Alice Olson steps into the past when she walks into the neighborhood grocery store.

Alice stood in front of her inheritance: Olson Grocery, a fixture in Jamestown, North Dakota, since the 1920s. 

 

the abandoned store appeared both dead and alive. 

Alice watched a white pickup logo “Brown Construction” on the side, pull up in front of the abandoned property. 

the man exiting the pickup had a clipboard. Soft looking dark blonde hair replaced a once greasy pile. Thick locks covered what Alice knew were large ears. Gerard could never be called handsome, but with a full beard, he resembled nothing of the pimple-faced teen she remembered.