Page 66 of Save a Wish

Appointments with clients kept me busy for the next few days, but Beckett and I managed to squeeze in time to see each other around my work and his. I’d thought I was in trouble when he’d spotted my Verdalach cloak in the closet the other night. Why hadn’t I been more careful and kept that closet door shut?

Orla had apparently snuck that cloak into my suitcase when I’d fled my home. A note was pinned to it that said A small token of your lineage—something to remember the old you as you create the new you. While I didn’t want to live with Verdalachian traditions any longer, my time growing up there had shaped me into the person I was today. I understood why Orla wanted me to have something that represented my family.

But I hadn’t wanted Beckett to see that cloak.

I’d planned out a thousand different ways of revealing that I was a princess to him if he’d asked me about the cloak again, but he hadn’t. We’d each been caught up in work and when we’d seen each other, we’d been all about having fun together or with the rest of the Hartley clan.

But I probably should tell him even if he didn’t ask about the cloak. Things between us were far too serious for me to keep such a big secret from him anymore. This relationship was much more than a casual connection. I’d come to consider Beckett Hartley a real romance novel hero.

My romance novel hero.

He said all the sweet things. He made each date we went on special. He listened to me. He treated me like a partner instead of a possession. I owed him the truth, and yes, it might cause conflict at first. He definitely was going to be upset about the lie, but I had faith that, in the end, what we were building between us was stronger than any obstacle.

“I’ll tell him tonight,” I said aloud to the empty cabin as I sat at the kitchen table and finally worked on the necklace Jimmy had requested for Mrs. Hartley. Beckett and I had plans to go supply shopping today to make our All Hallow’s Eve Walk costumes. We’d finally decided to dress up as Daphne and Fred from an old American children’s television show called Scooby-Doo. Beckett had a video game based on the show that we frequently played. The objective was to solve mysteries and we’d made a pretty good sleuthing team in the game.

We made a pretty good team in real life too. I wanted that to continue and being honest with Beckett was the best way to do that.

I reached for the craft wire and experimented with different ways to cage the rock Jimmy had given me for the pendant. I settled on using a thin wire to secure most of the stone then adding a thicker, heart-shaped wire piece on the front. It worked out perfectly because a particularly glittery speck on the rock ended up being framed by the wire heart. If Jimmy paired the necklace with a single line such as You light up my heart, Mrs. Hartley would absolutely swoon.

I worked on creating a loop at the top then threaded the pendant on a dark brown, leather cord per Jimmy’s request to have a more natural vibe to the finished piece. I set the necklace on a scrap of cream-colored velvet and took a picture of it. I texted the photo to Jimmy who replied instantly with three heart emojis. He then followed that up with another message.

Jimmy: This is better than what I’d pictured! Thank you, Sadie. I’m currently on a logging job over in New Hampshire and won’t be back until late.

Me: Okay. No problem. How about if I leave the necklace in my mailbox and you can pick it up when you can?

I didn’t want him to have to wait any longer for it. I already felt bad that it had taken me so long to complete the necklace. I’d been so wrapped up in Kalm Kingdom business—and spending time with Beckett—that I hadn’t had a chance to sit down and make it until now.

Jimmy: Sounds great.

I gave that message a thumbs up then set my phone down. I made ten more necklaces while I had the time and all the crafting materials out, put them on cardboard rectangles that had a stamped Kalm Kingdom logo on it, and slipped them into see-through, plastic bags. Linking my necklaces to my business had been Beckett’s genius idea. I’d seen them as two separate things, but he’d disagreed.

“Both the necklaces and your offerings bring people happiness and joy and peace,” he’d said. “The necklaces are like wearable Kalm Kingdomness that people can keep with them.”

I’d loved that concept and Patty had let me make a little display area with the Kalm Kingdom logo on it for her store. One day, when I had a dedicated space in town for my business, I’d sell the jewelry there as well.

Having future plans like that excited me. Having Beckett be a part of those future plans added to the delight.

I stacked the finished and packaged necklaces into a basket and left them on the kitchen island to take to Patty’s then cleaned up my crafting workspace. I spent the next hour tidying up the cabin. I’d been doing my best to earn my keep because Hank still refused to accept rent money from me. I’d made his wife and his daughter some necklaces and brought Hank chocolate chip cookies I’d baked from another recipe Mrs. Hartley had shared with me. I figured I’d try again to pay rent next month because if things kept up the way they were going, Kalm Kingdom would be bringing in a steady income.

Like a real business. Then I could also explore getting my own place in town. Perhaps something that could be both my business shop/offering space and my living space.

After cleaning, I decided to walk outside by Slater’s Pond. A beautiful autumn day had finally arrived after a few days of rain this past week. Some fresh air and natural scenery might help me come up with a few new meditations to add to my repertoire.

I changed into workout leggings, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a green Hartley’s Nest fleece Beckett had given me. That jacket was the most comfy thing I owned and wearing it made me feel hugged by the entire Hartley family. Hugged in a way my own family had never made me feel. My family was all about tradition and duty and political advantage. The Hartleys, however, were about quality time and acceptance and . . . and love. They treated me as if I belonged with them and that meant everything to me.

As I stepped outside with Jimmy’s necklace in hand, I met Hank on his way to the front door of the cabin.

“Well, hello,” I said.

“Oh, hey!” Hank opened his arms for a hug and I stepped into it. Ashley had described Hank has having Papa Bear energy. She’d had to explain what that meant to me, but once she had, I’d agreed. The man had been checking on me since offering his cabin and I so appreciated it.

“What brings you here today, Hank?” I asked.

“I have a few autumn tasks that I do to get the cabin ready for the winter months and was hoping you’d let me do them today,” Hank said.

“Let you?” I laughed. “It’s your cabin. You have the right to do anything and everything you want here.”

“Well, it’s also your space now,” Hank said. “I didn’t want to barge in or assume you wouldn’t mind me poking around.”