Page 45 of Finding Wonderland

“You three make a pretty family,” Maggie teased in the way only a mother could, even if Isla wasn’t her kid.

“I can’t say I disagree,” she laughed nervously. She ran her fingers over the image as she imagined showing it to Vera. Vera would love it, Isla had no doubt.

When Mason came back with her bag, Isla helped her into her coat as they headed out to the car. Maggie followed behind them, putting Mason’s bag in the backseat as Isla strapped in Mason. Isla closed the back door and smiled at Maggie.

“Thanks again for watching her.”

“Anytime. She’s a delight, and the girls love her.”

“That’s good to know.”

“And Isla?”

“Yeah?”

“Happiness looks good on you.”

Chapter 16

Vera

Every time Vera passed the old farmhouse on the outskirts of town, she imagined what it would be like to raise a family there. To her, it was the perfect house. It had a large backyard that backed up to the woods and a front porch that was big enough for any family gathering she could imagine. If Vera owned it, she would paint the cream-colored siding blue and put rocking chairs and a swing up on the porch.

Vera had arranged a tour of the house a few months ago with the real estate agent. The inside needed updating and a fresh coat of paint, but Vera could see beyond that. She saw her family making the house a home. Christmas mornings by the big bay window in the front of the house. Kids helping her bake in the large kitchen. Summer nights spent watching fireflies as the creaky porch swing filled the night sky.

It was a beautiful image. And recently, she saw the future with Isla.

She hadn’t shared her dream with anyone. Not her mother or her sisters or even Cameron. Hell, she hadn’t even told them that as of noon, the farmhouse now officially belonged to her. Vera had scrimped and saved every penny she could over the years in preparation of one day buying a house. And now, that dream was a reality.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

Isla was sitting in the passenger seat of Vera’s SUV wearing a red bandana as a blindfold. They had gone to dinner earlier and Vera wanted to show her the farmhouse. However, she wanted to keep it a surprise until they got there. She parked the car in the gravel driveway.

“We’re here.”

“Great, but I still don’t know where here is,” Isla laughed. “You’re not secretly one of those killers that lures me into loving you only to take me out to the woods and shoot me, are you?”

“Babe, you have to stop reading Stephen King.” Unbuckling her seatbelt, Vera placed a hand on Isla’s arm. “I’m going to open the door for you, then you can see where we’re at.”

“As long as you don’t kill me.”

“Oh, hush,” Vera teased and placed a kiss on Isla’s cheek. “I’d miss you if you were dead.”

“Mmm, that might be sweet if I weren’t blindfolded with no idea where I am.”

“Fair enough.”

Chuckling, Vera got out of the car and jogged around to Isla’s door. The snow-covered gravel crunched under her boots as she helped Isla out of the vehicle. She put her hand on her waist as she led her a few steps toward the house.

A few hours prior, Vera had come out to the house and strung a single strand of Christmas lights around the off-white railing that wrapped around the porch. They twinkled in the evening sky, adding a soft glow to the house. Vera could hardly wait to spend her first Christmas inside the house, and nearly burst with excitement over the idea of Mason and Isla spending it with her.

“Okay. Voilà.”

Taking a deep breath, Vera took the blindfold off Isla. She watched Isla’s face as her emotions played across it. Confusion, wonder, curiosity. They all fought for top billing on Isla’s face. Vera took her hand and squeezed it.

“What do you think?”

“It’s gorgeous.”

---