The Next Chapter (Sequel to A New Story)

20 ~Maria & Daniel~

Maria had already been making improvements, but they seemed to fast forward with the return of her ring and the capture of her stalker. And now, four months after the incident, she sat in the lounge of their rental home in England, laughing with Daniel, his mother, and their dinner guest, Lucy Blakestone, Maria's mother-in-law by her deceased husband.

"So, how are you feeling today, my dear girl?" Lucy said, smiling at her former daughter-in-law as she considered how much the woman had been through.

"I'm almost afraid to say...," she said, a small smile on her face.

"Oh?" Lucy said, confused.

"Well... I feel... happy... relieved... I feel... light. Such a weight has been lifted off. It's so strange, but having my ring back, it just makes everything feel right again."

Daniel smiled and leaned over closer toward her, kissing her on the temple. "I'm so happy to hear that, love."

"Here, here!" said Helen Statten from where she sat across from the engaged couple.

"I'm so glad you could join us for dinner tonight, Lucy," Maria smiled at the woman who had been a constant source of encouragement to her, not just in the past few months but ever since she came to visit her that day in New York.

"Oh, me too, dear. And it was wonderful to see Anna and Alex. And Ella. Daniel, you have such a sweet daughter."

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Blakestone. I'm proud of her for the young lady she's become."

"Well," the woman said with a sigh as she looked outside, "I should get home before it gets dark. I hate driving in the dark."



After Lucy said goodbye to her granddaughters, who, along with Ella, were playing a rousing game of Monopoly, Maria and Daniel saw her out to her car. As they watched her drive away, Daniel checked his watch. "Still time for a walk. Care to stroll through the orchards with me?" He asked with his arm outstretched for her to take.

She grinned and accepted it, hooking her arm around his. "Sounds lovely."

They walked through the house and out the back, toward the garden. As they approached the orchards, they heard voices. "Do you hear that?"

Maria nodded. "Sounds like JP and Katie are at it again. Things had gotten better since we came to England, don't you think?"

"It had. Not nearly as much bickering. What on earth could they be arguing about now?"

Maria shrugged. "Those two," she said and shook her head. "Who knows? If they'd stop overcompensating, they might realize how much they both care about each other."

"I don't know, they're both stubborn, you think they'll ever realize it?"

"I hope so. I'd love to see them both as happy as we are," she said, looking over to her fiancé.

Daniel grinned and squeezed her arm. "Agreed."

As they walked, Maria fussed with her hair a bit. "I was thinking... what do you think about me getting my hair cut?"

Daniel gave her a quick look before turning his attention back to the path ahead of them. "I think I love you no matter what your hair looks like—so long, short, in between—whatever you like, I'm sure will be fine."

"So," she said, as they continued to walk, "something else I was thinking about... maybe it's time we reconsider the wedding date?"

Daniel stopped and turned to her, unable to hide the joy behind his eyes. "Really? You think—you think you're ready?"

Maria nodded, "Oh yes, so ready. I shouldn't have put it off."

"I don't fault you," he whispered as he held a hand to her cheek. "But I'm thrilled you're ready to think about the future again."

They continued walking, now hand-in-hand, and slowed down as they heard the arguing seem to come to a peak. "I don't want to be nosy," Maria whispered.

"Nor do I, but we're sort of already out here," Daniel whispered back.

It grew quiet, and they looked at each other. Daniel shrugged, and they crept forward. They approached the next row of trees and both glanced down the row, freezing.

There, standing in the middle of the row of trees,were JP and Katie—locked in an embrace that made both Maria and Daniel's jaws drop. Maria pulled on Daniel's hand and they crept back out of the row. They were a few rows away when they stopped and she giggled into his chest.

"Well, I'd say they figured things out," Daniel said with a quiet chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'd say so," she said, smiling up at her fiancé.

"This should make things interesting, you know, for work."

"I think it will be perfect. Our best friends, who happen to be our assistants, together and happy. Us together and happy," Maria said with a grin.

"Well, it might be best for now if we sneak away. If they find out we've seen them, they'll be embarrassed," Daniel said, taking her hand and pulling her back toward the house.