There’s got to be more to life than this. Nora William’s reflected on the last words her sister Lynn had spoken to her as she held her nephew tight, half-listening to the minister at Lynn’s funeral.

Nora and Lynn had wrestled with the meaning of life a lot before Lynn’s death. Nora would be the first to admit that she was as devoid of purpose as her sister had been. She’d been pondering the purpose of life for the last several years and wasn’t even close to an answer. She’d thought she’d figured it out a few years ago when she had moved to California to rescue animals. She had been so excited about her new endeavor, but she’d given it up when Lynn had landed in jail and she’d returned home to take care of her nephew Ben.

While Nora and Lynn hadn’t been particularly close, Nora was sad that her sister had passed. But she wasn’t as brokenhearted as she thought she should be.

She did miss the bond she and Lynn had shared when they were younger and it had been the two of them against the world. Nora had managed through their hellish childhood by becoming the responsible one, while Lynn had become the wild one. Over the years, drugs and alcohol had taken Nora’s place in Lynn’s life.

Lynn had been zombie-like for years, and Nora felt as if she’d said good-bye to her sister a long time ago. Even so, she had held a smidgeon of hope that one day Lynn would choose a better life.

She was genuinely sorry for Ben, who was motherless because of her sister’s heroin overdose. But now that Lynn was gone, Nora could get Ben out of the drug houses and away from Lynn’s bad-influence boyfriends. She wondered if it made her a bad person that instead of mourning her sister’s death, she welcomed the new purpose in her life?

For the last several years, Nora had been intervening in Ben’s life when Lynn would allow it. But now she had a real chance to give him a better life. While she recognized that she still needed to figure out her life’s purpose, this was a start or at least a diversion.

Nora, Ben, and Nora’s boyfriend Matt were sitting up front to the left of the minister. As Rev. Paul spoke, Nora studied the guests sitting in the small church. Most of them were Lynn’s friends, who were in various stages of soberness.

She glanced over at Matt who was frowning at Ben and her irritation ratcheted. When Matt checked his watch again, she wondered why he’d bothered to come if he didn’t want to be here. He was pissing her off by scowling at Ben every time he cried. She knew Matt didn’t like children, but what did he expect? Ben was nine and his mother had just died. Cut him a break, she attempted to communicate telepathically.

But Matt just checked his watch again. Clearly her telepathic skills weren’t as effective with people as they were with animals.

She and Matt had met a year ago at one of the town’s charity fundraisers. After bonding over their mutual dysfunctional childhoods, Matt had hired her as his office manager, and they had started dating shortly thereafter. They’d had a lot of fun together—cozy dinners, scenic mountain hikes, boating on Serenity Lake—until the last couple of months when Nora had begun spending most of her time with Ben.

Matt had been upfront with her from the beginning—he didn’t want to have kids and he didn’t like being around them. He had been physically abused as a child. He’d told her that children who were abused had a high tendency to abuse their own children and he didn’t want to be a part of that statistic. While she respected the sentiment, she didn’t buy the premise.

She had been abused as a child too, although her abuse had been psychological rather than physical. Her viewpoint was the opposite of Matt’s. Her mother had taught her what not to do. She loved kids and wanted to have a bunch of her own one day. She had thought that day would be in the distant future, so she’d been okay with Matt’s conditions about children.

But now she had Ben. In the past, she’d kept her time with Ben separate from her time with Matt. But a couple of months ago, something had shifted with Lynn. She had overdosed several times and in other instances had worked herself into such a chaotic state that she couldn’t function, much less take care of Ben. Each time, Nora had taken Ben to her place until things got back to normal. Or as normal as they got in Lynn’s world. It had caused broken dates and missed work, and Matt had begun to resent her time with Ben.

Now she would have Ben full-time. How would that impact her relationship with Matt, she wondered, with a sinking feeling in her gut.

They all rose when the service ended. Ben threw his arms around her waist. “Aunt Nora, you’re not gonna leave me—” he glanced up at her, his light brown hair messy, his glacier blue eyes swollen “—right?”

Her heart caved with sympathy. She loved her nephew with every fiber of her being and hated that he was feeling so vulnerable. “I’m not going anywhere.” She squatted down and looked him in the eye. “You’re stuck with me now.”

She heard Matt’s sharp intake of breath, which hiked her annoyance up a notch. She got that he didn’t want kids, but did he really think that she’d leave Ben high and dry? Ignoring Matt, she plastered on a smile for Ben.

“Promise?” Ben asked.

She nodded.

After wiping his nose on his shirt sleeve, he extended his pinky. “Pinky promise?”

She’d taught Ben the little finger routine and over the years the two of them had made plenty of pinky promises. She extended her right pinky and wrapped it around Ben’s. “Pinky promise.”

“Can we live at Ella’s forever?” Ben asked hopefully.

Nora had been living with her best friend, Ella, for the last couple of years in a small cottage that Ella’s aunt had gifted her when she’d passed away. Ben had moved in with them a few days ago after Lynn had passed. But the small cottage only had two bedrooms. “Ella said we can stay at her place as long as we want.” She took Ben’s hand. “But I’m thinking we should get our own place.”

Ben’s lower lip quivered. “Just you and me?”

“Yep.” Matt made a childish noise of protest, but she kept her gaze focused on Ben. “What do you think?”

Ben’s eyes sparkled as he threw his arms around her waist. “That’d be awesome.”

A steady stream of guests stopped by to pay their condolences. After, Nora thanked the minister and then she, Ben, and Matt walked out together.

Outside, the sky was low and gray and the wind had intensified. A storm was brewing—in the natural world and between her and Matt.

“I don’t think this is going to work out,” Matt blurted as they walked toward the parking lot.

Nora stopped and gaped at him. He was breaking up with her at her sister’s funeral? He couldn’t be that insensitive. “What?”

Glancing down at Ben, Matt sighed. “You know I’m not into kids.” He ran a hand over his short dark hair. “This was okay when he was just your nephew.”

Her mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe he’d said that right in front of Ben. Asshole.

“I’m just not into kids,” Matt repeated, making Ben cry.

She gave Matt the evil eye, then bent down to soothe Ben. “It’s okay, sweetie.”

“I’m sorry,” Ben managed in between sniffles.

“It’s okay,” she repeated. She would miss Matt and the fun they’d had together, but she had no choice. Besides, she’d known for a long time that Matt wasn’t her forever guy. She wanted kids in her life. Even so, she wasn’t sure there was a forever guy for her since she didn’t believe in romantic love. The only happily ever afters she’d seen were in romance novels.

So fine. Matt wanted to call things off, she’d hold her head high and pretend she didn’t care. But her job was another matter. She loved her job as the office manager at Matt’s construction company.

Rising, she pressed her lips together. “Kind of low to break up with me at my sister’s funeral, but whatever.” She probably should have kept those thoughts to herself, but that wasn’t what she did best. “I’m sure we’ll figure the work thing out.”

“About that.” Matt shifted his gaze to the parking lot. “It might be awkward.”

What the hell—he was firing her too? Anger seared through her, along with a sense of injustice. She was a great office manager and she needed this job to take care of Ben.

“You’re good at what you do,” he said. “You’ll find something else.” He gave her the fake smile he used on clients; the one she hated. “I’m sorry.” With that, he spun around and walked out of her life.

Ben tugged on her arm. “I’m really sorry, Aunt Nora.”

This wasn’t on Ben. She wouldn’t let him take the blame the way her mother had pinned everything on her when she’d been a child. “This isn’t your fault.” She rubbed her hands up and down Ben’s arms. “None of it.”

Ben bit his lower lip.

She was fine with it being just her and Ben. Perfectly fine. Ben was the only male in her life who hadn’t disappointed her, failed her, abandoned her. From now on—or at least for the foreseeable future—he was the only male she needed.

“I hated that Matt didn’t adore you the way I do. My next boyfriend—” assuming she ever had one again “—will adore you the way I do. You know how much I love you, right?”

Ben’s head bobbed up and down. “I love you too.”

“It’s you and me now, kiddo.” She kissed the top of his head. “And we’re gonna go build us a bigger, better life. Deal?”

Ben lifted his fist and touched it to hers, his eyes glimmering hope. As she led him to her car, she hoped and prayed that she would be able to deliver on her promise.

On Monday morning, Nora drove Ben to school. She’d considered letting him stay home for a few days but decided that getting back to normal routines would be better. She also needed to build a daily routine which included a new job. After she dropped Ben off, she returned home and worked her way through the online and local newspaper help wanted ads. Unfortunately, there weren’t many.

It was only 9:30 and Matt had already called her three times—once for her passwords, then to ask where he could find the Kline file. His last call was regarding the print function on the new whiteboard. She’d given him the requested information with only a trace of resentment.

After thinking it through, she decided Matt had been right. At least about the two of them. While she would miss his companionship, their relationship had been doomed from the start because they wanted different things.

Losing her job had been harder to swallow. After she’d returned from California, she had worked as a bartender to put herself through community college. It had taken years to get her associates degree in business administration, and the job at Cummings Construction had been her first in the business world. She’d loved running Matt’s office. She had also loved her salary, and she needed a big salary now that she had responsibility for Ben.

But she would figure it out. She had been taking care of herself for as long as she could remember. With steadfast determination, she headed to the local social services office. She was familiar with the routine. As a teenager, she’d visited that office many times looking for assistance for their family.

She left disappointed after finding no office jobs posted. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Serenity, a small town in east Tennessee, thrived on tourism so most jobs supported travel and entertainment. Early November wasn’t the best time of year to find a job either, unless you were looking for employment in retail or at one of the seasonal businesses that served the tourists.

Walking to her car, Nora pulled in a breath of crisp air as she shifted her gaze to the Smokies. Layers of purple peaks extended as far as the eye could see, and the blue smoke mist that had given the mountain range its name, hugged the crests and swirled in the valleys.

Drawing power from the majestic mountains, Nora resolved she would do whatever it took to give Ben a better life, to make sure he didn’t have the same kind of shitty childhood that she and Lynn had had.

As she made her way home, she pondered next steps. She could expand her job search to Knoxville. There would be plenty of office work available there. But the larger city was thirty miles away and her commute would be forty-five to sixty minutes each way. That would take too much time away from Ben. They could move to Knoxville, but she would need to discuss that with Ben first. He liked his school and he had a good circle of friends. Still, she needed to find a job….

Break lights abruptly flashed on the truck in front of her, snapping Nora out of her contemplations. As the piercing screech of tires reverberated through the air, she slammed on her breaks. Her stomach pitched as the truck in front of her crashed into the car in front of it. Metal smashed into metal and glass shattered everywhere. Heart racing, she white-knuckled the steering wheel and cut it sharply to the right to avoid the collision. Her hands trembled and her body shook as she slowed to safety on the grassy shoulder on the side of the road.

She had missed impact by a fraction of a second. Her first thought was pure, blinding appreciation and she took a few moments to bask in it. Heaving out a relieved breath, her hands lifted to her chest. “Thank you,” she whispered in an unsteady voice as she lifted her gaze toward the sky. Her second thought was Ben. What would have happened to him if something had happened to her?

Glancing at the smoking vehicles in front of her she pushed her thoughts aside, pulled out her phone and called 911. Still shaking, she stepped out of her car. While providing the accident location to the 911 dispatcher, she jogged over to check on the people in the other vehicles.

Once help arrived, the woman in the car was placed on a stretcher and whisked away in an ambulance. Nora spent the next hour talking with the police providing detailed information about the accident. Afterward, she headed to Ron’s Bar even though she rarely drank. Between her mother and her sister, she had seen firsthand how alcohol and drugs negatively impacted one’s mind, body, and spirit. Because she didn’t want to follow suit, she took no medication—not even an aspirin—and she didn’t drink other than an occasional glass of wine or champagne.

But this morning called for an Irish coffee. She ordered one at Ron’s and savored every single drop while thinking about Ben. She was all he had left. If she died, he would go into the system. Her throat clogged at the mere thought.

She couldn’t let that happen. Ben had a father out there somewhere and she would make it her mission to find him. Of course, she would check him out first. If he was a druggie like her sister had been, she would send him on his way and come up with Plan B.

Forty-five minutes later, she rose feeling remarkably lighter. Funny how a little Bailey’s and a change of perspective could paint her world bright. She paid her bill, then ambled outside just as a Moonshine Brews and Beverages delivery truck pulled up in front of the building.

An attractive man hopped out, winked at her, and circled to the back of the truck. As he raised the rollup door, Nora headed toward her old, but reliable Honda.

“Nora.” The voice sounded from behind the truck.

At the familiar voice, she spun around, and directed her gaze toward the rear of the truck.

The delivery man hoisted up a case of Smithworks Vodka and slid it onto the dolly. He turned and caught her gaze. He had on the same clothes as the man who had just winked at her, but he looked like he’d aged several decades in the time it had taken him to walk to the back of the truck.

Were there two delivery men? Her gaze shifted to the front of the truck, but there was no one else in sight.

“Nora.” This time it was clear that the voice had come from the older man.

Curious, she stepped toward him. “Do I know you?”

“It’s me,” he said in that gentle, nurturing voice she would have recognized anywhere.

Nora gasped as she took a closer look. Pap. Her gaze moved up and down his body, taking in the familiar features of the one man she had truly and completely adored.

But how could he be here? A cold shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the day he had slipped away. She’d been nine, the same age as Ben was now, and had been overcome with grief and anger at his death. She hadn’t understood why God had taken away the one bright light in her life.

Had she conjured up her grandfather in a desperate longing for family or was it a delayed reaction from the accident? She shook her head, blinked her eyes shut, then opened them. When she looked at the older man again, he still sported her grandpa’s lush white hair, long on the top, shorter on the sides.

He lifted his warm, honey-colored eyes to hers as his fingers traced over the pocket watch attached to his khaki’s. She gaped in astonishment at the unique pair-cased watch, ornately decorated with pierced gold trim. It had been passed down to men in the family for generations, ending with her Pap when they had buried him with it.

“It’s me,” he said again. “Sometimes you have to believe in the unbelievable.”

He looked like her Pap, he sounded like her Pap, and he had her Pap’s pocket watch. As blissful acceptance coursed through her, she threw her arms around his neck. “Oh Pap, I’ve missed you so much.”

He gently scratched the top of her head with his knuckles just like he had done when she was a child. “I’ve missed you too, Cupcake,” he said, using his pet name for her.

“What…how….” She gave him the once over. There was no doubt this was Pap, but how in the world was he here?

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve been watching over you.” He lowered a little to look into her eyes. “I’m proud of who you’ve become.”

She choked out a laugh. While she appreciated the words, it was comical considering her current situation.

“You’ve already made Ben’s life better,” he said. “And your life, my dear, is just beginning.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek.

His statement gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling. How she had missed her grandfather and his positive outlook. But what about Lynn, she wondered, hoping her sister was in the good place. “What about Lynn?”

“She’s just fine.” Pap smiled. “She’s home.” He pointed an index finger toward the sky. “Where there’s no addiction, no strife.”

Relief washed through Nora with the knowledge that her sister was well. But she still didn’t understand how her grandfather was here considering he had died over fifteen years ago. “How are you here? Are you back for good?” Was he really here or was this the alcohol talking? She’d only had one Irish Coffee. “Did I turn into a lightweight?” she asked on a shaky laugh.

Her grandpa laughed along with her, a deep, soothing sound. “I’m really here, but I can only pop in now and then for a quick visit.” He patted both hands on his chest. “Don’t want to take advantage of Scott.”

Nora scrunched her lips together. “Who’s Scott?”

“The Moonshine delivery man whose body I’m borrowing,” her grandfather explained. “Bill Henson’s grandson. You remember Bill?”

Nora nodded, even though it was all surreal. Still, an honest-to-God joy bubbled through her. Being with her grandfather made her feel as wispy as the clouds floating overhead and strong and powerful as the tallest mountains.

Pap leaned against the stack of boxes. “I’ll come around to be of service for the next little while.”

The next little while? A pang of unease slipped into Nora’s belly. Now that she had her grandfather again, she didn’t want him to leave. She brushed a hand up his arm. “I wish you could stay forever.”

“You won’t need me for that long, Cupcake. Now….” He pulled a box of wine from the truck and added it to the dolly. As he straightened, a folded section of newspaper dropped to the ground. He picked it up and handed it to her. “Well, lookie here.”

She unfolded the paper to reveal the classified section of the Serenity Herald. One of the ads was circled—Waitress needed @ On The Rocks Bar & Grill. Experience preferred. Apply in person.

A waitress? Not exactly the career of her dreams. She had gone to college and she had a business degree. “But I’m an office manager.”

“Not anymore.” His voice was matter-of-fact, but his amber eyes twinkled as he spoke. “Bigger and better opportunities are in store for you.”

She gawked at him. “As a waitress?”

“It’s an honorable profession,” he said quietly.

She hadn’t meant it like that. She was the last person who would look down on anyone’s profession. In her youth, she had worked any job she could get. But then she’d gone to college and earned a two-year degree so she could build a career. Before she could express any of this, her grandfather touched a hand to her cheek.

“Things happen for a reason,” Pap said, and then he faded away in a blur right before her very eyes. It happened in supersonic speed, before she could even blink. In the next nano-second, the younger man came back into focus, hazy at first, then he transmuted into a clear and solid form.

Astonished, she pressed a hand to her chest. The younger man, presumably Scott, had on the same uniform her grandfather had worn, but he was taller, his hair darker, his arms muscular. She glanced down at the tabs on his khakis. As she had suspected, the pocket watch was gone.

When she looked up, he gave her an arrogant grin. “Hello again.” He leaned against the dolly, now fully stacked with boxes. “Can I help you? Maybe I could interest you in a beverage.” His grin widened as he waved a hand over the merchandise. “How about later tonight?”

She clutched the paper to her chest. “Uh…um….” Not a chance in hell, with reasons so voluminous, it was almost laughable. Her boyfriend had just broken up with her and fired her. She didn’t trust men, didn’t even like them at the moment—Ben and her grandfather excluded—which brought her to the last, but most important reason. There was no way she could date a man who had just been her grandfather. Still, she didn’t want to be rude. “I’m sorry, I’m dating someone,” she lied, then dashed through the parking lot to her car.

Behind the driver’s seat, she rested her flabbergasted head on the steering wheel, giving her heart the chance to settle. She had strong intuition and she was open minded. Even so…had she really just seen and spoken with her grandfather? She traced a finger over the newspaper ad that she’d placed in the passenger seat, material proof of his visit.

Despite her screwed-up life, the weight on her shoulders had lessened. It had been like that when she’d been a child too. Her grandfather could make any grim situation better and growing up she’d had more than her fair share of grim.

Lifting her head, she glanced at her phone. It was almost time to pick Ben up from school. She hoped he was okay. Making him feel safe, loved, and provided for was her number one priority now. With this in mind, she sent Ella a quick text suggesting pizza for dinner since it was Ben’s favorite. Drawing in a long breath, she headed toward Serenity Elementary, passing by forests and trails, and part of the 20,000-acre blue-green lake that drew thousands of tourists to their small town.

She parked in the school’s pick-up lot, then put the newspaper ad and her purse in the back seat. A few minutes later, the bell rang and Ben rushed outside. He waved, got in the car, and pitched his backpack over his shoulder. “Garrett tossed his cookies all over the lunch lady today.” Ben pulled on his seatbelt. “It was epic.”

She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“Aw, Aunt Nora,” he said, but his voice told her that he didn’t really mind.

“How was your day?” she asked, pulling onto the road.

“Okay.” He proceeded to fill her in on everything that had happened at school. Ben was a chatterbox, but today he wasn’t his usual enthusiastic self. Underneath the bravado, was a sadness that no nine-year-old should have to bear. It was understandable considering his mother had just passed, but it still weighed heavy on her heart.

At home, Ben miraculously finished his homework with no protests. An hour later, Ella arrived with salad and pizza—a cheese pizza for Ella and Ben, who was a vegetarian, and a smaller vegan pizza for Nora. Over dinner, Ben seemed to be back to his usual self.

That is, until she broached the subject of moving. “What would you think about moving to Knoxville?” she asked Ben.

“No way!” Ben dropped his slice of pizza. “I hate Knoxville!”

She drew in a breath of patience. “Have you ever been there?”

The lines in Ben’s face tightened. “It’s stupid.”

This wasn’t going well, so she changed her approach. “It would be as a last resort, but I need to find a job.”

“I don’t wanna move.” Ben crossed his arms. “All my friends are here. Lucas is here.”

A trickle of guilt swirled in Nora’s gut, but she had little choice. Job pickings were slim in Serenity. She glanced at Ella for support, but her friend looked almost as surprised as Ben. Ella gave a slight lift of her shoulder as if to say you’re on your own.

Sighing, Nora turned back to Ben. “Sweetie, I haven’t found any job openings here in my field.”

“But I got school and friends here.” Ben squeezed his arms into this chest. “I’m not moving.”

Irritation inched up Nora’s esophagus, but as she studied Ben, she swallowed it down. His chest was puffed—which he had once confided was his lion’s posture of courage—but his bottom lip was trembling.

“Please don’t make us move, Aunt Nora,” he whined. “Pleeeaaassee.”

Her idea died a quick death as she sympathized with Ben. Her nephew needed his comforts—his friends, his school, his town—to help him through this difficult time.

“You’ll always have a place here,” Ella said.

Nora smiled. It was a kind offer, but Ella had a friend coming to visit for Thanksgiving and with Ben on the couch, there was no room for her. Still, it was good to have a fallback plan. “Thanks, Ella.”

Nora pulled Ben’s arms away from his chest. “Sweetie,” she said, taking his hands, “I can look for a different kind of job here, but I might not make as much money.”

Ben’s body relaxed. “It’s okay, we don’t need much.” He gave her a sweet smile.

Ella reached over and put a hand on top of hers and Ben’s. “I’d miss you guys if you moved. I’m sure you’ll find something here.” Ella rose. “I’m gonna take the trash out, then we can play cards.” She winked at Ben. “I’m gonna teach you poker, young man.”

Ben grinned. “Cool!”

Ben’s blue lagoon eyes swam with mixed emotions—excitement, anxiety, and something akin to hope. Nora pulled him into a hug. “Don’t worry, I’ll find something.”

“You will.” Ella hoisted the bag of trash over her shoulder. “Things happen for a reason.”

Ella’s words reminded Nora of her grandfather and the ad he had given her.

She would check it out tomorrow. There had to be a reason he had pointed her toward that job.