Whether either sister actually wanted her along for this outing, she couldn’t say. But it’d only made sense to accept the invitation. So far, her time at the farm hadn’t yielded any answers about her birth mother or her father. After helping Neil paint last night, she’d stayed up until after one in the morning looking through scrapbooks, willing herself to feel some spark of connection or memory.

But . . . nothing.

And other than a quick text from Wilder this morning saying he was still following up on a couple of leads, she had a feeling he wasn’t any closer to proving his theory today than he’d been last week.

So why not venture into Muir Harbor? Maybe she’d meet someone who might remember a JP.

“Come on, slowpokes.” Indi tossed her cheery order over her shoulder with a light laugh, already moving down the sidewalk.

Lilian’s eyebrows lifted. “I have absolutely no idea why she’s so enthusiastic about this meeting. It’s more of a gossip-fest than anything.”

“Excited to show off her ring, maybe?”

Lilian didn’t have a reply to that, just watched her sister hurry onward. Why did the whole family seem so doubtful about Indi’s engagement?

“So none of you have met the guy?” She fell into step beside the older sister, drinking in the sight of the small town center as they walked. An undeniable old-world charm hummed from every detail she took in—the cobblestone street, spindly black lampposts, decorative storefront facades. Brick buildings with yawning windows lined both sides of the road, and up ahead the street split into two directions, curving around a large circle lawn, still-green grass puddled with patches of fallen leaves.

“We call it the town square,” Lilian explained, following Sydney’s line of sight, “even though it’s clearly not a square. And no, we haven’t met him. Indi’s dating history is a little bit of a whirlwind. She’s always been the most . . . carefree of all of us.”

Something told Sydney carefree really meant something more along the lines of flighty. But Lilian said it with obvious affection.

“That’s her store across the street, by the way.” She pointed to a tall, narrow building, brick exterior painted white and windows framed by yellow shutters. A nod to Maggie? An artsy metal sign over the entrance read Bits & Pieces. “She was only twenty-four when she opened it. Honestly, I was a little skeptical about the whole thing. Not Neil, though. He loaned her half of what she needed to make the down payment on the building. Pretty sure he’s never let her pay him back. She opened her second store in Augusta earlier this year.”

It was the most Lilian had spoken to Sydney. Almost felt as much of a victory as when Neil had let her come along to the treehouse last night.