Page 43 of Meet Me at the Christmas Cottage (Jonathon Island #6)

A lifelike tree trunk sat in the corner with stuffed squirrels and birds sitting on the limbs while a fox sat at the base next to a colorful mushroom wearing glasses and holding a book.

Done in a woodland theme, the room held shelves made of tree bark that lined the walls while several small tables and child-sized chairs sat in the middle on a large, grassy, green area rug.

Oliver crossed to the M-section and pulled out the book he planned to read, then he set another copy on one of the easels on top of the waist-high shelves.

“Cute book.”

His head jerked up and he found Eliza walking toward him, no hat, and jacket unzipped. “Didn’t you have an order to pick up?”

He didn’t even hear the door open.

“Mom and Dad took a load to their new cottage and decided to pick it up. Apparently they texted me, but I didn’t see it while talking to you. So…” She lifted her arms and dropped them again. “I’m back.”

He glanced at her, taking in the brightness of her cheeks, the scatter of freckles across her nose, and the light in her brown eyes.

“I heard they sold the ranch and bought a place on Rose.” He tapped the hardback book with the watercolor dust jacket of a battered bear sitting in the grass.

“The Teddy P. Bear series is classic. I pre-ordered multiple copies of this one, hoping parents will want copies to take home. I reached out to the author for autographed bookplates, and she sent stickers and an activity sheet to go along with the story. The kids will do those after story time.”

“Great marketing strategy. Sounds like she knows what she’s doing.” Eliza picked up the book he’d set on the easel. “Chrissy Monroe. She’s one of Candace Bishop’s authors. I met her at the agency retreat last year in Port Joseph that I attended while still working for my aunt.”

Oliver lifted a shoulder. “Don’t know her. Just emailed when I planned out the books for the month.”

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and silenced the alarm that signaled he had five minutes before kids were due to arrive. “Kids will be coming shortly.”

He left the Kids Cave and headed for the front of the store.

The door flew open. He caught it before it could crash into the wall.

Three-year-old Maggie Franklin raced past him, her boots leaving squashed bits of snow in her wake.

He was going to need a mop. Or perhaps that would be a good job for his new employee.

He caught Maggie in his arms, then tapped her on the nose. “Good afternoon, Miss Maggie.”

She gave him a heart-melting smile as she pushed her blonde curls away from her face. “Hi, Oliber.”

Her five-year-old brother Finn raced past them, then stopped, turned around, and waved. “Hi, Ollie.”

Oliver ruffled Finn’s dark hair, the little boy looking more and more like his deceased dad every day.

Mia Franklin, their mom and his cousin, followed behind. A blue bandanna wrapped like a headband held back her dark hair. She took Maggie from him and smiled. “Hey, Oliver. How’s it going?”

“Can’t complain. How’s that fiancé of yours doing?”

“Cody’s good. Busy getting his fishing business ready for opening season.”

Oliver’s Aunt Mary came in with her grandson Sam, and Mia gestured that she was heading for the Kids Cave.

Aunt Mary flicked her usual blonde ponytail over her shoulder, then wrapped an arm around Oliver and gave him a squeeze. “Afternoon, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Aunt Mary.” He kissed her cheek, then crouched and held out his fist to the little boy with Down syndrome. “Hey, Sam. How’s it going?”

Shrugging, Sam adjusted his glasses, then gave him a rather wimpy fist bump.

Oliver ruffled the little boy’s red hair, then Sam shuffled toward the kids’ section as if he carried the weight of the world on his tiny shoulders.

Aunt Mary tracked her grandson’s movements. “Don’t mind Sam. He’s been having a rough go of it since he and Ethan returned on island. But he did want to come to story time.”

“Maybe he’ll feel better after he hears the story.”

The door opened again, and Ivy Dawson, owner of Hair Haven Salon, walked in holding hands with her seven-year-old daughter, Zoey. Their matching strawberry blonde hair had been arranged in the same sort of messy bun. Zoey’s bangs covered her forehead, while Ivy had loose hairs framing her face.

“Well, if it isn’t the Dawson ladies.” Oliver smiled at Ivy, then crouched in front of Zoey. “I have a new book, and I think you’re going to like it.”

Ivy rested a manicured hand on his shoulder. “You sure it’s not a problem? I have a quick blowout, then I’ll be back to get her.”

Oliver pushed to his feet and smiled at the struggling single mother. “Ivy, you ask me the same question each week. It’s fine. We’ll take good care of Zoey.”

Ivy pressed a kiss to Zoey’s cheek, then opened the door. She breezed through, then held it for Iris and Violet, six-year-old twins, who drifted over to him as they raced through the door ahead of Doug Manning, their grandfather and owner of the market next to the bookstore.

“Hi, girls.” Oliver smiled at them as they shot past him, then nodded to the older man. “Hey, Doug.”

“Hey, Ollie.” He finger-combed his brown hair that had been teased by the wind. Then he wiped his thick glasses with the hem of his green Doug’s Market T-shirt and put them back on his face. “The wind’s pretty strong today. More snow is coming.”

Shaking his head, Oliver took Zoey’s hand and followed them into the other room.

He was ready for snow to be gone for good, but living on island for a large chunk of his life had taught him the weather was as unpredictable as the islanders themselves.

He glanced at Eliza, who chatted with Mia.

“Okay, guys. Grab a rug and have a seat.”

The twins chose matching flower rugs, which didn’t surprise him.

He and Kate, his twin sister older by eight minutes, made a lot of the same choices.

Maggie chose a squirrel while Finn chose a fish.

Again, not surprising considering Cody’s influence over the boy.

Zoey chose a mouse and kept her distance. Fitting for the quiet child.

Sam, on the other hand, didn’t want to sit with the other kids in a lopsided semicircle in front of Oliver’s green reading chair. Instead, he leaned against Aunt Mary and kept his head on her shoulder.

Oliver settled in his chair and pulled out a tattered and matted teddy bear from the basket next to him.

“This is Teddy P. Bear. He’s very special and well loved.

But there was a time when Teddy did not feel loved, and that’s what our story is going to be about today.

Can you tell me about a time when you didn’t feel loved? Or when you felt forgotten?”

He waited patiently while the kids shared their moments. Zoey didn’t like it that her mommy had to work so much. Finn grew serious, mentioning not having his dad around for his birthday.

Then his face lit up. “But now I have Cody. And he’s awesome. Right, Mom?”

Mia smiled and nodded, but Oliver still caught a shadow that flashed across her eyes.

A shadow he knew all too well.

Unfortunately, grief remained a constant reminder, no matter how much a person tried to move past it.

“Today’s book is called The Day Teddy P. Bear Got Left Outside . And it’s written by Chrissy Monroe. Who can tell me what we call a person who writes books?”

Violet’s hand shot into the air. “An author.”

“Very good, Violet.”

For the next ten minutes, he read the story and paused to answer questions or listen to their comments.

He caught Zoey’s eye and raised the book. “Did you like the story, Zoey?”

The little girl shook her head. “I didn’t like it.”

His heart squeezed at the sad look in her eyes. “Well, I’m going to find a story you do like. Wait and see.”

The same conversation they’d had every week for the past month since he started the reading program.

Directing the kids to the small tree trunk table tops, Oliver pulled little metal pails of crayons and colored pencils out of his supply closet. He shared the stickers and activity pages.

Eliza moved away from the doorway where she’d been standing while he read. “Well, that was the most fun I’ve had on a Saturday afternoon since returning on island.”

Her praise warmed something inside of him.

“Glad you enjoyed it. I do it every Saturday. A lot of parents read to their kids, which is great because it’s one of the fundamental building blocks to their education, but I like to offer additional opportunities where they can socialize with other kids and be exposed to learning opportunities the bookstore has to offer. ”

“Oliver Sullivan, who would’ve thought?”

He scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Eliza lifted a shoulder. Nothing. “Just surprises me that you’re aware of that.”

“Meaning what?”

Her cheeks darkened to a light pink. “Well, not many single guys know much about early learning foundations.”

He wasn’t single by choice.

Eliza didn’t know the half of it.

Not many guys spent six months of their late wife’s pregnancy reading daily to their unborn child so he could be the father his kid deserved.

Not that it mattered now.

Grief had a way of rewriting this chapter, no matter how carefully he planned the story.