The Inn at Willa Bay: A Willa Bay Novel

by Nicole Ellis

  “Lara did this?” Meg surveyed the disaster zone. “Wait, has she done this before?”

  Cassie nodded; her face full of misery. “This is the third time this week. She thinks we have some kitchen crew that will come in and clean up after her.” With a few long strokes, she swept all of the sugar into a pile.

  Meg sighed. “I’m sorry, Cassie. She shouldn’t be doing this. Have you talked with George about it?”

  Cassie snorted. “Ha! Like he’ll do anything about his daughter causing trouble. No. I talked to him about her being here when I need the space for actual Lodge baking, and he brushed off my concerns.”

  “Maybe it would help if I said something to him?” Meg asked as she held the dustpan in place for Cassie to sweep the debris into.

  “I doubt it.” Cassie placed the broom back in the utility closet attached to the kitchen and returned with two small, white cleaning cloths. She brushed off the countertop with a dry one, depositing the flour into a garbage can waiting below the lip of the counter.

  Meg took the other cloth, sprayed the cleared surface with disinfectant, and wiped it down. “She can’t keep doing this.”

  Cassie shrugged. “She’s the owner’s daughter.” She smiled at Meg. “Let’s talk about something other than Lara. Do you have any exciting weekend plans?”

  “Nope. Just work here. What about you?” Meg washed her hands and put on her white chef’s jacket.

  “I’m taking the kids to the aquarium in Seattle with one of Amanda’s friends and her mom.” Cassie glanced at the clock. “I’d better get going if I want to be home before the kids.”

  “Have fun,” Meg said. Spending hours at the aquarium with three kids didn’t seem like a good time to her, but Cassie seemed excited about it.

  “Thanks. I will.” Cassie grinned at her. “Have fun working.”

  “I will,” Meg said. Cassie may have meant it sarcastically, but Meg loved what she did, and to her it was fun. It sometimes amazed her that she and Cassie were so different, but had been friends for over twenty years.

  Cassie left, and Meg got to work prepping the ingredients for dinner. She heard the door leading to the staff hallway open and looked up to see who’d come in.

  “Is Pearson here?” Zoe’s eyes darted around the kitchen.

  “Nope, are you looking for him?” Meg put down the paring knife she’d been using to trim the asparagus.

  Zoe shook her head and entered the room, allowing the door to close softly behind her. “I’m trying to avoid him. He’s driving me crazy with his cost-cutting measures. I know he’s trying to make a good impression on George, but he doesn’t understand what a client wants.”

  The door burst open, and they both stared in that direction.

  “Aren’t you meeting with a client now, Zoe?” Pearson asked, consulting a notebook he held in his hands.

  “They called to say they’d be about ten minutes late,” she said. “I’ll be right out to the lobby in a minute. “I was, um …”

  “Working with me on a menu,” Taylor said, as he stepped out of his office.

  “Hmm.” Pearson gave Zoe a side-eyed glare.

  Zoe flinched, and Meg cringed at her friend’s reaction. What had happened to Zoe’s confidence?

  “Actually, Taylor,” Pearson said. “I wanted to talk to you about our catering menus. I think we can save thousands of dollars a year if we use a different cut of meat in our entrées.”

  “Uh-huh.” Taylor studied Pearson’s face. “I’m not sure we can do that, but let’s talk.” He motioned to his office, and the two men went inside, shutting the door firmly behind them.

  Zoe and Meg exchanged glances.

  “He’s awful,” Meg said in a low voice. “How can you work with him?”

  “I don’t know.” Zoe’s voice was soft, as if she was close to tears. “It’s only been a week and a half, and I’m about ready to quit.”

  “No! Don’t quit.” Meg hugged Zoe, but Zoe stood limply in her arms. Meg stared at her. “It’s going to get better, I’m sure it will. Give it a little longer.”

  “I will,” Zoe said. “I don’t have much of a choice.” Her eyes darted over to Taylor’s office door. “I’m going to duck out of here while Pearson is occupied with someone else though. Maybe I can find a hidden corner of the Lodge to work in.”

  Meg laughed. “That’s the spirit.”

  Zoe left the kitchen, and Meg went back to chopping vegetables for the evening’s side dishes.

  A few minutes later, Pearson stormed out of Taylor’s office, passing Meg without a word. He flung open the door and let it slam shut behind him. Meg raised her eyebrows as she watched him go. Apparently, Pearson’s meeting with Taylor hadn’t gone well.

  Heavy footsteps sounded on the floor behind her. “That imbecile is going to ruin this place.”

  Meg set down the knife and turned to face Taylor. “That bad?”

  His face was flushed with anger, and his black hair stood out in all directions, as if he’d been shoving his fingers through it. “He wants to use sirloin instead of filet mignon on our catering menu, plus he has about a thousand other ‘suggestions’ to make our menus more cost-efficient.” He peered at her. “Have you had any interactions with him yet?”

  She shook her head. “Not much, but Zoe isn’t too happy with him either. He’s been a tyrant to her.” She leaned in and whispered, “She’s thinking about quitting because he’s so bad.”

  Taylor closed his eyes. “I don’t think George understands what he’s done by hiring Pearson.”

  A patch of flour near the base of the counter caught Meg’s eye. Should she say something to Taylor about Lara? “Cassie’s been cleaning up Lara’s kitchen messes this week,” she blurted out. “When Lara uses the kitchen for her cake business, she doesn’t bother sweeping or cleaning the counters afterward. Cassie didn’t want to say anything to you or George because she’s worried about losing her job.”

  Fire burned in Taylor’s eyes. Meg had always thought of him as a laid-back, California surfer-type, but right now, she wouldn’t want to be the subject of his wrath.

  He swallowed hard and said, “I’m going to talk to George about this right now.” He stalked out of the kitchen, leaving Meg open-mouthed. Who was this guy? She had to admit, she kind of liked seeing his more passionate side.

  She leaned against the counter, thinking about everything going on. Zoe was miserable at the Lodge, Cassie was worried about her job and losing her cake decorating income, and Meg had some big decisions to make, herself. Even happy-go-lucky Taylor had been driven over the edge. The one bright spot in this week was Celia waking up from her coma.

  Meg turned back to the counter and moved the cut veggies into a neat pile. Thinking about everything that was wrong in her life was making her crazy. It was time to focus on moving forward.

  20

  Shawn

  “So, what do you think of this place so far?” Shawn sat down in one of the two chairs near Celia’s bed at the rehabilitation facility. Zoe sat next to him in the other chair. They’d carpooled there after having breakfast together to discuss the Inn.

  Shawn hadn’t known what to expect when Celia had been transferred from the hospital yesterday, but he’d been pleasantly surprised. The facility was clean and modern, and everyone he’d met there had been friendly to him and considerate with Celia. She had a roommate, who was currently out walking the halls with the physical therapist.

  Celia looked around her living space. “It’s fine. I can’t wait to get back home though. If I never have to look at another hospital room, I’ll die a happy woman.”

  Concern spread across Zoe’s face. “But not anytime soon, I hope. We just got you back.”

  Celia laughed. “Nope, I intend to stay in this world for quite a while longer.” She quieted. “I do miss Pebbles though. How’s he doing?”

  “Missing you, but settling for Zoe and I.” Shawn smiled softly at Zoe. He badly wanted to talk to Celia about the state of thing
s at the Inn, but Zoe had implored him not to say anything until Celia was settled into her temporary home.

  “Shawn and I took him to the park yesterday, and he had so much fun. I think he even made a new friend,” Zoe said.

  “A new girlfriend.” Shawn winked at Celia. “She was a pretty little Chihuahua, and they chased each other around for at least twenty minutes.”

  “I bet he liked that,” Celia said, a wide smile breaking out on her face. Shawn was relieved to see her smiling. He’d wondered how she’d do with the move from the hospital to the rehab center, but she seemed to be adjusting well to the change. She turned to Zoe and pointed to the dresser on the far wall, “Can you bring me my wallet, please? My purse is over there in the top drawer.”

  Zoe popped up from her chair. “Sure.” She brought the wallet back and handed it to Celia.

  Celia grasped the black leather pouch like she was going to offer them money for their help, and Shawn readied his refusal speech. Instead, however, she opened it and withdrew a well-worn photo of a young girl. She caressed the photo with her thumb before holding it out to him.

  He studied the image. His dad didn’t have many pictures of his mom when she was a kid, but Shawn was pretty sure this was her. “That’s my mom, isn’t it?” He gave it back to Celia, holding his breath as he waited for her response.

  Celia nodded, her eyes glazing over with emotion as she looked down at the image. “My cousin, Betty, sent me this when Andrea was in the fourth grade.”

  “You missed your daughter a lot, didn’t you?” Zoe asked, not taking her eyes off Celia.

  “The day I handed her over to Betty and Delbert, I lost a huge part of myself.” Tears pooled in the corners of Celia’s eyes, and fell freely down her wrinkled cheeks.

  Shawn plucked a Kleenex from the box on the nightstand and handed it to her. “Why did you give her up?”

  Celia wiped her tears away, but fresh ones rose up to take their place. “When I was twenty-five, I was engaged to be married to a wonderful man named Artie.” She sighed. “We had so many plans for our future. He’d come out to Seattle for a job on the fishing boats, but he was from a little farming community in North Dakota. We hoped to buy a little farm out on the Kitsap Peninsula and raise a large family there once we were married.” She sighed. “I always wanted a lot of kids.”

  “So, what happened with Artie?” Zoe moved to the edge of her seat.

  Celia’s face drooped. “He took a job on one of the crabbing boats, heading to Alaska. After months of not hearing from him, I got word that the boat he was on had gone down in a storm.” She looked down at her hands, rubbing her thumbs together. “I hadn’t even had a chance to tell him he was going to be a father.”

  “Oh,” Zoe murmured. “I’m so sorry, Celia.”

  Celia’s voice was stronger when she looked up. “After Artie died, I was so lost. When I couldn’t hide the pregnancy any longer, I was let go from my job.” She met Shawn’s gaze. “I didn’t know what to do.”

  He nodded, encouraging her to go on.

  “An elderly aunt gave me a place to stay until I had the baby, but she barely had enough money to feed me. Staying with her after the birth wasn’t an option.” Celia looked past Zoe and Shawn, out the window. “But still, I wanted to keep the baby. I tried to make it work, but after she was born, I fell into a deep depression – I guess they’d call it postpartum depression nowadays, but we didn’t talk much about it then. It got to the point where I felt the best option was to give the baby up to my cousin and her husband. They’d always wanted children but had never been blessed with them.”

  “I can’t imagine how difficult that decision was for you to make.” Shawn reached out and squeezed Celia’s hand.

  She returned his gesture with a faint smile. “It was. Giving up Andrea was the most painful moment of my entire life, even worse than finding out Artie had died in Alaska. I wanted to keep her so badly.” She peered at Shawn. “I never could get your mother to believe that though.”

  He nodded with understanding. “She could be stubborn when she wanted to be.”

  “So, your cousin wouldn’t let you see the baby?” Zoe’s eyes were filled with unshed tears.

  Celia shook her head. “No. She and her husband wanted it to be a clean break. They sent me pictures and letters throughout the years, but they requested that I not contact Andrea until she was of age.” She smiled wryly. “I didn’t think about the fact that I was giving up not only the baby, but what little family I had left as well. It was too hard for me to attend family events because I knew she’d be there.” She sighed. “I moved up to Willa Bay and took a job as a maid at the Inn. The Olsens took me in, and over the years became a substitute family to me.”

  “Wow.” Shawn sat back still holding on to Celia’s hand. Her grip was tentative, but steady.

  “Thank you for telling us about Andrea,” Zoe said. “This can’t be easy for you.”

  “It’s not.” Celia’s gaze focused on Shawn. “But having the chance at a relationship with Shawn and his sister makes it all worth it.” She gave Shawn’s hand a squeeze, then pulled her hand out of his grasp to lay it down by her side. “If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to rest a little now.”

  “Of course.” Zoe got to her feet and leaned over to pat Celia’s shoulder. “I’m heading to Candle Beach tomorrow morning for my grandfather’s birthday party, but I’ll stop in to see you before I leave. I’ll only be gone for a few days, and Shawn will be here if you need anything.”

  Shawn flashed Zoe a smile. “That I will.” He stood to leave, but paused at the foot of the bed and met Celia’s gaze. “Is it okay if I call you Grandma?”

  Celia nodded and blinked back tears. “I’d like that.”

  He smiled widely. “Then I’ll see you later, Grandma.” The word felt awkward on his tongue and would take some getting used to.

  “See you later, Grandson.” Celia closed her eyes, a huge grin illuminating her face.

  Celia

  Celia lifted her eyelids halfway, just enough to watch Zoe and Shawn leave her room at the rehabilitation center. Talking to Shawn about Artie and Andrea had opened the door to painful memories that she’d long ago buried – but it had brought relief as well. Although she’d loved Charlie with all of her heart, Artie had been her first real love, and she still wondered what could have been if they’d been able to raise Andrea together as a family.

  What would her life have been like if Artie hadn’t died and she hadn’t had to give Andrea up? Would she and Artie have had more children – the large family they’d dreamed of? Would she be a farmer’s wife right now, milking cows in the morning and feeding the chickens every afternoon?

  Visions of Charlie and the Inn at Willa Bay entered her mind. Moving to Willa Bay had vanquished some of the sadness she felt over losing Artie, and time had helped with the postpartum depression. The Inn’s grounds had been beautiful, and although she had only been the maid, she’d had a cottage to live in and been treated with respect. The Olsens hadn’t had any children of their own and had taken her under their wing, eventually leaving the Inn to her when they passed.

  She knew giving Andrea up for adoption had been the best decision at the time for both of them. It hadn’t been an easy thing to do, but Celia’s cousin Betty was a wonderful mother to Andrea and was able to provide for her in a way that Celia couldn’t do at the time.

  Still, though, her biggest regret was her inability to establish a relationship with Andrea when she reached adulthood. Being a part of Andrea’s adult life and having the chance to know Shawn and Jessa when they were young would have been a blessing. But at least Shawn seemed receptive to a relationship with her now. She couldn’t change the past, but she could appreciate everything the future held.

  And if she wasn’t mistaken, there was something going on between Zoe and her grandson. Celia had caught the soft looks between the two of them and the easy way they interacted with each other. She didn’t know Shawn well, bu
t she had a feeling Zoe would be good for him. Yes, the future was unknown, but Celia was looking forward to seeing how everything turned out.

  21

  Zoe

  Zoe pulled into a parking space in front of Celia’s rehabilitation center and turned off the engine but didn’t get out immediately. Her car was packed for her trip to Candle Beach to celebrate her grandfather’s eighty-fifth birthday, but before she could leave, she needed to have a serious talk with Celia about the future of the Inn.

  It was something she’d been putting off for a while, hoping for a miracle that would save Celia’s home. Unfortunately, the county had denied their request to postpone the seizure of the property for back taxes. Celia only had one more month to pay the back taxes, or she’d lose the Inn.

  Shawn had been right – Celia wouldn’t be returning home. Besides the taxes owed, there were the overwhelming repair and maintenance expenses. Celia couldn’t afford to stay there. But how was Zoe going to tell her that?

  She finally forced herself to open the door and step out onto the sunlit blacktop parking lot, then make her way inside. Celia’s roommate was out again, and Zoe was grateful for the privacy. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.

  When she heard Zoe enter her room, Celia looked up from the large-print book she was reading. “Zoe! You didn’t need to come see me this morning. I thought you were visiting your family this weekend.”

  “Hey, Celia,” she said as she took her coat off and sat down in the chair next to Celia’s bed. “I’m on my way there, but I wanted to see you before I left town.”

  “Well, I’m glad you did, but you’ve got a long drive ahead of you. You should get on the road.” Celia peered at Zoe with worried eyes.

  “I’ll be fine.” Zoe smiled, then took a deep breath. “Celia, I need to talk to you about something.”

  Celia cocked her head to the side. “Sure, what is it?”

  “I’m worried about the Inn. Shawn and I found the bills from the tax assessor that you’d already opened, and another one that came after your accident.” She kept her eyes on Celia, trying to judge the elderly woman’s reaction. “I called the assessor’s office, and they said you haven’t paid your property taxes in years. That’s a lot of money.”