"I think this is it," Eddie said, pulling his truck in front of the old building and peering up at the peeling sign. The words Sunshine Cafe were barely visible now, after years of poor upkeep. To an outsider, this would look like a dump, but to Eddie, it looked like hope. It looked like the fresh start that he and his son needed, after life decided to keep dealing them losing hands.

Things weren't always so hard for them. Eddie and Shannon had been happy at one point, but those days felt long past now. When they had their son, Christopher, it felt like their family was complete. They both loved their son with everything they had, but that didn't get rid of all their problems. Eddie was gone for too long thanks to the Army and Shannon was alone having to be a mother, with overbearing in-laws breathing down her neck. By the time Eddie was back home for good, it was too late. But before they could even decide how to separate, Shannon died in a car accident.

Eddie did everything he could to keep his little family afloat. He worked every job he could to provide the kind of life Christopher deserved, but it was never enough. He was gone for too long and barely got to spend time with his son. Everything looked hopeless until he got a call from a lawyer.

"I like it," Christopher said in awe, leaning forward in his seat as much as he could. Eddie could learn a thing or two from his son's optimism. "It's perfect."

"You think so?" Eddie wondered, not convinced of it yet. It looked like a lot of work with no guarantee of success. But they were here and he was going to put his all into it. He climbed out of the truck, walking to the back to help Christopher out as well. All of their worldly possessions were packed in the bed, waiting to fill the space of their new home.

"Yep," Christopher confirmed, beaming up at him. Eddie wasn't going to argue with that.

"How about we take a look inside?" Eddie proposed, digging a key out of his pocket as they walked to the front door. The lock was old and the door was a little banged up, which was added to Eddie's mental to-do list, but that could wait until later.

"Whoa," Christopher breathed out as they walked into the building. The room was a little dusty, but it was nice. Cozy in a way that didn't feel forced. There were a few tables scattered about, with comfortable looking chairs. A large display case just waiting to be filled with food. A spacious counter with a marble top. While the outside hadn't been kept up that well, the inside was updated and treated with care.

"Whoa is right," Eddie agreed. He'd been expecting more things needing to be replaced, so he was pleasantly surprised. Maybe he'd be able to swing this after all. He walked behind the counter, checking out the fancy coffee machines. Hopefully there was an instruction manual around somewhere, since he only had experience with a basic pot. He peeked into the kitchen that was in the next room, finding amazing ovens and mixers and anything else he could ever need to run this place. "I'm gonna need to learn how to cook."

"Hello?"

Eddie looked up in surprise, finding a man peeking his head through the front door. He was tall with blonde hair and had an interesting mark above one eye. It took a few seconds for Eddie to find his voice.

"Sorry, we're not open," Eddie replied, eyeing Christopher to make sure he wasn't too close to the door. They might be in a small, quiet town, but a stranger was still a stranger.

"Oh, I know. I've just been keeping an eye on the place and when I saw someone was here, I wanted to make sure everything was okay," the man explained, sliding into the room. He was muscular as well. "I'm Buck. I work down the street."

"Eddie," Eddie introduced, before nodding over toward Christopher. "And my son, Christopher."

"Great to meet you both. Welcome to Sunshine Grove," Buck replied politely, smiling kindly over at Chris. "Will you be taking over this place?"

"That's the plan," Eddie confirmed. He wasn't used to people being so friendly. Did people still introduce themselves to people like this? Eddie couldn't think of a time he'd interacted with a new neighbor or business owner. This was kind of nice. "My great uncle left it to me in his will."

"That's great. I was so sad when Armando passed," Buck said, before his face screwed up in horror. "I'm so rude! I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's fine. I never met him. I hadn't even heard of him until I was contacted by his lawyer," Eddie said with a shrug. He wasn't sure why this place had been left to him at all. "Did you know him well?"

"As well as he'd let me," Buck replied with a sad smile. "He wasn't the easiest man to get to know. Liked to keep to himself, but I'm not easily deterred. I like to think we had some sort of bond, even if he'd never admit it."

"Well then, I'm sorry for your loss."

"I've really missed this place. I used to come here a couple times a day. Morning coffee and pastry in the morning, a little something for lunch. Maybe a hot chocolate at the end of the day, if it was one of those shifts," Buck said wistfully. If anyone deserved to be left this place, it sounded like it should've been Buck. Eddie hoped he wouldn't try to fight him for it.

"Where do you work?"

"Just down the street, at the animal clinic and shelter. It's called Buckley Buddies. My sister and I own it. Maddie handles more of the clinic stuff, while I focus on the shelter," Buck explained.

"That's so cool! I love animals," Chris exclaimed.

"If you ever wanted to stop by, I know a few dogs and cats that would love some pets. Even a couple of rabbits occasionally," Buck offered, not brushing him off like a lot of people tended to do with children. Eddie appreciated it, since he wanted Chris to love this place even more than he did.

"Thank you," Eddie said sincerely, watching as Christopher walked toward another corner of the cafe, chattering away to himself in excitement. "It means a lot that you'd include him."

"I love kids. A few of my friends in town have some and I love hanging out with them at the shelter," Buck grinned. Good with animals and kids. Noted.

"I love this one. He's the reason we came here. I'm trying to give him the best life I can."

"You're a great dad. And you made a great choice. Sunshine Grove is an amazing place to live, if I do say so myself. When I came here a few years ago, I knew I never wanted to leave. Convinced my sister to join me and the rest is history."

"I hope you're right. This is nothing like El Paso."

"That is a big city, but I think we can win you over with our charm," Buck winked. If everyone was like Buck, he was pretty sure they would.

"I should probably start unpacking. I haven't even seen the living space yet."

"I'll help."

"You really don't need to do that."

"I insist. I take pride in being neighborly. Besides, the shelter is having a slow day and I don't have much to do. You'd be saving me from my boredom."

"I guess I can do this favor for you," Eddie smirked, rolling his eyes. "Chris, we're gonna be outside for a few minutes, so stay put."

"Okay," Christopher agreed easily, keeping himself occupied with who knows what. The kid's imagination was endless. Eddie led Buck out to his truck and popped open the back.

"This is it?" Buck asked in surprise.

"I didn't bring much. Most of it is Christopher's, besides clothes for me. I like traveling light."

"Ooo, mysterious. Running away from a secret past?" Buck joked, wagging his eyebrows.

"My wife died." Eddie watched Buck deflate right before his eyes.

"I'm such an idiot."

"It's okay. It was a couple years ago. And we were in the process of separating when it happened." Eddie wasn't sure why he was telling Buck this, since he hadn't even told his family. Since they didn't like Shannon, he didn't want to give them another reason why he shouldn't grieve her loss. Even if they weren't in love anymore, and hadn't been for a while, it didn't mean he didn't love her as the mother of his child.

"I'm still so sorry."

"Thanks. I had my family in El Paso, but they were more judgmental than supportive. So when this opportunity came up, I jumped at it. The idea of being somewhere where no one knows me and is waiting for me to fail is nice."

"You don't seem like the type to fail at anything," Buck said softly, before his cheeks turned pink and he turned away. Having someone, even a practical stranger, have faith in him was nice. They loaded up their arms with boxes and took them inside the building. He and Christopher's living space was above the cafe. It wasn't ideal, but they'd talked it through and decided to give it a go. Eddie was willing to carry his son up and down as often as he needed.

"Oh," Eddie said in surprise when they got to the staircase. There was a chair lift connected to the wall.

"I helped Armando put this in when it got harder for him to move around," Buck explained, patting the chair fondly. "It's connected to the building's electricity, but also has a battery, in case the power goes out."

"This is amazing. I- you're amazing," Eddie stuttered, shaking his head in amazement. "My uncle was definitely lucky to have you around." Eddie hoped he would be just as lucky. They carried the boxes up the stairs and into the apartment. It was fully furnished, with a small living room right inside the door. It had one bathroom and a decent sized kitchen, with less updated appliances than the cafe. Perfect for normal, everyday needs. There were two bedrooms, but one had been converted into an office space. Eddie would have to change it back, so he and Chris could have their own rooms, but they could share until they figured it out.

"This place is nice. I've never been up here before," Buck said, stacking his boxes next to the wall where Eddie directed him. "If you need any help with anything, I'm more than willing. I'm pretty handy."

"I bet," Eddie grinned, watching as Buck's cheeks turned red again. "A real jack of all trades."

"You have no idea. I'm also a volunteer firefighter."

"Is there anything you can't do?"

"I guess we'll find out."

"Dad! How do you work this thing?" Christopher called from the bottom of the stairs. He and Buck both flinched, snapped out of the slight fog of their friendly banter. They laughed a little at each other, before leaving the apartment together. Buck offered to show Christopher how the chair worked, while he kept bringing in the boxes. Eddie smiled as he watched Buck kneel down to Chris' level and patiently explain every detail of the lift. If things were going this well on the first day, Eddie knew coming to Sunshine Grove was the best decision he'd ever made.