They opened a second store, again named Rose’s Market. Tilly ran the second store.

Johnny kept his job as the manager of the lumber yard, as Marvin could not work much anymore, and he would not let Marvin down. Johnny, Betsy, and Tilly moved Marvin into their own home, nicely remodeled by then, and took care of him the last year of his life, as he had no one else. A nurse came in to help during the day.

When Marvin died he left everything he had to Betsy and Johnny. Betsy and Johnny thought that Marvin had no other assets. The business had been failing when Johnny arrived on the scene. It now made an impressive profit, thanks to Johnny, but they had no idea of Marvin’s net worth. Marvin had an old house he’d lived in for sixty years, never remodeled. He also had fifty acres, free and clear. Johnny hadn’t known that Marvin owned all of that land around his home. It was near to neighborhoods, and builders wanted to buy it.

Plus, Marvin had half a million in the bank, and $50,000 literally in a mattress in his guest room. Betsy and Johnny found out about that stash when they read the letter Marvin wrote to them, telling them he loved them as his own children. They grieved for Martin, a decent, kind man who had given Johnny a chance and paid him fairly from the start. They used part of the money to start a scholarship fund for their employees and their children.

They opened a third and fourth store. Then a fifth.

All of the markets were called Rose’s Market. All of the fruits and vegetable sections were called Tilly’s Garden. And all of the delis were called Marvin’s Deli.

He would have liked that.

* * *

At thirty-eight unexpectedly, miraculously, Betsy became pregnant. Johnny and Betsy had tried for years, after they had established themselves, to get pregnant, but they couldn’t. The doctors had run test after test, but they couldn’t find anything wrong. They resigned themselves to a childless life.

The pregnancy was a joy, yet it was filled with grief, too. It triggered their feelings of deep loss, their searing grief at losing Rose, but Kayla was a smiling, easy baby, and she soothed their tired souls, added love to their battered hearts, and peace to their lives. Aunt Tilly was thrilled.

One day, they told each other, the sisters would meet.

They hoped, they prayed.

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

“Serafina only had three more scales left, all the colors of roses: red, pink, and yellow.”

“I love roses.”

“I know you do. You’ve always been your mom’s and my rose, you know that, don’t you?”

“Yes, you silly. You say I’m your rose kid.”

“You are.”

“Tell me what happened to Serafina.”