Page 56 of Ethan

“Hey.” Serena hugged her. “How’s Grady?”

“Wonderful and aggravating in equal measure.” Vanna smiled. “The usual.”

A second woman came through from the back carrying a small wooden chair, setting it carefully on a shelf. She looked up when she saw them.

“Serena.” She came over and hugged her. “I didn’t know you were coming in today.”

“Spontaneous Saturday.” Serena turned to Naomi. “This is Maggie Lancaster. Maggie, Naomi Austin.”

“Nice to meet you.” Maggie shook her hand. “I heard you say you just moved to Ethan’s place. Are you settling in alright? Ranch life can take some getting used to.”

“I love every minute of it.” Naomi meant it.

She browsed slowly, taking her time with each shelf, while Serena caught up with Vanna and Maggie. She heard the names Grady and Rafe come up more than once, and the easy warmth in both women’s voices when they talked about them.

She was working her way toward the back of the shop when she noticed the curtain.

“What’s back there?” she asked.

Vanna looked at her. “Go ahead and look. It’s my favorite part of the shop.”

Naomi pushed the curtain aside and stepped through.

She went still.

The back room was filled with dollhouses. Dozens of them, lined up on shelves and tables, every size and style imaginable. Victorian mansions with tiny working lights, a farmhouse with a wraparound porch, a little craftsman bungalow with a garden out front. Each one was handmade, every detail deliberate and perfect, down to the miniature books on the shelves and the tiny dishes on the tables.

She stood there and felt something catch in her throat.

She’d wanted one so badly as a little girl. She could remember pressing her nose against a shop window once, somewhere she couldn’t even remember anymore, staring at one just like these. She’d asked her grandmother for one that Christmas and her grandmother had cried quietly and told her maybe next year, and Naomi had understood even then that there wasn’t money for it. There never had been a next year for that particular wish.

She blinked hard and stared at the nearest one, a little white farmhouse with green shutters and a red door.

Serena appeared at her shoulder. She took one look at Naomi’s face and said nothing for a moment.

“You okay?” she said quietly.

“Yes.” Naomi stepped back from the farmhouse and cleared her throat. “I just always wanted one of these when I was little.”

Serena put her hand on her arm and left it there.

Vanna appeared in the doorway. “They’re all handmade. I get them from a man in Oregon. He’s been making them for forty years.” She looked at Naomi gently. “He can make any type you’d want. I try to keep them in stock, but I’ve actually had to sell the displays. They’re very popular.”

Naomi looked at the little white farmhouse with the red door.

“Maybe someday,” she said.

“We also have layaway on everything in the store.” Vanna smiled.

“That’s good to know.” Naomi took one last look around. “I promise I’ll be back. This place is amazing.”

“Please do come back.” Vanna walked them to the door.

“See you soon, Vanna. Maggie.” Serena waved.

“Have a good day,” Maggie called, and Vanna smiled as the door swung closed behind them.

They stepped back out into the warm sun and Naomi took a breath of the warm air.