hand over the cover of the first one and smiled weakly.
"I hope you find your answers in there, Chloe.
Chloe clutched the books to her chest and smiled. "I will... I know I will... you have no idea how much this means to me. It changes everything. I don't know how I know, but I know that the answers are in these books."
Karen smiled back at her and stood from her chair. "I hope so... You seem like a nice girl, Chloe... I wish you the best of luck."
Chloe and Brady stood up together, and Chloe embraced Karen in a tight hug. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you... so much."
Chloe released her and Karen smiled. "I'm glad I could help... Listen, I have to take Jared to a doctor's appointment. If you want to stay here so you can read the diaries... you're welcome to."
Chloe shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I've already intruded enough for today. Brady and I can find someplace to go."
"Alright then... take care of yourself... both of you."
Brady shook her hand firmly. "We will... thank you for everything."
On the way out of the living room, Chloe stopped and waved goodbye to Jared who was playing in his playpen. He looked up at her and giggled, and Chloe smiled widely. "Bye cutie..."
Karen saw them to the door and Chloe ran to the van with a brand new sense of optimism in her heart. She got inside and sat in the passenger seat as Brady got in and turned the key.
He looked at Chloe and grinned. "So, where to next?"
Chloe smiled sweetly. "Well, I saw a park back up the street a bit. It's such a beautiful day out. I think I'd like to sit outside and enjoy the weather while I go through these."
Brady nodded and pulled the van out on to the street. "Your wish is my command."
Chloe sighed and clutched the diaries to her chest. She knew that if her own name was in these books, then the name of her father could be too.
***