“It’s weird that she also suffered from amnesia, though. What is it about this place?” Isaiah asked.
Holly tensed.
Sofia, who had just finished her second glass of wine, answered before Holly or Ash could think of anything to say. “Superweird. But I’m not complaining.” She leaned over and gave Isaiah a long, lingering kiss, making Holly blush.
When they broke apart, Sofia turned to Ash and looked pained. “Sorry, Ash. I didn’t mean that like it sounded. It was good in Isaiah’s case, but your mom, all those years…” Her face looked sad.
Ash shook his head and gave her a soft smile. “That’s life, right? We don’t get to control everything that happens. But she’s here now. That’s more than I’d hoped for in a long time.”
“So what happens now? Doesn’t she have a whole life in Finland? Is she going to stay there, or is she thinking about moving back here?”
“She’s still figuring that out. But she never married or had children there, and her printing business can be mobile, so maybe…”
“Printing business?” Sofia asked.
“She prints things for small businesses. Pamphlets, business cards, T-shirts, bags… You name it. She has some fancy printers. Apparently…” He glanced over at Holly, whose stomach fluttered at his gaze. “She printed the posters for the Emerald Hollow fall festival last summer. Those are the posters Holly saw and what inspired her to come here.”
Sofia’s eyes widened, and she leaned forward. “Well, that’s quite the coincidence. Why did she print that poster? Was it a client request?”
“She said she came across it online when doing some research for a new design. She’d stumbled across Emerald Hollow in research before, and on a whim, she printed it out. She ended up putting it on the events board at her friend Lu—Lia’s café.”
“Then I stumbled across it and came here,” Holly said, her heart full. She’d been wondering for months about the poster and how her and Ash’s paths had intersected. To know that his long-lost mom had unknowingly been involved felt serendipitous to her in a way that had her bursting with gratitude.
“Huh. That’s absolutely wild. But I watch enough rom-coms to know that, sometimes, fate exists,” Sofia said. Her eyes shifted back to Isaiah’s and lingered there.
“And I think that’s our cue to go,” Ash said, taking Holly’s hand and helping her up. “See you later, love birds.”
“Back at you,” Sofia said, but her eyes didn’t leave Isaiah’s.
Ash whistled to Comet, then they headed outside for their nightly walk. As the moon shone brightly over the still-blooming tulips, Holly wondered if it was possible for her heart to be fuller.
Chapter Seventy-Nine
SOFIA
“Ithink it’s time,” Isaiah said, lifting her by the waist and easily plucking her down from the stage.
They had just belted out three songs together, and Sofia had never felt so energized. When Isaiah pitched the idea for Karaoke Thursdays, Ash had given the green light.
Sofia had been surprised to realize that over the last few months, Thursday had become her favorite night of the week. As long as Isaiah sang with her, she wasn’t nervous to go on stage. He was just too much fun when he had a microphone in his hand.
“Time for what?” Sofia asked, tossing her curls over her shoulder. She was still breathless from their high-energy duet.
“Time for you to tell me why you used to be afraid of karaoke.”
Sofia groaned. “I told you. I’m taking that secret with me to my grave.”
“Come on. It can’t be that bad,” Isaiah teased as they made their way through the small sea of people who high-fived them as they walked away from the stage.
“Easy for you to say. The whole town agrees you’re a Grammy-worthy singer. I’m sure you’ve never hit a wrong note in your life.”
Isaiah laughed. “Fine then, Wrecker. Take that one to your grave. But then you’ll never get to hear the story of why I don’t play volleyball.”
Sofia gasped in delight at the new information. She wanted to know absolutely everything about Isaiah since he had his memories back, and that included every embarrassing little story. Willow had told her a few on her most recent visit, but no one told stories like Isaiah. She couldn’t resist.
“All right, fiiine.” She heaved out a sigh. “Where to begin?”
Isaiah’s eyes sparked. “Wait. Let me go get Ash.”
