Warren felt thoroughly awkward, but Frank Sterling didn't seem to mind at all. He simply assumed Warren was planning for a second child.Frank tapped the floor plan with his finger. "This is the largest unit we have, and there are only a few left.""If you want to buy, you'd better decide soon. The boss is heading to Ridgewood in a few days, so it's perfect timing for you to take a look."After a moment's thought, Frank added, "I can give you a discount, but it won't be much.""The units are already finished, but we still need some time before the official launch."Warren considered this and nodded slowly. "I'll go home tonight and talk it over with my family. Once I've decided, I'll let you know."In Warren's mind, though, the house was large enough to live in, but not quite as spacious as he'd ideally want. In this era, the sprawling luxury flats popular in later decades didn't exist yet. Large homes were few and far between. A three-bedroom, two-livi

Bertha Hale had managed households for years, and it showed in the way she handled everything with calm efficiency.Watching the villagers settle down and head home to gather their things, Bertha finally allowed herself a breath of relief.Molly Pendleton stepped outside just then. "Thank you for earlier, Aunt Bertha.""Warren said he'd be back before dinner. Should be any moment now."Bertha nodded. "Benny and the others are feeling better. I'll send them over to your place. You stay home and watch the children while I take your sister-in-law and brother to help out.""Something this big, there ought to be family there.""You don't like crowds anyway. Just stay home with your mother-in-law."Molly nodded quickly and led the children back to the house.She cherished Daisy too much to let her mingle with others these past few days, especially sick children. But last night Warren Pendleton had specifically told her not to keep Daisy cooped up, i

Warren Pendleton's gaze drifted across Molly Pendleton's fingers as they rested on the floor plan, and a flicker of curiosity stirred in his chest.He had never paid attention to Molly before, much less to her hands.But now, studying them more closely, he noticed how slender and elegant her fingers were. They looked like the hands of someone who played piano.It was rash to assume Molly was a skilled pianist based on her fingers alone, but these past few days she had been teaching Daisy how to play. Even though it was just a keyboard, the sheet music Molly had casually written out by hand told the real story. Her handwriting flowed with a confident, graceful ease that far surpassed anything Warren had managed after more than a decade of schooling.Warren exhaled slowly and let the thought go.Whatever Molly's background might be, she was still his wife. That was what mattered.He finished his meal quickly and set down his chopsticks. "Then it's settled

Gossip in the village was impossible to stop, and so was the jealousy that came with it.Warren Pendleton had made money, but he didn't dare renovate the family courtyard too lavishly. It wasn't that he cared about the rumors himself, but Molly Pendleton was a woman living under the scrutiny of others. She would be affected. And then there was Daisy. After everything that had happened in his previous life, those painful, devastating events, Warren couldn't bear the thought of letting Daisy experience even a hint of unhappiness again.The only way to avoid drawing attention was to make sure everyone else prospered too. If the whole village was doing well, no one would notice, or care, how well his own family was faring.Warren let out a long breath, his gaze drifting over the backyard of the restaurant owner's house. The space was so cramped. He wondered if a family of four could even fit comfortably there. It looked like buying a proper house was no longer optional. I

When Mabel Pendleton said this, Warren Pendleton quickly shook his head. "I'm planning to build a greenhouse on that plot of land.""I asked around in town. The climate here might be cold, but a greenhouse would be perfect for growing mushrooms.""Once the structure's up, I'll track down some mushroom spawn and substrate to bring back."Mabel nodded. She didn't understand these matters well enough to weigh in, so she'd leave the decisions to Warren.Noticing the late hour, Mabel rose and headed back to her room to sleep.After she left, Molly Pendleton spoke up. "I'd like to go into town tomorrow too. Mom can watch Daisy for the day."Warren glanced at her. "Need something? It's cold out. I can bring it back for you."Molly shook her head. "The curtains in Mom's room are old and worn. I thought I'd go to town and buy some fabric to make new ones."There wasn't much left to change around the house. The abandoned back courtyard had been repaired