Chapter 8

RILEY

I took a plate of cookies out of my truck. Before I left the cottage, I'd called Jonathan to see if he was home. The cookies were my way of saying thank you for offering me a place to stay when I first arrived.

I checked the address on the piece of paper, then looked at the cottage in front of me. Jonathan's home was adorable. With deep blue wooden siding, white trim, and a red door, it looked warm and welcoming, just like him. I followed the driveway around the back of the house and knocked on the garage door.

"You made it," Jonathan said with a smile that instantly put me at ease.

The sweet smell of chocolate hit me, making my stomach rumble. "Your directions were easy to follow. These cookies are for you. Thanks for offering to help me when I arrived in Sunrise Bay."

Jonathan's eyes lit up as he took the plate. "You didn't need to bring me cookies, but thank you anyway. I was about to stop for a drink. Would you like to join me?"

"That'd be great. I've been sorting through my art supplies all morning." I looked around the garage, and my eyes widened in surprise. "Wow. This isn't what I expected to see."

The garage had been converted into a commercial kitchen. Stainless steel counters ran across one wall and down the center of the room. Three large mixing bowls sat beside refrigerators as tall as me, and pots and pans in all shapes and sizes filled a wall of metal shelves.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked, amazed.

"This is where I create my confectionery. For the last couple of hours, I've been wrapping chocolate fudge for the craft fair."

"It smells wonderful." On the center island, bags of fudge were neatly stacked in boxes.

Jonathan grinned. "It's my granddad's secret recipe."

"This looks like it's more than a hobby."

"I want to open my own candy store one day. At the moment, I work from home and send orders to stores around Colorado." Jonathan took a container off one of the shelves. "Try some."

I bit into the fudge and sighed with pleasure. It wasn't the super-smooth type I usually enjoyed. This fudge had a dense, textured chewiness that melted in my mouth. "It's delicious."

"Making bulk quantities of the recipe is different from making smaller amounts, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. Come and have a drink."

I followed Jonathan out of the garage. "How long have you been living in Sunrise Bay?"

"About eighteen months. I was a nurse in Arizona before I moved here."

"That's a big change."

Jonathan stepped inside his kitchen. "I was only supposed to stay for two weeks, but I loved it so much that I decided to move here. Would you like coffee, hot chocolate, or cold apple cider?"

"Apple cider would be great."

"What brought you to Sunrise Bay?" Jonathan asked as he took two glasses out of a cupboard.

"I needed to paint some canvases for an exhibition that's only a few months away."

"That's why you were checking your art supplies. What do you paint?"

"Landscapes," I explained. "I like the way I can use oil paints to add texture and life to a scene."

"Did you bring any finished paintings with you?"

"A few of my older canvases are at my grandparents' cottage. Most of my work is sold as soon as it's displayed in exhibitions or galleries."

Jonathan looked impressed. "There wouldn't be many artists who could say that. Do you know what you'll paint while you're here?"

"I want to focus on Willow Lake. I have a lot of happy memories of the time I've spent either in or around the water."

"It sounds like you made the right decision to return to Sunrise Bay." He handed me a glass of cider.

"I hope so."

"It's okay to be unsure. Sometimes you have to trust that you're where you need to be."

I thought about my grandparents, my mom, and dad. There were a lot of things to be thankful for, but it's the things that made my heart ache that brought me home. I wanted this visit to be so much more than a chance to create two paintings. I needed to forgive myself for the choices I'd made and learn to like the person I'd become.

I looked at Jonathan, feeling a surge of gratitude. "I'm glad I met you."

"I'm glad I met you, too. Welcome home."