“We’re fine. Mom made it back to Indianapolis, Caleb is busy catching up on the work he didn’t get done, and Gabe’s life is almost back to normal.”
“What about the stalker?”
“He’s been arrested.”
“Thank goodness for that.” Brooke frowned. “Was the stalker the reason Gabe moved to Sapphire Bay?”
Natalie nodded. “He needed to go somewhere he couldn’t be found. Except it didn’t work out that way.”
“With the stalker locked away, will Gabe go back to Brooklyn?”
Natalie grinned. “He’s staying in Sapphire Bay. Once everything has settled down, he’ll buy his own home.”
“Wow. That’s quite a change for someone who’s lived his entire life in a big city.”
A sliver of unease crept under Natalie’s skin. “I know. I hope he’s happy here.”
“I’m sure he will be. Look at Caleb and me. Neither of us would go back to our old lives.”
Natalie hoped with all her heart that Brooke was right. “Tell me what happened with the bakery. Have you bought it, yet?”
Brooke grinned. “After the bank approved my loan, I made the owners a cash offer. It took a few days of negotiation, but we got there in the end. You’re now looking at the proud owner of the only confectionery store in Sapphire Bay.”
“That’s wonderful!” Natalie jumped out of her chair and gave her friend a hug. “I knew it would work out for you. When do you take over the building?”
“Next Friday. The owners have agreed to leave all the furniture and appliances in the store.”
“Will that make it easier for you?”
Brooke opened the container of cookies. “It will make a huge difference. I should be able to make my candy from the store’s kitchen in a couple of weeks.”
Natalie sighed. “I’m so happy for you.”
“So am I. Who would have thought we’d both find what we were looking for in Sapphire Bay?”
Natalie bit into one of Brooke’s cookies. Falling in love had been the last thing on her mind. She just hoped Gabe loved Sapphire Bay enough to stay.
* * *
Gabe heldNatalie’s hand as they walked along the rocky shore of the lake. He took a deep breath and wondered what Sapphire Bay would look like as summer turned to fall, and then winter and spring.
“It’s so peaceful.” Natalie bent down and picked up a pale blue stone.
“Is that another one for your collection?”
Natalie smiled. “The jar of stones is half full now. Mom’s going to love them. They’ll remind her of the lake.”
“Do you think she’ll move back here?”
“Maybe. She has a lot of friends in this area of Montana.”
Sherlock ran ahead of them, zig-zagging through the water like a mini torpedo.
Gabe was glad to be here, to try to put the past behind him. But even though Chapman was behind bars, he couldn’t shake the feeling they’d missed something. Finding his stalker after a traffic violation seemed too easy. Chapman had been careful about not leaving any evidence of his identity. It was almost an anticlimax to know he wouldn’t be harassing Gabe again.
He looked at Natalie and sighed. With her dark hair falling around her shoulders and a pale green dress flowing down to her ankles, she could have been a mermaid washed onto the shore.
“Have you looked at the spreadsheet we made about Chapman?”
