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“I hope so,” Charlie said, a hint of worry creeping into his voice. “What if he thinks it’s silly?”

“He won’t,” Marion assured him, resting her hand on his shoulder. “He’ll see how much thought and care you put into it.”

Charlie nodded, his confidence restored. “I’m going to check if any bugs have moved in yet,” he declared, dropping to his knees to examine their creation more closely.

Marion smiled and gathered the leftover lavender stems, taking them inside to hang in the kitchen window. But then the same worry Charlie had voiced hit her.

Was the idea of making scented soap silly? Was she wasting her time and effort when she should go and get a proper job?

She took a moment and took a breath. If necessary, she could do both. Get a job while building her soap business. It would be hard work, but worth it.

Once the lavender was secured, she went to the boxes that she hadn’t gotten around to unpacking and opened up the one labeled crafts. Inside were the molds she used to use, and various essential oils. Digging deeper, she found a bag of pure soy wax. Not a lot, but enough to get started.

She carried everything to the kitchen and set the items down on the counter. It had been a while since she’d made soap, but a quick online search would give her some recipes to follow, and maybe some tips on selling handmade soaps online.

Marion opened her laptop and typed “soy lavender soap recipes” into the search bar. But as the results loaded, a news headline in the sidebar caught her eye:

“Trial Date Set for Ralph ‘Razor’ Malone in Drug Case”

Her throat constricted, fingers hovering over the trackpad. She shouldn’t click on it. She knew she shouldn’t. They were building a new life here, away from all that.

But her finger moved of its own accord, opening the article.

The details were sparse but chilling. Razor had pleaded not guilty, despite the overwhelming evidence. The trial was set for next month. Heather was standing by him and had even made a statement about her confidence in his innocence.

Marion felt sick. After everything that had happened, after what Charlie had endured, Heather was still defending him.

The sound of footsteps made her jump, and she quickly closed the tab as Charlie appeared in the doorway.

“A spider already found our hotel!” he announced triumphantly. “A little one with really long legs.”

“That’s wonderful,” Marion said, forcing brightness into her voice as she turned away from the computer. “It must be an excellent design if bugs are moving in already.”

Charlie beamed with pride. “I can’t wait to show Alfie on Wednesday. Do you think he’ll be impressed that we did it all ourselves?”

“I think he’ll be very impressed,” Marion said, her heart filled with gratitude for this gentle man who had, in just one day, given Charlie something she’d been trying to provide for months—a sense of purpose, of being valued, of normal childhood enthusiasm and joy.

As Charlie chattered about the spider’s long legs and quick movements, Marion pushed thoughts of Razor and the upcoming trial from her mind. That was the past.

And this was their future. And it was going to be a good one.

Chapter Eleven – Alfie

Why does time pass so slowly?Alfie’s bear asked impatiently.

Alfie chuckled. It was Wednesday and his bear had been wishing the day away, counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds until it was time to leave to pick up Marion and Charlie.

As if you have not been counting down those same hours, minutes, and seconds,his bear snorted.

Alfie glanced at the clock on the wall, squinting through the humid greenhouse air. Three-thirty. Still fifteen minutes before he needed to leave to pick up Marion and Charlie. Each minute seemed to crawl by with excruciating slowness.

He returned his attention to the delicate seedlings, carefully transferring them from their starter trays to larger pots. The repetitive motionshouldhave been soothing. However, today his mind kept wandering to his mate’s eyes, and a guarded smile that had haunted his dreams for days.

Since Saturday, when Marion had driven away with Charlie after their impromptu café visit, Alfie had felt her absence like a physical ache. Monday had been the worst. He’d sensed her presence while delivering plants to the hardware store, that invisible thread between them pulling taut. His bear had nearly clawed its way to the surface, desperate to follow that connection to its source.

We should have gone to her,his bear grumbled. Even now, he still sulked about the missed opportunity.

And risk scaring her off completely?Alfie had been worried that if he suddenly appeared unannounced in the middle oftown, then Marionwouldthink he was a stalker. No, it was not worth the risk.