Page 26 of Finding Forever

I smiled. He was changing the subject, but that was okay. “It’s a 1969 Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic. It was my grandmother’s.”

Eric studied the buttons and levers.

“It takes wonderful photos,” I told him in case he thought it was archaic. “A digital camera could probably do the same thing, but I feel close to my grandma when I’m using it. She was a great photographer.”

After waiting for so long, the sun was rapidly falling toward the mountains. I held the camera to my eye, focused the lens on a crop of spruce trees, and waited. Within seconds, the last rays of sun splintered across the top of the range, cascading through the trees and onto the lake as softly as the wings of an angel. I clicked the shutter, waited for a second, then did the same thing again. By the time the sun disappeared, I knew I had some great shots.

I grinned at Eric. “That’s a wrap.”

“Will you develop them yourself?”

“Not this time. Jenny gave me the name of someone in the local photographic club. She’ll develop them for me tomorrow.”

Eric patted Sherlock. “You have everything worked out.”

“Don’t be fooled,” I said softly. “I might not have a dying hero to worry about, but plenty of other things stop me from sleeping.”

“It might be easier now that you’ve installed a state-of-the-art security system.”

I nodded, but it wasn’t the people who were alive that kept me awake. It was the ones who had died.

twenty

ERIC

I parked my truck outside the general store. If it weren’t for the fact that I’d run out of food, I wouldn’t be here. Coming into town always increased the risk of someone recognizing me, but seeing Jenny was more of a worry.

Each time I spoke to her, she dug a little deeper, trying to uncover more information about my life. It didn’t help that I was equally skilled at evading her questions.

I peered through the window at this week’s display. Drills, sanders, chainsaws, and grinders sat on wooden crates, all waiting for DIY adventurers to take advantage of the discounts. I didn’t need any tools, but I was thinking about buying a barbecue grill.

Before I ran the gauntlet of Jenny’s questions, I wanted to see the store that Riley’s friend wanted to buy. As I walked farther down the sidewalk, I realized how good an investment the building could be.

The general store was the only place you could buy groceries in Sunrise Bay. Everyone who lived here regularly visited the store. Tourists stopped by to refill their coolers or buy enough food for a few days. If that wasn’t a good enough reason to open a candy store close by, then the tourist buses were.

According to the sign on the lamppost, ten buses a week stopped here. Multiply that by the number of people on each bus and you had a good opportunity to broaden your customer base.

I looked through the French bakery’s window. The glass counter was still sitting where the owners left it. Half a dozen tables and chairs, complete with red tablecloths, were waiting for the next customers to arrive. Even the light fixtures could have come straight out of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

If the kitchen was as well-maintained as the front of the store, it’d be perfect.

“I can’t believe it.” Alex held his hand over my forehead. “You’ve come into town on your own. Are you feeling all right?”

“Very funny,” I muttered. “I thought you were working on a tight deadline.”

“I am, but everyone needs to eat. My cupboards are bare, and a certain someone hasn’t invited me for dinner.”

“If you want to test-drive a new barbecue grill, you can come over tonight.”

Alex smiled. “Do I get to choose the meat?”

“As long as it comes from an animal. The vegetarian steaks we ate last week wouldn’t be considered food in most countries.”

“I’m stretching your comfort zone.” Alex pointed to the sign hanging from under the veranda. “If you’re looking for fresh bread, you won’t find it here.”

“I’m surprised the building hasn’t sold.”

Alex shrugged. “Sunrise Bay’s busy with tourists for six months of the year. The rest of the time, it’s quiet. You’d have to be sure customers will buy your products year-round to stay in business. Are you thinking about buying the building?”

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