The sound of water lapping the poles of the dock. Birds chirping. Fern feels sunshine on her neck, and realizes she's curled in a ball on her side, laying on the dock. Her mind flashes back to the events of last night.
She stands, her joints creaking in complaint. She walks, feeling weak and hungry, down the dock and across the yard. In the kitchen she grabs a granola bar out of the cupboard and steps out onto the back porch before hopping down the steps and starting down the gravel road.
She turns onto 23 and strolls toward Freeman Market. Walking in the door, she feels that her store is different now. Strange.
She walks through the store, the only light coming from the glass walls at the front of the store. The thieves had picked the lock, so minimal damage had occurred, but they had tracked in muddy boot prints.
Fern sweeps the dried tracks and then mops, until the store is clean and shiny again. She glances at the clock on the wall, it says 8:30.
Then, she goes through the red door to shower, letting the hot water wash away the dirt and emotions.
Fern decides to drive to her parents' house, to tell them what happened and hear their advice on how to handle the situation.
On the way, the cool breeze from the car windows and upbeat music help Fern relax and lift her mood.
When she pulls into her parents' driveway, the garage door is closed, so she knows John hasn't finished his coffee and headed out there yet.
Fern strides toward the front door, dreading her mother's reaction. Her mother has always been a nervous person, especially when Fern is involved.
She knocks on the door, and John opens it, confusion at seeing Fern written plainly on his face.
"Uh, good morning Fern, come on in," he says.
Fern returns the greeting and enters the house. She's relieved that her mother isn't awake yet. She heads to the kitchen, pours herself a cup of coffee, adds cream, and sits down at the kitchen table.
"Dad, I've got good news and bad news."
She pauses before continuing.
"Freeman Market got robbed last night. The good news is, they didn't take very much merchandise. The bad news is, they took my safe. And, they're most likely gonna just get away with it."
John's face turns from confusion to shock to sympathy as she states this.
Fern goes on to explain the whole situation, from Mr. McAllister selling the parking lot, to saving up money to buy it from the new owner. John doesn't say anything, but nods in understanding until she's done explaining.
"Well, kiddo, you know your mother and I would love to help you out, but we don't have that kind of money laying around. The best thing you can do is find the new owner, introduce yourself, and explain the situation. He's probably a good guy, but even if he isn't there isn't much else you can do except work hard to try and earn back some of the money that was stolen," John advises.
Fern nods. She had already been thinking the same thing, but hearing him say it made her determined.
She took the last sip of her coffee and stood up to give him a hug, a thank you, and a goodbye.
"Can you please break the news to Mom gently? You know how she is about stuff like this," Fern asks.
John smiles ruefully and nods in return.
Fern drives back to Freeman Market, and on the way she realizes she could sell her car for about $7,000. She hates the idea of it, but that would be a large chunk of the money she would earn back. She sorrowfully makes a mental note to post an ad for it when she gets home. Fern feels bad about selling it because her dad gave it to her, but she knows he wouldn't want her to hold onto anything sentimental when she's in trouble like this.
While Fern is driving, John wakes up Marie to tell her what happened, and Marie immediately calls Marcy to tell her what happened.
When Fern arrives at Freeman Market, she sees Aunt Marcy's car outside, and is confused.
Fern parks her car and shuts if off. She opens the door, and sees Aunt Marcy hurrying toward her. Aunt Marcy tackles her in a hug, and coos, "Oh Fern honey, you poor thing. I can't believe that happened to you!"
Aunt Marcy pulls out of the hug and places her hands on Fern's shoulders, examining her body keenly.
"They didn't hurt you at all, did they?", she asks.
Fern shakes her head, and then feels her waist suddenly tackled and squeezed as if by a python. She looks down to see James' blond hair. She smiles and pats his head.
James looks up at Fern, concern etched into his features.
"Those were bad men, Fern, and I'm going to catch them and make them give you back all your money and clean your store for a month, just you wait," he declares very seriously.
Fern grins and chuckles, her eyes crinkling with joy.
"I'm counting on you to catch those bad guys for me, James," she replies.
Marcy and James stay for a while as Fern explains the story in further detail, intertwined with Marcy clicking her tongue and muttering, "Oh, honey..."
After they leave, Fern heads through the red door. She shuffles through drawers and cabinets, searching for several minutes before she finds it.
Fern studies the business card, which has a black matte finish background with shiny gold lettering on it. On the card, she finds the name of the new owner of her parking lot: Dominic Daniels.