By the time Brooke and Levi returned from the lake, it was late afternoon. Even though the boat races had finished more than an hour ago, there were still a lot of families on the shore, sitting on the grass and enjoying the heat of the sun.
“That was wonderful,” Brooke said. “And so much better than working in my apartment.”
“I can’t believe there were so many boats on the water.”
“People come from all over the country to enjoy Flathead Lake. There’s another regatta in Big Fork next weekend. I can almost guarantee that most of the people who came to Sapphire Bay will be going there.”
“I guess it’s part of what happens when you live in a small town.”
“And when you live on the shore of an amazing lake,” Brooke added. She waited with Levi on the sidewalk while a line of cars and trucks drove past.
A little girl waved from one of the vehicles and Brooke waved back. “Do you ever look at strangers and wonder what their lives are like?”
Levi smiled. “Not usually. Why?”
“The world is such a small place, but everyone is so different. I used to imagine what my life would be like if I’d been born in India or China. Or what would have happened if I’d returned to Phoenix and continued nursing.”
With a rueful grin, Levi pulled her across the road. “I don’t know what your life would have been like, but you wouldn’t be standing beside me with paint-splattered hair.”
Brooke smiled. “It’s not too bad.”
“I should have given you my spare baseball cap.”
“It will eventually wash out.”
“Or grow out,” he said half-seriously.
Brooke poked Levi in the ribs. “I checked the paint can. It’s water-based undercoat, so I’m fine.”
“We’ll see. But don’t be surprised if you still look like a snowman next week.” Levi stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and peered down the street. “Is that your mom and dad?”
Brooke held her hand above her eyes and squinted into the sunlight. Her eyes widened when she realized Levi was right. Her mom and dad were standing outside her candy store. “What are they doing here?”
“If I had to take a random guess, I’d say they’re looking for you.”
Her heart pounded as her parents headed toward the general store. “Dad wanted me to spend some time with them in Phoenix. I never expected to see them here.”
Levi wrapped his hand around hers. “They must be tired of waiting for you. Let’s go and say hello.”
She didn’t move. “What if they don’t like my candy store?”
“As soon as they taste your fudge, they’ll know you made the right decision.” Levi frowned. “It will be okay.”
Brooke wasn’t so sure. Even after talking with her dad, she was still worried her parents would think she was wasting her time and their money.
“If I were you,” Levi said. “I’d want to speak to my parents before Mabel does. She’s a nice person, but she likes to gossip.”
Brooke wiped her hands on the sides of her jeans. Mabel thought she knew everything that was happening in Sapphire Bay. And what she didn’t know, she made up.
“You’re right,” she said to Levi. “I’ve kept a low profile, but even that has its own dangers. If you appear too normal, Mabel looks for any chink in your armor. I’d better make sure Mom and Dad have some backup.” And with Levi beside her, Brooke set off down the street.
She never thought she’d be rescuing her mom and dad, but then she’d never imagined them visiting Sapphire Bay.
Brooke followed Levi into the general store.
He sent her an encouraging smile, but it didn’t make the nerves jumping inside her stomach any easier to handle. Although she’d talked to her parents on the phone, she hadn’t seen them for more than a year. It had been so long that she didn’t know what to say, how to show them how much she’d changed.
Her mom stood at the end of an aisle, looking at locally made jars of jam. Virginia Johnson was tall and slim, with silvery-blond hair that sat just above her shoulders. Brooke had always admired the way her mom could fit into any social situation. It didn’t matter if they were helping at a church fair or eating in a fancy restaurant, she always looked elegant and calm.
As she placed a jar of jam in a shopping cart, Virginia turned and saw Brooke. “Oh, my goodness!” She rushed down the aisle, wrapping Brooke in a big hug. “We thought you must have gone away for the day.”
“I was watching the boat races with Levi. It’s great to see you.”
“We should have called first, but the airfares were on sale and we decided to visit. I wish you’d told us more about Sapphire Bay. It’s such a lovely town.”
Relief washed through Brooke. Even though her parents said they understood why she couldn’t fly home, her mom’s excitement reduced her niggling sense of guilt.
“She didn’t tell us about Sapphire Bay because she might have been worried we’d move here,” Brooke’s dad said, walking toward her. “It must be my turn for a hug.”
Brooke wrapped her arms around her dad’s waist. Even though this visit was unexpected, it felt good to have them close. “Did you fly into Polson?”
“We did. Apart from a half-hour delay when we left Phoenix, the flight was great.” Karl looked over Brooke’s shoulder and grinned. “It’s good to see you, Levi.”
While her mom and dad hugged Levi, Brooke took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax. There were so many reasons why it was the perfect time for her parents to visit. She needed to focus on those and not worry about what she’d say to them or how badly she’d let them down.
“I can’t believe the two of you are living in Sapphire Bay,” Karl said. “The chance of bumping into each other in the middle of Montana must be a million to one.”
Levi smiled. “If I hadn’t stopped outside Brooke’s candy store, I never would have met her again.”
“Just think how stress-free your life would have been,” she joked.
“I like to be kept on my toes,” Levi replied with a grin. “Especially if Russian fudge is involved.”
Brooke’s dad looked at them. “You always were good friends. I’m glad you’re here to look after our daughter, Levi.”
Brooke’s heart squeezed tight. “Levi isn’t staying here forever.”
Virginia rubbed Brooke’s arm. “He’s here now, and that’s all that matters. And before you start worrying about where we’re sleeping, we’ve booked a room at a bed-and-breakfast in town.”
Levi moved out of the way of a lady pushing a shopping cart. “That was a good idea. Brooke’s apartment is a construction site at the moment.”
“I can’t wait to see what you’re doing,” Virginia said to Brooke. “We were impressed with the photos you emailed. I told your dad the candy store reminds me of some of the buildings we visited in Paris—even the stained glass windows have a little French flavor to them.”
The first time Brooke had seen the building, she’d felt the same way. “Apart from painting the store, I kept the main retail space and kitchen the same as it was when I bought the property. But the first and second floors are completely different. We could go to the store now, if you’d like to have a look?”
Virginia linked her hand around Brooke’s elbow. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.”
Brooke remembered what her dad had told her. Knowing her parents were proud of her made this visit a little easier. “You could stay for dinner, too. I made a big casserole this morning.”
“I’ll buy dessert,” Karl said. “Come and help me choose something, Levi.”
Levi’s gaze locked with Brooke’s.
The concern simmering deep in his eyes made her heart melt. Levi kept a lot of his feelings to himself but, no matter what happened, she always knew he cared about her. “As long as you include one of Mabel’s raspberry cheesecakes, I’ll be the happiest confectioner in town.”
Levi smiled. “It’s one of my favorites, too.”
“That’s why I suggested it,” Brooke whispered. Levi’s sweet tooth was becoming legendary around town. The last time she came into the general store, Mabel gave her a slice of cheesecake to take home for him. “But you have to promise to share.”
“I can manage that. Follow me, Karl. The desserts are at the back of the store.”
“Let’s have a look at the tourist information,” Brooke’s mom said. “While your dad and I are in town, we thought we would explore the area.”
Brooke took her mom across to a small rotating stand. “What were you thinking of doing?”
“Something on the water. I could spend all day looking at the lake.”
“How about a steamboat cruise?” She handed her mom a brochure. “This one leaves from Polson. A friend of mine went on it last summer and said it was amazing.”
“Sounds good. We’ve hired a car for five days, so traveling away from Sapphire Bay won’t be a problem.”
Brooke pulled some more brochures off the stand. “These look good, too. If Dad wants to go fishing, you could spend the day with me.”
“In the candy store?”
“If you’d like to.” Brooke wasn’t sure if her mom was excited or shocked. “If you’d rather do something else, I don’t mind.”
“I’d love to work with you.” Virginia took a deep breath. “I talked to your dad after we got home from Singapore. I’m sorry if you thought we didn’t approve of what you’re doing. All we care about is that you’re happy.”
Brooke’s eyes widened. “But you were shocked when I told you I wasn’t going back to the hospital. You tried to talk me out of leaving.”
“That’s because you’d just broken up with Levi. We didn’t want you to regret making a life-changing decision when you were upset.”
“I couldn’t have stayed in Phoenix. Levi meant the world to me, but marrying him was the worst thing I could have done.”
Virginia looked down the aisle. “He loved you. And any man who looks at my daughter the way he looked at you, better have good intentions.”
Brooke’s cheeks flushed with heat. “That was a long time ago.”
“Not that long. Besides, it doesn’t seem as though much has changed.”
“Mom,” Brooke groaned. “Don’t let Levi hear you say that. He’ll resign and leave me with an unfinished attic.”
Virginia patted Brooke’s shoulder. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. Levi wouldn’t let you down.”
She knew he wouldn’t, but he wasn’t the person Brooke was worried about. If she let him down a second time, she’d never forgive herself—and he’d never forgive her.
“This is it.” Brooke stood to one side of her kitchen as her parents and Levi walked through the door. “Levi installed a security alarm and a camera on the outside of the building. If anyone tries to break in, I’ll know about it straight away.”
Her dad nodded. “You can’t be too careful with your safety. Especially when you’re living on your own.”
“That’s what Levi said,” Brooke muttered. She didn’t know whether her dad was being overly cautious or hinting at something else.
Virginia ran her hand along the stainless steel counter. “Oh, this is lovely. I would have given anything to have a kitchen like this when I was younger.”
Brooke frowned. Her mom had always been so busy working that she didn’t have time to bake anything—unless it was in a slow cooker or the microwave. “I didn’t know you enjoyed cooking.”
Karl grinned. “When we first started dating, your mom made cookies and cake for me to take to work. I was the envy of every person in the building.”
“I thought Nana was the baker in the family.”
Virginia sighed. “She was a wonderful cook. I can still remember the smell of the fresh bread she used to make each Sunday.”
It had been ten years since Brooke’s grandparents had died and she still missed them. When she was younger, she’d spent a lot of time at their house. Granddad would show her how to look after the vegetables he grew. When they were ready to be picked, her Nana taught her how to cook them. By the time Brooke left school she could throw together different ingredients and make delicious meals.
Virginia stood in front of the shelves of fresh candy, reading the labels on each container. “Did you make all of this, Brooke?”
“Most of it. Some friends helped me make one of the trays of fudge, but the rest is all mine.” Brooke glanced across the store, wondering if Levi and her dad were okay.
“Your dad and I had a look at your new website. It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. Megan and I spent a lot of time making sure it was what we wanted.”
Her mom looked through the glass door of one of the refrigerators. “Is Megan the person who creates these amazing cakes?”
“She is.” Brooke took a container off one of her shelves. “This is a new fudge I’m trialing. It’s apricot and ginger. Would you like to try a piece?”
Levi stood beside her dad. “Does your generosity extend to your employees?”
“You know it does. But I thought you’d be tired of this flavor.”
“That’s impossible.” Levi popped a piece of fudge into his mouth and groaned. “It gets better each time I eat a piece.”
Brooke’s dad nodded. “I don’t usually like ginger, but this is nice. Are you selling it in the store, yet?”
“I’m making a small quantity every second day. I’m surprised at how well it’s selling.”
“It’s because it tastes different from most fudge,” Virginia said as she nibbled on another piece. “It’s sweet, but not too sweet. I thought the ginger might be overpowering, but it’s perfect.”
Levi opened the doors to the store. “All of Brooke’s candy tastes amazing. Come and have a look at what her customers can buy.”
While Levi showed her mom and dad the store, Brooke followed along behind. If she needed a cheerleading squad, Levi would be the first person to volunteer. Anyone listening to him would think she’d climbed Mount Everest instead of working her way through her Nana’s recipe book and the county’s food and hygiene regulations.
Her mom’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell us you’re selling such a wonderful range of candy? It’s all beautifully presented and looks like something you’d buy in a high-end store.”
“I didn’t know if you’d be interested. A lot of the recipes are from Nana’s cookbook and the others started as experiments.”
Karl leaned over one of the counters. “I don’t know how you find the time to make all of this. It looks as though it’s a job for two or three people.”
“That’s what I keep telling, Brooke,” Levi added. “When she isn’t making candy or serving in the store, she’s doing her accounts, updating her website, and doing all the other things involved in running a business.”
“One day I’ll employ more staff, but it’s not realistic at the moment.”
Virginia sighed. “You sound exactly like me when I opened my first accounting business. I worked seven days a week for the first couple of years. I would have burned myself out if your father hadn’t been there to tell me to slow down.”
Brooke glanced at Levi. He had one of his I-told-you-so looks on his face. “Next week I’m running some candy-making classes at Pastor John’s church. There might be someone there who wants a part-time job.” Before Levi could tell her parents any more secrets, she nudged them back into the kitchen. “I’ll take you upstairs, but be careful. I don’t know if the paint on the attic stairs is dry.”
Her heart pounded as she led the way upstairs. Of everything inside the building, the next two levels were costing her the most money. Without her parents’ help, she couldn’t have fixed the damage in the attic, let alone remodeled it.
She stepped into her apartment, scanning the tables and chairs for anything she’d left lying around. “The contractor has nearly finished waterproofing the roof. By next Wednesday we should be able to walk on it.”
“It will give you a whole new outdoor living area,” her mom said enthusiastically. “You could even buy some deck chairs and a table.”
Brooke hoped Levi was listening. Her mom had the same ideas as she did. “That’s what I thought, too. Welcome to my apartment.”
Karl stood in front of the large windows overlooking Main Street. “I can see why you bought this building. Apart from being in a great retail location, the view from up here is amazing.”
“It’s breathtaking,” Virginia murmured from beside him.
Brooke took a moment to enjoy the serenity of the lake, the light bouncing off the mountains. This, more than anything else, made the relentless pressure of owning her own business totally worthwhile.
After she’d given her parents a guided tour of her apartment, she moved across to the attic stairs. “If you’re ready, I’ll take you upstairs.”
Her dad smiled. “I can’t wait.”
Brooke bit her bottom lip. “Levi has been working hard to make sure everything is finished as quickly as possible. We had a slight hiccup with the plumber but, other than that, everything has gone smoothly.”
Levi turned to her parents. “Your daughter is remarkably good at using power tools.”
Brooke’s eyebrows rose. “Why wouldn’t I be able to use an electric drill?” As soon as Levi smiled, Brooke knew what he was doing. “You’re teasing me.”
“More like distracting you,” he whispered. “We’ll follow you into the attic.”
Brooke stepped onto the first stair. If it weren’t for her mom and dad, she couldn’t have paid for the remodel. She really hoped they liked what they saw. Because if they weren’t happy, she didn’t know what she would do.
Brooke stood in the middle of the attic landing. Without seeing the original condition of this area, it would be difficult for her parents to appreciate just how far they’d come. But she was incredibly proud of what they’d achieved.
Most of the new internal walls had been drywalled, ready for plastering. The window frames had received a fresh coat of paint and the electric wiring and plumbing were in place. Even the staircase that led onto the roof looked as though it was always meant to be there.
Brooke stood in front of her mood board. “This is my new and improved attic. Would you like a tour?”
“Let me have a look at your design board first,” her mom said. “It will give me an idea of what you’re hoping to achieve.”
Karl walked across to one of the arched windows and let out a low whistle. “Brooke, this is fabulous. People would pay a million dollars for this view.”
She joined her dad and smiled. “I know. It sure beats the desert of Arizona.”
“Virginia, come and see this,” Karl urged. “It’s even better than the view from downstairs. If Brooke ever gets tired of living here, we’re buying the building.”
Her mom rolled her eyes. “And what would we do with a confectionery store?”
“You could open a bakery. The kind you used to dream about before we got married.”
Brooke’s eyes widened. For her entire life she’d thought her mom only wanted to work in finance. With her razor-sharp mind and ability to cut straight to the point, she was a great accountant. “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to own your own bakery?”
Her mom’s cheeks turned pink. “I was embarrassed. When I told your granddad what I wanted to do he nearly disowned me. He didn’t think it was a good career choice.”
Karl muttered something under his breath.
Brooke’s eyebrows nearly shot off her face. “What did you say, Dad?”
“Something I shouldn’t have. Your mom loved baking. It was all she ever wanted to do. But your grandfather didn’t want his daughter working in a kitchen for the rest of her life.”
Virginia picked up the photos that were sitting beside the board. “He wanted more for me. So instead of working in a kitchen, I sat in an office, completing my clients’ tax returns.”
“And working sixty hours a week.”
“Not all the time, but I did spend too much time buried in paperwork,” Virginia said. She looked through the photos and then at the walls around her. “I can’t believe this is the same building. Look at these photos, Karl.”
Karl pursed his lips before focusing on the photos.
Brooke had seen the same look too often not to know what it meant. Her dad had more to say, but he wasn’t ready to discuss whatever was on his mind. Not yet, anyway.
The photos her mom and dad were looking at showed the attic before they’d started remodeling. By the time they finished, the transformation would be even more incredible.
Her dad pointed to one of the photos. “Why are there orange circles on the floor?”
“They’re rotten floorboards,” Brooke replied. “The roofing contractor marked them with orange chalk so that no one hurt themselves.”
Brooke glanced at Levi, waiting for him to tell her parents about her near miss. But he stared back, sending her a lopsided smile.
Virginia looked at the wooden floor. “You can’t tell there was ever a problem.”
Brooke pointed to the other side of the landing. “The boards on the far side of the room were the worst. Luckily, we didn’t need to buy too many replacement beams.”
Karl wandered into what would be her bedroom and the half-finished bathroom. When he returned, he had a smile on his face. “This is an incredible space. Well done.”
“It will take a few years to finish everything, but I won’t make a financial loss from what I’ve done. Even in the last six months, there haven’t been many buildings for sale in the center of Sapphire Bay. When they do come on the market, they’re usually for lease and not to purchase.”
Levi coughed into his fist.
Brooke’s eyes narrowed. She was trying to talk her mom’s language, trying to let her parents know that she’d thought about this building as an investment. Falling in love with the high ceilings, the wrought iron balconies, and the arched windows wouldn’t pay the bills or make her business a success.
And she’d thought it wouldn’t impress her mom. But maybe she was wrong.
“You made a great choice when you bought this building,” her mom said. “I just hope you’re ready for a few more visits from us. I won’t be able to stay away now that I’ve seen what you’re doing.”
Tears stung Brooke’s eyes. “I’d love you to visit.”
For a split second, Virginia looked so surprised that Brooke thought she’d said the wrong thing. But when her mom hugged her close, she knew she’d said something right. Even if it was a few months too late.