by Nicole Ellis
“Thank you,” Taylor said simply. “I’d appreciate that.”
George nodded, then gazed at his computer and frowned. “I have a phone call I need to make, but I’ll follow up with Lara about this. You and I can chat later this week about the kitchen renovations.”
“Thank you,” Taylor said again.
George picked up the phone receiver and Taylor hurried out of the office, closing the door behind him. He peeked into the kitchen, and sucked in his breath. Yellow caution tape stretched across half of the kitchen, blocking Taylor from his own office. The acrid odor of smoke hung in the air and one entire wall was completely charred. The kitchen had been beautiful once, but now it lay in ruins. He ducked out of the building and strode toward the parking lot.
Leaning against his car, he gulped in a lungful of fresh air, then reached into his pocket for his phone. He needed to talk to someone about everything, preferably someone with strong opinions about his life—like his sister.
It rang twice before Susanna answered. “Taylor! I was hoping it was you. How is your restaurant? Is Meg okay?”
“Meg’s fine. She inhaled some smoke, but they released her from the hospital by the next morning. The kitchen, not so much.” His stomach clenched, thinking about the condition of his restaurant. He loved that kitchen—had loved making it his own. Now it looked like it had lost a fight with a blow torch. “However, I did have a long conversation with my boss. I told him he needed to choose between me or his daughter, who was the pastry chef who started the fire.” He laughed. “Catching my kitchen on fire isn’t my only complaint about her, but I can’t help resenting her for that too.”
Suzanne gasped in surprise. “What did your boss say when you gave him the ultimatum?”
“He chose me, I think.” Taylor’s voice shook with wonder. How had that even happened? He opened the car door and collapsed onto the sun-warmed fabric covering the driver’s seat. “He’s going to have a talk with his daughter about how she’s been acting.”
“So, you're saying you’re going to stay in Willa Bay?” Her voice rang with concern. “Are you sure that’s the best thing for you to do with the whole Meg situation? It sounded like you really care for her.”
Taylor pictured Meg’s face, and he suddenly felt lighter, as though the stress of the day had melted away. “Actually, Meg and her boyfriend broke up.”
“What? Well are you going to go for her?” Susanna sounded so elated that Taylor could almost see the huge smile on her face.
“I don’t know.” Was this the right time to tell Meg how he felt, after she’d just broken up with her boyfriend? His heart hammered so rapidly that he feared it would leap right out of his rib cage. If he waited for the “right” time, she could very well meet someone else before he got up the nerve to tell her how much he cared for her. “Yes,” he said softly. “I’m going to tell her.”
He leaned back in the seat. That was it. Now that he’d verbally committed to confessing his feelings to Meg, his sister was not going to let it go until he went through with it.
“How are you going to tell her?”
He chuckled. Susanna must be on the edge of her seat by now. He paused to consider his sister’s question. More than anything, he wanted to do something nice for Meg. She’d put aside all of her past grievances and unpleasant memories of working at the Lodge to cover for him so he could attend Diana’s wedding. Now, he had an opportunity to return the favor.
Maybe, just maybe, it would help him show her the depth of his love for her. If his grand gesture brought them closer together, it would be wonderful. But, if she didn’t reciprocate his feelings, at least she’d know how much he cared for her and valued her friendship.
19
Tia
When Tia arrived at the Inn on Saturday morning, Meg and Celia were already drinking coffee at the kitchen table.
“Good morning!” Tia said as she walked over to the cupboard and grabbed a pink ceramic mug emblazoned with a rainbow ending in a pot of gold. With the way things were going in her life, she could use a little luck.
Celia twisted in her chair to face Tia. “Morning, dear.”
“How are things at Zoe’s house?” Meg sipped her coffee as she waited for Tia’s response.
Tia shrugged. “Okay, I guess. Her couch is pretty comfortable, but I feel like I’m getting in her way.” She poured coffee into her cup, then set it on the counter to cover her mouth as she yawned. Zoe’s couch may be comfortable, but sleeping in the living room with the refrigerator in the adjoining kitchen humming all night didn’t make for restful sleep. She brought her coffee over to the table and sat in a chair facing Celia. “I appreciate her letting me crash there for a while though.” The corners of her mouth tugged downward at the thought of needing to find a permanent place to live. Cheap apartments in Willa Bay weren’t terribly plentiful.
“Well, I’m glad you’re settling in.” Celia beamed at her. “If there’s anything you need from me, remember I’m just up the road from you.”
“Thanks.” Tia flashed Celia a smile. In the short time she’d worked at the Inn, she’d come to appreciate the elderly woman’s kindness and compassion. “How is everything going this morning with the overnight guests?” Several of the rooms had been rented to guests of the small wedding they’d be hosting that afternoon.
“They’ve been fed and watered.” Celia chuckled, deepening the laugh lines in her wrinkled cheeks. “Seriously, though, they’ve had their continental breakfast, and everyone seems pleased with the accommodations.”
“Good.” Tia’s coffee had cooled enough to drink, and she took a long swig of it, eager for the caffeine infusion.
Meg got up to refill her coffee, then returned to the table. “Celia was just telling me that she found a birth certificate for the woman who used to own this house, Lorraine Olsen.”
“Oh?” Tia wasn’t sure of the significance of this information.
“Apparently Lorraine was a Carlsen before she married,” Meg said.
“We found a photo of the woman who wrote the journal, Davina Carlsen, with her parents and younger sister, Lolly,” Celia said. “Lolly used to be a common nickname for Lorraine, so we think there’s a good chance Lorraine Olsen was Davina’s younger sister.”
“Really?” Tia asked. “I thought she didn’t have any family.” She turned to Celia. “Isn’t that how you ended up with the Inn?”
Celia bobbed her head. “It is. I never knew she had any kin either.” She shrugged, her bony shoulders forming sharp angles under her white knit cardigan.
“For all we know, Davina died years before Lorraine ever took over management of the Inn from her parents.” Meg’s eyes clouded over, as though mourning the long-ago death of the journal’s author.
Celia patted Meg’s hand. “I hope we’ll be able to find out more about her.”
“Me too.” Meg rubbed her thumb along her mug’s handle. “I can’t help wondering about who she was and what happened to her. It almost feels like we’re connected through her recipes.”
“I’m sure she’d appreciate the sentiment.” Celia pushed her chair back and wrapped her fingers around the metal arms of her walker, lifting herself to a standing position. “Now, I’d better get to the front desk in case anyone has questions for me.” She paused, and focused dewy eyes on them. “You know, it feels good to be useful again.”
Tia and Meg exchanged smiles.
“We couldn’t do it without you,” Meg said.
“Definitely not.” Tia finished off her coffee and carried her mug and Celia’s over to the sink. “We’d be sunk.” She meant it too. Over the summer, a sudden closure of a local wedding venue had left clients struggling to find a replacement location on short notice. Without Celia’s vast knowledge of the property and the community, there was no way they could have opened the Inn ahead of schedule.
“Well, I don’t know about all that.” Patches of pale pink appeared on Celia’s cheeks. “But thank you for saying so.” She d
irected her gaze at Tia. “I almost forgot. Shawn asked me to have you meet with him when you got in.”
“Shawn did?” Tia couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice. As Zoe’s second-in-command for event planning, her duties didn’t intersect too much with Shawn’s role as the manager of renovations. Her blood ran cold. Had she done something wrong?
“Yes.” Celia smiled peacefully at her. “He asked for you to meet him at Cottage Twenty.”
“Okay…” This was getting more and more confusing. Why would he want to meet her at one of the abandoned cottages? It was about as far away from the event areas as she could get.
Meg seemed to sense her confusion and jumped to her feet. “I’ll come with you. I wouldn’t mind a walk before I get started on all the tasks Zoe’s assigned to me for the day.”
“Thanks.” Tia shot her a grateful smile.
“I’ll see you girls later,” Celia called over her shoulder as she pushed her walker across the kitchen floor in the direction of the sink.
Tia and Meg left the kitchen and walked out the front door of the Inn. Earlier that morning there’d been a hint of the chilly autumn to come, but since then the sun had warmed the air to a pleasant temperature. Tia was quickly learning why the locals considered September to be one of the nicest months in the Pacific Northwest.
On the way to the cottage, the two of them chatted about the journal Meg had found and the recent flood at Tia’s apartment. As they drew close enough to see the twentieth cottage at the end of the lane, Tia stopped. Meg paused as well, giving her a look that Tia couldn’t quite interpret.
Tia stared at the cottage steps. Both Shawn and Zoe sat on the second step, with Shawn’s toolbox nestled between his feet. A brand-new board had been nailed into place on the bottom step, the pale wood a sharp contrast to the weathered materials on the rest of the cottage. Ordinarily, Tia wouldn’t have been surprised to see Shawn working on a project around the resort, but she knew they didn’t plan to renovate the cottages until next spring. Why would he have taken the time to replace this step?
She turned to Meg. Her co-worker’s lips quivered, like she was fighting to keep from smiling. Tia narrowed her eyes. “Am I missing something?”
Meg couldn’t maintain the poker face anymore, and she chuckled a little. “Nope. Not missing anything.” She gestured to Zoe and Shawn. “Maybe you should ask them.”
“Are you just going to stand there?” Zoe called out. “Get over here!” Both she and Shawn wore huge grins.
Tia approached them, still fixated on the new step. She pointed at it. “Why are we meeting here? Did you need something from me?”
“Not at all,” Shawn drawled.
“I don’t understand.” Tia couldn’t do anything but stare at them.
Meg finally took pity on her. She came up beside Tia and put her arm around her shoulders. “How would you feel about moving into this cottage?”
“Uh.” Tia eyed the peeling pink paint with a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. Did Zoe want her off her couch that badly? “I’m not sure.”
The building wasn’t in great shape, but she hadn’t seen the inside. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as the exterior. Still, it would take a lot of work to make it inhabitable. She looked it over again and felt her excitement start to build.
What would it be like to live here? She’d always loved this cottage, with its peekaboo view of the water through the trees and private location at the end of the lane.
Shawn stood from the porch step and held out his hand to help Zoe up. They walked closer to Tia, stopping about two feet away.
“We really appreciate how much help you’ve been at the Inn.” Zoe’s gaze shot over to Meg, who nodded. “If you’re interested, we’d like to start renovating the cottages next, starting with this one. As soon as it’s done, you could move in.”
“Really?” Tia asked. They barely knew her. Why would they do that for her? A little voice in her head told her just to be happy and not question it.
Zoe laughed. “Yeah. Really,” she said. “Besides, if you live here, you’ll be able to work more.” She winked at Tia to show she was kidding.
Tia let herself give in to the dizzying happiness spreading throughout her body. But then a thought popped into her head that drenched her elation as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over her.
“What about the barn renovations?” She turned to face Meg. “I thought those were next on the list.”
Meg gave her a small smile. “We’ve decided to postpone the barn renovations until we’re done with the cottages.”
Tia froze in place, staring at Meg. “Is this because of me? Because I needed a place to live?” She almost didn’t want to ask, but she had to know the truth. After the words were out though, she realized how selfish they sounded. Of course they hadn’t changed their plans just for her.
Meg hesitated and Tia’s fears were confirmed. They had changed their plans to accommodate her. She didn’t know whether to feel flattered or devastated to have squashed Meg’s plans. The barn restaurant was incredibly important to Meg. Had she been included in the decision to alter the construction timeline?
“No, it wasn’t completely because of you.” Meg looked in the direction of the Inn and barn. “There’s so much left to do in the barn before we start renovations. At this rate, I doubt I’ll even be finished clearing it out before the cottages are refurbished.”
Tia scrutinized Meg’s face. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Meg grinned. “I’m sure. With my new role on Coffee Talk Seattle, and everything going on with the Inn, this just isn’t the right time to start on the barn. I'm going to use the extra time to make sure I know exactly what I want for the space.”
With tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, Tia impulsively threw her arms around Meg. “Thank you.”
Meg patted her back. “No problem.” She stepped aside and grimaced at the cottage. “But I think we’ve got our work cut out for us to make this livable.”
Shawn waved his hand in the air. “Eh, it looks worse than it really is.” He pointed to the door. “Does anyone want to take a tour?”
A thrill shot through Tia and she nodded her head vigorously. “I know I do.”
“Well, let’s do it.” Shawn climbed the porch steps and unlocked the door, letting it swing open. “The power’s off out here, but that’s an easy fix.”
Tia and the others followed him inside. After her eyes adjusted to the dim light in the small entry, she tentatively made her way into the living room. The air was musty, but didn’t contain the telltale reek of mold and mildew. Natural light shone through the big front window, illuminating the generously sized room and fireplace.
Meg, Zoe, and Shawn trailed behind Tia, letting her take it all in first. She quickened her pace, striding through to the kitchen in the back. With every step she took, she became more excited about the prospect of living there. The kitchen was dated, but, like the living room, in decent shape for not being used in over a decade.
She stopped in front of a dirty window to peer into the backyard. The grass was long, and the shrubs and weeds had long ago overtaken it, but she could see how it once had been, and what it could be in the future. They circled through the kitchen back into the hallway, and she peeked into the bathroom. A clawfoot tub sat under the casement window. She’d always wanted one of those.
Shawn cleared his throat. “The bedrooms are upstairs.” He moved down the hallway, past the bathroom.
Tia hurried to catch up to him, and they all went upstairs. Shawn and Zoe seemed familiar with the layout, but from the way Meg was examining everything, she’d never been inside the cottage either. They reached the top of the stairs, exiting onto a landing bracketed by a door on each side.
“Wait, are there two bedrooms?” Tia asked. “I thought the cottages all had only one bedroom.”
Shawn shook his head. “No. The ones closer to the Inn, like where Zoe and I live, are smaller. Down at this end,
most were built for families and have at least two bedrooms. One even has three for larger groups.” He pushed open a door and gestured for her to enter.
The room still held a full-sized bed with a brass frame, a tall bureau, and a nightstand—all covered in a thick layer of dust. The window looked out over the front of the cottage, revealing a lovely partial view of the bay.
Tia’s eyes blurred with tears as she turned to face them. “I love it. Thank you.” She pivoted slowly, taking in her new home. “It’s awfully big though. Maybe one of the smaller cottages would be better for me?” Although she’d always admired this particular house, she didn’t need two bedrooms. Maybe it would be better to save it for future guests.
From the doorway, Meg cleared her throat. “Um, how would you feel about having a roommate?”
Tia looked up sharply. Living by herself was lonelier than she’d expected, but she wasn’t keen on the idea of moving in with a stranger. On the other hand, it was a two-bedroom house. If sharing the space was what it took to live in this cottage, she’d seriously consider it. “A roommate?”
“Yeah.” Meg met her gaze. “I think it’s about time I moved out of the apartment over my parents’ garage. What do you think about sharing the cottage with me?” She quickly added, “I totally understand if you don’t want to though. You’re probably used to living on your own.”
Tia shook her head. “No. I’d love to have a roommate.” She grinned impishly. “But, I don’t know. How do you feel about mint chocolate-chip ice cream? If you don’t like it, that’s a dealbreaker.”
Meg laughed. “I love it. I wouldn’t complain if we had a freezer full of ice cream.”
Tia crossed the small room and held out her hand to Meg, who grasped it firmly. “Deal.” They shook hands, then both dissolved into a fit of laughter. Meg appeared as giddy about the opportunity to live there as Tia was.