Page 17 of One Sweet Day I Found You

“Yeah. You know it?” Courtney sounded surprised.

“Yep. Sure do.”

“Wow, this is a really small town, isn’t it?”

“Have you met the owner? Sweet, older woman. Victoria Brady?”

“I haven’t met her yet, but I saw her in the window yesterday and she waved. Her housekeeper, Mrs. Schlagel, I think it was, stopped in to make sure I was doing okay. I was planning to stop over at the main house and introduce myself later today. Wait, do you know her?”

Nick and his brother had spent many summers at the lake as kids with their grandparents, who had a summer home in Heritage Bay prior to their death a few years ago. He and Kenny learned to handle a kayak when they were very young because of those summers. “Yeah, it’s a really small town. My grandparents were good friends with Victoria.”

“Really? Now I can’t wait to meet her.”

Nick looked back fondly on those years. His grandparents were so unlike his father.

Hardworking but easygoing, they’d given Kenny and Nick the chance to make their own decisions, whether it had simply been their choice of ice cream at age eight, or their thoughts about school and friends at fifteen. He always felt like he had a voice with them.

He often wondered how someone like his father, so controlling and single-minded, could’ve turned out the way he did.

Mr. and Mrs. Alfred and Victoria Brady, who owned the property where Courtney was staying, had been very close friends with his Grandma and Grandpa Bingham. Nick and Kenny knew the marsh and her little stretch of beach, as well as the trail Courtney had mentioned, quite well. Victoria reminded him of his own grandmother—they’d been a lot alike.

Victoria Brady had reached out to Nick when Nick had come to stay in Heritage Bay last year. And he’d offered his support when Mr. Brady had passed on last fall.

These days, it seemed Victoria Brady had unofficially adopted Nick as one of her own grandchildren, of which she had few. Nick made it a point to check on Victoria every few weeks. The woman was getting on in the world and didn’t have any family nearby. And he didn’t mind. His family was far away, too, after all, and his grandparents were gone. It was good for both of them to have someone close who felt like family.

But Nick wanted to downplay his connection with Courtney’s landlord and his familiarity with her new home. He should give Courtney her space. If he got to know her better, he could explain later.

They reached the main trail that met up with the parking lot.

“Victoria’s very sweet. Tough, optimistic. You’ll like her.”

“Good to know.” Courtney climbed over a branch on the trail. “By the way, her cottage is so beautiful. I feel like I’ve really stepped up in the world, moving in there.” She grinned.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Totally. Sure beats the hostel in Sydney. I shared an unlocked room with one to three other girls, give or take, at any given time, for six months. Bunk beds.”

Nick pulled a branch out of the way and Courtney ducked underneath. “That must’ve gotten old quickly.”

“It did, kind of. But, then again, it was great. Instant friends and day-trip companions. Couldn’t complain. A lot of them were from other countries, too. It was a great experience.”

He asked her more about Australia and Courtney gave him a quick rundown of her trip and the freelance work she did there before they reached the truck. Nick was impressed.

Kira returned just as Nick and Courtney emerged from the woods.

“How’d it go, Kira?” Nick took some of the bulkier equipment from her.

“I think I’m good on video and images. You all set for the article, Courtney?”

Courtney took her duffel bag off her shoulders as they reached the truck. “Yeah, I think I’m good.”

Nick unlocked the truck and threw his hat on the front seat.

“Hey,” Kira said, “so, Courtney, you’re supposed to get this post out by Monday morning, right? They want to see my video by Saturday and then they’ll give me any edits to finish by Sunday night. Do you want to run your post by me before Beecham sees it—since this is your first one? I used to look over Sam’s stories—he was the writer before you got here—just to give them a second pair of eyes before he submitted them.”

Courtney looked surprised. “Uh, sure. That would be great.”

Kira pulled a business card from her equipment bag. “Here’s my number. Text me anytime.”

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