Page 67 of Save a Wish

“Barge. Poke,” I said. “Anything you do to winterize this place is going to benefit me while I’m staying here.” I held up an index finger. “Which brings me to offering to pay rent again.”

Hank vigorously shook his head. “Nope. Not going to take a dime from you, Sadie.”

“How about if I do a monthly, free meditation and singing bowl session for you and Sarah?” I asked. “That would give me practice and make me feel as if I was giving something back to you.” I clasped my hands and put them under my chin. “Please, Hank. Let me do this for you.”

He smiled. “Okay. Sure, but honestly, you don’t owe me anything. Like I’ve said before, this cabin would be empty right now and I love knowing it’s being put to good use by someone who is enjoying it.” He paused. “You are enjoying it, right?”

“Of course.” I turned to face the cabin and stand beside him. “Who wouldn’t adore this place?” I gave him a one-armed hug. “Do you have time for a quick walk along the pond with me before you dive into your tasks?”

“I do. Sarah is out with our daughter and grandkids for the day,” he said. “And I’d love to stretch my legs before I spend some time in the cabin’s basement, cleaning the water heater.”

“Is that something I can help you with?” I asked as we wove our way around the cabin to a narrow path that led through the woods and to the pond.

“Nah, I’ve got it. I’ve been doing it so many years that it’s an autopilot thing now,” Hank said.

“How long have you had the cabin?”

“Going on thirty years now,” Hank said. “We bought it when our daughter was five with the intent of fixing it up and long-term renting it, which we did for a while. But then we started renting it on a more short-term basis, a week here, a week there. Maybe a month at a time during the nicer weather. We often spent weekends at it ourselves too. Though our actual home is in town too, this area is different than the main stretch of Greenridge, you know? It’s like being on vacation here by the pond.”

I understood that. The cabin was free from the hustle and bustle of Main Street and though Greenridge was surrounded by nature, Slater’s Pond had even more wildlife to enjoy.

“We’re going to leave the cabin to our daughter when it comes time for that,” Hank said, “and then she’ll leave it to her kids and so on. We’re hoping it will stay in the Faraday family for as long as possible.”

Hank’s family was another example of how different things were here in America as compared to Verdalach. While the Faradays, like the Hartleys, were leaving legacies of fun, the royal family of Verdalach was busy trading its daughters for allies.

“I’m sure that cabin will bring the future generations of your family so much joy,” I said as we crunched over fallen leaves together. “And I’m happy to enjoy it in the meantime.”

“Family doesn’t just mean blood around here, Sadie.” Hank stopped walking so I did too and turned to face him. “Family is whoever you care about, and Sarah and I care about you. Therefore, that makes you family too.”

Tears instantly stung my eyes. “Oh, Hank . . .” I launched myself at the man, soaking up that Papa Bear energy like a starving forest critter. “Thank you for saying that.”

“I mean it.” He patted my back then we both stepped back from each other, but Hank clasped my hands in his and gave them a squeeze. “We’d always wanted more than one child, but that wasn’t in the cards for us. Fortunately, a town like Greenridge is always serving up opportunities to parent.” He held his elbow out to me and I looped my arm around his as we walked again. “I remember when Ashley first came to town. She’d needed a place to sort things out and Faraday’s Hardware provided that. Sarah and I have dozens of stories like that and we’re happy to play that role here.”

“You play it so well.” I squeezed his arm. “Between you and the Hartleys, I feel as if I’ve received amazing gifts.”

“Speaking of the Hartleys,” Hank began, “how are things going with you and the youngest Hartley? Beckett is such a nice young man.”

I warmed at the mention of his name. “He’s the best. I’ve never met anyone like him.”

“He helped me years ago with some fancy software at the hardware store,” Hank said. “It totally changed the way I kept track of inventory and made ordering supplies a breeze. The best part, however, was that he took the time to explain how to use the software to a dinosaur like me. He was so patient.”

“And he explains things in simple terms that are easy to understand,” I added. “In one afternoon, I felt completely comfortable navigating my new website he built for me and using the booking application he’d included for client appointments. I’d barely touched a computer before coming here.”

“Really?” Hank’s brows lowered. “Aren’t all you young kids born with techy gadgets in your hands nowadays?”

I shook my head. “Not all of us.” I braced myself for Hank to ask questions about my previous life, but with typical Hank politeness, he shifted to another topic.

“So Sarah and I have our All Hallow’s Eve Walk costumes all made and ready,” he said. “We’re looking forward to attending.”

“Beckett and I are working on our costumes today,” I said. “What did you and Sarah decide to go as?”

“You’ll have to see if you can pick us out at the event,” Hank said with a grin.

We chatted about some of my appointments, both past ones and upcoming ones, as we strolled along the pond’s shore. Hank and I found several stones that would be perfect for necklaces then we made our way back to the cabin. Hank got to work on winterizing tasks, and I put Jimmy’s necklace in my mailbox for him to pick up when he came back to Greenridge. Then I gave Hank’s daughter’s car I was borrowing a wash.

As I was vacuuming the interior, Hank appeared in the driveway. “Gotta run to the hardware store for a rubber gasket that needs replacing. I thought I had some here, but I don’t. Be right back.”

I saluted him and went back to my vacuuming. When I finally shut off the shop vac and climbed out from the back seat, shuffling through leaves behind me made me turn around.