He glanced over at the rectangular box that used to sit at the foot of Nanny Lucy’s bed. Of all the things in her house, what made it so important? It just looked like an aged cedar chest with a tarnished brass keyhole in the front. Flynn wasn’t even sure that he wanted the thing at all, but he couldn’t shake the need to know what was in it.

“I came here with baggage,” Jackson said. “It took me quite a while to feel like I was making progress getting rid of it. Uncle D. J. was a little old guy who didn’t talk much, but, looking back, he knew exactly what I needed. Time and hard work, and he gave me both.”

“Well, I’ve got time, and you’ve given me a job that involves hard work, so maybe I’ll see some light by the end of summer.” Flynn finished off his beer and stood up. “Thanks again for the beer. I should be getting on back. Nessa usually has supper ready about six. Want to come eat with us?”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Jackson said. “I’ve got my heart set on having a nice cool dip and then diving back into a mystery book I’ve been reading.”

“Maybe next time.” Flynn held up his empty bottle. “Where’s the trash?”

“Just leave it on the coffee table. I’ve got a couple of recycling bins out back,” Jackson told him.

With a slight nod and a wave, Flynn went outside, took a minute to pet Tex, and then headed home. He was only a few yards down the rutted pathway when he realized he was whistling. He hadn’t done that in years, especially not at the end of a workday.

Nessa put away the sewing machine, cleaned all her quilting business off the dining room table, and was stirring a pot of marinara sauce to go on spaghetti when April came into the house. The hours had flown by, and most of the afternoon she had hummed as she worked. That alone told her that she should give this quilting business a chance. She loved teaching, but toward the end of the school day, the minutes turned into hours and she could hardly wait to get out of the classroom.

“I guess you got the job, or else you started to run away with Nanny Lucy’s car and figured that she would haunt you if you did that,” Nessa said as she slid a loaf of Italian bread into the oven.