Chapter 69

He comes walking behind us as we head into what I can only describe as a tropical forest. There are different species of birds playing above the canopy and I can’t help but think Matthew would love it here. I wonder if he’s been to Mellon Estate before.

“You guys are so lucky to have this place,” I say. “It’s magical.”

“When we were kids, we’d pretend we were explorers in search of lost gold. My dad would bury those gold chocolate coins all around every Easter and send us off with a map he’d drawn,” laughs Ophelia.

Thaddeus lets out a yelp. “I remember those! One year we stayed out until dusk because the clues on the map were too difficult. He ended up sending a search party to find us.”

“We somehow ended up on the other side of the property and got so caught up in finding our gold that we lost track of time,” she says.

They both look at each other and smile. One would think the difference in age would be a barrier between them, but their connection is hard to describe. It’s almos