“Angel!” Gretchen said as she approached the booth at the wine bar that evening. “We’re so glad you could make it.” She nudged her friend Charlotte to scoot over in the corner booth. Maggie wasn’t there yet, but Dahlia sat across from them, sipping on a margarita.

“I’m glad I came too,” she said brightly. She may have been acting more enthusiastic than she felt, but she knew she’d made the right choice. As she slid in to the wooden bench next to Gretchen, their warm smiles made her feel welcome. The happy chatter and laughter of other patrons drifted over the top of the booth.

“Where’s Maggie?” she asked as she grabbed a menu off the table.

“Oh, there was something at Alex’s school she had to go to first,” Dahlia said. “Jake is going to babysit him tonight though so she can come hang out with us.”

“Good, she looks stressed. I think she could use a night out.” Angel spoke without thinking, and then stared at each of them, wide-eyed. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Oh, stop worrying,” Charlotte said. “You’re right. Maggie looks super stressed. I saw her earlier today and I swear she looked like she was going to snap in two.”

“Is she spending too much time at the Sorensen Farm?” Gretchen asked.

The waitress came around and took drink and food orders from everyone.

“I think so. She said Jake was organizing a work party for next week. I get the feeling there’s still a lot of work to do out there before it will be in any shape to host events.” Angel craned her neck around to make sure Maggie wasn’t behind her. Maggie was becoming a friend, but she was still her boss. She didn’t want to be gossiping about her behind her back. Luckily for her, Maggie was just entering the wine bar.

“I heard, Sorensen Farm.” Maggie put her hand on Angel’s shoulder. “Are you girls talking about me?”

Angel blushed and Maggie laughed as she slid in next to Dahlia.

“We were saying how hard you’ve been working there. When is it going to be ready?” Charlotte asked.

Maggie held her fingers up in the air and crossed them. “I’m hoping for the Sweethearts’ Dance.”

Charlotte’s eyes lit up. “Oh, the Sweethearts’ Dance. So romantic. The barn will look lovely for that.”

“That’s what Jake and I are hoping. It should be a good springboard for new business. Well, it will be if we can get it ready in time.” Maggie opened her menu and ran her finger down the appetizer listings, giving her order to the waitress who had returned to check on the new arrival.

“Actually, about that,” Angel said. “I forgot to check with you after my shift. When is Jake scheduling that work party out at the farm? I’d love to help.”

“Me too,” Charlotte chimed in. “I’m not great at hard manual labor, but I’m happy to help as much as I can.

Dahlia and Gretchen nodded as well.

Maggie looked at each of her friends in turn. When she spoke, tears glistened in her eyes. “Thank you. I really appreciate your help. I’ll have Jake call all of you.”

“Garrett and I plan to go to the dance. It’ll be fun, and I can’t wait to see the barn all done up.” Dahlia smiled at her.

“Does Garrett have any single male friends that might want to go to the dance with a really fun girl?” Charlotte asked, a mischievous expression on her face.

“I don’t know, do you know a really fun girl?” Dahlia asked.

Charlotte shot her a mock glare and Dahlia laughed.

“I’ll ask.” Dahlia turned to Angel. “What about you? Are you going?”

Angel scrunched up her face. “I don’t have anyone to go with.” Maggie opened her mouth as if to speak, but Angel cut her off. “But I’ll think about it, okay?”

Unbidden thoughts of the cherry Danish man flitted into her head. He’d been kind and funny, and wasn’t hard on the eyes. Maybe he’d be a possibility for a date to the dance. But she was being silly—he could be married for all she knew. Besides, she didn’t need the stress of being in a new relationship. It was hard enough keeping her emotions in check when she was so close to finding out about her mother’s family.

“Maybe Garrett can find someone for you too,” Charlotte teased.

Angel narrowed her eyes and Charlotte chortled.

Just in the nick of time, the waitress arrived with their food, halting their talk of dates for the dance.

“I’d give anything for a tropical vacation right now,” Charlotte said as she dug into a cheeseburger. “Beaches and warm sunshine. That’s what I need.”

Angel nodded. “This is my first winter living where it gets below fifty on a regular basis.” She ate a bite of her Cobb salad and then sipped her blended lime margarita, enjoying the fruity scent that always reminded her of the summer parties her mother and stepfather used to throw on their deck.

“Really?” Gretchen stopped eating the French onion soup she’d ordered and put down her spoon. “Where are you from? I can’t believe I’ve know you for over a month and I’ve never asked you where you came from before you moved here.”

“Southern California, near Los Angeles.” She shivered. “It was neat to have that snow in December, but I think I’m done with winter already. At this rate, I’m going to have to get a whole new wardrobe.” She hadn’t realized until now how little of her personal life she’d shared with her landlord, much less the rest of her new friends.

“I’m so jealous,” Charlotte said. “I’ve always wanted to live down there. But the Washington Coast is home and I can’t stay away too long. I got a little stir crazy when I went to college in Boston.”

“Yeah, me too,” Dahlia piped up. “What made you want to move up here? I don’t think you’ve ever told us.”

“Oh, just a change of scenery.” Her heart beat faster. Should she tell them the truth? Maybe they could help her find her family. Why was she keeping it such a secret anyway? Was this another way of distancing herself from finding out if she had any family left in Candle Beach?

Maggie’s eyes met hers. “Did you know someone here? We’re kind of off the beaten path for someone to just come to out of the blue.” She paused, and then said hurriedly, “Although I’m really glad you did.”

Someone near the kitchen must have dropped a serving tray, because the sound of breaking glass caused everyone in the restaurant to stop what they were doing and stare in that direction. Angel could have used that moment of distraction to change the subject, but she decided to take a chance and tell them the reason she was in town.

She took a big breath. “Okay, fine. I’m actually here because my mom’s family is from Candle Beach. I think I was born here, although we must have moved when I was about three or four.”

“Really?” Gretchen’s eyes lit up. “Who is your mother?”

“She died last year and I don’t know her maiden name. All I have is this.” She pulled the photo out of her wallet, taking care not to crumple it, and handed it to Gretchen.

“This looks like it was taken in the nineteen-eighties,” Gretchen said as she scanned it.

Maggie reached for the photo and Gretchen released it. “It does look like the eighties. Look at the poofy hair on the two girls. I can’t even imagine how much hairspray it must have taken to get it to puff out like that.” She looked at Angel. “Which one is your mother?”

“The older girl. I assume those are her parents and maybe a sister?” She stared at the photo, anxiety welling in the pit of her stomach. What if she had an aunt? Or cousins? “My mom never talked about her family much. All I know is there was some sort of falling out when I was a little kid.”

“Is your father from Candle Beach as well?” Gretchen asked.

“I don’t know. That’s another thing my mother kept quiet about. He could be the prince of Norway for all I know.” Angel grinned at the thought of secretly being royalty. Now that would be a surprise. But she’d be happy if her father turned out to be the local handyman. At least she’d know she had a family.

Charlotte held her hand out for the picture. “Hey, I recognize this house. I go running by it sometimes. Over on Elm Street.”

Excitement rose in Angel’s chest. If it was the same one she’d identified, there would be something to go on. She was almost afraid to confirm it. “The yellow house?”

Charlotte nodded. “Yeah. It looks a little different now, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same house.”

“I drove through all the older neighborhoods, and I thought it looked the same.” She took the photo back from them and stared at the family in it—her family. “But how do I find out who lives there now? Or who lived there back then?”

“You could start at the county offices, but they’re closed until Monday. That would be the best bet. But until then, maybe you should check with Adam down at the newspaper office. He seems to know everything going on in this town,” Charlotte said.

“Yeah, and Adam’s usually in on Saturdays, at least after ten. He’ll be happy to help,” Gretchen added.

“Adam,” she repeated. “Thanks. I’ll do that.” A sense of relief passed through her. She had a plan now. Check in with Adam at the newspaper and then if that didn’t work out, she could research the address at the county offices after work on Monday. She ran her finger reverently over the edge of the Polaroid photo, straightening a slight bend in the plastic-y border.

“This is so exciting. I can’t believe you don’t know anything about your family. I hope you find them.” Maggie’s eyes gleamed. “Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help, okay?”

“I will. Thank you, guys.”

They all smiled at her and for the first time she felt like she belonged in Candle Beach. She hadn’t made up her mind whether or not she’d stay in town after she found out about her family, but at least she had friends now.