Maye stood by the window, observing the steady stream of cars passing by, hoping one would stop in the driveway. To her disappointment, none of them did, and she began to worry that the day's delivery had already come and gone without her realizing it.

She paced around the kitchen, briefly considering the option of searching the house for any letters that may have been left, but quickly dismissed the idea, knowing that it would upset her grandmother.

She plopped down onto the sofa and covered her face with her hands. She knew this was nothing to stress over, but she was looking forward to another letter. She picked up her phone to call Mr. Harold when a soft knock interrupted her.

Behind the door stood a girl in a Scout uniform. Memories of Maye's time in the organization flooded back; every badge earned in baking.

"Hello," Maye smiled down at the little girl in braids.

She pulled a box of cookies from her green satchel and said, "Hi, ma'am, I have a delivery for you. Have a nice day!" With a smile, she skipped off to the next house.

Maye considered this to have been a mistake. She didn't order any cookies. She looked down at the box and saw a Sharpie note in the top corner.

Thank you for the brownies!

"Mr. Harold," Maye whispered with a big grin. She walked over to the couch and opened the box. Inside, she found a wrapped package of cookies and an envelope. She tore the envelope open with excitement.

"I scream, you scream, we all scream."

Her eyes widened like an owl's as she read, "Well, that is terrifying!" She repeated the words out loud, and suddenly, it hit her - the song she remembered from her childhood, "We all scream for ice cream."

She stood up and walked over to the freezer but found it empty, with just a tray of ice cubes. Then she remembered her grandmother had a deep freezer in the laundry room, another room she had yet to explore.

Upon reaching the laundry room, she noticed the deep freezer in its usual spot, covered with the same towel and fake flowers.

Grandma had tried to decorate the top to look like a table. Maye moved everything off of it before opening the lid. There were bags of peas and okra still frozen inside of it. She rummaged through the frozen veggies when she felt a flat Ziplock bag. She lifted it in front of her face and saw the paper safely inside it.

She returned to her favorite chair to read the letters and pulled the cold paper from the bag.

"My sweet Maye,

Today is going to be challenging for you. However, I have faith that you can do it. I hope you have met a friend on your few adventures so far. I'd like you to invite that friend for ice cream at the local parlor. You must provide Mr. Harold with a photo of this. Today is about comfort zones. Take a step out of those and try something new.

Love Always, Grandma"

"Oh lovely..." Maye sighed and tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling. She tried to recall all the people she had met so far who she considered friends.

Her first thought was Ethan, but she didn't want to ask him out as she didn't want him to misunderstand and think it was a date. After briefly considering her options, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

The grocery store was fairly quiet that day, with only a few customers. As Maye scanned the checkout counters, she spotted Kiesha on lane six. Maye walked to the lane and grabbed a candy bar to avoid awkwardness. Once Kiesha noticed her, Maye's nerves dissipated.

Kiesha smiled warmly and greeted Maye, "Good morning! How are you doing?"

Maye replied as she watched Kiesha scan the only candy bar, "I'm doing well; how about you?"

"I'm doing well. Just waiting for my lunch break," she said, smiling at Maye.

"Kiesha, I'm going to be honest. I came here to ask if you want to go to the ice cream parlor with me today." Maye tried to be confident in her words.

"Absolutely, I'd love to. I go to lunch in about thirty minutes. Meet you there?" She passed Maye the candy bar from across the counter.

Maye nodded and smiled. "I'll see you there."

As Maye entered the ice cream parlor, she was transported back to the 60s. The walls were adorned with pictures of music icons such as Elvis, The Beatles, and The Supremes. An old jukebox in the corner played a song by Diana Ross. Maye walked over to a booth by the window and sat down. Shortly after, Kiesha walked by the window and waved at Maye through the glass.

Kiesha sat down and scooted into the booth, tossing her purse towards the window. "If you haven't had a burger here, girl, you're missing out. Trust me, the flavor is amazing!" She clapped her hands together, showing her excitement. Maye giggled in response.

"I come here with my boy almost every weekend. On the other side of the ice cream parlor is a bakery. Two shops in one to get my sweet on!" Kiesha's laugh was contagious; Maye had never noticed how animated she was as she detailed things.

"Thank you for coming with me, Kiesha. You've been very nice. I had to invite a friend out today to fulfill a requirement." Kiesha raised her eyebrows, her interest piqued. Maye noticed her curiosity, and after they ordered their food, she explained everything to Kiesha.

"Wow," Keisha paused momentarily to take in all the details. "That's quite an exciting way to give someone a house," she said as she bit into her sandwich and looked around.

"Tell me about it, but if I'm being honest... I've enjoyed it so far." Maye followed along and bit into her burger.

Just then, the shop door opened, and pirates paraded in. "Am I supposed to see this guy every day?" Maye whispered to her burger.

Kiesha looked up at her and smiled.

"Ethan? It seems interesting that he has either shown up or been at every requirement you have done so far."

Maye hadn't thought about it much, but she was right. Ethan showed up when she cooked the brownies; he was the ship's captain and then with the s'mores. Was this just a coincidence?

"It is a bit odd," Maye muttered.

Kiesha raised her eyebrows once more. "Did your grandmother select this location for the friend date?"

"She did; why do you ask?" Maye took a sip of her sweet tea.

"Well, because Ethan owns this parlor."

Maye was taken aback and spit her tea across the table, causing Kiesha to jump back and laugh.

Ethan noticed some noise nearby, and upon recognizing Kiesha, he approached their booth. "Hi, Kiesha!" he greeted her, then turned his attention to the other seat. "Is everything alright with the tea, Maye?" He still had his fake parrot perched on his shoulder.

"Oh yes, everything is fine," she said, wiping tea from the corner of her mouth. "I just swallowed the wrong way." She smiled at him, feeling embarrassed.

"Well, if you need anything, just ask. Is this your first time in here?" He tilted his head.

"Yup, the first time." She nodded back.

"Figured you would have been in here by now, considering..." Just then, Kiesha coughed loudly and stopped Ethan before he could finish speaking. "Oh, just considering I own this place, I should have invited you sooner."

Extremely confused by the exchange, Maye studied them as they looked around sheepishly, grinning.

"Well, listen. I have to get back to the ship. You ladies enjoy your meals," he said, tipping his hat. "Oh, and Maye, before you leave, walk to the bakery and get some goodies for yourself." He smiled and jogged out of the shop, moving like Jack Sparrow.

After finishing their meal, the girls approached the counter to pay, but Ethan had already covered the bill.

"Is he always like that?" Maye asked Kiesha outside the shop.

"Like what?" She asked while digging in her purse for her keys.

"I don't know... Happy? Energetic? Kind?" She stopped talking when she realized she listed qualities of romantic interest in her books.

As Kiesha grabbed her keys, she looked up at Maye and shared her thoughts about Ethan. "He's a really good guy. It's been about four years since he moved here, and he's made himself a vital part of the community." Kiesha smiled and hugged Maye before saying goodbye. "Thank you so much for inviting me. Let's plan to do this again real soon!"

After Keisha left, Maye directed her attention towards the baker.

"Dessert Delights"

The sign outside the shop was soft pink and covered in fake sprinkles, while the glass door was decorated with different hand-painted sweets. Maye smiled and walked inside, stopping once the wonderful smell of sugar cookies hit her nose. She closed her eyes momentarily, taking in the memories that flowed with the smells.

The place felt familiar to her, from the decorations to the smells. She walked up to the counter and ordered a few chocolate-coated items. After taking a bite, she put the treat down and asked the guy behind the counter for clarification.

"Where did you get this recipe?" Her face turned a light shade of red.

"Oh my gosh! You are here!" His voice pitched with excitement.

Maye was even more confused as she watched him jump the counter and drag her to the wall near the door.

On the wall, in a tiny purple frame, hung a photograph of Maye's grandmother and her. In the picture, they held donuts in their hands with warm smiles. As Maye gazed at the photo, she realized she couldn't recall the moment the picture was taken and had never seen it before.

"You're the little girl! When you see this photo every day for three years, you get excited to meet the person," he exclaimed, clapping his hands and bouncing up and down.

"How did you get this?" she asked, pulling the photo from the wall to hold it.

"Honey, Olive owns this place. Well, she did own the place; God rest her soul." He drew a cross on his chest. "But now it's yours!" He exclaimed.

"What?" she whispered as she turned to look at him.

The parking lot outside Mr. Harold's office was deserted as usual. Maye pulled up and parked in the nearest spot to the front door before storming inside. She didn't acknowledge the confused Ms. Star and continued through the large, swinging wooden door.

Unfazed by Maye's abrupt entrance, he greeted her. "Hello, Ms. Hudges; how are you today?"

Sitting on the photo frame on his desk, she asked, "What is this?"

He looks over from his small glass frames, "Well, it would appear to be a photo."

"Yes, hanging on the wall of a restaurant I own? That was not mentioned in the will?"

He leans back in his leather chair and pulls his glasses from his face. "Ms. Hudges, there were a few things that I was unable to discuss with you per the orders of your grandmother. She wanted you to discover these things for yourself." He folded his hands on his stomach and looked at her.

"Mr. Harold, you must see how unusual this is. This can't be normal for a will. Yes, I am enjoying the letters and the little riddles. But... Finding out I own a business?" She plopped down into the chair across from him.

He leaned forward to bring himself closer to her, to show understanding of her frustrations. "Maye, I get that this is overwhelming. I'm sure you have heard that your grandmother did things differently than most. I am still on the clock. She prepaid for all of this. It was her dying wish that you see this through in the order she planned it. If this is too much, you can step away anytime." He looked at her with a soft, concerned expression.

"No," she shook her head, "I can do this," she mumbled.

He sat up straight and resumed his work. "Everything concerning the restaurant is taken care of for the upcoming month. Employee pay, inventory orders, and everything else have been handled. Since it's the beginning of the month, you probably met Danny today, who is the manager and does an excellent job. He is aware of the importance of keeping the place running smoothly. Therefore, you don't need to worry about the restaurant. The shop won't be fully handed over to you until the end of the thirty days, so take it easy."

Maye asked with a slumped expression, "Are there any more surprises?"

Mr. Harold smiled and continued his paperwork. "I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. Hope you have a lovely day, Ms. Hudges."

Maye settled herself on the soft, warm sand of the beach, entranced by the glimmering, moonlit sea. The stars sparkled and shone with an intensity she had never seen before, their brilliance casting a luminous glow over the tranquil waters. The absence of car sounds, so common in her city back home, was a welcome change and added to the peacefulness of the moment.

Her mind replayed the events of the day: discovering Ethan and her grandmother's conjoined business and realizing that Keisha had known but kept it from her.

What was going on in this town?

She quickly looked up at the sound of a woman screaming further down the beach, interrupting her silence. She stood up and dashed towards the source.

As she climbed over the dune, she noticed a fire burning and a few individuals gathered around it. A young boy was seated near the fire, cooking a hotdog. Suddenly, the piercing scream echoed through the night air once more. She saw Damien carrying Kiesha on his shoulders and heading towards the water.

Mayes felt her heart rate slow as she listened to Kiesha's playful threats to kick Damien's butt. Across the fire pit, Mayes noticed Ethan having a conversation with a tall guy with blonde hair. As soon as he caught sight of her, Ethan gestured for her to come over and join them.

"Hey, Maye, Sorry if we were being too loud. I promise I'll try to keep them a little quieter." Ethan took a sip from his beverage and stared at the group of guys wrestling.

Maye felt uncomfortable as she tightened her jacket around her upon hearing the blonde guy speak. 

"Oh, come on, Ethan, aren't you going to introduce us?" he said while scanning Maye from top to bottom. Ethan elbowed him hard in the arm and said, "Hey now, I'm just admiring." The guy rubbed his arm with his free hand.

"Maye, this bonehead is Adam. Ignore him; we keep him around because he brings the beverages." Ethan gives Adam a stern look as he speaks.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Maye." Adam raises his drink towards her as a toast.

"Nice to meet you too," she says, not worrying about him.

Kiesha ran over to them while glancing back at Damien, who was lying in the sand and laughing.

"I warned you!" She laughed. "Hi!" She excitedly waved at Maye as she walked over and sat by the little boy. "Maye, this is my son Jay." She hugged him and said, "Jay, can you say hello?"

She moved her hands quickly, and Maye realized that Jay was using sign language. "He said hello and asked if you wanted a hotdog." Jay stuck the hotdog on the stick towards Maye and nodded at it, smiling.

"Oh no, thank you. I just ate," she smiled brightly at him while Kiesha signed back what was said.

"He can read lips pretty well but has trouble in the dark. He can hear, but not with all this noise." They grinned and signed with each other.

Maye watched as everyone laughed and joked, enjoying their happiness. She decided to leave them be and turned to head back to the house. As she walked, she heard movement in the sand behind her.

"Maye, wait up! Geesh, you walk fast. Listen, I want to apologize about Adam. He means no harm; the guy doesn't know how to speak to the woman." He made a thoughtful face. "Come to think of it, the guy barely knows how to speak to anyone." he laughed, "I'm also sorry about earlier today. I wanted to tell you, but your grandmother told me she would haunt me for the rest of my life if I said anything." he laughed at the thought of her threatening him.

Maye smiled gently and looked down at her feet, "Yes, that sounds like her. So, you knew about the will?" 

He looked puzzled and said, "I knew she had something planned for you, but she never told me the details. She said not to tell you about the bakery and to let Mr. Harold do it. So, I thought it wouldn't be a problem if I nudged you in the right direction." He smiled at her.

He didn't know.

She contemplated herself as Ethan lowered his gaze and started kicking the sand before speaking again. "If you're interested in joining us tonight, I can make sure Adam behaves." He sounded like a child asking his friends to play an exciting game.

Maye smiled at him and said, "Thank you, Ethan. But it's been a long day, and I think I will call it a night." His mouth grinned on one side as if fighting away a sad look.

"I completely understand. I hope you get some rest, and I'll see you later." He bowed and made his way back to the party. Maye stood, watching him depart, contemplating if the coincidental meetings would continue.