“Yes. I keep hoping and putting off the decision, but I’m not going to make it through another winter. It will take me a while to sell this place, and I can’t afford two places. I don’t know which is worse—giving up on my dream or moving back home with my mother and hearing her say ‘I told you so.’ She makes me feel about the same age as the kids.”

“Is there no alternative?”

“Not that I can see.” Lisa’s eyes filled, and she pressed her fingers to her mouth. “Sorry. I can’t believe I’m telling you this. You came in for an ice cream, and instead of a blob of blueberry I give you a dollop of self-pity topped off with liquid misery. I don’t charge for that, by the way. It’s on the house.”

“I asked the question.” Emily grabbed a handful of napkins and handed them over. “Here. Blow.”

“I don’t want the kids to see me like this. You know what it’s like.” Lisa blew her nose hard. “You try and keep a bright smile on your face, no matter how bad things are. And when I tuck them in at night I realize that none of it matters really as long as I have them. They’re the best thing in my life.” She gave a faint smile. “Thanks for listening.”

“I can do more than listen. I might be able to help, if you’d like me to.” Emily glanced around the store, looking at all the unused space. “You say that no one has been able to make this business pay. Did anyone ever try doing anything different with it?”

“Different? You mean apart from sell ice cream?”

“There’s more than one way of selling ice cream.” Emily walked to the door and stared through the glass to the busy harbor. “There are plenty of people out there. The island is busy.”

“But the tourists don’t always come in here, so that doesn’t help me.”

Emily watched the flow of people. “Because they walk straight off the ferry and turn left to the beach.”

“On a hot day, yes. And to walk past Summer Scoop, they need to turn right. They sometimes call in at Swim and Sail or visit the Lobster Hatchery, but they don’t come down this far.” Lisa’s shoulders sagged. “I’m doomed.”

“You’re not doomed. Every tourist that arrives on that ferry is a potential customer. We just need to think about how to tempt people in.”