The Inn at Willa Bay: A Willa Bay Novel

by Nicole Ellis

  She gathered up the albums in her arms and stood. “I haven’t eaten much today either. Let me put these away, and we can head out.”

  Pebbles jumped onto the couch to take her place, and Shawn found himself petting the dog without even noticing.

  “Shawn!” Zoe called out from the bookshelf. “Come see this!”

  He eased away from Pebbles and crossed the room in three long strides. “Did you find something?”

  “I don’t know – maybe?” She’d opened a tin box that was about a foot square and a few inches deep and was scrutinizing a Polaroid picture so yellowed with age that she had to hold it a few inches from her face to make out the image. She handed it to him, blinking her eyes a few times as if to clear her vision. “It looks like a woman with a baby. There’s some writing on the back. I see Celia’s name. It’s the only old photograph we’ve found – it has to mean something.”

  He took the photo from her. She was right about Celia’s name, but he couldn’t read the rest of the script on the back. He glanced at the ceiling and pointed at the desk. “The light’s best over there.” He carried the photo over to the desk.

  “Oh! I think I remember seeing a magnifying glass in here.” She yanked the drawer open and pulled one out. He set the photo on the desk, and she held the magnifying glass over it.

  “I think it says ‘Anita, August fourteenth, 1960,’” Zoe said. “Does that mean anything to you?”

  He grabbed for her hand to focus the magnifying glass, zeroing in on the baby’s name. An icy chill shot through his body, from the tips of his hair to the soles of his feet. Her skin was soft and warm under his, and he realized he was still clutching her hand. He let go, muttering, “Sorry about that.”

  She scanned his face. “That’s okay. You saw something though – what is it?”

  He sighed. “That doesn’t say Anita.”

  She gave him an odd look. “Okay?”

  “It says Andrea. That was my mom’s name, and that’s the day after she was born.”

  He and Zoe stared at the photo. Why would there be a photo of his one-day-old mother with Celia? She must have been a close family member to have that privilege, so why had he only heard of her that once?

  “If that’s your mom …”

  “I know. I don’t understand it either, but at least it definitively links Celia to my family.” He stepped back from the desk and rubbed his weary eyes. It had already been a very long day. “I don’t think we’re going to figure this out on our own. With any luck, my dad will be back soon, and we can ask him. Let’s go eat and then I’ll figure out where I can stay in this huge house.”

  10

  Cassie

  Cassie dropped the last egg white into the large bowl of the commercial-sized Kitchen Aid mixer and moved the lever until the beaters whirred briskly through the batter. It never failed to amaze her how so many different ingredients could come together in a bowl and quickly integrate into one delicious mixture. If only life could blend together so seamlessly. When the cake batter looked right, she turned off the mixer and removed the bowl, setting it on the table.

  “What delicious treat are you making today?” Zoe asked from behind her.

  Cassie jolted away from the counter, putting a hand over her heart. “You scared me! I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Sorry.” Zoe shrugged and held up an empty mug. “I needed some coffee. I waved, but you didn’t see me. You seemed to be entranced by whatever’s in that bowl.”

  Cassie eyed the batter. “It’s a lemon poppy-seed cake. I’m testing it out for one of the smaller desserts for the Butler wedding this weekend.”

  Zoe sniffed the air. “Well, it smells great, and I know Angie Butler loves lemons. I think she mentioned it at least half a dozen times when we were deciding on the menu.”

  “I know.” Cassie grinned. “I saw the triple underlined words in your notes.” She moved the bowl closer to a row of mini Bundt cake pans and ladled a scoop of the batter into each of the indentations. “I’m going to drizzle a vanilla-lemon glaze on top once they’re done.”

  Zoe nodded approvingly. “I’ll be happy to test them later. At least I’ll get something good out of this day.”

  Cassie scanned her friend’s face. “Is Pearson that bad?”

  Zoe sat down on a stool and leaned on the counter. “He’s not great,” she said in a low voice. “If he wasn’t George’s son-in-law, he never would have gotten the position.” She sighed. “I know there’s nothing I can do about it now, but this whole thing seems so unfair. I’ve worked for so long for that promotion, and he comes in here and steals it away from me.” She pressed her lips together, then jumped down from the chair. “I can’t let myself dwell on it, though, or I’ll go crazy. I suppose it’s really no different now than when Joan had the role. I still have my job, and that will have to do.”

  Cassie nodded. “How’s Celia doing? Has anything changed?”

  “Not really.” Zoe frowned. “Shawn’s at the hospital with her now.”

  Cassie raised her eyebrows. “He’s still here?”

  “I guess he’s planning on staying until she wakes up.” Zoe walked over to the coffee pot and filled her cup.

  “Has he been able to reach his father? I’d be going crazy, wondering why Celia chose me as her emergency contact.” Cassie brought the Bundt cake tins over to the oven and set them in, one by one.

  “Nope, his dad’s still out of town.” Zoe carefully sipped her steaming coffee. “It’s driving me crazy too.”

  Cassie sprayed the counter with disinfectant and wiped it down. “What is Shawn like? Have you spent much time with him?”

  Zoe seated herself on the stool again. “He’s nice – a little reserved. You can tell he’s ex-military.”

  “Really? How so?” Cassie asked as she poured coffee into her own cup.

  “I don’t know. He looks like he works out, and his hair is cut shorter than I normally see around here.”

  Cassie grinned. “So, he’s not bad to look at?”

  Zoe’s face turned pink. “That’s not what I mean. He’s not here for me to look at.”

  “Okay, okay. Is he staying at Celia’s house?”

  “Yep. He wasn’t sure about it at first, but he seems to be settling in now. I think he planned to fix the back porch railing today.”

  “Aha. So he’s handy too.” Cassie winked at Zoe.

  Zoe sighed and shot her a look of exasperation. “He’s a carpenter, and he wanted to help out around the Inn.”

  Cassie watched her friend carefully. Zoe wasn’t usually so easily flustered. Although Cassie had only been teasing her about Shawn, maybe there was something to it for Zoe to become so defensive.

  A shadow appeared in the doorway, and Joan appeared. “Zoe? Can you please come to my office and help me show the booking system to Pearson?” She rolled her eyes. “After trying to teach him about the different wedding packages, my patience is about worn out.”

  Zoe took a deep breath. “Sure. I’ll be right there.” Joan left, and Zoe drained the rest of her coffee and set it near the sink. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

  Cassie nodded. “I’m going to stop by the hospital to see Celia after Kyle gets off work today. I feel so bad I wasn’t able to go yesterday.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Zoe said breezily. “She’s not awake right now anyway, and even if she was, she knows how busy you are with the kids and everything.”

  “I still feel bad.” Cassie set her cup next to Zoe’s and washed her hands. “Celia’s done so much for me that it’s the least I can do. Especially if she never wakes up.” She swallowed against a lump forming in her throat. When Cassie had been going through her divorce, Celia had always been there to give her a pep talk or remind her that things would get better. Cassie didn’t want to even entertain the possibility that Celia might never wake up.

  Zoe crossed the room and gave her a quick hug. “She’s going to be just fine. Okay, I’ve got to go teach Pearson how
to not mess up our reservations. Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck,” Cassie said to Zoe’s back as she disappeared from sight. She hated seeing Zoe so depressed about her job situation. Her friend was generally a happy and positive person, but all of this must have thrown her for a giant loop.

  It was almost time for Cassie to leave, but she wanted to make sure the front desk was stocked with fresh treats, so she got out the flour, sugar, eggs, and other ingredients to make a batch of peanut butter cookies. As she measured and mixed the ingredients by rote, then scooped the dough onto baking sheets, her mind drifted back to Zoe.

  Life could change so quickly. Thank goodness Cassie’s job was safe. Being the pastry chef for a small lodge may be a dead-end job, but between it and her cake-decorating side gig, she paid the bills. With the addition of the therapy sessions she was hoping to get Jace into, she needed every dollar.

  “Cassie,” a man said from the kitchen doorway as she took the cookies out of the oven.

  She looked up and smiled at George. “Hey, I just finished baking some cookies. Do you want one?”

  He didn’t smile back at her. “Can you please come to my office when you’re able to do so?”

  Her stomach knotted immediately. After what he’d done to Zoe, she didn’t know what to expect. “Sure. Let me get these out to the front desk and then I’ll stop by to see you.”

  He nodded sharply, spun on his heels and disappeared back down the corridor.

  Cassie removed the cookies from the cooling racks and filled a plate with them to take out to the lobby. The front desk was busy with check-ins when she got there, and a guest was just reaching for the last cookie on the plate. She smiled at everyone in line and swapped out the plates, beating a hasty retreat before she was run over by hungry guests. She placed the plate in the kitchen’s dish sink and removed her apron.

  Her steps plodded as she made her way to George’s office. What was he going to say to her? She paused outside of his closed door for a moment, then took a deep breath and rapped on it.

  “Come in,” he called out.

  She entered the room, and he motioned for her to take a seat.

  “You’re probably wondering why I called you in here today.”

  She nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  He looked at the photo of his family on his desk and then back at her. “I’m really sorry, Cassie, but I can’t let you use the Lodge’s facilities anymore to bake and decorate the cakes for your side business.”

  She stared at him, her thoughts swirling around her brain like ingredients in a mixer, merging, but not forming a cohesive result. “Is there a problem I should know about?”

  “No. It’s just that, as you may know, my daughter, Lara, is home now, and she’s starting her own cake business.” He shifted in his seat, and an uncomfortable look crossed his face. “She – I mean, we – feel that it’s a conflict of interest to let you work on your side business here.”

  “I see.” Cassie knew she’d been lucky to use the Lodge’s kitchens up until this point, but George’s new ruling still stung. “I have cakes that need to be baked for this weekend and next. Can I use the kitchen until then?”

  His gaze softened, and he gave her a tight smile. “Of course. I think it’s fine for you to use it to complete this week’s orders. I’ve always appreciated how hard you work at your job, and I hate to do this to you, but I’ve got to keep the peace at home. You understand, right?”

  “I do.” She paused. “Do you want me to continue as the pastry chef here?”

  He leaned forward. “Definitely. We need you here.”

  Relief rushed over her. Finding a new baker’s kitchen for her business wouldn’t be easy, but at least she had a steady job. “Thank you.”

  “No, thank you.” He smiled at her. “We’ve received nothing but compliments from guests about your baking. I’m sorry to have to change up our earlier agreement about the after-hours use of the kitchens.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” She stood from her chair. “I’ll figure something out, and I truly appreciate you letting me use the kitchen in the past.”

  He nodded. “I’d better get back to work now, but I’m glad we had a chance to talk about this.” He turned back to his computer, and she let herself out, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

  Well, the other shoe had dropped. She had a job, but now what? Finding a place to bake wouldn’t be easy, and she had orders lined up for at least the next six months. Her business was only a few years old – if she cancelled orders now, it wouldn’t survive. She needed that money for bills and Jace’s therapy.

  She’d invested so much time and money into her side business. She groaned, thinking about all the hours she’d spent in cake decorating classes and practicing her skills afterward. That was all time she could have spent with her kids instead.

  If her business failed, what would she do with all of the supplies she’d purchased over the years? She hadn’t even paid back all of the money she owed on a small loan to cover her startup expenses. Despite trying to tell herself that she would come up with a solution, she couldn’t help thinking that all of her hard work may have been in vain.

  11

  Meg

  Meg artfully arranged a sprig of parsley around a chicken breast with blackening seasoning and used a pastry bag to dot the plate with little mounds of garlic mashed potatoes. She eyed the dish. Perfect. Every meal she plated was a chance to give a customer a work of art, even if they’d demolish it as soon as it was received. She slid it onto the warming shelf, where it was promptly picked up by Bailey, the waitress working that night.

  Her phone rang from the deep pocket on the side of her jacket. She pulled it out and read the caller ID.

  “Mom? Is everything okay?” she asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. It seemed like every time her mom called, she was sure it was going to be bad news.

  Her mom ignored the question. “Hi, honey. Is this a good time?”

  Meg looked around the kitchen. Dinner orders were stacking up, but this was her mom. “I can talk for a minute but then I’ve got to get back to work. What’s up?”

  “I won’t take too much of your time. I was calling to invite you to a high tea at my house – with your sisters, of course. I thought it would be fun for all of us to get together.” Her voice sounded far away, like she’d moved away from the phone.

  “Is everything okay?” Meg asked again. Although her family was fairly close, her mother had never scheduled anything midday during the week before.

  “Can’t a mother have her children over once in a while?” Debbie sighed.

  “Um. Doesn’t Sam have to teach?”

  “She’s on spring break this week, so I thought it was the perfect time. You don’t usually start work on Fridays until three o’clock, right?”

  “Right.” Meg fought to control the worry that was sweeping through her system. Why was her mom being so evasive? Had she heard bad news from her doctor?

  “Oh, that’s Libby on the other line. I’d better take this – I left her a message about the tea. Can I count you in?” Debbie asked.

  “Of course.” Meg would rather know now why her mother wanted to gather the family, but she’d have to find out the next day.

  “Great. See you tomorrow at twelve thirty. Love you!” Debbie sang out before ending the call.

  At least her mom’s spirits were high. That had to be a good sign.

  “Meg, are the other entrées for table ten ready?” Bailey called out from the kitchen entrance. “They’ve been waiting for their salmon for a while.”

  Meg slipped the phone back into her pocket and held up her hand in apology. “Sorry. I’ll get them out to you ASAP. Just give me a minute.”

  Taylor heard the exchange and stepped away from the grill with two salmon filets. The aroma of freshly grilled fish and dill hung in the air as he slipped them onto plates. Meg added the side dishes and handed them over to Bailey, who was hanging out a
t the end of the counter.

  “Thanks!” Bailey placed the plates on a serving tray and left the kitchen to deliver the food.

  “Is everything okay?” Taylor eyed her with concern.

  “I think so. Sorry I got a little behind.” She patted her phone pocket. “I don’t usually answer my phone at work.”

  “Oh, I know. That’s why I asked if everything was okay.” His eyes searched her face. “Was it your mom?”

  She nodded. “She wants to meet with me and my sisters tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Good news?” he asked. When she’d interviewed for the position at the Lodge, she’d told him she wanted to come back to town because her mom was ill, and he’d always made a point to ask her how Debbie was doing.

  “I don’t know.” Her stomach twinged, and she made herself focus on the dinner orders. She’d found keeping her hands busy was the best thing to quell the anxiety.

  He squeezed her shoulder, a comforting warmth radiating from his fingers. “I’m sure she’s fine, but let me know if you need anything from me.”

  She gave him a half-smile. “Thanks, Taylor. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem.” He shrugged and stepped back. “That’s what friends are for.” He quickly went back to the grill before she could respond.

  She thought about what Cassie had said about Taylor having a crush on her. Meg still didn’t think that was the case, but they had become good friends over the last year, and she was grateful to have him in her life.

  The worry about her mother remained, overshadowing any thoughts about Taylor. Thankfully, the restaurant was slammed for a Thursday night, keeping her busy until closing. By the time she had everything cleaned and ready for the next day, she was too tired to think about anything but falling into bed and passing out.