Good night, Ryder,” Bethany said as she walked past his office on her way home. It was a quarter to eight, and she was tired. It had been a long day.

“Bethany, hold on a minute.” Ryder closed his office door behind him and had his jacket on. “I’ll walk out with you.”

As they stepped outside he turned to her and asked, “Do you have plans or were you just heading home?”

“No plans. Why?”

“Ivy’s playing at O’Shea’s for the first time. I told her I’d go to support her. Maggie’s already there with some friends. Do you want to come along?”

Ivy had mentioned to them the night before that she was going to be playing tonight and was excited about it.

“Sure. I can go for one drink. I don’t want to be out too late though.”

“It won’t be a late night for me either. I just want to catch one of her sets. ”

“Perfect, I’ll meet you there then.”

Bethany was still smiling as she got into her car and drove the short distance across town to O’Sheas’s. Ryder seemed to be warming up to having her around and she was hopeful that they could maybe be friends again. She could use a friend here in Quinn Valley. Aside from Jill, she’d lost touch with her old friends. Many had moved away or married young and were busy with their families.

She found a spot right in front of O’Shea’s and walked inside. Ryder was waiting for her and led the way through the bar to where Maggie and her friends had a big table near the stage. Maggie waved when she saw them and looked surprised to see Bethany with Ryder. Bethany hoped she didn’t mind that Ryder had asked her to come along.

She used to really like Maggie, but since she’d started at the restaurant, Ryder’s sister hadn’t been all that friendly towards her. She knew that Ryder and Maggie weren’t just co-owners of Quinn’s Pub, they’d always been close and she guessed that Maggie was being protective of Ryder. But still, it didn’t make her feel great.

Though when they reached the table, Maggie smiled and made room for them to slide in and take the two empty seats. She seemed to be in an unusually good mood.

“Thanks for coming. Ivy’s more nervous than usual about this gig. She usually plays at smaller places.”

Bethany looked around the room. O’Shea’s had a much bigger bar area than Quinn’s. The room was packed, and the crowd was all ages. The environment was a bit more casual. There were lots of young people in their twenties playing darts or pool while what looked like a group of regulars in their fifties were laughing and eating burgers at the bar. O’Shea’s was an Irish bar. The Irish flag was proudly displayed along with the American one and there were paintings of Guinness beer on the wall and Irish music played in the background.

“Sally, I’ll have another draft beer and these two probably want something,” Maggie said to their very Irish-looking waitress. Sally had black hair, blue eyes and a spattering of freckles. She was also one of Maggie’s best friends.

“I’ll take a Guinness draft too, what do you want Bethany?” Ryder asked.

“Chardonnay please.”

Sally went off to the bar and returned a few minutes later with their drinks.

It looked like Ivy would be on soon. There were two other guys in the small band and they were checking their equipment.

Bethany took a sip of her wine and noticed that Maggie was deep in conversation with her friends. There were four of them and she’d been introduced, but the names had gone in one ear and out the other. Maggie was two years younger than her and all of her friends were from high school. They’d all stayed in Quinn Valley after going to college. The town was growing, and she was glad to see everyone doing well. Ryder looked deep in thought as he lifted his beer.

“I’m looking forward to hearing Ivy sing,” she said.

“Oh, she’s great. Really talented. She’d probably do well to leave Quinn Valley to be honest. Like you did.” He didn’t look happy at the idea.

“I didn’t want to leave, you know. But, I felt like I had to,” she said softly. She still felt a little guilty for leaving even though she knew she’d make the same choice again.

“I know. I was angry with you for a long time,” he admitted. “It took me a long time to get over you.”

“It took me a long time too.”

They were both quiet for a moment and then Ryder said, “I was so surprised to see you that morning. I had no idea that you were back in town. You didn’t come back often.”

“No, I didn’t. I came when I could, but you know how it is in the restaurant business. It’s hard to take more than a few days at a time.”

He grinned. “Yeah, I know. What was it like, working in Manhattan?”

“It was an adventure. Magical, wonderful and sometimes maddening.” She paused to take a sip of her wine before continuing. “Culinary school in Vermont was such a special time and several summer co-ops on Nantucket and in Manhattan led to my first full-time position after graduating. I’ve worked at some incredible restaurants, cutting edge places as well as established icons. I learned a lot.”

“It must seem so slow and ordinary here compared to that.”

“It’s nothing like Manhattan, but that’s what I love about it. This is home. I always knew I’d come back, when the time was right.”

“You weren’t planning to come back this soon though?”

He was right about that. “Well, no. Not just yet. I thought probably in another year or so. But, I think things happen for a reason sometimes. I lost my job two weeks before I found out my mother was sick. I would have come immediately anyway, but it meant I could stay as long as I liked and the more I thought about it, I started to realize that I didn’t need or want to go back.”

“What would you have done if we didn’t hire you?”

“I would have found something. There are lots of restaurants in Lewiston. I wouldn’t like the commute, but I could do it if I had to. Or I might have tried to start up my own catering business. That’s something I’d thought about too.”

“Oh? What would that look like? Would you want to do weddings? That’s a big undertaking.”

“I know. And not really what I had in mind. I was thinking more personal chef type of thing. Dinner parties and to-go meals. I could imagine a small shop full of prepared meals that people could pick up and heat and eat when they got home.”

“That’s a really good idea, actually.” Ryder looked thoughtful and Bethany thought he was about to say something but stopped when the music started and Ivy stepped up to the microphone. It was too loud to talk, so they sat back and listened. It was the first time that Bethany had heard Ivy sing and she was impressed.

They played a popular mix of covers, country as well as pop rock and some classics. Ivy had a way of singing that drew people’s attention. The whole room seemed to focus on her. The last song she sang was an original song, and it was hauntingly beautiful. When she finished, the room was silent and then erupted in applause and cheers.

“She’s really good,” Bethany said.

“Yeah, she keeps getting better. I hadn’t heard that last one before.”

Maggie leaned their way. “She’s amazing, huh? I keep telling her she should go to Nashville.”

“Yeah, she probably should,” Ryder agreed, but he didn’t look thrilled at the idea. Bethany knew he wanted what was best for his sister and just hated the thought of her moving. He was a homebody and always had been. But now that she was older, Bethany could see both sides better. She knew it must have been hard for her mother for her to be so far away. They’d always been close and talked every few days. But since she’d been home, they’d grown even closer and Bethany couldn’t even think about the possibility of her not overcoming her cancer.

“I should probably get going,” Bethany said as she took the last sip of her wine and pulled out some money to put toward the bill. But, Ryder handed it back to her.

“I’ve got this.” He handed some cash to Maggie and stood up. “I’ll walk you to your car. I’m going to head home too.”

“Thank you.”

They said their goodbyes to Maggie and her friends and congratulated Ivy on the way out.

“You were amazing,” Bethany said.

“Oh my gosh, thanks so much for coming.”

“That last song was your best yet,” Ryder told her and she looked thrilled by the compliment.

“Thank you. See you both tomorrow!”

When they reached Bethany’s car, she took him by surprise by pulling him in for a hug. “Thank you for inviting me out. It was good to talk and just have fun.”

“Yeah, it was good catching up with you. And fun. We might have to do it again sometime.” He grinned.

“See you tomorrow, Ryder.”

Bethany was still smiling as she pulled into the driveway. She was relieved that she and Ryder seemed to be in a better, friendlier place. And it wasn’t too late, just a little after nine. Her mother should still be up so they could hang out a little before she went to bed.

When she walked in, her mother was in her usual spot, but her eyes were closed and she was holding the pouch of crystals against her chest while one of Simon’s paws rested on her shoulder. She looked sound asleep but even though Bethany closed the door softly behind her, her mother’s eyes fluttered open at the sound.

“Bethany, is that you?” she sat up a little and looked around the room.

“Hi, Mom. Sorry that I woke you.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. I was just resting my eyes for a minute.”

“Can I get you anything? I’m going to make a cup of herbal tea.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’ll have one of your green drinks. I think I’m addicted to them now.”

Bethany laughed. “That’s a good addiction!”

While her water was heating, she juiced a smoothie for her mother and brought the drinks back to the living room.

“Thanks, honey. Did you have fun at O’Shea’s?”

“How did you know that’s where I went?”

“Oh, I just assumed. Marcia mentioned this morning when she came over that Ivy was playing tonight. She was going to suggest that Ryder invite you. She knew Maggie was going too. David and Carter would have gone, but they were at some industry event.” Hmmm, so it wasn’t necessarily all Ryder’s idea to invite her. Still, he didn’t have to agree, and they’d had a good time.

“I didn’t realize you and Marcia had become good friends.”

“She’s been wonderful since I’ve been sick. All my friends have really. Marcia is easy to spend time with and now that she’s retired, she has more time to visit. She likes to come a few mornings a week for tea after she stops by the restaurant.

“I see you’re trying out the crystals.”

“Oh, yes. I did just what you said earlier. I held them in both hands and focused on thinking about healing. And then I felt so relaxed that I must have drifted off to sleep. Hopefully that’s a good sign that they’re working?”

She was so enthusiastic. Bethany had always loved that about her. Her mother was the most positive person she knew. And she had a good feeling about those crystals and her mother’s cancer. She’d been eating well since Bethany came home and was due for a followup visit the next week. Her color looked better, and they were both hopeful that her numbers would show improvement too.

“I think it’s a very good sign,” Bethany agreed.

Later, when she went to bed, Bethany picked up the pretty pink rose quartz crystal and held it in both of her hands. She closed her eyes and let her mind drift. The stone felt warm as she focused on wishing for positive energy for herself, her mother and for Ryder and the restaurant. She wanted it to do better for all of their sakes. After a few minutes, she set the crystal on her nightstand and slid into bed. She felt relaxed and content as she drifted off to sleep.