The business owners and town council had loved the idea, so she, Gabe, Emma and Cam had brought folding tables that the inn used for wedding receptions and positioned them along the center of the street. Now people not only had more opportunity for shopping but also a place to gather in front of each shop or restaurant.

“Thanks, Mom.” Angi squeezed her mother’s shoulders. “Dad always loved this time of year. I remember how excited he got when out-of-town visitors would stop in, like he was the official Magnolia welcome committee.”

Her mother sighed. “It was hard for him when things slowed during the years of economic downturn, and not just because of trying to keep the business afloat. He missed talking to new people. I’m glad he understood, before his heart attack, that the restaurant was going to survive. I like to think it gave him a sense of peace in his final moments.”

“Oh, Mom.” Angi’s heart pinched as her mother’s voice cracked with emotion. “I know you miss him. I do, too.” There was something in her mother’s tone, a hint of painful acceptance. “Are you sure the restaurant is still your dream?”

Her mother broke away, swiping a hand across her cheek. “Why would you say that, Angela? Your father and I built this place together. It was his dream—our dream—from the start. Now the town is flourishing again and I should just give it up?”

“I’m not saying that.” Angi chose her words carefully, not wanting to upset her mother more than she already was. Especially not tonight when there was so much excitement in the air. “I was thinking about those holidays when we drove to Nonna’s house. I used to listen to you and Dad talking, and you were always planning for the future. For some distant day when you’d have time to travel. Remember how you wanted to take an Alaskan cruise? It got so bad that Luca bought you bear spray for your birthday as a joke. What about those plans?”

Her mother’s eyes went wide. “That was a different time. Yes, I had plans for when your father and I retired. But things changed. The restaurant struggled for several years, and your dad made some investments that...” She sighed. “Taking time off wasn’t an option when he was alive, and he worked so hard to bring the restaurant back from the brink of failure. When Dylan Scott threatened to shut us down, it was like a knife to the chest for your dad. Then things changed, but he didn’t get to see all of the success. I can’t just walk away from it.”

“Mom, working so hard is what killed him. I don’t want to see the same thing happen to you.” Angi didn’t mean to say the words out loud. Yes, she’d thought them countless times since her mother’s heart attack. There was no way she could bear the thought of losing both of her parents. But if her mother came back to the restaurant as she planned, how would Angi prevent the stress?