what’s the secret to getting across the street?”
“You wait until he’s ready to move. Or you go around him. Seeing as how you’re still nursing that ankle, I’d wait in case he decides to give chase.”
“Give chase,” Amanda said. “Lovely.”
“Usually, he is, but as my husband and family like to remind me, he is a wild animal, so you have to prepare for the unexpected.”
“I’ll just wait for him to move along, then, I guess.”
“Good call.”
After a full minute passed in which the gigantic moose didn’t blink as he continued to stare at Amanda, Hannah stepped off the curb and approached him.
“Nothing to see here, Fred. Move along.”
A male voice came from behind them. “No, Hannah. Get my daughter away from that moose. Right now.”
“Daddy is always spoiling our fun,” Hannah said to Callie, but she returned to the sidewalk as Nolan joined them.
“Come see Daddy, angel.”
Hannah transferred the baby to her father. “Don’t get her dirty.”
“I’d rather get her dirty than eaten by a moose.”
“He is not going to eat her. He loves her.”
Amanda wondered if they considered this conversation “normal.”
“Fred!” Hannah’s sharp command shifted the moose’s attention to her, which was a relief to Amanda. That stare was intimidating.
“Let Amanda cross the street. We like her. It’s all good.”
Fred let out a loud moo that made Amanda nearly jump out of her skin and took a step forward. And then another.
She let go of the breath she’d been holding as she watched him walk away, slowly, as if he was in no particular rush.
“I think you passed the test,” Hannah said.
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“My wife is stark raving nuts, in case you were wondering,” Nolan said.
“But he loves me anyway,” Hannah retorted, making a face at him.
“Someone’s gotta.”
They were too adorable for words, Amanda decided. “Thanks for helping me get his approval. I’m sure it was much more about you than me.”
“He does tend to follow my lead,” Hannah said in all seriousness. “Were you headed to the store?”
“I was. I’m hoping to find your dad there.”
“Callie and I just saw him in his office.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you later.”
Hannah waved Callie’s hand for her. “Say bye-bye to Auntie Amanda.”
“Bye, Callie,” Amanda said, touched to be given auntie status. Looking both ways for cars—and recalcitrant moose—Amanda crossed the street to the store, taking pains not to look at the blackened hulk of what remained of the inn next door. The place was crawling with workers cleaning up the debris.
She entered through the main doors and immediately felt calmer and more centered. The Green Mountain Country Store was one of the most magical places she’d ever been.
It would be hard to capture the essence of the place in mere words, but she looked forward to the challenge of using the personal experiences of people connected to the store to tell its story. She wandered through the toy department, past the household goods and the apothecary on her way upstairs to the offices, all the while wishing she had time to linger. The store drew her in like nowhere she’d ever been, and the thought of working there excited her.
Emma was eating lunch at her desk when Amanda walked into the reception area. “Hi there. How was the training?”
“It went very well.”
“I give you credit,” Emma said, flushing. “I’m not sure I could cover that topic with that audience.”
“Eh, I’m used to it. If you’ve seen one sex toy, you’ve seen them all.”
Emma laughed. “If you say so.”
“Is Linc available by any chance?”
“Sure. He’s in his office.”
“Thanks.”
“How’s the ankle?”
“Much better, thank goodness.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Amanda had started to walk away when she recalled that Emma had a daughter. “Your daughter…”
“What about her?”
“How old is she?”
“Just turned eleven. Why?”
“I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but at some point, my twelve-year-old daughter will be coming to live with me.”
“I did hear about that, and I’m happy for you even if the circumstances are tragic.”
“I know. I’ve been trying to keep that in mind as I think about having her with me. Maybe when Stella comes, we could get the girls together. She’ll need all the friends she can get.”
“I’d love that, and Simone would, too.”
“Great. Thank you.”
“Good luck with it all. If you need someone to talk to who understands girls that age, I’m right here.”
“I’ll absolutely take you up on that. Thank you.”
“Sure.”
Hunter came out of his office. “I thought I heard you. I wanted to tell you I found that keyboard we talked about. Would you like me to order it