“I don’t know.” A mischievous smile lit her mom’s face. “You don’t know any sixty-year-old millionaires who like spending money on their girlfriend, do you?”
“Not at the moment.” Natalie laughed. “But if I meet anyone who looks promising, I’ll let you know.”
“You do that.” Kathleen wrapped her hand around Natalie’s elbow and helped her up the stairs. “Do you still want to visit the cemetery after lunch?”
Natalie sat on the sofa. “I’d like that. I wonder what grandma and granddad would think of everything that’s happened.”
Her mom handed Natalie a cup of wildberry tea. “They’d say it’s all part of the history of the lake. Did granddad ever tell you the story about Mad Mitch?”
She shook her head.
“Well, have I got a story for you.” Kathleen sat on the sofa and sipped her tea. “It all started one dark and stormy night…”
Natalie smiled as her mom’s voice rose and fell in a theatrical whisper. There was nothing like a good ghost story to banish the real demons. Especially when they kept reappearing in her dreams.
* * *
Natalie wasglad she hadn’t come to the cemetery on her own. Her mom had a way of making the impossible seem possible. And visiting her grandparents’ grave for the first time was almost more than she could bear.
Their white granite headstone glistened in the afternoon sun. “The headstone is lovely. It looks better than in the photos.”
Kathleen held Natalie’s arm. “I thought so, too, but I couldn’t get a better picture when I took it.”
Tears filled Natalie’s eyes as she read the inscription.Forever in our hearts.It only seemed like yesterday that they were sitting around her grandparents’ dining table, talking about her first exhibition. Her grandma wanted to know who would be there. Her granddad wanted to know how she felt about showing her paintings to a crowd of strangers. They were the perfect couple—the practical, no-nonsense school teacher had married a man who dreamed about what could be instead of what was in front of him.
Natalie blew her nose. “They were wonderful grandparents.”
“The best,” her mom said softly. “They were so proud of you. Even when you were in your twenties, your granddad called you his little bundle of joy. They loved spending time with you.”
Natalie smiled through her tears. “I have so many happy memories of living with them. After I moved to Europe, I wondered if I’d done the right thing. After a while, I became so caught up in the glamor of living in Italy, that I forgot what was important.”
“How do you feel about it now?”
“For the first two or three years, it was the right decision. After that it became more of a habit than a choice. When granddad and grandma died, I felt so guilty for not coming home.” Natalie wiped her eyes. She didn’t know how her mom would feel about what she said next, but she needed to tell her. “I’ve made a decision about whether I want to sell the cottage.”
Her mom frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want to think about it for longer? There’s a lot to consider.”
Natalie took a deep breath. “I’m sorry if this isn’t what you want, but I can’t sell the cottage to the developers.”
Her mom sighed and kissed her cheek. “I didn’t think you’d want to sell.”
“If you’d like me to buy your share of the cottage, I’m happy to do that.”
“I don’t want to sell, either. In fact, I’ve got other plans for the cottage. How would you feel if I moved back to Sapphire Bay?”
Natalie’s mouth dropped open. “I thought you liked living in Indianapolis.”
“I do. But I like living closer to you. It wouldn’t be right away. I’d have to find another job and sell my house.”
“I can’t think of anything I’d like more. Once Gabe finds a place of his own, I could move into granddad and grandma’s side of the cottage and you could have our side.”
Kathleen sent her a confident smile. “I think Gabe might have something to say about that. It seems to me that he’s more in love with you than he realizes.”
“You’ve got your mother-of-the-bride blinkers on again. Gabe is still working out what’s important in his life. And that might not be me.”
Her mom sighed. “Take it from someone who knows a thing or two about love. That man is head over heels in love with you. He just needs a little time for his brain to catch up with his heart.” Kathleen picked up the bucket they’d brought with them. “After I’ve filled this with water, we’ll wash the headstone. And then you can tell me how your painting is coming along.”
While her mom walked across to the faucet, Natalie knelt beside her grandparents’ grave. The white roses she’d brought were from grandma’s garden. Lifting the blooms to her nose, she breathed in the sweet fragrance. It filled her with memories of being cuddled close in her grandma’s arms, of working beside her in the garden, weeding and pruning the plants. It reminded her of the picnics they’d enjoyed in their backyard, the cookies her grandma loved to bake.
