A Killer Ending

myself face, even if that was the last thing on the planet I felt like doing right now. I sighed and steeled myself for what was in the drawer.
As I reached for the handle, there was a knock at the front door. I looked up in surprise to see my mother, her long gray hair swept up into a loose bun and a cheerful smile on her round face.
"Welcome to Snug Harbor, sweetheart!" she said, pulling me into a one-armed perfumed hug (the other hand was holding a bag) as I opened the door. My mother had a camp on Crescent Lake that she'd taken to staying in full-time a few years back; it was where I had spent many summers as a girl. My daughters had practically grown up there, spending every school vacation canoeing off the dock and catching fireflies, then coming in for root beer floats and jigsaw puzzles. Once Ted and I separated, I went on a week-long trip to the Gray Whale Inn on Cranberry Island, Maine, with my boss and old friend Ellie as I tried to figure out what to do next; it was there that I found out about Loretta's situation, and both Ellie and the delightful innkeeper, Natalie Barnes, encouraged me to look into taking over the store. I'd then spent a few weeks at my mother's camp, losing myself in the Agatha Christies that still lined the bookshelves, and drinking hot chocolate on the dock while reflecting on my new circumstances and trying to decide if becoming a bookstore owner was the right thing to do.
After a week of thinking, I'd ventured out to find Loretta, who told me that Seaside Cottage Books was indeed for sale, and that she'd love for me to take over the store. When she and I came to a number that almost exactly matched my settlement, it seemed like a sign from the universe that this was where the next chapter of my life was meant to unfold. My mother, of course, was delighted that I was relocating to Snug Harbor, although she hadn't yet come to terms with the fact that Ted and I were no longer married. I knew she fostered hopes that our expired marriage would one day be resuscitated.
"Thanks, Mom," I said as my mother released me from her scented hug.
"Here are some lemon cookies," she said, proffering a Tupperware container. "I figured you could use extra."
"Thank you!" I said.
"I made a batch of your favorite coconut cookies, too; they're in the back of the car. I'll go get them." She marched down the steps to where her green Subaru was parked, then opened the back door and pulled out a second big Tupperware container. "I thought I'd come early in case you need a little help," she said as she closed the car door and headed back up the walk to the store.
"Thanks," I said half-heartedly, trailing her up the porch steps and into Seaside Cottage Books.
She stopped as the door opened. "Oh, wow, Maxine." My mother was the only person on the planet who still called me Maxine; I'd been Max since junior high, and I preferred it that way. "The place looks terrific." Her eyes crinkled into a smile as she turned to me and said, tenderly, "Loretta would be thrilled."
"I just wish she were here to see it." Loretta had sold me the store in February, and had passed just a month ago, from pancreatic cancer. It was the diagnosis that had led her to sell the store.
"She'd be so proud of you," my mother told me, putting an arm around my shoulder again. "I know I am."
"I hope so," I replied, thinking of the bills that were likely piled up in the drawer—and that I hoped to soon be able to pay.
"By the way," she said as she popped open the Tupperware and began making a pile of her golden coconut cookies next to the lemon bars, "you'll never guess who else moved back to town!"
"Who?" I asked.
"Remember that boy you used to go out on the boat with? Nicholas Waters?"
"I do," I said with a pang. He'd been my first love, but it had ended badly. Very badly.
"Well, he's come back and set up shop as an attorney here in Snug Harbor."
I blinked. Nicholas Waters was ancient history in my book. I hadn't counted on him being back in town when I moved to Snug Harbor. Was I going to have to run into him every other day at the IGA? Was I going to encounter him on my daily walks, too? Was he going to be parading a wife or girlfriend all over the place, who I'd have to pretend not to be jealous of? I was surprised at the feelings that surged in my heart at the mention of his name; I'd thought he was no longer someone I cared about, but hearts have long memories. "Have you seen him?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
"No. I only know because Sadie at the library told me the other day. She knew you two used to be close; she thought it was a funny coincidence, you both moving to town within a month of each other."
Lucky me. I was dying to ask about five thousand questions. Like, was he married? Had he gained 100 pounds? Did he still have his hair? But my mother hadn't seen him, just heard about him. And the last thing I wanted was for her to know I still cared about Nicholas.
In fact, it bothered me to find out how much I still cared about Nicholas. If only Scooter Dempsey hadn't spread those rumors about me all those years ago...
I pushed the thought from my mind. It had all happened a long time ago. And if