* * *
After dessert with Gabe,Natalie and her mom walked into their side of the cottage.
Spending time with him had calmed Natalie’s nerves and made her less worried about the burglar coming back. “I’ll make us a hot drink.”
Her mom nodded. “That sounds wonderful.” Kathleen sat on the big, comfy sofa they’d bought many years ago at a market. “Gabe’s cherry pie was incredible.”
Natalie turned on the kettle and found her favorite herbal tea. “It was.” Just thinking about the layers of cherries and pecans made her mouth water all over again. “The top layer of chocolate wassoworth all the calories we ate.”
“We should go for a walk in the morning.”
“If the day had turned out differently, I’d suggest going now.” Natalie handed her mom a mug of tea. “But tomorrow is a much safer option.”
“Don’t let the burglary scare you. Between that lovely man called Tanner and the police, they’ll soon have whoever was here behind bars.”
Natalie wasn’t so sure. The Italian police were still investigating the theft of her paintings. If the American police worked just as slowly, it would be Christmas before anyone identified the person in the security camera.
Her mom held the mug close to her nose and closed her eyes. “The tea smells heavenly.”
“It’s wildberry and cinnamon. Mabel sells it at the general store.”
“How are Mabel and Allan?”
“They’re happy and busy. Do you think they’ll ever retire?”
Kathleen smiled. “I don’t think so. Last time I spoke to them they were looking at expanding their business. The store beside theirs was for sale and they thought they could make use of the space.”
“That’s why it looked bigger. I thought my memory was playing tricks on me.”
“Not this time. How did you feel when you saw the cottage?”
Natalie took a deep breath. “Sad. When I stood on Gabe’s veranda, I half expected grandma to open the door.”
“She had a way of filling up the world with kindness.” Kathleen’s hand trembled as she placed the mug on the coffee table. “They died so suddenly.”
Natalie understood the grief in her mom’s voice. It had been a hard twelve months for everyone. “I’m sorry I didn’t come home more often.”
“You needed to stay in Europe.”
Regret, grief, and guilt made Natalie’s stomach churn. “Not all the time.”
“You were busy creating more wonderful paintings. After your grandparents died, I was more worried about you not getting the chance to say goodbye.”
Hot tears filled Natalie’s eyes. “I need to tell you the truth about why I didn’t come home for their funeral. It wasn’t the exhibition that stopped me from being here. I stayed in Europe because I felt guilty. I let grandma and granddad down. After everything they did, I hardly ever saw them. If I’d visited or called more often, they would have known I loved them.”
“Come here.” Kathleen pulled Natalie into a fierce hug. “Your grandma and granddad knew you loved them. They enjoyed hearing about what you were doing. Visiting them in Sapphire Bay was a big ask, especially with the schedule you had.”
“It didn’t have to be that way.”
“Maybe not, but it made a difference to your career. Granddad understood. He used to say you were a chip off the old block.”
Natalie wiped her eyes. “He sent me his set of pilot wings. He said they were a good luck charm to help my dreams fly.”
“They knew you wanted more than the life you had in Sapphire Bay. Grandma said you were destined for great things, and she wasn’t wrong. You needed to be in Europe.”
“I wish I’d come home.”
Kathleen pushed a strand of hair off Natalie’s face. “I know you do. Have you visited the cemetery?”
