The Jeep Wrangler pulled on the parking lot of Tucker's General Store, just as Matty was walking down the outside stairs, with shopping bags in hand.

"Probably lost," she chuckled to herself, as she glanced at the vehicle.

"Matty?"

Matty stopped and stared at the vehicle for a moment. The passenger door opened and a blonde woman appeared.

Matty put the grocery bags on the ground and held out her arms.

"Nina."

Nina ran around the Jeep and hugged Matty.

"It is so nice to see you."

Matty kissed her cheek.

"What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you this quickly."

Nina smiled, as she walked back toward the Jeep. A handsome man was helping a young boy out of the backseat.

Nina picked up the young boy and walked back toward Matty. The man followed.

"Matty. This handsome young man is my son, Colin."

Matty tickled the boy's cheek.

"Well aren't you a cutie."

She kissed his cheek.

"My name is Matty."

"Isn't that a boy's name?"

Matty laughed.

"My real name is Matilda. Matty is my nickname."

Colin smiled.

"I like Matilda."

Matty looked at Nina.

"He is a adorable."

Nina had a strange look on her face.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Nina just shook her head, looking at Colin.

Matty turned to the man.

"This hunk must be your husband, Nick."

The man offered his hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Matty. Nina has told me so much about you and about Tuckamore Bay. I just had to come and see it for myself."

Nina shook his hand.

"This is not the Bay way," she smiled, as she put her arms around Nick.

She looked at Nina.

"I'd keep him away from the Pub, if I were you. The girls are gonna love him."

She took a deep breath, as she let go of Nick.

"I'm just so surprised to see you."

"Well, Nick did want to see the Bay, so he took a few days off and we drove here, butttttt ...."

"Always a but," Matty smiled.

"But, please don't tell me you are quitting."

Nina laughed.

"Hell, no. This is the best job I have ever had, but ..."

"There's that but again."

Nina laughed.

"I have some news I need to talk over with you and Bill."

"Okay. So do you guys have a room booked?"

Nina shook her head.

"This was a kinda spur of the moment thing."

Matty turned to the store.

"Harry?" she yelled.

Harry appeared in the doorway.

"Can you get Nina and her family set up in the new suite. My treat."

"No. No," Nina protested, as she put Colin down.

"We can pay for our own room."

"Are you here on TBL business?"

Nina nodded.

"More or less, I guess."

Matty laughed.

"Then its a tax write off for the company. Just put all your meals and such on the room."

"Seriously, Matty. We can afford to pay our own way," Nick agreed.

"You probably can, but that's not the way it works here in the Bay."

She turned to Harry, again.

"Get Harriette to check them in, will you?"

"Ise will, Matty."

"Get settled in and then come to our place for a barbecue for supper. You like steak and lobster?"

"Love it," Nina sighed.

"But you don't have to go out of your way. We can go to the Pub."

Matty was shaking her head.

"I insist and besides, Yolanda and Val are working tonight."

Nina nodded.

"You win. You need us to bring anything?"

Matty shook her head.

"No. Just bring yourself and your appetite. Bill will love this. He has so been wanting to use his new deck and have a barbecue.

We are building an extension on the house, that reaches to the shoreline. Bill had a deck built off the house that reaches out over the beach. It is awesome."

"So what time?"

"Whenever. Come when you get settled in. Bill is at the fab plant right now. They are finishing off the framing for the new dry dock at the wharf."

A woman walked up to them.

"Hello everyone."

"Nina, this is Harry's daughter, Harriette. She is the manager of the motel and she will see that you are looked after."

"I have youse people set up in our brand new suite. Its jest been finished and it bes beautiful."

She took Nina's hand.

"Ifin youse comes with me, I'll shows youse."

Nina smiled and started walking away with Harriette.

Nick looked a little confused.

"Should I be worried here?"

"Why?"

"I have never seen the manager of a motel walk hand in hand with a customer."

"Don't worry. Harriette is a sweetheart. She just has a unique way about her."

"Is she ...? You know."

Matty spelled out lesbian.

Nick nodded.

"Yea."

Matty shrugged.

"I honestly don't know, but I doubt it."

Harriette appeared again. She picked up Colin and took Nick's hand.

"Come on. Nina wants you to see your room."

"Told you she was unique," Matty laughed, as she picked up her bags of groceries.

"See you a little later."

Nick laughed as he entered the motel room.

"Anybody want anymore?"

"No," Nina protested, holding her stomach.

"If I have one more bite, I will explode."

"Okay, then I will clean up," Matty informed them, as she started picking up dishes.

Nina stood.

"I will help."

"No. Bill will help," Matty insisted, staring at Bill.

"No," Nina insisted back, as she stood.

"I need to work off this amazing supper," she added, as she picked up a handful of dishes.

The two women left.

"You like scotch?" Bill asked Nick.

"Is the Pope catholic?"

Bill opened a cabinet built into the far side of the deck.

Nick laughed.

"You have a liquor cabinet on your deck? Aren't you afraid someone will come along and steal your scotch."

Nick looked at the bottles.

"And that is expensive scotch."

Bill poured two glasses and passed one to Nick.

"Cheers."

Bill sipped his scotch.

"And to answer your question, no. This is Tuckamore Bay. No one locks up anything here. We are all one big family."

Bill started laughing.

"You can actually go to the Pub or General Store at anytime of the day or night and take anything you want, as long as you leave a note or the money."

Nick looked out over the ocean.

"I have never heard of such a thing."

He sipped his scotch.

"This view is breathtaking."

Bill nodded.

"That's why I wanted the deck here. The view from the lighthouse is even more amazing. Matty and I and Jarge usually go up there every night to watch the sun go down."

"Jarge?"

Jarge flew down and landed on the railing of the deck.

"That is Jarge."

Nick laughed.

"You have a pet seagull?"

Another seagull landed next to Jarge.

"And we believe that is Jarge's girlfriend."

"Unbelievable."

Bill waved his hand.

"Shoo you two."

The two birds flew off, as Matty appeared on the deck.

She looked panicked.

"Bill, they have a problem at the plant. There has been an accident."

"What happened?"

Matty shook her head.

"I'm not sure but Lionel Tucker has a pretty bad cut on his hand. The boys can't stop the bleeding. They have to get him to Deer Lake, to emergency."

"Fuck."

Bill put down his drink.

"I'm on my way to the plant. Get hold of Freddy. He is the only one able to get the kid there quickly."

Bill turned quickly to Nick.

"Sorry man. But I gotta run."

Nick put down his drink.

"Let me come along."

Bill hesitated.

"Nick is a doctor," Nina informed them, as she walked on the deck, with Colin.

"Then let's go."

Nick ran off the deck.

"Meet me at the motel. I have a first aid kit there."

Bill left as well.

Matty wiped her eyes.

"Hey now," Nina whispered, as she hugged Matty.

"Its going to be okay. Nick is a great Doctor."

Matty picked up Bill's unfinished drink and finished it.

"That's always the biggest fear here in the Bay. We are so isolated here. The nearest hospital is like 45 minutes away. We have lost people in the past because we could not get them to help in time, especially in the winter."

Matty took a deep breath.

"Its the one thing about the Bay that has always scared me and others as well."

She sat on the veranda bench and covered her face.

"Mommy? Why is Matilda crying?"

Matty wiped her eyes and forced a smile.

"I am okay, Colin."

"But you were crying."

Colin walked toward Matty and opened his arms.

"Will a hug help?"

"Yea."

Matty hugged Colin, picking him up on her lap.

Nina sat back and stared at the scene. It was at that second that she realized there was something special, almost magical, about Tuckamore Bay.

Colin was a shy child. He even had a hard time getting close to members of his own family, yet as soon as he was in Tuckamore Bay, he completely changed.

It was as if ...

he was home.