“You shouldn’t have been worried,” Chloe told him. “You’re a talented writer, and Eleanor’s story is amazing. And since we’re speaking about Eleanor, Sacha and Mary called me earlier today.”
“Really? How are they?”
“Doing well. They called to wish us a Merry Christmas, but that’s not the best part.” Chloe’s face lit with excitement. “They asked their family to look through their belongings for anything related to Eleanor and Clara. They’ve already seen things they didn’t know existed.”
“That’s incredible,” Liam said. “Would they be happy for us to visit them once they’ve collected everything from their family?”
Chloe nodded. “They’d love that. Sacha said she’ll photograph each item and email it through to us. But seeing each piece ourselves will be so much better.”
When Oscar had finished his hot chocolate, he turned to Chloe. “Can we build a snowman when we get home?”
She picked up a paper napkin and wiped off the chocolate from around his mouth. “Maybe tomorrow. It’s getting close to your bedtime.”
“Just a small one?” Oscar pleaded.
Liam smiled at Chloe. “Maybe we can manage a teeny-tiny one?”
She shook her head, smiling. “You two are impossible.”
Liam kissed her. “Impossible but lovable.”
With a sigh, she kissed him again. “You must have read my mind.”
As they made their way to his truck, Liam couldn’t imagine his life without Chloe and Oscar in it. And soon, he hoped they’d feel the same way.
A few days later,Chloe adjusted Oscar’s scarf as they stood outside the old steamboat museum, the crisp winter air nipping at their cheeks. Snowflakes drifted lazily from the gray sky, adding a fresh layer to the already blanketed ground.
“Why are we here?” Oscar asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
“Liam said Percy found something interesting in the room at the end of the tunnel,” Chloe replied, smiling down at him. “And he thought we’d like to see it before we leave for Washington, D.C., tomorrow.”
Oscar’s face lit up. “I’ve never been inside the tunnel! This is so cool!”
She smiled at his infectious grin. “I thought you’d be excited.”
She opened the wooden door of the museum just as Liam was walking into the entryway.
“Hey, you two,” he said. “Thanks for coming so quickly.”
Chloe’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. “We wouldn’t have missed it,” she said, returning his smile. “Oscar’s super excited to explore the tunnel.”
Liam held out his hand to Oscar. “Well, let’s not keep you waiting then.”
As they walked past the displays, Chloe looked around for Percy. It wasn’t like him not to be here. “Is Percy in the tunnel?”
Liam shook his head. “He had to go home, but Richard’s waiting for us.”
As they made their way to the back of the building, Chloe saw the changes that had happened since she’d last been here. The number of tiny homes being built in the large construction area had doubled, and a metal fence separated the work area from where they were walking.
Liam must have noticed her curiosity. “The tunnel has attracted a lot of interest from tourists coming to Montana. Patrick Devlin, the site foreman, wanted to make doubly sure no one wandered into the construction area. They put up the railing a couple of weeks ago.”
Chloe touched the cold metal bar. “That makes sense. Did they think about using the other entrance closer to Richard’s workshop?”
“They did, but Patrick wanted to make sure he knew exactly who was in the building. If there was a different entrance, they’d have to pay someone to keep a record of who’s in the tunnel.”
There were other changes that Chloe knew about. Richard had moved his workshop to another part of the building. After talking with him the last time she was here, he’d said it hadn’t been as bad as he’d thought it would be—especially when it meant history buffs weren’t asking him where they could find the tunnel.
As Liam led them through a sturdy door marked “Staff Only” he talked to Oscar, telling him what had been happening since the first time he’d been here.
