by Aurora Rey
“Please,” she gestured to the food, “help yourselves.”
Shauna, half of a Manhattan power couple, smiled. “Plates?”
“Agh.” Of course she would forget the plates. “Sorry about that. I’ll be right back.”
Will hurried into the kitchen, opening cabinets at random until she remembered the plates lived in the buffet in the dining room. She returned to the dining room, avoiding eye contact with Shauna or any of the other guests. She opened the side door and took out ten plates. Unfortunately, she’d not left any room on top for them, so she set them on the table. Without being prompted, she yanked open the top drawer. Forks and knives and napkins sat ready to go. She breathed a sigh of relief and put them next to the plates.
She stepped back and took a deep breath, praying she hadn’t forgotten anything else. “Thank you so much for your patience. If I’m forgetting anything else, please let me know.”
Clint, the meteorologist, snagged the top plate. “It all looks delicious.”
Will nodded and smiled at the murmurs of agreement. She watched as people filled their plates, refilled their coffee, and returned to their conversations. Relieved, she allowed herself to slump slightly against the door frame. All at once, the adrenaline that kept her going vanished. In its place, exhaustion. She blinked a few times to clear her vision. She needed to keep it together for just a little bit longer.
Confident there was more than enough food, Will retreated to the kitchen. She immediately went for her phone. Finally, a text from Graham.
Nora is awake and ready to be home. Just waiting around for a doctor to do discharge.
Will read the message five times. Only when a tear plopped onto her screen did she realize she was crying. Will swiped at her eyes and laughed at herself for being such a mush.
Aside from forgetting plates, breakfast went off without a hitch. I may have made too much food. :)
Will hoped that would give Graham, and maybe Nora, a chuckle.
When the back door to the kitchen swung open, Will spun around. Although it made no sense, she half expected to find Nora standing there. Instead, it was Tisha, who crossed her arms and looked at Will with suspicion.
“What are you doing here?” The tone, combined with Tisha’s thick Jamaican accent, managed to be both judgmental and dismissive.
“Nora was in a car accident.”
“When? Where? Where is she now?” The immediate shift in her voice helped Will relax.
“Right after Graham’s graduation. She’s going to be okay, but she’s in the hospital. She’s still down in Maryland.”
“And she asked you to come here?” The suspicion was back full force.
“Yes. No. Well, sort of. Graham and I discussed it. Graham stayed to be there when Nora woke up and I came here to cover things.” Will didn’t add that she and Nora had barely returned to speaking terms. “We knew she had guests and you were expecting her. Graham was going to call you.”
“Nora sent me a message that she was on her way home. I thought everything was fine. My niece broke her phone, so I gave her mine to go out last night.”
“It must have happened right after that. And I—Graham and I—didn’t want to leave you in a lurch. So here I am.”
Will’s phone pinged. She glanced down at the screen.
Doc here now. I’ll text with an ETA.
Will looked at Tisha. “It sounds like she’s being discharged now. That means she and Graham should be here by this evening.”
So glad. PLEASE be safe on the road.
After sending the reply, Will tucked her phone in her pocket. Tisha remained standing there, staring at her. Will swallowed. “I, um, I made breakfast. I’m sure it wasn’t as good as Nora’s, but it seemed to go over okay. I’m going to clean up from that and then I can do anything else that needs doing.”
Tisha nodded slowly. She seemed to be assessing instead of judging, which Will took as a good sign. “It was good of you to do that.”
Will couldn’t be sure, but she had a feeling that was about as big a compliment as Tisha bestowed, at least on people not part of her inner circle. “I just…I didn’t want her to have to worry about it.”
“You know her well, it seems.”
Two compliments in one day. Fearing she might be on the verge of crying again, Will cleared her throat. “I know how she feels about this place, at least, and her guests. So, what else is there to do? I’m happy to take orders.”
Tisha narrowed her eyes. “When did you sleep?”
“I took a nap on the road.”
“You look like shit.”
Will couldn’t say why, but the insult made her feel infinitely better. It seemed to imply a detente, or at least an acceptance of her presence. “Thanks.”
“You should get some rest now. I can take it from here.”
Will wanted to brush off the help, insist that she was fine. Honestly, though, every muscle in her body hurt, including some she didn’t even know she had. The idea of a shower and a few hours of sleep before Nora got home were enough to make her weep with gratitude. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. And then you can help me figure out what to do to get ready for when she gets home.”
And just like that, they were allies. “Thank you. I don’t need long. Is anyone in the room Graham used? I can go home, but—”
“It’s free. You’ll have to use Nora’s bathroom, though. Do you know where that is?”
Will, full-on punchy at this point, laughed and then tried to cover it with a cough.
Again, Tisha narrowed her eyes. To her credit, though, her only reply was, “I’m going to take that as a yes.”
Will went through Nora’s room to get to the bathroom. The space smelled like her—lavender and sunshine and something Will never had been able to identify. Will looked at the bed and, as she would have expected, memories came crashing over her. Although they’d spent their first night together upstairs, all the other nights and all the other mornings were in this room. She could see Nora standing at the dresser putting on makeup, in front of the closet contemplating an outfit. She could see Nora in the bed, peaceful in sleep or looking at her with eyes that made Will’s insides melt.
She lost track of how long she stood there, finding a certain comfort in just being in Nora’s space. A door closing elsewhere in the house jerked her back to reality. Will went into the bathroom and stripped, stepping into the shower and cranking the water as hot as she could stand it. She emerged wrapped in a towel, then looked down at the sad pile of clothes she’d worn for more than twenty-four hours.
She’d forgotten to bring in her bag. The realization hit her at the same time she remembered that her bag, with clean underwear at least, sat on the back seat of her car. Which was in Maryland. Or, perhaps by now, somewhere in between.
She contemplated a quick dash down the hall to the laundry room, but the idea of being caught made her fear she’d lose all the credibility she’d just earned. Will sighed. She’d worn worse. Once Nora was home and settled, she’d go home and change. She didn’t consider the possibility of not coming back. Or what she would do if Nora didn’t want her around. She shoved aside the notion. Nora would need help whether she wanted it or not. Will intended to give that help. They’d sort out the rest eventually. They had to.
She went to the door and stuck her head out into the hallway. Seeing no one, she decided to make a dash for Graham’s room in just the towel. She was almost there when Tisha appeared, as though summoned from Will’s desire not to be seen.
“Do you have clean clothes?”
Damn it. “I don’t. I ended up switching cars with Graham. I’ll just put these back on.”
“Let me wash them for you.”
“You don’t have—”
“It wasn’t a question. They’ll be clean and dry before you wake up.”
Will handed over the pile, suddenly sheepish. “Thank you.”
“Now go. Sleep. Do you want me to wake you?”
/> Will was starting to see why Nora valued her so much. The woman got shit done. “I’ve got my phone. I’ll set an alarm.”
“Okay, then. Get to it.”
Will escaped into the bedroom and closed the door. She felt weird about sleeping in Graham’s bed naked, but she didn’t see how she had much choice. Telling herself it wasn’t Graham’s bed specifically helped. She draped the towel on the doorknob and crawled under the duvet, letting out a moan of pleasure. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so exhausted.
When her alarm went off a few hours later, Will sat upright and looked around. It took her a moment to remember where and what day it was. Her clothes sat in a neat pile on the chair. Tisha must have come in while she was asleep. Will glanced down at her bare breasts and said a silent prayer that she’d been securely under the covers.
She pulled on the clothes, minus the tie, pretty sure that Tisha had gone so far as to iron them. Feeling more like herself, she spent a minute deciding between making the bed and stripping it. In the end, she settled on stripping. She didn’t know when it would be needed again and didn’t want to presume she’d be welcome.
Will found Tisha in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the snacks for happy hour. “Can I give you a hand?”
Tisha waved her off. “I’m just about done. Did you get an update on when they’ll be here?”
Will looked at her phone. “Nothing in the last couple of hours. Based on when they left, I’m thinking around seven.”
“Okay. I’ll do happy hour and clean everything up. Hopefully everyone will scoot off to dinner and it’ll be quiet.”
She couldn’t tell if Tisha might be trying to get rid of her. Before she could get shooed away, Will said, “I’d like to stay until they arrive, so I’m really okay with being put to work.”
“You seem to know how things run around here. Did you work here over the winter?”
Even without the uncertainty of her future with Nora, Will decided it wasn’t her place to tell Tisha what had transpired. “Nora hired me for a couple of projects, but I picked up things here and there and helped her a few times when she was busy.”
Tisha nodded. “I know she doesn’t have enough work to keep someone on all winter, but it’s lot for one person.”
Will smiled. “I don’t know how she does it.”
“She works too much is how.”
“Agreed.” Will thought for a moment. If she could make an ally out of Tisha, it might help her prospects in the long term. “I’m hoping she’ll let me continue helping while she recovers. I’m sure if it’s just the two of you, she’ll push herself more than she should.”
Will watched as the seed she planted took root. “It sounds like you know her better than most. I could handle the extra work, but you’re right. She won’t have it.”
“I have another job, but I’m free early morning and most evenings. If you want to put in a good word for me, I’ll do whatever needs to be done.”
“Well, you handled breakfast on your own, so you’re clearly capable. I’ll see what I can do.”
The offer was far more than she’d bargained for after meeting Tisha for only the second time a few hours before. “Great. What can I do in the meantime? Oh, besides laundry. I stripped the bed I slept in, so I’ll get that set of sheets going.”
“How about I do sheets and you do the people?”
“The people?”
“The guests. Nora stays out in the dining room and sitting room during happy hour to make sure there’s enough wine and food. And she chats people up. I did it yesterday and I’d just as soon not have to do it again.”
Will smiled. She knew an introvert when she saw one. “I’m on it. And thanks to you, I’m even dressed for it. Thank you, by the way, for washing them. The ironing was above and beyond.”
Another wave of hand. “If it gets me out of socializing with strangers, it was more than worth it.”
“I guess that makes us even.” Which made her glad. She liked being even. And although she wouldn’t complain about housework, she’d much rather play host. She glanced at the clock on the wall, then the tray of cheese and fruit. “Is this ready to go?”
“Yes, and I’ll have the fig and gorgonzola tarts out of the oven in just a minute.”
Will picked up the tray. “I’ll be back.”
She carried the food out to the dining room and set it on the sideboard in the sitting room under the window. She pulled wineglasses from the cabinet below, along with the small plates Nora used for happy hour, napkins, and two bottles of red. She returned to the kitchen for white wine, then rooted around in the cabinet for a chiller and the corkscrew. She opened the wine and arranged everything just as Tisha emerged with the tarts and a shallow basket of water crackers.
Tisha set them in the places Will had left and surveyed the spread. She nodded. “Looks good to me.”
“Thanks. I’ll stay out here and socialize. Hopefully Nora and Graham will be home soon.”
“I’ll go do some prep for tomorrow morning. We can sort out who’s going to do what later, but that’ll make it easier.”
“Sounds good.” Will really wanted to say that she appreciated it, but doing so made her feel an ownership of the whole thing and she didn’t want to come off as any more presumptuous than she already had.
The front door opened and a couple walked in. They each carried an armful of shopping bags and were laughing about something one of them must have said before they entered. Tisha looked at Will and raised a brow. “That’s my cue.”
Will chuckled at how quickly she hightailed it back to the kitchen. Then she turned her attention to the guests and prepared to make them feel completely at home.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Nora watched the scenery change as Graham drove them along Route 6. Her mind swirled with the events of the last few days, up to and including the fact that Will was currently running things at the inn. It baffled her, overwhelmed her. More than anything, it confused the hell out of her.
The one benefit to having so much on her mind was that she forgot how physically uncomfortable she was. Although, at this point, that might be preferable. For the tenth or so time since they got on the road, Nora did an inventory of her body.
Her head ached, but as long as she didn’t move quickly, the shooting pain had subsided. The same was true of her arm. The dull throb was tiring, but not unbearable. The rest of her was okay. She felt jostled and bruised—which, technically, she was—but not anything she couldn’t handle.
Of course, all she’d attempted to do so far was sit quietly. The idea of getting back to work loomed over her. As badly as she wanted to throw herself back into it, she didn’t know if it would be physically possible, at least for a few days. She could ask Tisha to put in some overtime and, even though Graham was due to start work, Nora knew she’d help some. And there was Will. Nora shook her head at the thought.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Graham’s eyes darted between Nora and the road, a look of concern on her face. “Do you need another pain pill?”
“No, no. I’m fine.”
Graham didn’t look convinced. “You don’t have to be the tough broad around me, you know.”
“Tough broad? What is a twenty-three-year-old doing using that phrase?”
“Don’t try to change the subject. I’m trying to tell you it’s okay to fall apart a little.”
Part of her wanted to fall apart. She’d just lost use of her primary hand for six weeks. Even with Tisha back, there’s no way they’d be able to stay on top of everything. The idea of imposing on Graham upset her almost as much as having to cancel reservations. “I don’t fall apart. It’s not my style.”
Graham let out an exasperated sigh. “I know it’s not your style. That’s the point. I thought…I thought we’d gotten close.”
“Of course we’re close. Why would you doubt that?”
“Because if we can’t be vulnerable around each other, what’s the
point?”
Nora studied her niece. She couldn’t tell if Graham was truly upset or working an angle. Either way, she had a point. Being unflappable wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. “You’re right.”
Graham reached over and squeezed her leg. “About being in pain or falling apart?”
“The latter. I’m worried about the next few weeks.”
“I get it. But you have me. I’m sure I can postpone my start date or do a flex schedule for a month or two.”
Nora shook her head. “Absolutely not. You are about to start your professional life. I will not interfere with that.”
“I’m not chucking my career. You make it seem like a much bigger deal than it is. Between Will and me, I’m sure we’ll be able to cover everything.”
“About Will.” Nora had no idea what about Will, but something. She didn’t want to drag Graham into it, but she also couldn’t have Graham going on like she and Will were an item or, worse, a team.
“You’re not seriously still mad at her?”
“No.” Nora was a lot of things, but mad wasn’t one of them.
“She loves you.”
Graham had said as much at the hospital, but Nora thought it might be wishful thinking on Graham’s part. Not to mention hers. “It’s complicated.”
Graham shook her head. “It was momentarily complicated by my meltdown. Please don’t throw away the chance to be happy because of that.”
“I didn’t. It’s not…” Nora didn’t know what she was thinking, much less what to say.
“I wish you could have seen her face after the accident. I was freaking out, but it had nothing on the panic in her eyes. And after, at the hospital, it was so obvious that she didn’t want to leave. But when we realized you had guests expecting you, she didn’t hesitate. Not for a second.”
It was at least the third time Graham had said as much. Nora was still struggling to reconcile that fact with everything she’d come to believe about Will. Even if Will had better motives than Jordyn, she’d made it clear sticking it out wasn’t her thing. Trying to reason it out brought Nora’s headache back with a vengeance. She closed her eyes and pressed fingers to her temples. “Maybe I am ready for another pain pill.”