As giggles and laughter filled the room, Daniella couldn’t help but smile. This was where she belonged, surrounded by The Fairy Forest’s magic, the children’s joy, and the support of friends like Jackie.
* * *
Harrison balanceda length of timber on his shoulder and walked into a cottage on Anchor Lane. If they kept to schedule, the building should be ready for the rental market in a couple of weeks.
Moving to Sapphire Bay was the best thing he’d done in a long time. It’d been hard leaving his family and friends but, after his wife died, he’d needed time away from everyone.
For ten years, he’d built a life with Audra, planning a future that wasn’t meant to be. Even now, three years after they’d said their final goodbye, his heart ached for what they’d shared, the tender moments that meant more than either of them realized.
Penny Terry, the property developer who was managing this project, walked toward him holding her clipboard. The gleam in her eyes didn’t bode well for a peaceful afternoon.
“We can’t change the layout,” he told her firmly. “And that includes adding another bathroom.”
Penny’s eyebrows rose. “It was only a suggestion. Why are you grumpier than usual?”
“I’m not grumpy. I’m tired. You asked us to keep working until the interior painting was finished. It was a late night.”
“And I’m incredibly grateful,” Penny told him. “We couldn’t have installed the kitchen and bathroom without having the walls painted.”
Harrison placed the length of timber with the others he’d moved inside. “I thought you’d be more interested in what’s happening in the next cottage.”
“I’m not here about the remodeling. I’ve asked a friend to organize an event to celebrate the official opening of the community housing project. I need someone to help her, and you’d be perfect.”
Harrison didn’t know if Penny was serious or trying to be funny. “I’m not a balloons and flowers kind of guy.”
“You don’t need to be. Daniella has a great imagination and she’ll make the opening a huge success. What I need is someone to help her. She might need some frames made or a few pieces of furniture carried into the cottages. I don’t think it’ll take a long time.”
Harrison had no problem moving a few pieces of furniture around, especially if it meant he didn’t have to organize anything. “When are the cottages officially opening?”
“In three weeks. This cottage will be the only one that’s finished, but everyone can look at the others to see how far we’ve come.”
Harrison was a little in awe of what Penny had achieved. According to a local historian, the eight cottages on Anchor Lane were built more than a hundred years ago as vacation homes for the staff of the Polson Steamboat Company.
After the steamboats stopped crossing Flathead Lake, the cottages fell into disrepair. If Penny hadn’t returned to Sapphire Bay and seen their potential, they’d still be full of rotten timber, decades of dust, and leaking roofs.
Because of what Penny and her construction crew had achieved, Anchor Lane had become one of the most visited streets in Sapphire Bay. With a florist, a café, a quilting store, and a knitting and yarn store renting the first four cottages, it was the perfect place to find a special gift.
The last four cottages were being remodeled into community housing. With rental accomodation hard to find, these buildings would provide warm, comfortable homes for people who struggled to find anywhere to live.
Even though they’d contain all the features you’d expect in a modern house, Penny had done her best to keep their original character.
Harrison studied the business card Penny gave him and frowned. A photo of a little girl dressed as a fairy covered one side. On the back, were the contact details of something called The Fairy Forest.
His frown deepened when he saw the smile on Penny’s face. “I’m confused.”
“I thought you might be,” she admitted. “My friend Daniella owns a business called The Fairy Forest. It’s the best events center in Montana.”
“And Daniella’s the person you want me to help?”
Penny nodded. “She’s incredible. Booking her to organize an event is almost impossible, especially if it isn’t in The Fairy Forest. But she squeezed the opening of the community housing into her schedule. I told her you’ll visit The Fairy Forest on your way home and introduce yourself.”
Harrison’s eyebrows rose. “A phone call won’t be enough?”
“Don’t worry,” Penny told him as she waved to someone who’d knocked on the front door. “As well as being super smart and amazing at what she does, Daniella’s one of the nicest people I’ve met.”
Harrison didn’t care how nice she was. As long as she could organize something that gave Penny what she wanted, he was happy. And if he only had to carry a few pieces of furniture inside, it’d be even better.
CHAPTER2
