Excerpt: 'The Promise of Home' by Darcie Chan
Darcie Chan shares a scene from her new The Promise of Home, the latest in her Mill River series.
About the book (courtesy of Ballantine Books):
Writing in the tradition of Jan Karon and Maeve Binchy, New York Times bestselling author Darcie Chan returns readers to Mill River, the charming town whose residents experience surprises and sorrows, witness acts of goodwill and kindness, embrace family love and friendship—and uncover age-old secrets and heartaches.
These days, Mill River, Vermont is a hub of activity. Karen Cooper and her son bid a temporary farewell to husband and father Nick, off to Saudi Arabia to work as a contractor. But when he goes missing Karen turns to the beloved nonagenarian priest Father O'Brien for counsel. Kyle Hansen and Claudia Simon blissfully prepare for their wedding—until a part of Kyle's past arrives in town and shakes up their solid romance. Emily DiSanti, still haunted by a tragedy that tore her world apart a decade ago, is renovating the old McAllister mansion, eager to restore it to its former beauty and to find peace in the intense workload. All of these lives—and the lives of others in this sleepy small town—move forward, bump up against one another, and intertwine. But when a cache of hidden letters is discovered, a decades-old secret comes to light—one that is rooted deeply in the childhood of the longtime resident who has touched the lives of everyone in town, and that will change his own life in a powerful and unexpected way.
Darcie sets the scene for us …
Darcie: In The Promise of Home, several characters of the quaint village of Mill River, Vermont, find themselves at crossroads in their lives. One of them, a young woman named Emily DiSanti, is still struggling to find direction and happiness after losing her fiancé in a tragic accident 10 years earlier. Proudly self-sufficient and independent, Emily is an expert in the restoration of old homes. She hates feeling vulnerable and usually keeps her softer side under wraps. But Matt Campbell, a new police officer in the little town, isn't intimidated by Emily's facade.
In this scene, Matt offers to help Emily unlock an antique briefcase she has discovered while working in the old McAllister mansion — and ends up unlocking so much more …
EXCERPT
She kept looking at her watch, counting the minutes that passed before Matt returned with his lock-pick set. When she heard the bell on the front door ring to signal the entrance of a customer, she left what remained of her sandwich on the desk and hurried to see who had come in.
"Sorry it took me a little while," Matt said as he placed a small leather case on the counter. "I would've been back sooner, but the pup was more interested in playing than doing her business."
"Oh, that's okay. I totally understand," Emily said with a smile. "It's so nice of you to offer to help me." She grabbed the briefcase and slid it down in front of him. "Do you really think you can open this?"
"Oh, sure. Just gotta find the right tool. These keyholes are tiny." Matt unzipped the lock-pick case. Inside, several thin, oddly shaped metal instruments were held in place by tiny elastic straps.
"They look kind of like things a dentist might use," Emily said. "Especially that one—it looks exactly like that nasty little hook they use to scrape your teeth."
Matt laughed. "Yeah, I thought the same thing when I first saw them." He selected one of the tools and carefully removed it from the case.
"So, how did you learn how to pick locks? You're the first person I've met who owns an actual lock-pick kit."
"It was part of some specialized training I went through," he said. " 'Covert entry training' is what the Marines call it. It's not as easy as some people think, but it's a good skill to have. You never know when you might be locked in or out of some place."
"Or some thing."
"Exactly." Matt grinned. "May I?" he asked, gesturing toward the briefcase. When she nodded, he held it up and squinted into the tiny keyholes. Then he carefully set it back on the table. "The locking mechanisms inside are probably pretty old, but if they're not rusted shut, I'll definitely be able to open this."
He paused and looked squarely at her. Emily wasn't sure why he was hesitating.
"That's great! Go right ahead."
Matt continued to regard her, but the look on his face was strange. His smile—his whole demeanor, really—exuded kindness and confidence, but his eyes gleamed with mischief. Though she didn't know what scheme Matt was attempting to perpetrate, it was apparent to her that he was up to something.
"Before I do, maybe we should talk about what I'll get in return," he said.
"What do you mean, what you'll 'get in return'?" Emily asked slowly. She put her hands on her hips and took a step back. "I thought you were doing me a favor."
"Oh, I am," Matt said. "I was just thinking that maybe, in return, you'd be willing to let me buy you dinner sometime. Or lunch or coffee. Whatever you'd prefer. It doesn't have to be anything big ... I'd like to get to know you better."
Emily studied Matt's face. His expression was relaxed but serious. There was no hint of a smile. Although his eyes still shone with a cheeky glimmer, she decided that this wasn't a joke. "That's sort of underhanded, don't you think? Offering to help and then putting a condition on it? Especially a condition like that?" Emily struggled to keep her voice steady as she seesawed between feeling delighted by Matt's interest and annoyed by his proposition. "Look, I'm not like most women. I'm very straightforward. I don't like being manipulated or pressured into something. I don't play games with people. And, I'm good with tools. The only reason I haven't opened this briefcase myself is because I didn't have what I needed. But now that I know what tools to get"—she glanced down at his kit—"I can easily order a set like that and open the damn thing myself."
"I didn't mean to upset you," Matt said quietly, still with the sparkle in his eyes. "The only reason I asked you out is because I suspected you are different than most women. And I'm sure you'll be able to open this by yourself ... eventually. It'll take a little time for you to get a set of tools like these, though, and while you're waiting for them to get here, you'll be wondering what's inside the case. I can tell you're really curious about it. And even when you have the tools, like I said, the locks on this briefcase are old. You could break them easily if you don't have experience opening locks. I'd hate for that to happen, since it belongs to your friend."
Matt's tone was playful but sincere and not patronizing. Emily was torn. He was cute, definitely, but acknowledging that fact brought with it a huge wave of guilt and uncertainty. Plus, she hated having her prowess with tools called into question, and she had been completely caught off guard by his approach. Finally, her instinct to throw up a defensive wall won out.
"I might've been interested in hanging out if you'd asked me straight up, without trying to coerce me. So, thanks, but no thanks. You can keep your sharp little tools. I can think of a few places they'd fit quite nicely." She gently closed the case on his kit and pushed it toward him with a smile. "Have a nice day."
Before he could react, she picked up the briefcase and escaped to the back room. After a few moments, once she'd heard the bell on the door jingle, she peeked out to be sure that Matt had left. One of the store's business cards was facedown on the counter with something written on the back. Grudgingly, Emily went to the register and picked up the card. There was a phone number scrawled on it, along with a short note: In case you change your mind.
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Find out more about Darcie and her books at www.darciechan.com.
Excerpt from the book The Promise of Home by Darcie Chan. Copyright © 2015 by Darcie Chan. Reprinted by arrangement with Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House.