“You and Maggie seemed to have picked up right where you left off all those years ago. I remember the way the two of you were as thick as thieves.”
“We’re friends. You can tell Annie not to start planning a wedding shower,” he said in a dry voice.
“Why would she do that? Word around town is that Hank Jeffries is interested in Maggie.” Declan flashed him a smug look. “They’re going out on a date.”
Whoosh. Finn felt a jolt pass through him. Maggie hadn’t mentioned anything about Hank or going out on a date. It wasn’t as if she owed him that type of information, but Finn felt a little bit of a shock. He spent most days working side by side with Maggie. Why hadn’t she confided in him about Hank?
“Seems to me if you’re interested in Maggie you ought to speak up before she’s taken.” Although Declan tossed the words out casually, Finn knew his brother was trying to prod him into action.
“What part of not interested don’t you understand? We’re friends, just like in the old days.”
“You two are like peanut butter and jelly. You finish each other’s sentences. That’s how it was when I met Annie. For a while I resisted what it meant. Don’t be so stubborn, Finn. You’re blocking your blessings.”
“I’m not like you, Declan. Not everyone embraces marriage and kids with open arms. I knew at a young age I wasn’t going to get the white picket fence and the house full of kids.”
Declan frowned. “I understand, to an extent. Before I met Annie I had my doubts about happily-ever-after, but loving her helped me make peace with the past. I hope you see how it’s possible. I’m living proof.”
Just then Oliver came back into the room, juggling two small boxes of chocolate milk in one hand and some apple slices in the other. He grinned at Finn. “Look what I found. I got one for both of us.” He handed a chocolate milk to Finn.
“We’ll pick this conversation up later,” Declan said, shooting Finn a glance filled with meaning. He smiled at Oliver. “I’m glad you had a good time today, Oliver.”
“It was awesome,” Oliver said. “Finn’s the best pilot in all of Alaska.”
Finn threw his head back and laughed. It was nice to hear a vote of confidence from Oliver.
The corners of Declan’s mouth were twitching with mirth. “I see I’m outnumbered,” he said.
Declan leaned across his desk and said in a loud whisper, “Don’t tell Finn I said so, but I agree with you.” He looked at his watch. “I better head off toward the pier. I’m making a run to Homer.”
After Declan’s departure, Finn sat down with Oliver so they could enjoy their chocolate milk and apple slices.
“So, what do you have planned for later on?” Finn asked. “Anything exciting for the weekend?”
He wrinkled his nose. “Mom has a date tonight,” Oliver said in a soft voice. “I’m hanging out at Aidan’s house.”
Finn tensed up. Clearly, Declan’s information had been correct. Even Oliver knew about it.
He made sure his voice sounded cheery. “Really? Well, that’s nice.”
Oliver frowned at him. “Do you really think so?”
“Sure. Why not?” he asked, hoping to inject a little positivity into the situation. Clearly, Oliver wasn’t impressed with his mother’s plans.
“Because if Mom goes out with this guy then they might get married. Aidan told me all about the Operation Love program,” Oliver said, his voice trailing off. He bit his lip and stared at Finn with a troubled expression.
“Would that be such a bad thing?” Finn asked.
“Yes, it would,” he said in a raised voice. “I don’t want her to marry just anybody, Finn.” His hazel eyes pooled with tears. “I want her to marry you.”
Chapter Nine
Maggie cranked up the holiday music and did a little dance around the shop. Everything looked wonderful. The shelves had been painted a pristine white. The hardwood floors were glistening. Trash had been cleared. The charity organization had stopped by to pick up the donations. Stock had been delivered.
They still had some work to do, but it was night and day from when they had opened up the door and come face-to-face with a shop in disarray. That day Maggie had prayed for wisdom and strength to go the distance. With the help of Finn, Maggie was a few steps away from her goal of opening up Keepsakes in time for the holiday season.
Becoming a part of the fabric of this quaint town involved being seen. She didn’t want to be a shadow anymore. It was the Christmas season. Celebrating the birth of Jesus meant rejoicing with your community. Locking herself away meant Maggie was living in fear. She didn’t want to do that anymore. Not for herself or Oliver. She wanted to embrace everything this town had to offer.
Maggie reached out and ripped down the brown paper from the windows. As light flowed into the shop, Maggie felt as if she was being embraced. She hoped Finn didn’t mind her taking down the brown paper without him. She’d been caught up in a moment. It had felt right.
While she was setting up the window display, numerous townsfolk passed by the store. They smiled and waved at her. Some gave her the thumbs-up sign as they watched her set up the miniature Christmas tree and the snow globes on one side and the twinkling reindeer and the smiling snowman alongside it. Once she was done she stepped outside and surveyed it.
The sound of clapping interrupted her perusal of the display. Finn and Oliver were walking down Jarvis Street and straight toward her. Finn was clapping enthusiastically.
“It looks great!” Finn stepped closer to the windows and examined her displays. “I’d say this is the best holiday display on Jarvis Street.”
“What do you think, Oliver?” Maggie asked. “Do you give it a thumbs-up?”
Oliver shrugged and pushed snow around on the pavement with
