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“The Dubai chocolate,” she said, pointing at the boxes. “Ember, he loves that chocolate. He thinks I don’t know, but he always has a bar in his desk drawer. I’ve seen it.”

“Alright, well, if he loves chocolate, then I think that we have found his gift.”

I let the girl behind the counter know that we’d take a box of the Dubai chocolate and a bag of the salted caramels. Sophie counted out the money herself, her tongue poking out while she sorted the coins and bills.

I quickly checked her count.

“Twenty-three dollars, right?” She asked as she watched me quickly count what she’d handed me.

“Yep. That is perfect, Soph.”

“I still have twenty-four left,” she said, looking down at the little bag in her hand as we stepped outside.

“That’s perfect, maybe we can get you something you might like?” I suggested, wanting to see her spend even a little on herself.

We went to the left, and immediately I noticed a small shop I’d never noticed before. It was tucked between the sweet shop and a barber. The window displayed hand-carved wooden items, cutting boards, picture frames, and games.

Sophie immediately stopped and ran up to the window.

“That,” she said, pointing at something. “Ember, I must get that.”

“You want that for your room?” I questioned.

“No, it’s for Dad, too. For his desk.”

I walked over and saw she was pointing at the center display that held a small wooden picture frame. It had carved pine trees along the edges. It was simple yet elegant and was the sort of frame that would look right on the corner of a desk.

“For a photo of Mom,” Sophie whispered. “It’s probably why he is so sad. He always smiled around her, and he put all of them away after she died, including the one on his desk. But maybe, if he gets this frame from me with a picture of her in it, he might smile again…” Sophie trailed off, talking to herself.

Immediately my throat tightened. I swallowed hard, fighting back tears. “I think that is perfect, Soph.”

We walked in and purchased the frame. Again, Sophie paid for it herself and then held the bag holding the frame against her chest as we walked out.

We stopped in at the Maple Lane Cafe next for a hot cider. Lina, the server, gave us a quick smile, took our order, and when she returned, she had one mug of cider and one hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, a cinnamon stick in each mug. She placed the cider in front of me and the hot chocolate in front of Sophie.

“So, you’re the new nanny,”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Is everyone in this town subscribed to the same newsletter? Should I subscribe to it as well?”

Lina giggled. “It’s a small town. You sneeze around here and three people say bless you before you even open your eyes.” She glanced at Sophie, who was using her cinnamon stick to scoop whipped cream into her mouth. “It’s good to see her out. Mr. Stone doesn’t bring her into town often.”

“We were on a mission to get my dad a present.” Sophie said, as the bell above the door jingled.

“That sounds fun. I hope you found something. Now you both enjoy your drinks,” she said, before heading back over to the counter to serve the new customers.

I took a sip of my cider and watched as Sophie pulled her tablet out of the bag she was carrying.

“Look, Ember,” she said, swiping to the photo app, and turned the screen toward me.

She first pulled up a photo of a living room, where fall splendor covered every surface. The fireplace stood out the most, with carved pumpkins lining the mantle, a harvest wreath hanging above it, and beneath, a woman kneeled beside a much smaller Sophie. They wore matching orange pajamas and laughed so hard that their eyes closed tightly.

“That’s Mom,” Sophie said again, as if I’d not seen a picture of her before.

Sophie swiped again and showed me another picture. Rebecca and Sophie were making caramel apples; the counters were a mess and covered in drips of caramel. Then she showed me another of them cleaning a pumpkin. Everett stood beside Rebecca, smiling as Sophie held a handful of pumpkin, making a face.

“She made Halloween magic.” Sophie said. “Like real magic. She made a scavenger hunt with treats hidden all over the house. She would write spooky stories for me that were long, pages and pages, just like yours, only hers, were all about a brave girl named Sophie who saved the world.”

I smiled. “Your mom sounds like she was amazing.”