by Jenny Hale
“Mornin’, sunshine!” Blue called, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“Morning…” Scarlett said, walking past everyone to make herself a cup of coffee while eyeing them as if they were all crazy, which, given the situation, seemed entirely possible. Perhaps once she got some caffeine in her and woke up, she’d realize she’d been sleepwalking and this was some sort of bizarre dream. She got a mug from the cabinet and Charlie said something quietly to Gran, making her laugh. Charlie made Gran laugh? He hadn’t made her laugh before. Ever.
“Charlie took care of the wiring problem for us, Scarlett. Isn’t that nice?” Gran said, getting up and fixing a plate of eggs and bacon. Gran dropped a biscuit onto the plate and left it by the empty place at the table, apparently for Scarlett. Gran was smiling and strangely agreeable this morning.
“Yes, he told me,” Scarlett said hesitantly.
“Which is wonderful because Preston and Loretta have some news!” she said. “Hurry up with your coffee and come over here with us.”
Scarlett quickly added sugar and cream and threw a spoon into her mug, interested to hear what was going on. Charlie patted the empty seat on the other side of him and Scarlett sat down, all faces on her, everyone overly excitable like she was in some kind of hidden-camera show.
“Look,” Loretta said, holding up her left hand. A beautiful emerald-cut diamond swung around her finger. “Preston popped the question.”
Scarlett had to close her gaping mouth. All those years he spent pushing her away… “Congratulations,” she said. “I can’t believe this!” Scarlett was at a loss for words. She was so delighted for them both, and she was flabbergasted that Preston had finally been impulsive enough to do something about how he felt so swiftly.
“We’ve already known each other for so long and we didn’t want to wait another minute,” Loretta explained. “We haven’t left each other’s sides since he told me how he felt. When I’m around him it feels…” She looked over at Preston. “Perfect.”
“I took a gamble,” he said, addressing Scarlett before leaning over and kissing Loretta. Loretta snuggled up next to him.
“The funny thing is,” Loretta said, “I always had a crush on him. I just didn’t think he was interested in me. I wanted him to be happy even if it wasn’t with me, so I kept trying to find someone perfect for him.”
“Which was impossible to do,” Preston added. “Because to be perfect, they’d have had to be her.”
“What a wonderful story,” Gran said, her face alight with joy. Then she leaned around Charlie to speak to Scarlett. “That’s not the only news.” Gran clasped her hands together. “No one’s heard this yet—that’s what they’re all waiting for.” She scanned everyone at the table dramatically. “Preston and Loretta would like to have their wedding and reception at White Oaks next Christmas.”
As Scarlett assessed her family, they were all so relaxed, chatting enthusiastically between each other, congratulating Preston and Loretta… Did anyone realize that White Oaks might not be open in a year? Did they not just come off a major power outage—a direct result of White Oaks’ decline due to lack of revenue? How would they have enough money to update the inn and host a wedding? Scarlett had been involved in weddings at White Oaks. It was a major affair. There was lighting, tables and chairs, flowers to be planted in the gardens, runners, parking attendants and staff to work the reception—all provided by White Oaks. Even contracting some of the services would take money. But no one seemed fazed by it. Wasn’t this the same group of people who’d decided to sell the inn because it was losing money?
“What is going on?” Scarlett asked Charlie, unable to sugarcoat her complete confusion. The table fell silent, all eyes on her.
Charlie twisted around to face her. “If we move forward on renovations and get started right away, I project we’ll have construction finished in six months. I’ve put a rush on a couple of the major changes, and I’ll have them scheduled by the end of the day.”
“What are you talking about? You didn’t want to do this…”
He nodded, his gaze nearly consuming her.
“And even if you changed your mind, what about you, Gran?” Scarlett leaned back in her chair to see Gran on the other side of Charlie. “You seem happy about this.”
Charlie got up and walked over to the other side of the kitchen, retrieved his laptop, and sat back down, opening it so Scarlett could view the screen. “I deleted my original plan,” he said, clicking keys. “I’ve revamped the idea completely. We’re enlarging the back sunroom, keeping all the windows but using the rear parking to give us room for expansion. And we’re changing the furniture.” He showed her a simulated image of what it would look like. “We’re upgrading the furniture to oversized white wicker, adding quilts and fresh flowers. The back wall will be made of planks of wood salvaged from area farmhouse demolitions…” He scrolled to another mock-up. “I’ve added a self-guided tour where visitors will travel the grounds, learning its history quietly—nothing flashy. At every stop, there will be different ‘attractions,’ if you will.” He pointed to a photo of the grounds, just behind the flower garden. “We’ll have a barn constructed here where we’ll have wine tastings.” He moved across the screen. “And over here, we’ll hang porch swings from the trees. Each one will be fitted with coordinating cushions and pillows for taking in the view of the valley. I plan to clear just a tiny number of trees on this side because at the moment, they obstruct the most gorgeous view of the waterfalls. All the outside porches leading to the rooms will be extended with lines of paddle fans in the ceiling, rocking chairs, and more flowers. In the summers, we’ll have small silver and glass carts with lemonade and iced tea…”
As Charlie clicked through to the next photo to continue his new plan, Scarlett caught a glimpse of Gran. She was smiling, her fingers at her lips, tears of happiness in her eyes. That was when she understood the faces of her family. Charlie had shared this with them already and every single one of them was on board. He’d brought them all together. But Charlie had said he couldn’t do this, that he didn’t know how. What had changed?
“There will be a café in the current parlor that will run like a coffee shop. Constantine will provide freshly made pastries daily—”
Scarlett stopped Charlie, afraid to believe this was really happening. He couldn’t get them all this excited and pull out of the plan for any reason. He had to be committed to this because it was the most wonderful thing she’d ever heard. She hadn’t even seen the rest of his plans for the inn, but she already knew that they would be just perfect. “Can I talk to you for a second in the hallway, please?” she asked him, her heart pounding.
“Of course.” He stood up, offering his hand.
She took it and they walked out of range of her family.
Scarlett stared at him, feeling the enormity of what was going on and wanting with everything she had to believe it. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Living.” He gave her a knowing look. Charlie gripped her hands. “You’re right, Scarlett. I sat around my dad’s cottage after you left, and all I could think about was that every time you walked out that door, you took all the light with you. I tried to think of a way that I could show you how I feel about you, and that was when I opened up my laptop and deleted the original plan. I wrote this one for you. It was easy,” he said, smiling down at her. “I just started making changes that matched the feeling you give me every time I see you. In an old run-down cottage, you are like fresh bouquets; you’re like a misty-morning view, a sunrise, a barefoot dance in a field of wildflowers…”
Scarlett blinked away her tears.
He pulled her closer, but didn’t lean down to kiss her like she wanted him to do. “I’m staying in Silver Falls,” he said. “Without a doubt.” He caressed her hand with his thumb, sending a current of happiness through her. “Will you stay here with me?”
“What?”
“White Oaks needs a marketing manager. I haven’t shown y
ou that plan yet.” He beamed. “Your grandmother gave me full rein to do all the hiring as the primary investor. She told me you’re the best around, and if you’re willing to leave your new job at Electra, we’d love to have you. You’re hired if you want the job. The salary would be small, but the benefits would be great.”
Scarlett pulled him to her, pressed herself up onto her tippy toes, and put her arms around his neck.
Charlie leaned down toward her. “Is there any rule about kissing your investor?” he asked.
“You haven’t officially hired me yet,” she teased. “But even when I say yes, which I will, you can kiss me.”
“Good,” he said, his lips so close to hers that she could feel his breath. “Because I plan to do it a lot.” Charlie leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, and Scarlett had never felt more certain about anything in her life. She knew what he meant about her being his light in the room. She felt the same way about him. His kiss was like air in her lungs, like plunging into the water on a scorching summer day… Never before had she found someone who fit her like he did. It hit her then that her advice to him applied to her as well. She hadn’t really taken chances, put herself to the test, and trusted her instincts until she’d met him. She hadn’t lived. And she couldn’t wait to get started.
Epilogue
Scarlett walked forward blindly, Charlie’s hands over her eyes. “Don’t peek!” Charlie said, leading her over the bumpy terrain.
She was cold, still wearing the cranberry dress from Preston and Loretta’s Christmas Eve wedding and Charlie’s suit jacket over the top, but she didn’t mind as long as she was with Charlie. They’d been inseparable over the last year, and she couldn’t imagine her life without him. The more she got to know him, the more she loved him. Every day that she spent with him at White Oaks was a blessing. He helped Gran with all the transitions and growth at the inn; he watched Trevor when Janie had her baby—a little girl that Janie named Hope; he tutored Heidi in a business planning class she had at her design school over video call. She’d pointed all this out to him once, saying, “Don’t look now, but you’ve become an expert at being a family member.”
Her balance wobbled from the uneven ground and the three glasses of champagne she’d had. The wedding had gone off without a hitch. The party was still going even after the happy couple left for the airport. Scarlett had made a special request to the resort in the Bahamas to postpone the trip she’d won last Christmas, and she’d given it to Preston and Loretta so that they could have a honeymoon. The minute they’d left, Charlie insisted he had something to show her.
Unable to open her eyes the entire drive, Scarlett had laughed all the way to their location while she fidgeted with her blindfold made from Charlie’s tie. When the truck finally stopped, he’d taken it off her as long as she promised to keep her eyes closed. Before he untied it, he surprised her with a kiss.
“Okay,” he said. “Open your eyes.”
Scarlett gasped at what was in front of her. Amos’s cottage had been transformed. It was completely repainted a bright white, the roofline pulled upward with new dormer windows added, and the whole thing was landscaped with dark green foliage, lining a stone path, each flat gray stone outlined in moss, which led to the front door. The small stoop of a porch had been altered beyond recognition and now stretched along the entire refaced front of the home, all the windows replaced by glass French doors that opened up to the outside.
Charlie took her hand. “Come with me,” he said, excitement clear in his voice.
He opened the beveled glass door into the newly remodeled space. The ceilings were now vaulted—white with natural wood beams like rays of sunshine, reaching down to the walls. The entire place had been professionally decorated in whites and neutrals with pops of red and deep blue. But what caught her eye immediately was the enormous Christmas tree in the corner, full of twinkling white lights, and silver and red ornaments.
“Last year, you mentioned that I needed a tree,” he said, grinning fondly at her, his hand at her back. “Jax promised me this one would last the entire season.”
Scarlett laughed through her excitement. “This is beautiful,” she said, so thrilled for him. “How did you have time to do this with all the changes at the inn?”
He raised his eyebrows, happy. “Are you surprised?” he asked.
“Absolutely. All those nights you insisted on staying here, I thought you were living in the old shack instead of staying at the inn where there was running water…” She snickered. “You said you were fixing things and that it was a disaster zone—that’s why I stayed away.”
“It was a disaster zone,” he said. “Just a different kind. And I wouldn’t have let you come anyway. I’d have figured out a way to keep this from you so it could be a surprise.” He took her hand. “But I have one more thing to show you,” he said, leading her to a set of brand-new double doors at the back.
He opened them up to allow her to step back outside. She walked out onto another porch, this one taking her breath away. It had oversized bench swings at either end, both facing a stunning view.
“I cleared the land, and look what I found,” he said, pointing his hand toward the sweeping outlook across the valley below—but while the purples and blues of it in the light of dusk were incredibly beautiful on their own, it was the yard full of little lights and candles leading to that view that robbed her of all speech. The back yard looked like a sea of fireflies, all hovering along the ground, pointing to the path that led to the edge of the yard. Charlie took her hand and they walked down that winding path together to a gazebo with cushions to match the interior of the house, more candles and party lights strung above them. The view from it was incredible; it felt as if they were on the edge of the world.
“I wanted to put out enough lights to show you how big my feelings are for you, but I ran out,” he said, the corner of his mouth turning upward. “If I could’ve, I’d have lined all the hills and valleys with them.”
Scarlett looked up at him, completely in love with this man. The last year had been trying and fantastic, as they’d gotten the inn renovated and ready for the wedding. Revenue was way up, and all the rooms were filled, with a waiting list to get in. They’d hired the staff they needed, and Gran had been able to stop working so hard, spending her days walking the tour route and telling the stories of her journey at the inn.
By scaling back from his original plan for renovations, Charlie had enough to invest in the inn as well as funds to restore Amos’s cottage, where he planned to live, since Gran had insisted he be the manager of White Oaks. He’d pitched in his own efforts to save money, painting, stripping floors, banging on walls with sledgehammers to knock them down. And Scarlett had been by his side the entire time.
They’d spent late nights covered in paint, dirty and exhausted, drinking wine, laughing, and roasting hotdogs around a campfire they’d made in the back garden. When the bedroom furniture she’d so meticulously chosen, the suite she’d had her heart set on and couldn’t wait to have in her room, didn’t show up because the manufacturer had said there was a mix-up and it had been discontinued, Charlie had taken her to a furniture store in the next town and spent hours with her, making jokes to cheer her up while finding an alternative. There were so many memories from last year filling her mind, and every single one of them was amazing.
“I feel like I’m finally alive,” he said.
Scarlett knew exactly what he meant.
“I love this life we’ve made for ourselves over the last year.” There was no hesitation in his voice, his honest eyes upon her. “I never want to lose it. You make me a better person, Scarlett. You see the best in things, and you always have hope that everything will work. And the crazy thing is, somehow it does.” He laughed at the thought. “You make me feel like I can do anything as long as you’re by my side.”
Then, he began to move, kneeling in front of her, his hand going into his pocket. Scarlett’s pulse rose, her complete adoration for
him nearly more than she could bear.
“Stay with me on this journey,” he said, his fingers trembling around the small box in his hand. He opened it up, revealing an enormous solitaire diamond, set in a platinum band. “Marry me.”
“I love you,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him to a standing position. “Yes,” she said, tears of happiness coming to her eyes. “I can’t wait to marry you.”
Charlie slipped the ring on her finger and there in the middle of a million Christmas lights, he kissed her. She’d never felt safer or more cared for than she did right then. Life could only get better from this moment. But Charlie pulled back sooner than she would’ve liked.
“I’m not finished,” he whispered in her ear, giving her a shiver. “It’s cold out here. I need to warm you up.” He scooped her into his arms, making her squeal as he carried her back into the house. “You need some warm blankets,” he said, kissing her hands as she reached for his face to kiss him again. When they got back up to the door, he set her down. “Follow me.” Charlie led her inside and down the hallway to the place where the old bedroom with all the books had been. It had now been expanded into the other room to make one large space, and when she saw what was in it, her mouth dropped open.
“No way,” she said, turning to him. “The furniture guy lied?!” She clapped her hand over her mouth, unable to stop the laughter that was escaping. Her dream bedroom suite was completely assembled in the room and topped with the most luxurious bedding, masses of throw pillows piled on top. “I gave him a free weekend at any Crestwood resort if he told you that. It only took a few calls to the regional managers of the resorts to ask for a favor.”
“I can’t believe you!” she scolded him lightheartedly, while spinning around in the room. “It’s incredible.”