“Maggie, my door is always open for you and Oliver. Just say the word and I’ll buy the plane tickets for you.”
“That’s very generous of you, Uncle Tobias. I’m wary of uprooting Oliver so soon after Sam’s passing. But it’s nice to know I have options,” she’d told him.
“You’ll always have a home here in Love,” he’d told her in a voice clogged with emotion.
He had continued to invite her until his health condition had deteriorated. By the time Maggie discovered Uncle Tobias was so ill, he’d been in his last weeks of life. Maggie wasn’t sure she would ever forgive herself for not being by Uncle Tobias’s side in the last moments of his life. Why hadn’t he told her about his illness? She had the feeling he hadn’t wanted her to go through another ordeal after what Sam had put them through. Maggie still wished she’d known Uncle Tobias was so sick. It would have added an urgency to his invitation. For all intents and purposes, he had been her closest family member with the exception of Oliver. She couldn’t even count her mother, since their relationship was estranged.
A soft tapping on her window drew her out of her thoughts. Finn was standing there with a determined look on his face. In the clear light of day, she wasn’t sure how to feel about him helping her put the shop in order. Although they had once been the best of friends, they were now essentially strangers. Doing it all by myself would have felt empowering. She prayed Finn wasn’t going to try to boss her around or take control of things. Maggie had put up with a lot of that behavior in her marriage to Sam. She wouldn’t stand for it again!
She let out a sigh. She needed to stay positive and stop blocking her blessings. Even though decades stood between them, she knew Finn was a good person. Perhaps working side by side would help them get back to a place in time where they’d been able to finish each other’s sentences. It would be nice to get her best friend back. And if Finn overstepped with regards to the shop, she wouldn’t hesitate to tell him to take a step back.
“Finn!” Oliver cried out, unbuckling himself and practically vaulting out of the car.
Maggie stepped down from the driver’s seat, watching as her son threw himself against Finn. She winced at the sight of it, filled with worry about Oliver getting so attached so soon. It wasn’t her son’s way to be so demonstrative.
“Oliver! Give Finn some breathing room,” Maggie said, gently pulling Oliver away.
“It’s okay. No one ever gets this excited to see me except my dog, Boomer,” Finn said with an easy grin.
Oliver looked up at Finn. “You have a dog? What kind?”
“He’s a rescue. Part terrier and part Labrador. My friend Ruby Prescott pointed him in my direction. She trains search-and-rescue dogs.”
“Do you think she could find one for us?” Oliver asked.
“Slow down, cowboy,” Maggie said with a chuckle. “A dog is a big responsibility. We need to settle in first before we make such a big decision about a pet.”
Oliver stuck his lip out and sent her a mournful look.
Finn, clearly seeking to distract Oliver, clapped his hands together. “Why don’t we go check out the shop?” he asked. “I’m sure Uncle Tobias has plenty of things inside to capture your attention. Maps. Puzzles. Maybe even a periscope.”
Oliver nodded enthusiastically, seemingly forgetting he was disgruntled with his mother. Maggie sent Finn a look of gratitude.
They began walking toward the storefront. Maggie stopped in her tracks and looked up at the shabby exterior. The windows were completely covered with heavy brown paper, making it impossible to see inside. The sign was weathered and worn, clearly in need of a fresh coat of paint. A long-ago memory tugged at her. A beautiful sign in a cherry-red color. It was a simple fix, she realized. One she could take care of herself with a fresh can of red paint and a ladder. She would make sure it was restored to its former glory. Thankfully, Hazel had made arrangements on her behalf to have the electricity turned on in the shop.
She turned toward Finn. “How long has the place been closed?” Maggie asked.
Finn shrugged. “About seven months, give or take. It was open last Christmas per usual. Tobias started feeling poorly and then lost the desire to keep the shop open. For a long time though no one knew he was ill. He kept it close to the vest.”
A feeling of guilt swept over Maggie. If she had accepted Uncle Tobias’s invitation to move to Alaska a year ago, perhaps she could have kept the store open and helped take care of her uncle. At the time she hadn’t been ready to make such a major life change. It was a missed opportunity, one she would regret for the rest of her life.
Maggie took the keys out of her purse and dangled them in the air. “Here we go.” She inserted the gold key in the lock. As soon as she turned the knob and pushed the door open, a musty scent filled Maggie’s nostrils. The interior was dark. All she could see were shapes and stacks of things piled up. She let out a cough as dust tickled her nostrils.
“Let me turn the lights on.” Finn’s arm reached out and he fumbled along the wall for a few seconds before the lights came on. The shop was now flooded with light. Maggie let out a shocked gasp. The entire shop was one big mess. Not a single surface was clear. Boxes had been strewed everywhere. Some were even piled up on top of each other.
“Oh my word,” she said, raising a hand to her throat. Maggie blinked, hoping it was an optical illusion rather than reality staring her in the face.
The entire
