Rory had never enjoyed himself more than he had the few days they spent at East Haven Resort. They did things he normally wouldn’t have done on a vacation by himself. They had picnics on the snow-covered beach. Sat in the hot tub and watched the snow fall. Danced together in the ballroom one evening when there was live music. Spent countless hours making love in front of the fireplace.

This was the first vacation he’d ever taken with a woman, and he knew that it was because of Crystal that he’d enjoyed himself so much.

When they finally made it back to the mainland, they spent two nights at her house before they climbed into a rental car and headed to his parents’ place for Thanksgiving. The four-hour drive flew by since they stopped at several places along the way.

The first stop had been to get breakfast at the local diner. Next, they stopped at the Vermont border, so Crystal could get a picture of them in front of the Vermont sign.

The snow had let up for their trip, and the roads were clear, but the ground was covered with almost a foot of snow.

Newport, Vermont, hadn’t changed in the six years he’d been visiting his folks there since their retirement. He drove through the town and went straight to their two-story remodeled farmhouse and parked in the cleared driveway.

The brick was faded red, and the shutters had a fresh coat of black paint. Each of the nine windows along the front of the house had green holly vines with bright red berries above their sills. He could see the Christmas lights that his father had strung along the gutters and front porch and knew that the trees and bushes in the front were all covered as well. At nighttime, the place would glow.

“Your folks live here?” Crystal asked, leaning closer to get a better look. “It’s enchanting.”

“Yes, bought it with my mother’s retirement fund.” He smiled when the front door opened, and his mother stepped outside and waved.

He knew that most people saw her disability first, and the woman second.

“She’s happy you’re here.” Crystal smiled over at him.

“I should have warned you.” He sighed.

Crystal tilted her head. “That’s she’s handicapped or that she’s blonde?” she joked.

“She had a stroke, which forced her to retire six years ago.”

“Come on, let’s not keep her waiting.” Crystal reached for the door.

His mother walked with a cane since the entire left side of her body was partially paralyzed.

“Welcome.” Jan Sinclair was a force to be reckoned with, with or without the use of the left side of her body. The woman didn’t know the meaning of the words slow down. But, since retirement and the stroke, she’d stopped worrying about the little things and had gotten healthier, dropping a whopping fifty pounds and going on a strict diet. Thanks to that, his dad, Donald, had lost thirty pounds himself.

“Hello,” Crystal called out, waving back.

“Don will get the bags when he gets back. You two come on inside,” his mom called out. “I bet you’re both starved.”

“I also forgot to warn you that she’ll try to feed you to death,” he added softly.

“I heard that. Half of my body may not work, but my hearing is still perfect.”

Crystal laughed. “I like her.”

He shook off his boots, then toed them off just inside the entryway. Crystal did the same and set them on the shoe rack he’d built his mom for Mother’s Day a long time ago.

The stairs were directly in front of the door and were covered with holly and lights. There was a small Christmas tree near the side of the steps by a very tiny guest bathroom under the old stairs.

To the right was a sitting room, and to the left a formal dining room with a doorway to the large kitchen off the back. The den and living room were off to the back right. There was a large covered porch that overlooked a small but very neatly maintained yard.

His dad prided himself on keeping the place up.

“We’ve got lunch ready, come on back and sit by the fire in the kitchen.”

The small dining area off the back of the house had a brick fireplace, where he knew his folks spent most of their time.

Max, his dad’s thirteen-year-old St. Bernard, barely registered the newcomers as they entered the room. The dog had taken up residency in front of the fireplace, and Rory doubted he’d move the entire time they were there.

“That’s Max.” His mother motioned to the dog. “Don just ran into town for some more rolls. I can’t believe I forgot them on my last visit to the store.”

His mom motioned for them to sit. “Would you like some hot tea?”

“I’d love some. Can I help?” Crystal moved to follow her into the kitchen.

“No.” His mother waved her hand. “I’ve got this. Sit, have some sandwiches.”

The table was made up, like it always was. Little perfectly cut triangle sandwiches sat on a large platter, along with chips, cheese, and fresh fruit.

They sat down, and he reached for a sandwich, but saw Crystal looking at him funny. “Wait for your parents,” she whispered.

He sighed, then reached for a chip and some cheese instead.

“We’re so thrilled to meet you, Crystal. Rory was telling us you run your own store in Silver Cove?”

“Yes, I’ve owned Serenity’s Attic for over twenty years.”

“How wonderful. Rory has always talked about running his own business. Now, he does.” His mom smiled down at him with pride as she poured the tea.

Just then, Max let out a low bark and raised his head.

“That’ll be your father,” his mom said, rushing over to the back door and opening it just as his dad walked inside the porch and stomped the snow off his boots.

His father was the polar opposite of his mother. Where his mother was small, reaching only five-two, his father was six-three and built like a bear. Well, he used to be. Now that he’d lost some weight, he was more like a bear that had just come out of hibernation, looking for a good meal.

“So, you finally made it.” His father set down the bag of groceries and walked over to him. “Let’s see it.”

“Don!” his mother scolded.

“What? It’s not every day you find out your son got shot. I want to see the hole.” His father leaned over and winked—actually winked—at Crystal.

“Dad…” He rolled his eyes.

“Rory has healed up nicely.” Crystal smiled and held out her hand for his father’s.

“We don’t shake hands here,” his dad said, taking Crystal in a hug. She laughed.

“You have a wonderful home,” Crystal said once they were all seated again.

Rory piled a few sandwiches on his plate and dove in as Crystal chatted with his folks about him being shot.

“I still wish we could have made the trip down there,” his mother said.

“You had your doctor’s appointment,” Rory said. “I didn’t want to worry about you while I was trying to recover.”

He watched his mother’s eyes turn sad and knew she was keeping something from him. He set his half-eaten sixth sandwich down.

“What?”

His mother looked to his dad, then nodded.

“They’ve got Jan on some new medicine. It’s wreaking havoc with her liver. If it continues to go south, they’ll need to do a transplant.”

“What?” Rory half stood up, forgetting his own pain and everything else temporarily.

“What medicine do they have you on?” Crystal asked, reaching over and taking his hand until he sat back down.

His father rattled off a long list. Crystal asked many questions, then went silent.

“I think I might be able to help you out,” she finally said.

“You?” his mother asked.

“Yes, I have my Bachelor’s in Holistic Medicine. There are several natural remedies that you can use that have no effect on your liver. If you have a local herb store, I can set you up on a trial basis while we’re here, see how it goes, then send you my own mixtures when I return home.”

“That sounds wonderful, dear. We didn’t know what to try next.” His mother wiped her eyes.

* * *

After lunch, Crystal went with Rory’s father to a small store in downtown Newport.

As they drove through the town, she was amazed at how similar it was to Silver Cove. There was the heavily decorated town center, the city hall building, even the schools were almost in the same places.

She was thankful to get some time alone with Rory’s father, since there were a few questions she needed to ask him.

By the time they were ready to head back to the house, Don had caught up with her thinking. He pulled the old truck he drove over at a park and turned to look at her.

“You think someone he knows shot my son?” She’d nodded quickly in reply. “But he told us it was your ex?”

“That’s what everyone thinks, but… something tells me it is something different. Someone he knows instead.”

“What tells you that?” he asked.

Crystal had wanted to avoid mentioning the tarot cards, since she knew not everyone believed in such things, but… what the hell.

“It’s in his cards,” she said, raising her chin higher. “I read tarot, and they say that someone close to him has betrayed him.”

The car was silent for a moment.

“He does have several high-profile clients,” he replied.

Crystal’s heart leapt, and a huge smile formed on her lips. “Your family never ceases to amaze me.” She felt her eyes tear up.

“Why? Because we don’t knock something we don’t understand?” Don shook his head, and Crystal realized how much Rory looked like his father. “I didn’t raise a stupid boy. The question now is… who and why?”

“Well, my son-in-law is privately looking into answering those questions,” she admitted. “I… thought it best not to let Rory know, since he’s been under enough stress as it is.”

Don nodded his head quickly. “Agreed. I don’t keep secrets from Jan, but I think I can convince her to keep quiet until after the holidays.”

“Perfect.” She reached out and laid her hand over his. “Thank you.”

“You’ll let us know what you find out?” he asked, starting the truck again.

“Of course.”

That evening, she enjoyed another meal with Rory’s family. His sister and her family arrived just before sunset.

Crystal instantly took a liking to both Lisa, Rory’s sister, and Kevin, his brother-in-law. Their three daughters, Jordan, McKenna, and Sydney were very excited to see their uncle and wanted to hear every detail of getting shot.

When they finally climbed the stairs, and entered the small room that was to be theirs for the next two nights, she was exhausted.

She’d made Jan some tea from the herbs they’d purchased. She knew that if the woman continued to use them, within a month, she’d feel better. She’d also shown her some simple yoga moves she could do to gain some movement back on her left side. She’d been surprised when Lisa and Jordan, the oldest girl, had joined in the yoga exercises like pros.

“We attend classes at the middle school,” Jordan explained.

“Mother and daughter yoga every Tuesday,” Lisa added. “I’ve been trying to get Mom to join a local class.”

“If it will help me, then I’m game,” Jan had said, but Crystal could see some resolve. “It’s just so… hard to get out of the house.”

Crystal had laid a hand on her arm. “You can take private lessons, have someone come to the house if you want. Most insurance covers the cost after a stroke.”

“It does?” She’d perked up slightly. “Did you hear that, Don?” She’d smiled at Crystal. “Looks like I’m going to start getting private yoga lessons.”

“You and me both,” Rory had added.