The Inn at Willa Bay: A Willa Bay Novel

by Nicole Ellis

  This wasn’t the first time his teacher had warned her that he wasn’t doing well with transitions between classes at school. This time, he’d refused to leave the classroom for lunch until he’d completed the math problems they’d been working on. Cassie had tried talking to him about similar issues in the past, but he’d insisted that he couldn’t stop until a task was finished.

  His doctor had diagnosed him with ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – but Jace’s problems seemed to extend beyond the hallmarks of that diagnosis. His doctor had recommended that he be formally assessed for autism, but they’d been waiting for over a year for an evaluation at the Seattle Autism Center.

  Cassie looked over at the Disney wall calendar hanging above her desk. Now that the appointment was only a few days away, she wasn’t sure how she felt. Part of her hoped the assessment would provide some answers, but another part of her feared the finality of a diagnosis, one way or the other.

  High-pitched laughter rang out from the direction of the front yard, followed by the shriek of the ungreased hinges of the door as it swung open. The kids were home from school. She walked into the living room, where Jace had already engrossed himself in a complicated Lego build at the table she’d set up for him against the wall.

  “Where’s Amanda?” she asked.

  He didn’t respond, so Cassie opened the front door again, grimacing at how loud it had become. She’d done her best to keep up on home repairs since her divorce had been finalized two years ago, but with two kids, a full-time job as the pastry chef at the Willa Bay Lodge, and a cake decorating business on the side, little annoyances like a squeaky door hadn’t been a priority.

  Outside, her ten-year-old daughter, Amanda, stood at the curb with her best friend, Cammie, who lived next door. Amanda waved her hands through the air, gesticulating rapidly while wearing a broad smile on her face.

  Cassie grinned and shook her head. Looks-wise, Amanda took after her father, with wavy dark hair and chocolate-brown eyes. However, she was as much of a social butterfly as Cassie herself had been at that age, a trait that made relating to Jace’s natural introversion difficult for both of them.

  “Amanda, it’s time to do your homework,” Cassie called out.

  “I don’t have that much tonight,” Amanda said. “Can I go over to Cammie’s house for a while?”

  Cassie glanced at the house next door. Usually, she was fine with Amanda going over to Cammie’s house after school because she knew her daughter would breeze through her homework before bedtime. Today, however, it was her ex-husband Kyle’s weekend with the kids, and he’d be over to pick them up in less than two hours.

  She shook her head. “Sorry, honey. Daddy will be here soon to get you guys, so I need you to do your homework now.”

  Amanda pouted. “But Mom …”

  Cassie frowned and fixed stern eyes on her daughter. “Now.”

  Amanda sighed loudly. Even at the age of ten, she was well on her way to being a moody teenager. “Bye, Cammie. See you on Monday.”

  Cammie shrugged. “Have fun at your dad’s house.”

  Cassie waited until her daughter had walked up the stairs to the front porch and into the house before closing the door behind both of them. She heard the telltale thump of Amanda’s backpack being dropped onto one of the kitchen chairs and her binder slapping down on the kitchen table. As unhappy as Amanda sounded, at least Cassie didn’t have to hound her about her homework like she had to with Jace.

  “Jace?” Cassie said to her son’s back. He didn’t answer, so she moved closer. “Jace!”

  He kept building, and she waved her hand in front of his face. “Hey, buddy, it’s time to do your homework.”

  He turned slightly toward her, but didn’t look up to meet her eyes. “Can I do it later?”

  She sighed. “Nope.”

  He groaned loudly. Cassie fought to keep her patience as he precisely lined up the Lego car he’d been building with the edges of another Lego project, then sorted a small pile of loose bricks by color and moved them to the back of the table to be used later.

  Finally, she got him settled onto the couch in the living room and retrieved his math homework out of his bag. “Okay, looks like you need to finish this page.” She handed him the page of math problems and a clipboard to write on. Having him do his homework on the couch wasn’t ideal, but she’d learned long ago not to have him work near his sister. They tended to get into fights that resulted in neither of them getting anything done.

  “Fine.” He picked up the pencil and leaned back on the couch. If she left him alone, maybe he’d start working. She went into the bathroom to give it a quick shine before her guests arrived. After spraying the mirror with Windex and wiping it with a cloth, she paused to listen for the scratch of Jace’s pencil. Nothing.

  The homework battles with Jace were one of her least favorite parts of being a mother, but it wasn’t something she could avoid. He was a smart kid and could easily finish his math in five minutes, but he routinely stretched the task to over an hour. What would it be like if he was normal like Amanda?

  She pressed her lips together, and her chest tightened with guilt, an all-too-familiar feeling. Jace was Jace, and she loved him no matter what —but, sometimes, being his mother was exhausting.

  At least tonight she had the Wedding Crashers meeting to look forward to. Back when she was still married and decorating cakes on the side, she’d met a group of other women in the wedding industry. They decided to form a club, jokingly referring to themselves as the Wedding Crashers because they attended so many strangers’ weddings. Having her friends over always brightened her spirits.

  She poked her head into the living room. Jace appeared to be working, so she went back into the kitchen and took bowls out of the cupboards for chips and dip, then reached into the fridge for the sour cream. She hummed to herself as she got lost in the task of preparing snacks.

  “Mom!” Amanda shouted from the table. “I’m trying to do my homework.”

  “Sorry, sweetie.” Cassie glanced at her daughter. “Are you almost done? Daddy will be here soon.”

  Amanda sighed and set down her pencil. “I’m done now. Can I go to my room and read until it’s time to go?”

  Cassie nodded. Amanda threw her books and homework back in her backpack and ran upstairs with it. It was probably time to check on Jace’s progress too. Cassie went back into the living room and sat down next to him on the couch. Her stomach knotted as she saw his math was only halfway done.

  “Honey, you’ve got to finish this.” She should have stayed with him to help, but she was always hoping that as he got older, he’d learn to complete things on his own.

  “I’ve been working on it.” He stared at the paper.

  She took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s figure this out together.” With her keeping him on track, he was done in ten minutes. “Awesome job, Jace. Your teacher is going to be so proud of you.”

  “Okay.” He stood. “Can I work on my Legos now?”

  “For a couple of minutes, until Daddy gets here.”

  He ran over to the Legos without saying anything to her. She gathered up his schoolwork and stuck it in his backpack for him, then returned to the kitchen. The cake she’d made for tonight sat against the back counter, ready to be eaten after they polished off the appetizers everyone brought. She was trying out a new dark chocolate recipe to serve at the Willa Bay Lodge, and the Wedding Crashers would be the guinea pigs.

  Her friends were due at six thirty. Kyle was supposed to pick the kids up at six, but by the time her first guest showed up, he still wasn’t there.

  “Kyle isn’t here yet to get the kids,” she said in greeting to Meg who was first to arrive.

  Meg’s lips formed an O as she looked past Cassie into the house. “What time was he supposed to get them?”

  “About half an hour ago.” Cassie frowned. This was typical of Kyle. He never seemed to value her time or her plans. It was one of the biggest rea
sons they’d divorced.

  “Well, I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” Meg walked into the living room carrying a foil-wrapped tray and a bottle of Merlot. “Hey, Jace.”

  He didn’t appear to hear Meg’s greeting. Meg shrugged and followed Cassie into the kitchen, setting the tray on the counter and the bottle of wine next to a Chardonnay that Cassie had taken out of the fridge.

  Cassie eyed the foil-wrapped container. Meg was an amazing chef, and you never knew what she was going to come up with. “What did you bring tonight?”

  Meg slid the foil off the tray. “Bacon wrapped dates and a spinach artichoke quiche. I tried it out last week for a catered brunch, and Taylor just about swooned over it.”

  Cassie grinned. “I’ll bet he did.” She’d long felt that the head chef at the Lodge’s restaurant had feelings for Meg that weren’t strictly professional.

  Meg’s mouth dropped open. “He’s my boss.”

  “I know, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a thing for you.” Cassie pulled a stack of plates down from an upper cabinet. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

  “You’re such a romantic. There’s nothing like that between us.” Meg sighed and pointed at the oven. “Do you mind if I pop the quiche in there to heat it up?”

  “Be my guest. It’s a little finicky with the temperature, though, so you’ll need to watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.”

  Meg turned the knob to 350 degrees and set the tin on the middle rack. “Noted.” She turned back to Cassie. “How do you bake cakes at home then?”

  Cassie laughed. “I don’t. George has always let me bake the cakes in the Lodge’s kitchen.”

  Meg tilted her head to one side. “How come I’ve never seen them there?”

  “Because I get to work at the crack of dawn, and you usually mosey in around noon.” Cassie grinned at her. She wasn’t fond of the early morning hours she worked, but the Lodge needed fresh-baked goods for breakfast and it allowed her to be home when the kids got out of school. A part-time nanny came to her house early in the morning to stay with the kids until it was time for them to wake up, then helped them get ready for school.

  “I don’t see you there until ten every night either.” Meg narrowed her eyes at Cassie, then laughed.

  “Touché.”

  The doorbell rang, and they looked at each other.

  “Maybe that’s Kyle?” Meg asked.

  “It’d better be,” Cassie grumbled. She hurried through the living room and flung open the door. Kyle stood on the front porch with a placid expression on his face, his hands resting in the pockets of his green windbreaker.

  “Are the kids ready?” he asked.

  “You’re late.” She knew she should be the bigger person and brush off his tardiness, but it had been a stressful day, and she didn’t feel like it.

  “Sorry.” He gave her the lopsided grin that used to make her insides melt, but now just infuriated her. “I was finishing up a tax return. We’re absolutely swamped right now.”

  She closed her eyes briefly. He used his long hours at a local CPA firm as an excuse all too often. She shoved her frustrations down. This wasn’t the time to get into it with him. “Okay, but next time, can you please call to let me know you’re going to be late? I’m hosting the Wedding Crashers tonight.”

  “Oh, just the girls? I’m sure they don’t mind.” He stepped past her into the house, leaving her to bristle at the way he’d brushed off her concerns.

  “I’ll go get Amanda. She’s in her room, reading.” Cassie stalked away from him and went upstairs to knock on Amanda’s door.

  “Come in,” Amanda called out.

  Cassie pushed the door open and Amanda looked up. “Is it time to go?” she asked.

  “Yep. Are you all packed up?” Cassie jutted her chin at the small purple suitcase next to Amanda’s bed. The kids stayed with her ex-husband every other weekend in the two-bedroom apartment in town that he’d rented after the divorce. He had most of what they’d need, but there were always a few things that couldn’t be duplicated.

  “Uh-huh.” Amanda marked her page with a bookmark and stuck the book in her backpack. “Are we having dinner at Dad’s tonight?”

  “I certainly hope so.” Cassie’s teeth ached from clenching her jaw. “Your dad told me earlier he was going to get pizza.”

  “Oh, yay! I love going to Dad’s place.” Amanda slung her backpack over her shoulders and bounced out of her bedroom. Cassie sighed under her breath and followed her daughter down the stairs, carrying the purple suitcase. The kids always liked going to Kyle’s apartment because he got to be the fun dad on the weekend while she had to be the rule enforcer during the week. It didn’t seem fair.

  Kyle and Jace stood by the door, waiting for Amanda. Cassie hugged and kissed each of her children.

  “Bye, kids. See you on Sunday.”

  “Bye, Mom,” Amanda called over her shoulder as she skipped down the walkway to Kyle’s car. Jace walked away without a word.

  “See you on Sunday.” Kyle flashed her that infuriating grin again and strode out to his car, twirling his keys between his fingers. Cassie took a few deep breaths and waved at the kids, who were now in the car.

  Meg’s mom, Debbie, and Meg’s sisters, Samantha and Libby, pulled up to the curb as Kyle’s car disappeared around the corner at the end of the street. They approached Cassie’s house carrying plates and bowls full of appetizers. The three women ran a catering company together, although Sam also worked as a PE teacher at the local high school. Having friends with advanced cooking skills was a definite plus to working in the hospitality industry. Cassie stepped out onto the porch to help them, her mouth watering in anticipation of whatever they’d whipped up for tonight’s party.

  “Hey, Cass.” Debbie gave Cassie a one-armed hug while carefully balancing the green Tupperware bowl she held. “How’s it going? Was that Kyle’s car we saw pulling out of here?”

  “Yep.” Cassie tried to relax her breathing. She wasn’t going to let her ex-husband ruin her evening. “The kids went to his place for the weekend.”

  Libby hugged her too, her dark hair swinging around her shoulders in smooth waves like something right out of a shampoo commercial. Cassie had always been envious of Meg’s older sister when they were growing up, and if Libby wasn’t so nice, it would be easy to hate her. “That must be tough for you. Right now, it sounds like heaven to have my kids gone for the weekend, but I know I’d miss them like crazy.”

  “The first few times without them were hard,” Cassie said. “But I’m starting to enjoy having time for myself on Kyle’s weekends. Last week, I even went to an art museum in Seattle. I haven’t done that since college.”

  Debbie nodded. “I remember when my girls left home for college. I thought being an empty nester was the end of the world, but I started to see its advantages.” She eyed her youngest daughter, Samantha, and laughed. “Although I guess I didn’t have much to worry about. I can’t seem to get rid of any of them now.”

  Libby mock-glared at her mother, but Cassie saw her pat Debbie’s arm with affection.

  “Is everyone else here?” Samantha asked.

  “Meg’s here, but Celia and Zoe are running a little late. I think Zoe had some work thing to do.” Cassie took one of the casserole dishes from Samantha as they all walked inside the house.

  Meg was waiting just inside the door and gave her mom a big hug as she entered.

  “What was that for?” Debbie tilted her head up to look at Meg, who was several inches taller than her.

  Meg shrugged. “I’m just glad to be home with all of you right now.”

  Libby walked past them while they were hugging and murmured under her breath, “It took you long enough to come home.”

  Her words were so soft that Cassie wondered if she’d heard her correctly. It wasn’t like Libby to be negative, though, so Cassie pushed the thought out of her mind as they all moved through the living room to the kitchen.

  “W
ell, we’re glad you’re here too.” Debbie set the green bowl on the counter and removed the lid. “I brought my famous chicken salad.”

  “The one with the grapes in it?” Cassie perked up. “I love that salad.”

  “Yes.” Debbie sat down on one of the high-backed chairs at the kitchen table.

  The front door squeaked, but before Cassie could get past her friends to see who had arrived, Zoe’s voice sang out from the living room as she walked toward them. “Hey, everyone. Celia and I let ourselves in. Sorry we’re a little late.” She walked into the kitchen and set a crudités platter on the table. Celia, Zoe’s landlord, paused in the kitchen doorway, her gnarled hand curved around the handle of a wooden cane.

  “You’re not late at all,” Cassie said as she pulled one of the kitchen chairs out from the table. “Celia, why don’t you have a seat over here?”

  “Thank you.” Celia slowly lowered herself into the chair.. Up until a few years ago, she hadn’t seemed to age. Once she’d hit eighty and her eyes had started to fail, she’d slowed noticeably. She’d stopped driving then, so every Sunday, Cassie picked her up to take her to the Lutheran church they both attended. Kyle had the kids every other weekend, so it was nice having company on the way to and from church.

  “Thanks for hosting this, Cassie.” Celia picked up a carrot stick from the platter in front of her and dipped it in some ranch dressing. “I always look forward to these evenings.”

  “Me too.” Zoe pulled up a chair next to her. “I spend all day talking to people, but it’s nice to be around friends.”

  “How are things going at the Lodge?” Libby asked. “Joan’s retiring soon, right? Did George say anything about a promotion?”

  “No.” Zoe’s brow furrowed. “Not yet.”

  “I’m sure he’ll talk to you about it soon,” Meg said.

  Cassie moved the rest of the appetizers over to the kitchen table and brought a chair in from the living room for herself.