by Nicole Ellis
Cal kept his fingers wrapped around his cup. Although undrinkable, the heat was welcome in the large, chilly room. He cleared his throat. “I was hoping we could talk a bit about Tia.” He searched Antonio’s face, hoping the other man remembered meeting him a few weeks prior.
Antonio looked up sharply. “Tia? Is she okay?”
Cal held up a hand. “Sorry, man. She’s fine. But she’s a little freaked out that you’re in town. She’s convinced you’re here to force her to return to El Paso.”
“What? Why would she think that?” Antonio sighed and cast his gaze toward the ceiling, running his palm over his thick black hair before facing Cal again. He uttered a rueful laugh. “Like I’m in a place to tell her what to do.”
Cal regarded him thoughtfully before saying, “I suspected as much, but she’s sure the only reason you came to Willa Bay is to make her come home.”
“That’s nuts.” Antonio traced a small circle in the floor with the toe of his black leather loafer. “I wouldn’t do that. For one thing, she’s a grown woman, and I don’t have any right to tell her to do anything. Plus, she seems to be doing quite well for herself here.” He shook his head. “I know Mom and Dad worry about Tia, but I think she has it together.” He chuckled. “Now I’m the one they’re worried about.”
“So you’re not here because of Tia?” Cal asked.
“No!” Antonio exhaled loudly. “Well, maybe in a sense. Whenever I talked to her on the phone, she sounded so happy. After my life imploded back home, I thought maybe I could come to Willa Bay for my own fresh start.”
Cal nodded but didn’t ask any additional questions. He didn’t want to pry into the other man’s life if he wasn’t prepared to share it yet.
“How is Tia doing?” Antonio’s lips turned downward. “I’ve wanted to have a serious conversation with her ever since I got here, but whenever I finally get up the courage to talk to her, I chicken out.”
“I think she’d like to have that talk with you.” Cal placed his now-cooled coffee next to Antonio’s cup and leaned against the wall. “I have a feeling she’ll be more understanding than you give her credit for.” He flashed back to when he’d told Tia about his own struggles with alcohol and how she’d taken it in stride. She’d gone through her own stuff before moving to Willa Bay and had come out stronger for it.
“I don’t know.” Antonio’s words were quiet. “She’s always looked up to me as her older brother. I hate to disappoint her with the truth about who I really am.”
Cal chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. “You’re a human. We all fall down sometimes. It’s what we do afterward that matters.” He gestured to the thinning crowd in the room. “And I’d say you’re making a strong effort to get back up.”
Doubt clouded Antonio’s face, but he nodded. “I’m trying.”
Cal grinned. “Tia will see that. I haven’t known her for very long, but she seems really happy here. You saw the cottage she lives in, right?”
Antonio nodded. “She gave me a quick tour of it the first day I was in town. That view is gorgeous.” His eyes lit up. “And the rest of the resort is just as beautiful. I can see why she loves Willa Bay so much.”
Cal nodded. “From what I’ve seen, she’s become an integral part of the resort’s operation as an event venue. The owners speak highly of her and were more than happy to rent the cottage to her. In fact, one of the owners is now her roommate.”
Antonio raised his eyebrows in surprise. “So she has friends here too? She seems so focused on work that I wondered if she even had any free time.”
“Yep.” Cal’s heart warmed, thinking about how happy Tia was when she talked about her work at the Inn and the friends she’d made among her co-workers. “She’s become good friends with her boss, Zoe, and her roommate, Meg, as well as some of their friends and family. Did she tell you about the journal she and Meg are reading?”
“No.” Antonio’s face fell. “I haven’t spent as much time with Tia as I should have.”
“There will be time for that.” Cal hoped he was right, and that both Tia and Antonio would benefit from a long, honest conversation with each other. “Anyway,” Cal continued, “they’ve found two journals written by the daughter of the resort’s original owners. Tia actually came across one in the closet of her bedroom in the cottage. The young woman, Davina, wrote about having a disagreement with her parents regarding her future, and I think it really resonated with Tia.”
Antonio nodded. “I can see how it would.” He cleared his throat and reached for his coffee cup, then looked Cal straight in the eyes. “Thanks for taking the time to talk with me tonight. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
Cal smiled. “You’re very welcome. I think once Tia realizes you’re not here to drag her home kicking and screaming, she’s going to be really glad you’re in Willa Bay.”
Antonio nodded again. “I hope you’re right.” With his head down, he left the room.
Cal picked up his own cup and threw it in the garbage before leaving the church. This wasn’t how he’d expected his evening to go, but he was happy about how it had turned out. When he got into his car, he started thinking about the man Davina had fallen in love with.
If Davina had left Willa Bay with Matthias, where had they gone? Had she moved with him to Seattle? Cal wanted to know more about what had happened to the young woman. If he could discover where she’d gone, it would mean a lot to Tia. Even if he wasn’t able to locate her, any new information was better than what they currently had.
At home, Cal shot off an email to his sister, Emily, who was obsessed with genealogy. Last year, she’d given his parents detailed family trees of both sides of their families. If anyone could find out what had happened to Davina, it was Emily.
17
Cassie
Six days before Christmas, a bright blue sky hung over the Inn at Willa Bay like the background on a movie set. Cassie held her face up to the sun, enjoying its warmth against the chilly December morning. Near the gazebo, event staff were busy putting final touches on the decorations for her wedding.
My wedding. It felt so strange to say those words again. Although her love for Kyle had never died, she’d feared they’d never be able to reconcile their differences and come together again as a family. In a few hours, though, they would be standing on the steps of the gazebo as the pastor from the Lutheran Church presided over their second wedding ceremony.
She reached into the front passenger seat of her car and pulled out the long, lacey, off-white wedding dress she’d found at the local bridal shop. Although it had seemed silly to buy a pricey new one, the moment she had put it on in front of Meg and Zoe, she’d known it was worth every penny. She tried to grab the shoe box containing the silver heels she bought to match, but it slipped from her fingers and bounced back onto the seat of the car.
“I can get that, Mom.” Amanda reached forward from the back and finagled the box through the gap between the two front seats, then stepped out of the car to join Cassie in the parking lot of the Inn.
They made their way across the grass and up the stairs to the front porch.
Celia met them at the door with a broad smile. “Your mom is here already. She came early and kindly offered to do my hair while she waited for you girls to arrive. I told her I hadn’t planned on doing much with it, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.” She laughed, and gently patted her cap of tight white curls. “What do you think?”
“I think you look lovely.” Cassie leaned forward and hugged the petite woman, being careful not to muss her hair. “I’m so happy to have you here to celebrate with me today.”
Celia’s smile widened further. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She cocked her head at Cassie. “You know, you and the other girls are like granddaughters to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Cassie’s heart swelled with love, and she squeezed the elderly woman’s arm. “I feel the same way.”
Cassie suspected Cel
ia had been very lonely after her husband passed away many years ago, and it had only been about eight months since Celia met her biological grandchildren, Shawn and Jessa, for the first time. Cassie knew what it was like to be lonely, with her parents living so far away and being divorced from her husband as long as she had been. So, despite her busy schedule, Cassie had always tried to make time for the older woman. She treasured the hours they’d spent chatting over coffee, and the conversations they’d had on the weekly drive to church. She didn’t even mind taking Celia out on errands. Most of all, she would never forget how Celia had stepped up to help make Cassie’s dream of bakery ownership come true, both by pushing her to lease a bakery space and by giving her a loan to make it a reality.
Amanda stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Celia. “We love you, Miss Celia.”
Celia’s eyes brimmed with tears as she held Amanda close. Cassie remembered when Amanda could barely reach Celia’s waist, but it wouldn’t be long before she grew taller than the petite woman. “Thank you,” Celia mouthed to Cassie.
“Of course,” Cassie whispered back.
Celia patted Amanda’s back and stepped away, turning to the side as she wiped away a tear with her thumb.
Cassie’s mom, Theresa, appeared in the doorway behind Celia. “My favorite girls!” She held out her arms and pulled Amanda to her.
“Hi, Grandma.” Amanda said, her words muffled by Theresa’s chest.
“Hi, Mom.” Cassie took Amanda’s place and let her mother’s arms envelope her, the familiar sensation making her feel like a child again. She breathed in the light, floral scent of her mom’s perfume.
“Hey, sweetie. I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.” Cassie swallowed hard. Her parents had moved to Belleville for her father’s job when Amanda and Jace were still babies, and it had always felt like a piece of her had gone with them. It wasn’t like they’d moved terribly far away, but with Cassie’s hectic schedule, the two-hour distance made visiting them difficult.
Theresa squeezed Cassie’s shoulders gently and held her daughter at arm’s length. She eyed Cassie’s blonde hair and cleared her throat. “I see it’s been a while since you’ve had your hair cut.” Behind her, Celia’s eyes danced with amusement, fresh from her own experience with Theresa’s enthusiastic hairstyling.
Cassie touched a wavy strand. “I didn’t want it to be too short for the wedding.”
“Good thinking.” Her mom smiled at her, then at Amanda. “Well girls, we’d better get started.” She pivoted on her toes and took off at a brisk pace for the back room.
Celia winked at Cassie. “I’d better check on our guests in the sitting room. I hope you girls have a good time.” She pushed open the door leading to what had once been her living room when the Inn was her private residence.
Amanda trotted after her grandmother, close on her heels. Cassie walked a little slower, admiring the decor. It seemed like each time she was there, something new had been added to accentuate the Inn’s natural beauty. Today, it was decorated for Christmas.
Green garlands circled the railing of the staircase leading from the second floor. Strands of warm golden lights wove their way through its branches, culminating in a big, red velvet bow tied around the newel post at the foot of the stairs. The same lights continued along the ceiling of the main floor, lighting a path down the hallway. To Cassie, it felt like she’d wandered into a magical Christmas village.
“Cassie?” Her mother’s voice carried down the hall, from where Zoe had turned a back storeroom into two lovely dressing rooms for the bride and groom to use to get ready for the ceremony.
“Coming, Mom.” Cassie tore her gaze away from the decorations and hurried down the hall.
Inside the bride’s dressing room, Theresa stood behind Amanda, who was seated in a beautician’s chair in front of a white vanity with an antique mirror. In the short time Cassie had spent admiring the decor, her mother had pulled back the top half of Amanda’s long brown hair into a clip. As Cassie entered the room, Theresa looked up, gesturing with a short, narrow-toothed comb. “I’m thinking about leaving the rest loose and adding some curl. What do you think?”
“I’m sure whatever you decide will look great.” Although Cassie had always enjoyed doing her own hair and makeup, she hadn’t quite developed her mother’s knack for it.
While Theresa worked on Amanda’s hair, Cassie walked over to a hook on the wall and hung up the garment bag containing her wedding dress. For her first wedding, Cassie had worn a traditional, white satin gown with a full skirt and a train that had to be bustled to keep it from dragging on the ground. This time, she’d also opted for a full-length dress, but the skirt hung softly against her body from a tight-fitting, strapless bodice adorned only by a row of shiny pearls along the top. With its simple design, she’d be able to put it on minutes before the ceremony and not have to worry about wrinkling the garment while getting ready.
She sat on the purple velvet sofa with one foot tucked up under her and the other on the floor. She leaned back into the firm cushions and watched her daughter’s face in the mirror. When she and Kyle had married right after college, they’d both been so young – so naive. They’d been high school sweethearts, and she would never have predicted their marriage could fall apart the way it did.
Things had been good for many years and she’d loved being a stay-at-home mom to Amanda and Jace. But, as the kids got older, she’d been struck by a desire for something more – something of her own. Kyle had his career as an accountant, and a life outside their front door, but she’d always been entirely focused on the kids. She’d tried to express her feelings to her husband, but they hadn’t communicated well, and it had taken a toll on their marriage. Now, several years after the divorce, and with the benefit of maturity, they’d reconciled and were committed to being honest about what they needed not only from each other, but also for themselves. This time, the marriage would last for the rest of their lives.
Theresa’s voice interrupted Cassie’s reminiscence. “She looks beautiful, doesn’t she?”
Cassie focused on her daughter, and her breath caught. A pearl clasp held Amanda’s hair back in a gleaming brunette cap. Long curls flowed freely down her back and small ringlets framed either side of her face.
Her mother was right. Free from her customary ponytail, and wearing a light coating of lip gloss and mascara, Amanda looked so grown up. Cassie’s baby would soon be a teenager. When had that happened?
“Mom?” Amanda’s brow knit with worry as Cassie hesitated to respond. “Do you like it?”
“You look gorgeous, honey.” Cassie crossed the room and lightly touched one of the ringlets grazing Amanda’s cheek. She met Theresa’s gaze. “You outdid yourself.”
Theresa didn’t bother with false modesty. “I know. But,” she glanced at Amanda and smiled softly at her, “I couldn’t have asked for a better client.” She turned back to Cassie and her eyes gleamed. “Your turn.”
Amanda slowly stood from the chair, not taking her eyes off of her reflection. “Thanks, Grandma.” With obvious reluctance, she tore herself away from the mirror and walked over to the backpack she’d left near the sofa. From its depths, she removed a paperback book, a music player, and a pair of earbuds. Mindful of her recently styled hair, she carefully inserted the ear pieces, perched on the edge of the sofa cushion, and opened the book.
Cassie sat on the chair and faced the mirror, relaxing as her mother skillfully coated her face with a thin layer of foundation, dusted her cheeks with blush, and applied mascara to her pale eyelashes. While it was more makeup than she usually wore, it was perfect for her wedding day.
When Theresa had finished, she ran her fingers through Cassie’s thick mane. “Did you have a particular hairstyle in mind?”
To most people, it would be odd to converse with their mother through a mirror instead of facing her directly, but Cassie was used to it. She’d often served as a model for her mom’s new styling techniques, es
pecially while Theresa had attended beauty school. Cassie’s intricate French braids had been the envy of many of her female classmates in elementary school.
“Nope. Something simple though. I’ve had enough complication in my life.” She grinned up at her mom.
Cassie had expected her mother to smile back at her, but instead, Theresa regarded her with concern.
“What’s wrong?” Cassie asked.
Theresa’s fingers stilled in Cassie’s hair. “I’m just worried about you.”
“Why?” Cassie moved her feet off the foot rest, rotating the chair until they were facing each other. She cast a quick glance at Amanda, but her daughter was now snuggled into the couch cushions, head bobbing to the beat of her music. She wouldn’t hear any of their conversation.
Theresa took a deep breath. “Kyle hurt you last time. I don’t want to see you go through that again.”
Cassie peered at her, noting the deep lines of worry that creased her mother’s normally optimistic expression, and chose her words carefully. “While I understand your concern, Kyle and I have both matured in the years we weren’t together. We’ve talked things through more in the last few months than we did during our entire marriage. And it wasn’t just Kyle’s fault. My actions played an equal part in our problems.”
Theresa’s chin wobbled and she reached for a tissue to dab her eyes before a tear dared sully her makeup. “But you’re my baby,” she whispered. Her gaze darted to Amanda, who still hadn’t seemed to notice them talking.
“I know,” Cassie whispered back. In a normal voice, she said, “But I love Kyle, and I know this time it’s going to be better.”
Theresa nodded resolutely and produced what Cassie recognized as her polite smile. “Okay. I won’t mention it again. Your father and I just want you to be happy.”