After putting Ava to bed, she had gone to bed herself, and promptly fallen asleep. It was just after dawn when she quietly got out of bed, dressing in the old jeans and t-shirt from the night before. Slipping outside, she walked into the garden and went back to the swing. The cushions were covered with dew, but she sat down despite the wetness. As the sun rose over the river valley below, the town and surrounding countryside was bathed with golden light. The trail of fog that wound along the river began to burn off as the sun rose higher.The next few days were going to be stressful and unpleasant in a lot of ways. As if losing the shop wasn’t bad enough, she assumed there would be a funeral to have to get through. The last death in the family had been that of her grandfather, Edward, who died ten years ago. His had been a short illness, and while there had been time to prepare, when he passed it was still a shock and an ordeal. Whoever ended up handling Charity’s arrangements would certainly have their hands full.Heavy thoughts circling in her mind, she walked back to the house, and quietly opened the door.
