The lawyer had made it clear that the decision was mine to make, so here I stood in Grandma’s house.
Life in Titan Bay was okay, but there was just something about spreading my wings and coming back to my roots at the same time. I’d been born and lived the first four years of my life in Woods Crossing, but I didn’t remember it at all.
The town had an odd appeal to it, almost like an old friend who’d been waiting to see me for a long time and couldn’t wait to catch up.
The possibilities for the house and the shop were endless. If the shop took off, I might even have enough money to update fixtures and put some better countertops in the bathrooms and kitchen. It was my chance to finally make my mark in the world, and I couldn’t wait to take it.
Working steadily for the next hour, I was able to empty my car of all my earthly possessions and get them into the house. I didn’t own any furniture since I’d lived with Dad in Titan Bay, so the process didn’t take long.
Sitting at the kitchen counter, I wrote down a list of groceries and other necessities I planned to grab at the store. The only major shop in town was the Dollar General just down the road. There was also a small, family-owned grocery store, so between the two, I hoped I could get what I needed.
As I headed into town, I couldn’t completely avoid the twinge of sadness that wound its way through me. I remembered my last day in Titan Bay when Dad and I had a huge fight. He told me that his mother was crazy and had no right to offer her inheritance to me.
I’d told him to get over it and let me go. He insisted on treating me like a child even though I’d turned twenty-six the previous month.
When he told me he didn’t plan to visit, it hurt, but it also gave me the courage to break away from him once and for all.
Dad had always been so protective of me. A part of me understood his fear since my mom passed away in a car accident when I was four, but he didn’t even let me get my driver’s license until I turned nineteen, way too long after my friends at school.
It had been a major fighting point between the two of us. He was always suspicious of everyone, acting like any person I came in contact with could be an axe murderer.
Living in Woods Crossing would be something exciting and new, which I desperately needed. Dad and I had good times while I was growing up, too, but being trapped at home with him while I slowly saved up just for an apartment had been driving me insane.
I opened my window as I drove along Main Street towards the store. I caught the scent of falling leaves in the air, and some of the pressure on my heart eased. Being out here in the country, surrounded by trees and crisp, clean air, was a sort of medicine for my soul I didn’t know I’d needed. I knew right then that was going to love living here.
Contrary to stores in Titan Bay, the Dollar General wasn’t busy when I went inside. It felt good to be able to look and take my time.
The grocery store was a little more packed, but nothing like the grocery stores in Titan Bay. It was such a novelty to see so few people around.
While I contemplated what kind of cheese to get, I glanced up and happened to see a friendly looking woman eyeing me. She was tall and willowy, with slightly frizzy, black hair that reached to her mid-back. She smiled with rosy, lipstick-covered lips.
“I haven’t seen you here before. You must be new in town! What’s your name?”
I felt a strange flashback to all of Dad’s warnings about talking to strangers, but shrugged it off. He wasn’t here, and I was an adult now.
Extending my hand, I gave her a smile. “I’m Sage Lightwood-Black.”
She gave my hand a gentle shake, really only brushing her fingers against mine, but her smile was kind.
“I’m Maria Merrick. Did you say your last name is Black?”
I answered somewhere between a nod and a shrug.
“Lightwood-Black, technically. My mom and dad decided to give me both of their last names. It’s unique, but annoying sometimes.”
She gave a little chuckle. “Interesting! My husband recently learned about Blacks in his family line. He’s picked up genealogy as a sort of hobby lately. I wonder if you two are related?”
I shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know much at all about my ancestry. My dad doesn’t really talk much about any extended family. It’s possible, though. Both my mom and dad were born here, and I just inherited my grandma’s house and shop here in town.”
Maria’s eyebrows lifted. “What shop was that?”
“Woods Crossing Wellness and Herbs,” I replied. “Down at the end of Main Street, near the intersection with Lavender Lane.”
Her mouth opened in a little ‘O,’ then spread into a broad grin.
“How exciting! We’re relatively new to town, too, but I’ve always wondered about that place. What did your grandma sell there?”
I gave a general wave of my hand.
“Oh, all sorts of stuff. She was really into herbs, apparently, and sold a lot of herbal remedies and soaps and candles and stuff.”
“Was she a Black, too?”
“Yes.”
Maria put her hand to her chin, her expression thoughtful.
“I suppose that makes sense. There used to be quite a few members of the Black family in Woods Crossing, according to Tim’s research.”
“Yeah, my grandma’s whole family lived here at one point, apparently.”
She smiled enthusiastically, giving my hand a light pat. “Well, I can’t wait to stop by! I love herbal things, too. Are you open today?”
My smile slipped a bit. I already had an interested customer, but I wouldn’t be able to open the shop for at least a week.
“The shop needs a bit of a cleaning. Grandma’s executor told me that she wasn’t able to run it anymore in the last year or so before she died, but once it’s ready, I can let you know.”
A small line appeared between Maria’s brows. “That sounds like a lot of work, and you’re probably still moving into her house, right?”
