Chapter 3

“How do you feel being back in your hometown, Mom.”

The sleepy little town had been an idyllic place to grow up. Driving along the streets of Middletown Karen Morris could see that not much had changed in the years she’d been away. It felt like she had walked back in time. Certain smells, houses, sounds, and landmarks made her feel like she was a young woman again.

“It feels good. Really good. Like coming back home,” Karen said to Bethany.

“Home is not a house but a place where you feel you belong,” her daughter quoted. “You have talked so many times about Christmas in Middletown when I was young that I want to live it with you.”

The weather was colder than Karen remembered. She hoped she had packed the appropriate clothes.

“What are you looking at, Mom?” Bethany looked at her mother quizzically.

“Nothing in particular, and everything, dear. Just reminiscing.” Karen smiled at her daughter. “We are going to have the best Christmas ever!”

Karen realized she was staring at the faces of people, searchingly. She knew who she was looking for— Bert Thomas, her ex-boyfriend. Even if it was just to look at him from across the street.

Karen had felt bad about the way things had ended between them. Her father refused to give the couple his blessing. She knew she should have stood up for them. But the truth was, she knew her future was not in Middletown. She loved Bert dearly, but she felt she was too young to settle down. She wanted to travel, to see the world. Her family moved out of town shortly after the breakup and Karen didn’t have any contact with Bert after. Part of her died that day.

Karen needed to know if Bert was okay. He wasn’t present in any social media. All she knew about him was through the webpage of the local newspaper, The Middletown Gazette. The page painted the sheriff as a beloved local figure. Karen hoped Bert had moved on and found a true-loving wife who treated him better than she did.

Bethany maneuvered the car into a parking space in front of the White Fairypoppy Inn. Karen was aware word would spread once she and her daughter stepped foot into the only bed-and-breakfast in town.