Forever in Good Hope

by Kirk, Cindy

  Something in the way the dress was cut made him wonder if she was wearing a bra. Ignoring the fact that just the wondering had his body stirring, Jeremy lifted a wooden spoon in welcome. Then he stirred the contents of a large iron pot on the stove.

  “Jeremy was just telling me that you, my dear, had a stellar day on the course.” Ruby held out her arms and Fin moved in for a hug. “Congratulations.”

  Fin smiled and glanced at the stove. “What are we having?”

  “Chicken and barley stew. Hearty. Healthy.” Jeremy shot his grandmother a wink.

  “Soups and stews were staples in my house growing up.” Fin moved to the stove, appearing curious. “Look at all those vegetables.”

  “Because we were pressed for time, I used a package of frozen mixed vegetables.” Jeremy glanced at his grandmother. “No additional sodium, so it’s heart healthy.”

  “Is that bread I smell?”

  Jeremy hid a smile. He remembered her love of carbs. “I have a corn-and-millet loaf on warm that Dinah made yesterday. The credit is all hers on the bread.”

  A look of amazement crossed Fin’s face. “How, why, did you learn to cook like this?”

  “My mother was determined I know more than how to nuke a freezer dinner. Grandma Ruby showed me that cooking, even for one, could be relaxing at the end of a busy day.” He slanted a smile in his grandmother’s direction.

  “How about you, dear?” Ruby asked, reaching for a ladle.

  Fin, who’d started setting the table, looked up. “What about me?”

  Ruby inclined her head. “Do you do much cooking?”

  “No.” Her answer came quickly. “Most nights I work late. By the time I get home, I usually settle for a yogurt with some cheese and maybe a piece of fruit.”

  Ruby simply nodded, as if that lifestyle was something she understood rather than a completely foreign animal. “Do you enjoy cooking when you do have the time?”

  “To tell you the truth, it’s been so long since I prepared a meal for myself, I’m not sure.” Fin placed a red napkin on the table and thought for a moment. “I enjoy baking with my sisters when I’m back in Good Hope for the holidays.”

  With experienced, precise movements, Ruby ladled the soup into square, white bowls. “Do you anticipate having that same busy lifestyle after the wedding?”

  Jeremy’s eyes met hers, warning her to take her time. It would be easy to get tripped up.

  “Life here runs at a slower pace. It’s one of Good Hope’s most seductive charms.” Fin smiled and sauntered to the stove. She opened the oven door and slid out the bread.

  Not wanting to be outdone, Ruby placed the bowls of soup onto a tray.

  Jeremy put a restraining hand on her arm. “You sit. Fin and I will put the food on the table.”

  Ruby smiled, her easy acquiescence taking him by surprise.

  “You’re already working together as a team.” Ruby’s gaze shifted to Fin. “That warms my heart.”

  Jeremy also hoped it took her mind off the question she’d posed to Fin that had been answered in generalities.

  However, once they were seated at the table with the tantalizing aroma of soup and bread in the air, Ruby fixed a sharp-eyed gaze on Fin. “What is it you plan to do after the wedding?”

  Fin, who’d cut off a small bite of the crunchy bread, lifted it to her lips and took a moment to chew, then followed with an iced tea chaser.

  Ruby didn’t fill the silence with inane chatter; she simply waited, stirring her soup as if the tantalizing mixture were still simmering on the stove.

  “I’ve enjoyed my position at Entertainment Quest immensely.” Fin kept her tone matter-of-fact.

  Ruby cocked her head. “It’s going to be difficult for you to leave it.”

  “It will. Every step in my career over the past ten years led me to this point.” Fin’s green eyes turned distant, as if she were looking back over the decade.

  “What is it you like so much about this position?” The soup forgotten, Ruby leaned forward, obviously eager for details.

  That was the thing about Ruby, Jeremy thought. His grandmother had an insatiable curiosity about practically everything. It was only one of the things that kept her young at heart.

  Surprise flickered across Fin’s face, almost if she’d never been asked that question before.

  “I’m a development executive. The firm I work for focuses on book-to-screen adaptations.” Fin leaned forward, seeming to warm to the topic. “One of my favorite parts of my job is identifying a project with potential. There’s nothing better than pitching a story I love to studio executives. I haven’t been around long enough to see one of mine make it all the way to production.”

  “How do you know what to look for?” Ruby must have decided the soup had been stirred enough, since she took her first taste and gave Jeremy a thumbs-up.

  “I have to know what has appeal to audiences as well as what makes a good film script.” Following Ruby’s lead, Fin took her first spoonful of soup. Her eyes widened. She shifted her attention to Jeremy. “This is good. Really good.”

  “Naturally.” He gave her a wink.

  Fin took another spoonful. Sighed in pleasure.

  “Your job sounds interesting.” Ruby inclined her head. “Do you enjoy your coworkers?”

  “They’re very successful.” The words came easily. “Talented women with a lot of industry knowledge.”

  Ruby took a sip of tea. “I don’t believe that’s what I asked.”

  “Shirleen, the head of the firm, is intense and focused. All in a good way,” Fin hastened to add, as if her boss were out in the hall right now, listening to the conversation. “Ours is a highly competitive business. You can’t risk offending the studios or high-profile directors.”

  For the first time Jeremy realized the outcome of Fin’s trip to Good Hope had implications going beyond doing Xander a favor.

  “You’ll miss it.” Ruby’s comment was a statement, not a question.

  “I will.” Fin met Ruby’s gaze, then shifted those warm, green eyes to settle on Jeremy. She reached over and covered his hand with hers, lacing their fingers together. “But I can honestly say right now there isn’t any place I’d rather be than here with you and Jeremy.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “I hope nothing is wrong.” Fin touched Lynn’s arm.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing. Brynn has been rather . . . emotional lately.” Lynn’s wan smile appeared forced. “Some of it is probably because Mindy is a good friend and she’s worried about her. Then, there are other circumstances . . .”

  Fin gave Lynn’s shoulder a supportive squeeze but didn’t press. And she stood back while her father walked Lynn to the door and enfolded her in his arms for several heartbeats.

  She was sorry to see Lynn leave her father’s Labor Day barbecue. Not because Fin wanted to press the woman about Xander’s proposal. She’d already done that earlier in the afternoon.

  The strangest thing was, when Lynn finally seemed to warm to the idea—or at least appeared to be considering it more seriously—Fin found her own support for the project wavering.

  It was difficult to imagine Christmas in Good Hope without the Twelve Nights celebrations or Floyd, dressed as Santa, delivering Giving Tree presents in his 1980s red maxivan. The Christmas stroll, the caroling, the lights at every business window . . .

  Just thinking of it had Fin choking up.

  “Everything okay?”

  The light hand on her arm had Fin looking into Ami’s green eyes.

  “I should be asking you that question.” Fin kept her tone light, knowing Ami was sensitive to the fact that after threatening to come early, Baby Cross was making her and Beck wait.

  She knew her sister had become a champion curb walker and had turned into a spicy food aficionado. Any increased sexual activity, well, that was between Ami and Beck.

  “I’m hanging in there.” Ami patted her belly, which appeared lower than it had only a few days earl
ier. Her sister cocked her head. “Are you worried about Ruby?”

  “Not at all. She’s spending the day with Gladys and several other friends.” Fin smiled. “With cards, dominos, and Chinese checkers on the agenda, it’ll be a wild time.”

  Ami chuckled. “I love Ruby.”

  “She told me the other day she’d already bought my Christmas present.” Fin’s lips curved.

  “What is it?” Ami’s green eyes gleamed with curiosity.

  Fin shook her head. “She wouldn’t tell me. Said I’d have to wait until Christmas.”

  By then she’d be back in LA, and everyone in Good Hope—except for her family—would hate her. Ruby might even hate her. Fin’s smile slipped.

  She couldn’t think of that now, wouldn’t think of that now.

  “What do you think of delaying Christmas?” Fin asked her sister.

  When Ami hesitated, Fin realized this was the first time she’d asked a family member for their opinion on Xander’s plan. Even though she’d heard half the town opposed the project, she’d assumed her family supported it.

  Because that’s what you wanted to believe.

  “If the town board votes to approve, I think we should forget about all the activities until next year. I mean, we’ll still have the church service and Floyd will still deliver the Giving Tree presents to needy families. But the Twelve Nights . . .” Ami chewed on her bottom lip, her green eyes serious. “It won’t be the same in January.”

  “The money Good Hope would receive for the filming will go a long way toward strengthening the town coffers.” Fin pulled out the argument that had seemed to impress the businesswoman part of Lynn Chapin.

  “I know.” Ami brushed back a strand of hair and sighed. “But I can’t help thinking of Mom and Christmas the year before she died. For some in Good Hope, this will be their last Christmas.”

  That was an argument Fin didn’t intend to touch. “I bet there’s a lot of people who might enjoy having activities in January. Other than New Year’s Day, it’s a rather dull month.”

  Doubt blanketed Ami’s face. “But will the events in January overshadow the Cherries’ activities leading up to Valentine’s Day? I don’t know the answer, Fin.”

  “I don’t know, either.” A lump sat heavy in Fin’s throat. “I’m not sure anymore how I feel about closing down the town in December. No caroling in the town square. No Christmas stroll. And, like you, it’s difficult to imagine Good Hope without the Twelve Nights.”

  Ami patted her arm. “Now you understand why the town is divided.”

  “There are no easy answers, are there?”

  “There may be,” Ami conceded, “but I don’t think I’m the one to find them. I’m exhausted from not sleeping well these last few nights and not thinking the best.”

  For the first time, Fin noticed the circles beneath her sister’s eyes. Worry flooded her. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “You’ve done it.” Ami gripped her hand, her eyes moist. “Just by being here.”

  Stepping out onto the deck from the kitchen, Marigold stopped, her eyes taking in Fin’s serious expression and Ami’s tear-filled eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” Ami sniffed. “I’m just so h-happy to have all my sisters with me.”

  “Hoo-kay.” Marigold, looking chic in all black, raked a hand through her tangled blonde curls.

  Cade stepped from the hallway a second behind her, his hair looking as disheveled as hers. He gave her a swift kiss. “Time to beat the guys in horseshoes.”

  “What were you doing back there?” Fin asked.

  “What do you think?” Marigold’s eyes danced. “I was enjoying my man.”

  Fin rolled her eyes even as she fought a twinge of envy.

  Marigold had spent years building a reputation as a top hair stylist in Chicago. Now she was building a name—and a life—in Good Hope, and doing it her way.

  From everything Fin had heard, Marigold had all the business she wanted. And she had the man she loved . . .

  All her sisters had found their princes. As had she, Fin reminded herself, glancing down at the diamond.

  “Is this a private party? Or can anyone join?”

  Fin lifted her gaze to see Hadley stepping into the backyard via the gate.

  “I’m so happy you came.” Ami practically squealed the words.

  Ignoring the twinge of jealousy, Fin smiled and told herself that it was only expected that the two women had grown close. Hadley was Ami’s second-in-command at the bakery. They saw each other nearly every day, while for the last ten years Fin had seen her sister only on holidays.

  “I brought a box of apple doughnuts.” Hadley set the bakery box on the glass-topped table still holding assorted salads, then her gaze narrowed on Ami. “You need to sit and put your feet up.”

  “We should all.” Only when the words left Fin’s mouth did she realize how demanding she sounded.

  “I could sit.” Prim strolled up the steps leading to the yard. “I just need a seat facing the yard. Just in case the boys decide croquet mallets would make good weapons.”

  For now the redheaded twins were playing the game under the supervision of their uncle Beck.

  “I could use another Corona.” Marigold slanted a glance at Hadley. “Can I get you one?”

  Hadley hesitated. “If you’re certain I’m not intruding.”

  Going with impulse, Fin looped her arm through Hadley’s, surprising them both. “This is a perfect opportunity for us to get better acquainted.”

  Thirty minutes later, the women lounged on the deck. Beer had given way to mugs filled with cider. The bakery box that once held apple doughnuts dusted with cinnamon sugar now held only crumbs.

  Fin dabbed at her lips with a napkin. “If I keep eating like that, I’m going to have to get a seat belt extender when I fly back to LA.”

  Surprise flickered across Hadley’s face. “You’re going back?”

  “You know how it is when you move.” Marigold waved a hand in the air. “So many details to finalize. I only moved back here from Chicago and it was an ordeal.”

  Fin shot her youngest sister a grateful smile.

  Despite the very logical explanation, Hadley still appeared suspicious.

  “I know none of you are really into gossip, but I heard some news yesterday.” Marigold leaned forward, effectively diverting everyone’s attention from Fin’s return to California.

  “What kind of news?” Ami took a sip of her cider, her eyes bright with interest.

  Marigold glanced around the table, not speaking until she was assured everyone’s eyes were on her.

  She’s always been such a drama queen, Fin thought with a fondness that surprised her. While she loved all of her sisters, she and Marigold had often clashed. But that was ancient history. She was discovering she really liked the woman her youngest sister had become.

  “David Chapin and Whitney are separated.” Marigold spoke in a dramatic voice worthy of any stage actress. “Rumor is she’s left town and hired an attorney.”

  Hadley’s mug dropped to the table with a thud, splashing cider. Though the pretty blonde recovered almost instantly, Fin saw the flash of shock in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry.” Hadley quickly mopped up the spill with her napkin, her cheeks now flushed.

  Fin lifted her own mug to drink and studied Hadley over the rim. Something is off here.

  “I wonder if that had something to do with Lynn rushing off.” Concern covered Ami’s face.

  “Probably.” Marigold sat back. “I can’t say I’m surprised by the news. Whitney was gone more than she was home. Definitely not the recipe for a happy relationship.”

  Fin thought of Xander. “Lots of couples lead separate lives.”

  Marigold shot her a get real look.

  “Yeah, and how many of those relationships last?” Marigold lifted a hand, thumb and forefinger pinched together. “Big fat zero.”

  Though Fin supposed she should argue the point, s
he kept silent.

  “What about Brynn?” came Hadley’s quiet question.

  Fin set down her mug without taking a sip. “Brynn?”

  “Their daughter.” Tears were back in Ami’s eyes. “She’s the same age as the twins.”

  “She’s eight,” Hadley supplied, then flushed when all eyes turned to her. “She and her father come into the bakery a lot. The last time she was in, she mentioned she’d just turned eight.”

  “The kid is living with her father.” Marigold sat back in her chair. “Whitney didn’t want to be tied down by a child or a husband.”

  “Poor little peanut.” Ami frowned. “I wonder if there’s anything I can do . . .”

  “You have enough on your plate,” Fin told her. “You’re going to have a little peanut of your own any day now.”

  A faint smile lifted Ami’s lips.

  “What’s David going to do?” Marigold wondered aloud. “Who will watch her when he’s working?”

  “He works primarily from home.” Hadley spoke absently, her cornflower-blue eyes now dark. “They have a nanny, Camille.”

  “That’s right.” Marigold snapped her fingers. “Camille brought her to a couple of Seedlings meetings.”

  “Camille also came with Brynn to T-ball practice. I don’t think I ever saw Whitney there,” Prim added.

  “A nanny isn’t the same as a mother.” Hadley’s troubled gaze told Fin that the woman had some personal experience in the area.

  Bad nanny?

  At one of their many sisterly chocolate-and-wine get-togethers, Ami had once mentioned she thought Hadley might come from a privileged background. Not anything specific, just a few things the woman had let slip.

  Fin thought of her boss. Shirleen had a nanny for her three kids. According to Shirl, there had never been any question of her staying home to care for them. In fact, with the last baby, Shirleen had been back on the job in two weeks.

  The strange thing was, until Fin was back in Good Hope, that lifestyle hadn’t even struck her as strange. She thought of Prim and Max and their two boys. They still had active and satisfying careers as accountants, but family came first.