“I’m so glad we were all able to get together this week.” Maggie slid into the big corner booth at Off the Vine. Charlotte, Dahlia, and Gretchen were already there. “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited my new friend, Angel, to join us. She’s new in town and I thought you all would like her.”

“Of course.” Gretchen raised her wine glass. “The more the merrier.”

“I’m certainly glad I got to know you girls better,” Dahlia said as she dug into an order of nachos.

“Me too. But enough sappiness. I’m hungry.” Charlotte pointed at a menu item. “Do you want to share the hummus plate?”

Maggie nodded. Then Angel walked in through the door and scanned the room. Maggie waved at her to join them and a huge smile crossed her face.

“Hi,” she said shyly as she approached the table.

“This is Angel, my new pastry chef,” Maggie said. “Angel, this is Gretchen, Dahlia, and Charlotte.” They each gave a little wave.

“Nice to meet you.” Angel sat down at the end and folded her hands in front of her on the table.

“We usually share the appetizers and then pay for our own drinks,” Dahlia said helpfully.

“Sounds good.” Angel ordered a lime margarita and then looked at Maggie with concern. “How’s Alex? I was so worried about him when they said at the café that he was missing.”

“What?” her friends said in unison.

“Maggie! When was this? Why didn’t you say anything to us?” Gretchen frowned at her.

She shrugged. “I didn’t want to bother anyone. I knew everyone was enjoying the holiday, and there wasn’t much you guys could do.” She sighed. “It was so scary though. I woke up on the morning we were supposed to go to Portland to visit Barbara and John, and he was just gone.” She shivered at the memory. “I never want to experience that again.”

“Yeah, it was lucky Jake was there,” piped up Angel.

“Wait, Jake is still in town?” Dahlia asked. “I thought he left for his new job.

“He did. But I called him when I realized Alex was missing and he turned right around.”

“And he found Alex,” Angel said. Maggie looked at her and she blushed. “Sorry, Maggie,” she whispered.

Maggie smiled at her and patted her hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure everyone will hear all the details soon, so I might as well tell you girls—Jake and I are back together.”

“It’s about time.” Dahlia sipped her drink. “He was so torn up about your breakup that I knew he cared about you.”

“Yeah, no kidding. If you don’t mind me asking, why’d you break up with him in the first place? He’s perfect for you.” Gretchen peered at her.

Maggie shrugged. “It was all a big misunderstanding. We’ve worked things through now.”

“Thank goodness,” Charlotte said. “Every time I’ve seen you together, you both looked so happy, and Alex too.”

“I know. He does make me happy. And I love how good he is with Alex.” She felt a warm glow spread throughout her whole body when she thought about Jake. “I thought after Brian died that I’d never have the opportunity to experience love like this again.”

Gretchen and Dahlia smiled knowingly and Charlotte looked at her with dreamy eyes.

“You’ve all found the perfect guy. When is it going to be my turn?” Charlotte sighed.

“You and me both.” Angel clinked her glass against Charlotte’s and they giggled.

“You’ll find him before you know it.” Maggie shook her head. “Do you think I ever thought my womanizer brother-in-law would be the right guy for me?”

They laughed.

“So, I have some news,” Gretchen began. Maggie checked her finger for a ring, but saw none. “Parker and I met with an attorney and drew up a partnership agreement. Our new company, Coastal Realty, will be a reality in a few months. We’re still trying to figure out where we’ll have our offices, but we’re really excited.”

“Yay!” Charlotte said. “I’m so proud of both of you. You’ve really worked hard for this.”

Gretchen beamed. They all toasted to “New beginnings in a New Year.”

Maggie toasted along with the rest of them. She knew she should be happy because she and Jake were finally together, and she was, but something still felt like it was missing. So many of her friends had pursued new career opportunities in the last year or two and she kind of regretted not going after the catering center. She knew the Sorensen farm property was out of her price range, but it still stung to not pursue a new business venture there.

Angel noticed she was quiet. “Are you okay, Maggie?”

She forced a smile. “Yes, of course. I was just thinking about the future of the café. I’m glad you’re there. I think you’re an even better baker than I am. I can see we’ll be very popular come the tourist season with your skills.”

Angel puffed up a little. “Thanks, Maggie. I appreciate that. I wasn’t sure about coming to Candle Beach, but you’ve really made me feel welcome.”

“Well, you’re welcome.” Maggie laughed at the pun. She’d told Angel the truth. The younger woman was a better baker than she was and quite capable. Maggie knew the café would be in good hands if she chose to pursue the catering center as her next challenge—if the opportunity ever presented itself.

* * *

A week later, Jake called Maggie to invite her to join him for a picnic lunch. She looked out her apartment window and raised her eyebrows.

“A picnic? In this weather?” Alex had complained of the cold that morning and she’d sent him off to school with an extra sweatshirt under his jacket. While there might not be snow on the ground, the sky was gray and she definitely wouldn’t describe it as typical picnic weather.

He laughed over the phone. “We’ve got a few more months of winter, might as well make the most of it.”

“Okay then.” She brightened. This could be fun, and it beat the laundry she’d planned to take care of before Alex got home from school. “Is there anything I can bring?”

“Nope. I’ve got everything taken care of. All I need is you.”

She blushed, glad that he couldn’t see her reaction. “I’ll see you at noon then.”

When he arrived, he held up a bandanna in front of her.

“I’m going to put this over your eyes before you get in the car. It’s a secret picnic location and I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

She stared at the covering dubiously. She wasn’t big on surprises, but he smiled at her and she forgot all her misgivings.

They drove for about ten minutes, until she heard the tires crunch on a gravel road and then stop.

“Where are we?” Were they at a beach overlook? A trailhead into the woods? It felt odd to be so close to home, but have no clue where they were.

“Be patient,” he chided as he led her to their destination.

Finally, he allowed her to take off the blindfold. She blinked her eyes a few times as they adjusted to the light.

The first thing she saw was Bluebonnet Lake shimmering in front of her, its blue-green waters and foliage highlighted by the sun peeking through the clouds.

“We’re at the Sorensen farm.” She turned in a semi-circle. Sure enough, the barn was to her right and the cute yellow farmhouse was behind her. She still thought it would have made a nice location for an event center. Her stomach lurched when she saw there was a big ‘Sold’ sign crisscrossing the real estate sign at the top of the driveway.

She sighed. “I knew this place would sell quickly. Someone will be able to make this place beautiful again. I just wish it could have been me.”

He placed his hand on her arm and led her through the scrubby grass to the far side of the barn. An oil-fueled heat lamp stood near a table that faced the lake. It was set for two with wooden farm chairs on either side. A rose perched in a petite crystal vase in the center of the table. He ducked into the barn, retrieved a wicker picnic basket and gestured for her to sit.

With a flourish, he popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and poured some for her. She watched as the bubbles fizzed up and spilled over the top of the glass. He dabbed at it with a cloth napkin and then removed a selection of cheese, crackers, and grapes from the picnic basket.

“Is there anything you don’t have in there?” She peered into the basket, happy to see he’d remembered to bring some brownies for dessert. She could get used to pampering like this.

“Nope.” He grinned. “It’s a magic basket.”

“I almost believe you. This is all so magical.” With the heat emanating from the lamp, she didn’t even feel the cold. There was something wondrous about sitting there, looking out over the lake and being in the country setting, but still so close to home. She thought again about how great it would be to share the view with others if it were an events center. She shook her head. When the time was right, she’d find the perfect place for her and her new business.

“I love this farm. How’d you talk the new owners into letting you plan a picnic here?” She reached for a cracker and placed some brie on it.

“Oh, it was pretty easy. I know the new owner well.”

“Really? Is it someone I know in town?” She looked at him with curiosity. Rumor was. the person who’d made the previous offer on the property had been from out of town, so she would be happy if someone local had purchased the place. The last thing she wanted was for someone to come in and tear everything down to build a McMansion vacation home.

“I’d say you know them well.” He winked at her. “I put an offer in late last week and paid cash for it this morning at the escrow office in Haven Shores.”

Her jaw dropped. “You bought it?” She scanned the farm again. “But you hate it here.”

“No,” he corrected her. “I never said I hated it. I worried that it would be too much work for you with everything else going on.” He made a face at the barn. “And that barn needs a lot of work.”

“But what are you going to do with it? I never thought of you as a farmer.”

“I’m not. But I do need a place to live now that I’ve given up my lodging at the B&B. I can’t sleep on people’s couches for much longer. Besides, I’ve been a single guy in the Army for twenty years. I’ve built up a nice savings account. What better place to spend it than on my forever home?”

“Surely there could have been some place in town that would be a better fit for you.” She daintily placed a grape in her mouth.

“Probably, but then there wouldn’t be a space for you to hold the biggest events in Candle Beach.” He raised his eyebrows at her and grinned.

Excitement bubbled up throughout her body like the champagne in the glass. “Do you mean it?”

“Of course. I knew how much it meant to you. I needed somewhere to live and you needed this space. It was an easy decision.”

“Thank you, thank you.” She stood and twirled around to see the whole property at once. “This is so amazing.” She felt him watching her. Surprisingly, he hadn’t dug into the food.

“I can pay you rent,” she said quickly as she sat down. The barn remodel would be expensive, but she should be able to swing it with a construction loan using her savings account as collateral. At least now the café wouldn’t be at risk.

“We can talk about it later. Actually, I had something more important to ask you.” His voice cracked and he stood from the table.

Her eyes followed his every move. “What do you mean?”

He came over to her side of the table with a little black velvet box. She had a feeling that this time it didn’t contain a diamond necklace. Her pulse throbbed loudly in her ears and she felt like she couldn’t breathe until she heard him say the words.

“I know we’ve only been together for a short time, but I’ve been around the block a time or two and nothing has ever felt this right before. I think about you all the time. There’s nothing more I’ve ever wanted in my life than to wake up next to you every day and have the privilege of being a father figure to Alex.”

She started crying and he took her hand while getting on one knee. He opened the box to reveal a glittering princess cut diamond ring.

“Maggie Price. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

The tears fell faster. “Yes, yes.”

He placed the ring on her finger and kissed her firmly on the lips. She kept crying. Her life had changed so much in the last two months that she barely recognized it anymore.

“Don’t cry, honey.” He wiped away her tears and held her to him.

“I can’t help it. I’m so happy,” she said, her words muffled by his shirt. She tried to stop crying, but it was as though the five years she’d spent alone had all dissolved in that moment. When she recovered, he released her and sat back down across from her at the table.

“Thank goodness you said yes. I’d be rattling around in that house all by myself,” he joked.

She mock glared at him and dried her tears on a linen napkin. “You’ll be wishing you were alone after living with a six-year-old going on sixteen-year-old.”

He moved his chair next to hers. “I’m looking forward to it.”

He put his arm around her and hugged her to him. She slid over their joined seats to get closer to him, wrapped her left arm around his waist and rested her head and right hand on his chest.

They stared out at the lake together in contented silence. Her thoughts brimmed with visions of the big parties they’d cater and the times they’d share as a family there on the old Sorensen farm. Alex would play down at the lake and maybe there would be a brother or sister for him in the near future.

She realized she’d spoken that thought out loud when Jake said, “Oh definitely there will be a brother or sister. Maybe a couple of them.”

She hugged him tighter. She’d thought she was perfectly happy before, but now she knew the best was yet to come.