Page 36 of The Pumpkin Pie Book Nook

Nothing happened. She shifted her weight, pressed again, then hopped and put both feet onto the top edge like she was hopping on a pogo stick. The shovel barely budged.

“This is harder than it looks,” she announced, cheeks flushed.

“Here, let me,” Tyler said, stepping in.

Robyn hopped down, handing him the shovel with a muttered, “Show-off.”

He dug the blade into the ground and drove it down with ease, the earth giving way on the first try. He scooped up a full shovelful and tossed it aside, then did it again, more out of focus than effort. CrossFit didn’t usually feel particularly romantic, but he mentally thanked every early morning he’d ever shown up when he wanted to stay in bed, because right now it was allowing him to make this look easy.

The wind swept down the sidewalk again, scattering leaves in a swirl. At the inn behind them, someone opened a door and the warm scent of baked goods invited them in.

“If this weather keeps up,” Madison said, rubbing her hands together, “I’m going to have to get us coffee and cinnamon rolls to keep us warm.”

Then a voice called out.

“Oy there, what’s going on out here?”

George—Madison’s dad—came around the side of the inn as if he’d been summoned by the sound of the shovel.

He wore a jacket that looked like it had survived a decade of bonfires and yard work, and his grin was all mischief and curiosity.

“Time capsule,” Madison said, gesturing dramatically. “Did you know there was one buried here?”

“Oh yeah,” George said easily, leaning forward to peer at Tyler’s progress. “Your mom mentioned it years ago. Truth be told, I forgot about it.”

Zach slipped his arm around Madison’s waist without thinking, pulling her in, keeping her close.

Tyler felt it like a tug behind his ribs. It wasn’t jealousy exactly. It was more like the stark realization that he didn’t have that with Robyn. That ease of being with someone who you knew wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He craved it so much it scared him.

He dug again, a little more vigorously, trying to focus on something he could control.

After a few moments, the shovel tip hit something. It wasn’t a rock, or a root; it was something metal.

Tyler froze for half a second, then angled the shovel and cleared earth away more carefully.

“I think I’ve got it,” he said, voice tightening with excitement.

Robyn stepped closer, her hand landing briefly on his arm.

“Don’t open it! Don’t open it. Not yet!” Elsie came sprinting across the sidewalk in high heels, phone already held out in front of her.

Mayor Bloomfield followed behind her, breathing harder than a man should after fifteen feet of jogging, but still wearing an utterly delighted expression.

“We need this content!” Elsie announced.

She planted herself near the hole and aimed her camera at him. “Okay. Now you may proceed,” she said with all the solemnity of someone presiding over a royal ceremony.

Zach crouched beside Tyler and helped loosen the dirt around the object. Piece by piece, the earth gave way, revealing a metal canister. It was about six inches across and just over a foot long, dulled by time but intact.

Tyler slid his hands under it and lifted it out, soil crumbling from the sides as if the ground didn’t want to give it up.

Robyn stepped forward, eager to see what was inside.

Tyler held the base steady while she reached for the lid, fingers careful as she started to unscrew it, and for a moment, the entire group seemed to hold their breath with her—Maple Falls, a handful of leaves, and a century-old secret about to be opened in broad daylight.

With the canister open, Robyn slid her hand inside and drew out a ribbon-tied bundle of pages—part two of the manuscript—along with another envelope, sealed with wax, just like the last one.

For a beat, no one spoke. Even Elsie lowered her phone.