The cottage had a fresh coat of white paint and a new roof. He knocked on the back door, but Bree didn’t answer. Through the window, he saw a pot of flowers on the kitchen table and some school papers, so she and Toby were still living here. Since he didn’t have anything else to do, he sat on the front porch and waited for her to come back.

An hour later, her old Cobalt came into sight. He rose from the damp wicker chair and wandered to the steps. She stopped her car and got out. She didn’t seem upset to see him, merely puzzled.

She looked different from the person he remembered—rested, almost serene, no longer quite so thin. She wore jeans and an oatmeal-colored fleece jacket with her hair pulled up in one of those casual buns. She walked toward him with a new confidence.

He dug his hands into his pockets. “The cottage looks good.”

“We’re getting it ready to rent out next summer.”

“What about your bees?” Lucy would care about that.

“I made an arrangement with the family that owns the orchard next to the cottage to move the hives there.”

He nodded. She waited. He shifted his weight to the other foot. “How’s Toby?”

“The happiest kid on the island. He’s at school now.”

He tried to think of what to say next and ended up asking the question he’d never intended to utter. “Have you talked to Lucy?”

She was just like Temple. She nodded but didn’t offer any information.

He pulled his hands from his pockets and came down off the steps. “I need to talk to you about something.”

Just then, Mike’s Cadillac drove in. Mike jumped out, arm extended, looking as if seeing Panda again was the highlight of his day. “Hey, stranger! Great to have you back.”

His hair was shorter, no longer so carefully styled, and except for a watch, he’d given up his jewelry. He looked easy, happy, a guy without any demons. Panda stifled his resentment. It wasn’t Moody’s fault that he’d managed to do what Panda couldn’t.

Mike slipped an arm around Bree. “Did she tell you we finally set a date? New Year’s Eve. Toughest sale I ever made.”

Bree arched an eyebrow at him. “Toby made the sale.”

Mike grinned. “Chip off the old block.”

Bree laughed and kissed the corner of his mouth.

“Congratulations to both of you,” Panda said.

The day was warming up, and Mike suggested they sit on the porch. Panda took the chair he’d just abandoned, and Bree claimed the matching one while Mike perched on the railing. He talked about how well Bree was doing with her business, then offered up a list of Toby’s recent accomplishments. “He and his teacher are working together on a black history unit.”