Epilogue
Two months later…
‘Hey, you’re writing!’ exclaimed Lucy, entering the drawing room. ‘And at Dad’s desk. Cool!’
‘It feels right,’ said Jen, smoothing her hand over the desk with its brass fittings and ink spots. ‘It makes me feel like writing. Dad always encouraged me, and I feel close to him here.’ She was suddenly aware of Lucy looking over her shoulder at the screen, and she snapped the laptop closed.
‘Ah, Jen, let me have a look.’
‘No way! I’ve only just begun.’ She patted the computer with a smile. ‘But it’s the first time in forever I’m actually enjoying it.’
‘That is excellent news. Now, come into the kitchen. I have something to show you.’
Jen stood up, stretched and followed her into the kitchen, watching as Lucy dumped the contents of her bag on the oak table.
‘What have you got there?’ Jen asked.
‘Bits and pieces. Stuff to contemplate,’ said Lucy, staring at a recipe book, photo and her necklace, which she’d spread on the table in front of her.
Jen looked over Lucy’s shoulder and tapped the photo. ‘That’s the photo Liam found. An online search identified him as an American marine. Have you found out anything else?’
Lucy held up her necklace. ‘You know I mentioned a couple came into the café a few months ago and said he hadn’t seen a Petoskey stone since he was a kid in Michigan.
Well, a couple of women came into the café who’d finished walking the Escarpment Track.
They also commented on the stone. But that wasn’t all she commented on.
She couldn’t believe I had a planked fish recipe on the menu and asked me what my connection with Michigan was.
I showed her the original recipe, and she said it was authentic Michigan.
It’s even got ‘cedar planks from the shore’ as part of the recipe!
Then I looked at it closer and saw this’ — she enlarged the photo on her phone and showed Jen — ‘Great Lakes Planked Whitefish — Johnny’s favourite!
’ Lucy read out. ‘The ink is so faded you can hardly see it, but it comes up clearer on the phone. I never even noticed it before.’ She sat back and looked at Jen.
‘So, it seems all lines of enquiry lead to Michigan.’
‘Hm, interesting,’ said Jen. ‘I’ve never heard any mention of the place. Have you asked Mum?’
‘Yep. She said the recipe is in Ngaire’s handwriting, and the necklace was also hers.
’ She turned over the photo to show the date.
‘1942. Ngaire would have been 18. And not only that. Last night, I uploaded the photo into AI, and it identified the cap badge as being from a Michigan regiment.’ She sat back, with a proud look on her face.
‘Michigan, Michigan, Michigan… And that is why I contacted all the lawyers I could find in the Petoskey region of Michigan — I thought I’d start there and work outwards — to see if they knew anything about this mysterious family trust.
‘Great idea! Have you heard back yet?’
‘No. Nothing yet. Maybe I won’t.’
‘But maybe you will. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you do and they’re able to shed light on who owns MacLeod’s Cottage?’ Jen wandered over to the open windows where she could hear Liam and Sam talking.
‘It will. And if we don’t hear anything, then we’ll simply continue our search,’ said Lucy, all humour gone now.
‘Sam is doing a wonderful job on the house, but it’s still not Mum’s, not ours.
’ She looked back at the items on the table.
‘And it should be. It was once. One of our great-great-somethings built it.’
‘I guess right there shows how little we know about our history.’
‘And we need to dig deeper because I can’t bear to think of Mum given notice to leave the cottage.’
‘You’re right. It makes me sick to think about it.
Hopefully, you’ve started a trail which will lead somewhere positive for Mum…
’ Jen looked through the window at Kate, who’d looked up with a smile from her weeding to say something to Liam and Sam.
Jen sighed. ‘And for us all. There’s still a lot of work to be done. I met the librarian the other day.’
‘Augustini?’
‘Yes, she’s lovely. She does research on the side. I thought I might get her involved. See what she can find out.’
‘Good idea. One thing’s for certain, this mystery won’t be solved overnight.’
‘No. I think you’re right there.’
‘But it’s got to be solved eventually with the full might of the MacLeod family on it. Don’t you think?’
‘Most definitely,’ agreed Jen. ‘I think the MacLeod family en masse is a force to be reckoned with. Between us all, we’ll solve this mystery and make sure MacLeod’s Cottage remains in the hands of the MacLeod family.
’ She glanced out the window, and a smile settled on her lips.
‘I can imagine Liam living here in years to come.’
Lucy walked over to Jen and followed her gaze. ‘With his wife and children.’
Jen blinked and stood looking at her son in silence for a few moments before shaking her head. ‘My imagination doesn’t stretch that far.’
Lucy laughed and put her arm around Jen. ‘You wait and see. In years to come, you’ll be sitting out there on the verandah entertaining your great grandchildren like the matriarch-in-waiting you are.’
‘Hm,’ grunted Jen. ‘Is that how you see me?’
‘That is how you are,’ said Lucy.
‘Mum!’ called Liam, and Jen waved.
‘You go see your guys.’
Jen didn’t need telling twice. She hadn’t said anything to Lucy, but she’d been thinking about the future a lot more recently.
With each passing day, she’d become more reassured about Liam.
Sure, there were still occasional emotional outbursts when he was confronted with someone or some situation he was unsure about, but they were becoming fewer.
The counselling was working well. And she hadn’t had a panic attack since the first weeks of her arrival.
It gave her the confidence she needed to take the next step forward with certainty. And there was no time like the present.
‘Sam,’ she called, and he spun around and shot her that beautiful smile, which gave her all the reassurance she required.
‘Jen,’ he said. ‘What’s going on? You look…’ He cocked his head to one side. ‘Mischievous.’
‘Mischievous? Am I up to mischief? Maybe. But I think it’s the kind of mischief you might like.’
He raised an eyebrow, and she laughed. ‘Not that kind of mischief. No, this is the serious kind.’ She schooled her face into a solemn expression. ‘I have a question to ask you.’
‘Ask away.’
‘I hope you don’t mind, but this morning I had a chat with Liam about something. I wanted to run it by him first before I talked to you. And he was happy for me to ask you.’
He shrugged. ‘Of course. Do you want some building work done?’
She shook her head. ‘No. No building work. But if you agree to my suggestion, you might find I’ll take up more of your time.’
‘What are you talking about?’
She suddenly felt shy.
He laughed. ‘Come on, out with it.’
She huffed a short laugh. ‘Well, you know how much I appreciate all you’ve done for me — for us all.’
A frown replaced his smile. ‘Are you about to tell me I’m dismissed? That my services are no longer required?’
She laughed longer this time. ‘No, not at all. My goodness, I really appreciate everything you’ve done. But you see, I want more.’
He quirked an eyebrow but remained silent.
‘You’ve been a great friend, and I know you wanted more, and I haven’t been able to be anything more to you than that — a friend.
But with every month that passes, Liam and I are changing…
recovering. We’ve got a long way to go yet, and I can’t promise anything, but I wondered if you’d like to begin again. ’
He stared at her. ‘I think I know what you’re saying, but I need to be sure.’ He shook his head. ‘Actually, I don’t know what you’re saying.’
‘Sam, Alistair’s death signalled an end.
But you know as well as anyone that Liam and I can’t shed our past just like that.
It’ll take time. And I want to know if you’ll join us on this journey.
’ She stretched out a hand and took his.
His fingers closed around hers. ‘As someone more than a friend. I want to build our future with you, little by little. I want you to be in this with us for the long-haul.’
For a split second he didn’t respond, simply took a deep breath. ‘The long-haul with you and Liam sounds good. Very good.’
She rolled onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. And in that moment, she knew that while she and Liam might not make a rapid recovery, they would recover with Sam helping them both every step of the way.
Through the French doors, Lucy looked out at her family laughing and talking and knew what had happened. It was there in Jen’s upturned face as she looked adoringly up at Sam. And it was in Sam’s smile as he lowered his face to Jen’s and brushed a gentle kiss against her lips.
It was then that Lucy turned away, rubbing her arms, which suddenly felt chill. She was happy, so happy for her sister. Goodness knows she deserved everything good that would come to her. But there was a little twist in her gut, too.
As Lucy went inside the house looking for champagne, she couldn’t help thinking what she wouldn’t give for someone to look at her like Sam looked at Jen.
Read the next book in the series now!
Lucy MacLeod’s café is the heart of her seaside village, but when Oliver arrives to redevelop the old hotel across the street, her world is threatened.
Torn between loyalty to her community and a growing attraction to her rival, Lucy must decide what she’s truly fighting for in this heartwarming story of family, love, and small-town charm.