Hilary finished preparing dinner. 
"Mom is ready, come and eat." She called out loudly to Hilary, to be heard by her mother who was in the living room. 
"aCome Hilary." replied her mother from the other room.
She got up from the sofa and walked to the kitchen, being amazed at what Hilary had done in a short time. She knew that her daughter was not a great cook, but she did just fine, and she sat down. Hilary finished bringing dinner to the table, then she sat down as well. As they ate, they resumed their talk about turning around the fortunes of the bookstore.
"Mom, as I told you, you could start a book club. That is, you could propose a book and give a deadline to read it, then gather in the bookstore and discuss it all together with those who have joined the club. And once it's done, you could propose another book and so on. Instead for the children, since Christmas is approaching, you could have them read one fairy tale a day, and then on Christmas Eve you could read the Christmas Eve story. What do you think?" asked Hilary to her mother.

Her mother's eyes sparkled with the wonderful ideas Hilary had.
"I take it from the way your eyes sparkle that you're excited. What am I saying, you're excited about it." Hilary replied.
"Yes honey, I am excited about your wonderful ideas. I will start working on them as early as tomorrow morning." Replied the mother.
After finishing dinner, the daughter helped her mother tidy up, and then they went to the living room. Hilary was very tired .
"Mom, you don't mind if I go to sleep, I'm so tired." Hilary said.
"Of course dear, go ahead, I'm going to sleep anyway. Tomorrow I need to be full of energy to start implementing your ideas." Replied the mother.
Hilary kissed her mother on one cheek and went up to her room, put on her pajamas and slipped under the comforter, where in the warmth she fell fast asleep. That night she dreamed of her father.
They were at both of their favorite place on the beach. Hilary as soon as she saw him ran to him, ending up in his arms. How she had missed those hugs so strong and welcoming, which had the warmth of home. She broke away from her father's embrace. 
"Daddy misses you so much, and so does Mommy." Hilary said, holding back tears.
"Come on chick don't cry. There's your daddy now, tell me what ails you. I heard you you know this morning at the cemetery, you're confused and can't write with the distractions here in Laurel, and your manager Angie is on top of it. You should go to Wako, you would be quiet there. And don't tell me you don't want to go there because it reminds you of Grandma. You also need to go there for yourself. It's a good thing that place reminds you of Grandma, it means you haven't forgotten her, and she's always in your heart.
So go, and don't be afraid. Your grandmother would be happy if you go," said the father. 
At that moment Hilary also noticed the figure of the grandmother. 
"Grandma, you're here too? How nice to see you again," Hilary hugged her. 
"What's this about you not wanting to go back to Wako? You know my child, you have to go back, you have to fulfill a wish of mine. I've always wanted my house to become a Bed & Breakfast, but I can't do that anymore. So it's your turn to fulfill this wish of mine. Go to Wako and fulfill it for me, I would be so happy if you did." Said Grandma. 
Hilary jolted awake from that dream. She pulled herself up on the bed, and at that very moment she had made her decision.
"Thank you Grandma for spurring me on. Thank you Dad for your advice. Now I know what to do." Hilary said with her eyes turned to the sky. She got back under the covers and fell back asleep more serene.
When she woke up the next morning, she knew what she had to do. She shifted the warm comforter to the side, got up and went to the bathroom, where she took a shower, and then went down to the kitchen, where she found her mother sitting as always at the table with a cup of coffee. Hilary picked up a cup, poured coffee into it, and she too sat down at the table.
"Mom, we need to talk for a moment." Hilary said.
"Sure honey."
"Mom, yesterday morning when I left home early I went to the cemetery, to Dad. I needed his advice for this confusion, and the distractions here in Laurel do not allow me to write. Tonight I dreamed of him, and he gave me one of his very useful pieces of advice. Grandma was there with him too, and as soon as she heard that I didn't want to go back to Wako, she told me that I absolutely had to go back there to fulfill her wish, to turn her house into a Bed & Breakfast." Hilary explained to her mother.
The mother could not believe what her daughter had told her. She mentally thanked her husband and grandmother for coming to her in her dream and convincing her. 
"What a beautiful thing you told me, my daughter. You don't know how happy you have made me with this news. "replied the mother with her eyes shining. 
They finished breakfast and went to the bookstore, where the mother went to the computer to see how to make the flyers and poster for her daughter's ideas. 
"Hilary, could you give me a hand that I don't get any ideas?" The mother asked. 
"Sure mom." Hilary replied, standing behind her mother and looking at the computer. 
It took a while for them to find the right idea to make the flyers and posters. 
"Mom look, I won't be able to help you with this, but you could ask Tanya and Sally. They would be glad to help you." Hilary threw it out there.
"Sure Hilary, that would be a wonderful idea, then I'll talk to them about it. In the meantime, how about we take a break and go to Sally's for coffee bring it here?"
"Yes mom, we really need coffee! I'll go get it right away." Hilary replied.
She put on her coat and walked out of the bookstore, walking toward Sally's refreshment. Passing through the plaza, Hilary was fascinated by the gazebo all lit up with lights of various colors and a comet star on top of the roof, she rejoiced as she continued walking. Arriving, she went inside the refreshment, rubbing her hands frozen from the cold, and approached the dark wooden counter. 
"Hi Sally, could you make me two coffees to go?" asked Hilary.
"Sure Hilary, coming right up." Screamed Sally to be heard. 
While she waited, Hilary sat down on a stool, and after a while Sally came with the two coffees.
"Sally can I talk to you for a moment?" Hilary asked. 
"Sure Hilary." Sally replied.
"Listen Sally, could you help Mom with some ideas I got for the bookstore? I won't be able to be there." Hilary asked.
"Of course Hilary, you know if Marilyn asked me to I would do it very gladly." Sally replied.
Hilary satisfied took the coffees, said goodbye to Sally and returned to the bookstore, where she found her mother as she had left her. 
"Mom I'm back. Let's take a break and have our coffees in peace." Said Hilary.
"Oh, Hilary! I didn't hear you coming. Sure, put the coffees down here and sit down." Replied the mother. 
Hilary was very conflicted about whether to go to Wako, because she saw her mother who with much difficulty could hardly take care of herself anymore. But she was not to be distracted by those things now that she was more than convinced to go to Wako. She was going to leave after the party at Sally's refreshment house; by now she had promised her that she would go. She sat down next to her mother, took her coffee and the other handed it to her mother. 
"Mother looks strange to you these days." Hilary said. 
"Daughter it's all right. It's just that this bookstore is absorbing me too much, and then before your ideas I was also thinking about how to relaunch it. No need to worry." Replied the mother .
"Mother look . I've decided that I'll leave for Wako after Sally's party this Saturday." Said Hilary.

Mother was overjoyed by this and wished for nothing more. They stayed in the bookstore until the afternoon, then closed to go home. On the way out, Hilary was greeted by a boy.
"Hello Hilary."
Hilary was a little puzzled not remembering that boy. 
"Hilary do you remember me? I'm Claus Mortimer. We used to be neighbors until my folks decided to move to another neighborhood." Said the boy.
Hilary scratched her head, trying to remember, brightening shortly after with a smile.
"Yes I remember! You were a full-figured kid with short hair that was always upright, and you always wore those awful flannel shirts in crazy colors and patterns. But now you're combined, you're thinner and sturdier, and thankfully you don't wear those awful shirts anymore." Hilary replied, laughing. 
"I see you remember me well. Yes, I must admit those scrubs were absurd. But I'll let you in confidence: not always, but some times I still wore them. I must say, you didn't grow up too bad yourself." Replied the boy with a laugh. 
They said their goodbyes, and Hilary waited for her mother to leave the bookstore to go home, and they walked together. 
"Mom, do you know who I saw while I was waiting for you? Do you remember Claus Mortimer? The little boy who lived next door to us then moved out." Hilary said.
"Yes, I remember him. He was that little boy who wore those awful flannel shirts."
" Yes mom, that's the one. You have to see how he has changed, at first I didn't recognize him. He doesn't wear those hideous flannel shirts anymore, but he confessed to me though that he still wears them sometimes." Hilary replied, laughing. 
Her mother also joined Hilary's laughter. 
Once home, Hilary went up to her room to start packing her suitcase. She was looking forward to going to Wako, but she also had some trepidation, not knowing what she would expect once she got there. She stopped and sat on the bed thoughtfully. 
"I mustn't get paranoid. I have to go there and see the situation, and then I will decide what to do." Hilary thought. She resumed packing a little more relaxed.
Meanwhile downstairs. her mother was cooking after lighting the fireplace. On the stove they were cooking macaroni and cheese with burgers and fries, and she too was thinking. But to more positive things, like Hilary's ideas for the bookstore, and to her husband, who if he had been there would have hugged him and thanked him. Because with his advice he had made her daughter return to Wako, when even she had not been able to convince her.
She finished preparing dinner, set the table, and as she left the kitchen she faced the stairs.
"Hilary, dinner is ready. Come."  She called loudly to her mother. 
"Coming, Mom." Hilary answered, opening the door.
Going downstairs to the kitchen, a nice smell could be smelled, and Hilary sat down at the table.
"Mom, what a good smell you could smell from the top of the stairs." Said Hilary with her mouth watering.
"You'll see my daughter, you'll lick your whiskers. Tonight I have outdone myself...so to speak." Replied the mother.
She put dinner on the table and sat down to eat as well. Hilary was speechless at her favorite dishes. 
"Mom, I'm going out with Tania and Michael tonight. You don't mind do you?"
"No, no. You go ahead. It's okay for you to have fun, you're young." Replied the mother.
They finished eating and went to the living room. Hilary put on her jacket gave, a kiss on her mother's forehead and left to go to Tania and Michael's. They would meet under the gazebo in the square.
Hilary came running, but noticing that the two had not yet arrived, she shook her head laughing.
"Tanya you're still the same old tard. You will never change!" Hilary thought. 
While waiting for her friend, Hilary saw Claus and waved at him to get his attention.