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As she turned to see who called for her, Maisie’s first thought was that Daphne had shown up after all, as the woman looked similar to her. But when she peered closer and noticed a bearded man in a cowboy hat standing beside a woman with smiling lips, tears sprang to Maisie’s eyes.

“Mom? Dad?” she cried out.

Running toward them, her parents’ gleeful faces filled her with so much joy, she couldn’t contain her tears any longer.

They embraced her together, encircling her with warm arms.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, wiping away her tears as she pulled back.

“You didn’t think we’d wait to see you for two more weeks, did you?” Dad asked, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“We wanted to surprise you,” Mom said, still holding onto Maisie’s hand.

“Does that mean you’ll be staying here for a bit?” she asked, hope filling her soul.

Dad took her luggage from her. “For a couple of weeks. We’ve got Nathaniel testing out his foreman skills.”

“You don’t mind, do you?” Mom asked.

“Not even a little bit,” Maisie said, looking between them both.

All at once, the jetlag that weighed her down, the sorrow that she’d experienced from missing her parents, and the disappointment that she’d felt for how things had turned out between her and Finn, hit her squarely in her heart. Maisie’s emotions crumbled, and she could no longer hold in her trembling breath.

Mom looked at her with compassion, embracing her again. “Oh, honey, what’s the matter?”

Maisie shrugged. “How long do you have?”

Dad wrapped his arm around her, too. “For you, all the time in the world.”

“Let’s talk in the car,” Mom suggested. “Your dad rented a ridiculous truck the size of both Dakotas.”

“You can sit in the middle and tell us everything, just like you used to,” Dad continued. “Burgers and shakes to top it off?”

Maisie had never heard a better plan in her life.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

One week later, Maisie was beginning to feel a little less raw. Her jetlag had finally subsided, and with her parents still keeping her company from day to day, matters with Daphne had been far less awkward than Maisie had expected.

Still, Maisie wasn’t herself. She could feel it as she moved about her tasks. Part of that, of course, was coming home from a four-month work trip-slash-vacation. But more than anything, she knew it was the disappointment she felt at having to say goodbye to a relationship before it had really even begun.

Her parents had been a total source of comfort, encouraging her to keep moving forward and advising her on how to do just that. Their presence was just what she needed, especially when Daphne was in the throes of restaurant planning.

Still, Maisie was choosing to be patient with herself and with Daphne. She and her aunt would make it through this. And someday, Maisie would feel herself again. Soon, she hoped she would realize her dream of being a wife and a mother. But now, all she needed to do was focus on how to let go of her dream of being Finn’s.

One day, after she and her parents had spent the morning exploring a few historical sites around Boston, Maisie was called into the restaurant by Daphne to give her advice on a few matters with the restaurant.

Daphne

Bring your mom and dad, too. I always appreciate my sister’s opinion.

Together, she and her parents stopped by the building that was officially undergoing construction to become Daphne’s future restaurant. The work was going well in the space, though they were still months out from finishing.

Sheetrock had finally been placed to hide the main room from the kitchens, and ladders were positioned for electricians as they fed wiring through the roof and exposed framing. Towers of tile and other construction material were stacked at one side of the room, and a large push broom was propped up beside a heaving pile of white dust.

“Hope she doesn’t mind my opinion, too,” Dad said with a far-too-innocent grin as he stepped around a dusty, orange Shop-Vac.

“Cal, behave yourself,” Mom warned, then her eyes dropped to her phone.