Page 63 of The Cinnamon Spice Inn (Maple Falls #1)

FIFTY-SIX

MADISON

Madison didn’t think Halloween could’ve been any more perfect—except for maybe later that night. She was going with Zach to the farmhouse, where she had a feeling she’d be spending a lot of her nights from then on.

Madison smiled with each step she took up to her bedroom, her body buzzing from the excitement of the day.

Hundreds of costumed kids had knocked on the door, and the great room was full of laughter.

She could hear her dad telling stories to a guest about years gone by, and Gram was giving an impromptu knitting lesson to a teen trying to make a scarf.

It was just the way things were at the Cinnamon Spice Inn. You arrived as a stranger, but you left as part of their family.

Madison pushed open her bedroom door and, for the first time since she’d been back, really appreciated all the cozy details of her childhood bedroom—the soft quilt, the twinkling lights still strung across the window, and even a few of her old recipe books left on the shelf.

Madison took a deep breath and caught the faint scent of apple, cinnamon… and something else. Something floral and soft.

Her mom’s perfume.

I haven’t smelled that in years , Madison thought. But here it is—like she’s here too, like she never left.

When she opened her eyes, something caught her attention.

It was an envelope resting gently on her bedspread, propped up against the pillows.

The envelope was slightly yellowed, like the other letter she’d received—but this time, her name was written on the front in her mother’s looping, familiar handwriting.

Madison just stared at the envelope for a moment before sitting on the edge of the bed and picking it up. Her fingers trembled as she opened it, withdrew the letter, and began to read.

Dear Maddie,

If you’re reading this, it means you’ve found your way home.

I always knew you would.

Maybe not right away. Maybe not in the way anyone expected. I know it hurt you to leave things the way you did with Zach, and your friends.

But I knew you, my brave girl—you’d come back when the timing was right.

You’ve always been brave, even when you didn’t feel it. I saw it in you when you were five, standing on that step stool to stir the cinnamon roll filling. I saw it again when you left for New York, heart wide open to the world and all its possibilities.

Bravery isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s just showing up when you’re unsure. Sometimes it’s staying when it would be easier to leave.

This inn was never about the bricks and beams—it’s about the hearts inside it.

It’s about the way your dad plays music in the kitchen on Sunday mornings.

The way guests come back year after year because they remember how we made them feel.

It’s the laughter that echoes in the great room and the quiet peace that comes when the first snow falls outside those old windows.

It’s home. And it’s yours, if you want it. Wherever you are in the world, it will always be your home.

But listen closely, sweetheart: Only stay here if it’s what your heart wants.

Your dreams will change and grow. That’s okay.

Just don’t forget to check in with your heart.

Don’t chase a path just because it looks shiny.

And don’t stay out of guilt or fear. Stay because it fills you up, even when it’s hard.

Because you feel more like yourself than you ever have.

Because there’s love—real, messy, worth-it love.

I hope you read this with the windows open and the smell of something baking in the kitchen. I hope there’s laughter in the house again. I hope you’re surrounded by good people, the kind who remind you of who you are.

And I hope you remember this more than anything:

I am so proud of you.

No matter where you go or what you choose, I’ll always be with you. Just follow the scent of cinnamon and listen for the wind—I’ll be in both.

Love you forever,

Mom

Madison looked up and saw her grandma standing in the doorway with a smile on her face. “It was you,” she said, looking at her grandmother.

Gram stepped forward, her hands folded. “Your mom wrote those letters before she passed, asked me to deliver them when the time was right.”

Madison’s throat tightened. “All of them? Around town?”

Gram let out a breath, a sheepish smile tugging at her lips. “Almost all of them. Cocoa was all me. I saw how much your dad needed someone to take care of, and Cocoa needed someone to love.”

Madison laughed, pressing a hand to her heart. “I should have known.”

Gram’s smile softened. “It wasn’t easy, keeping this secret from you, Maddie.

You’ve always been such a straight shooter, and I hated not telling you.

And truth be told, when you showed up without warning, I was surprised, even though I’d just sent out the letter a few days before.

I didn’t expect you to come so soon.” Her eyes sparkled. “But I’m so glad you did.”

Madison nodded, swallowing down her emotions.

She looked back at the letter, her thumb brushing over the final words.

The wind blew gently outside, lifting the curtain through the cracked window. The breeze carried the faint scent of her mother’s perfume.

Madison closed her eyes and let it move through her.

“I’m home,” she said.