Making Room at the Inn

by Misty Simon

  Chelsea cleared her throat. “So how long ago did Mazzy go down, and how many games of Candyland did she talk Jack into playing with her?”

  “Oh, that! They had a blast. Mazzy tromped him about ten times in two hours. I kept trying to play, too, but Mazzy had her mind set on Mr. Big Man and wanted nothing to do with me. Jack agreed to her demands to play.” Her mom waved a hand in the air as if signaling it was all well and good.

  And then she winked as if they had a secret, which they did.

  Chelsea swallowed, hoping Jack hadn’t minded babysitting when her mother should have been watching Mazzy. A fake engagement was one thing, but she hadn’t thought of her mom allowing Jack and Mazzy to bond. Her heart was probably in the right place, wanting her granddaughter to get comfortable with the man her daughter was going to marry. But she didn’t know the whole truth, and this was just one more thing that could bite Chelsea in the inevitable end.

  “Oh. My. Don’t you look glamorous? Doesn’t she look glamorous, Frank?” Chelsea’s face was in her mother’s hand a second later and the older woman turned her head to get the full effect of the more flattering cut done by the lady at Damsel in Distress.

  Chelsea had styled her hair in the easiest and most maintenance-free way possible for years now. Being a secretary, she needed to look professional as she greeted clients, but she did not need to be the height of fashion. So she wasn’t. Now she felt the fringe around her face, the long bangs sweeping over her forehead, and hoped it looked as nice as her mother thought.

  “You look like a million bucks, chicky,” Frank said with a wink.

  “Um, thanks.” A muffled snort came over the monitor. The noise meant Mazzy was about to wake up. “I should go. Mazzy and I have to get ready for dinner at your house.”

  “I hope you’re bringing Jack with you, dear.” The narrowing of her mother’s eyes warned Chelsea, but she’d never been one for heeding warnings.

  “Um, we haven’t had much of a chance to talk about it. But I’ll ask him.”

  “I can get Mazzy ready then, so you have some time. This is your vacation, too.”

  “That’s okay; I want some Mazzy hugs and stories.” She trotted out of the kitchen before her mother could stop her. But not before she heard her mother lamenting that Chelsea never took a break, hardly ever let anyone help her.

  Shaking her head, Chelsea tiptoed back into the parlor, not wanting to wake Jack. Instead, she found him moving her little one to the plush couch in the far corner. That must have been the snort, but Mazzy had fallen back to sleep in Jack’s strong arms.

  Chelsea waited for him to put the little girl on the couch, then watched as he tucked her blanket back around her, making sure her teddy bear was right next to her face. A little piece of her melted at the sight, but she firmed it right back up without the slightest pause.

  When he turned around, he smiled at her, a crooked smile that crinkled the edges of his incredible eyes. Chelsea leaned against the archway separating the parlor from the next room. She needed to shore herself up this time.

  On nearly silent feet, Jack walked over to her. Her heart did a ridiculous little flutter dance without her permission when he touched her arm lightly.

  “She is one tough customer when it comes to that game. You must have taught her well, or her dad did.”

  It was an opening she should resist. She had told him some of the details of her life that first night, more than she had told anyone. But this was digging into the day-to-day aspect of Paul’s neglect and disinterest, not just the overall picture. And yet this was her friend Jack, and she hadn’t been able to open up to anyone.

  “Her dad never had time to teach her anything. My own dad is the one who taught her every dirty move she knows in Candyland. They play whenever my parents come down for a visit.” She had tried to lighten her first statement, but the way he was peering at her as if looking into her heart made it flutter all over again.

  No, no, no! She had not been attracted to anyone in a long time. Even before Mazzy was born, she and Paul hadn’t slept together in months. But they had stuck it out for the baby, until he walked away. It was completely not fair that for the first time in a long time she felt herself drawn in. And to someone who was dutifully posing as her fiancé because they’d been friends years ago.

  ****

  Well that was certainly an interesting piece of information, Jack thought, trying out in his head the concept of being able to walk away from that cutely snoozing little angel on the couch. To never play a game with her or teach her anything. To lose out on the chance to mold your own child.

  He couldn’t help but look at Mazzy for just a brief second before he zeroed back in on Chelsea. How could you walk away from a child? A marriage was one thing, as he knew from various friends. But this was a small person whom you had created and who loved you without reservations or expectations except that you would love her back. What kind of person did it take to walk away from all this?

  And what did you say to someone who had just revealed this hurt? He hadn’t been told much about her relationship beyond what she had shared that first night. It was only since the wedding planning began that he had talked much with her family. Apparently this was more than he would have heard from the grapevine. The whole thing had been kept pretty mum, and now he might know why.

  He tried but felt lame when he said, “I’m sorry. Obviously, it’s his loss.”

  She made a noncommittal noise and looked away over her lovely shoulder. He could take a hint without being beaten over the head with it.

  Subject-change time.

  “So did you need anything?”

  That brought her smile back and her gaze back to his. “Thanks for not belaboring the leaving-man thing.”

  Her honesty and openness were two of the things he had liked about her all those years ago. She cut right to the point without any dancing around it. Her lush body was worth liking, too, but that thought would not help him at this time.

  “I won’t say another word about it if you don’t bring it up. Well, just one more thing, and then that’s it. He’s missing out on seeing a very strong-minded and wonderful little person grow right before his eyes.”

  “Strong-minded is right, and I can tell you she mostly gets that from my side of the family.”

  He couldn’t deny the truth of that statement after dealing with her sister and her mother lately, and her, years ago. “But it will serve her well in life, so it can’t be a bad thing.”

  “I won’t say it’s a bad thing, but it can be a flaw if not tempered.” She smiled ruefully and plucked at the sleeve of her fitted shirt.

  He had a feeling she was talking about more than just Mazzy, but he let it go. He’d said his piece and didn’t need to go further on the subject, which was obviously still painful to her.

  Though he had to admit, if just to himself, that she intrigued him.

  He’d like to know what kind of trouble her strong-mindedness had gotten her into since they were young. If he were being honest, he wanted to know everything about her since she had left, no matter how small. That way led to danger, though, and he was not in a position to have danger in his life.

  Back to that subject change. “So any favors?”

  “Actually, there is one thing you can do for me, if you don’t mind. I’d like to set up a surprise, but I need your help.” She pocketed the monitoring device for Mazzy, gave the child one last kiss on the cheek, and walked out of the room.

  “I am at your service,” he said, following along behind and mentally preparing himself for nearly anything.

  “Tonight’s the first dinner at my parents’ house. I know you said you could only come to some of the activities, so I understand if this isn’t one of them, but my mom is in there yakking Frank’s ear off and asked me to bring you tonight. Will that be okay?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll bring wine, and we can drive over together. Will that suit the situation?”

  “Yes, and thanks. For
everything.” With that she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. It was all he could do not to grab her and show her what a real kiss could be like between them.

  His eyes followed her path as she left, and then he called one of his best friends from college. He was in way over his head, and his man Dex could talk some sense into him. He was a lawyer, knew all the ins and outs of the stupid things people did, and could give him the reality check he needed.

  He took the steps two at a time to get up to his suite of rooms for some privacy. Dex, thankfully, answered on the third ring.

  “Hey, isn’t this the big week? Did someone already cause property damage and you’re wondering how you might go about suing them for everything they have?”

  “Yes, it is. No, they haven’t, and I’m not.” He blew out a gust of air. He felt like such a girl for calling his friend for advice, but there was no one else he could really talk to, and he needed that dose of reality.

  “What can I do for you then? Do you actually have a rare night off and want to go shoot some hoops?”

  “No, not that either, but it sure would be a lot easier if it was that simple.”

  “What has occurred, and what can I do to resolve the issue?” Dexter Zegray, attorney at law, turned serious and quiet, his voice notching up to that highfalutin place he went when he thought there was a problem to solve.

  “I’m fake-engaged to someone I remember but barely know, and now I have to pretend to be the doting fiancé for the next week even though it might just kill me.”

  Dex laughed, and Jack could imagine him throwing his head back and slapping the arm of his leather chair in his office. “Oh, man, what the hell have you done?”

  “Put myself in a position I don’t know if I can handle.”

  “Sounds like it. So you don’t need legal advice, you need heart advice? Should we paint each other’s nails and play dreamy music while we’re at it?”

  “Jesus, man, you’re making me sound like a sissy.”

  “No, sorry. Do you at least like the lady, or is she really a bad seed?”

  “Unfortunately, she’s perfect and that’s part of the problem.”

  “How so?”

  “She’s Paige’s oldest friend.”

  “Oldest as in pushing ninety?”

  That made the tension in Jack’s shoulders break and laughter spill out. “God, no. Oldest as in they’ve been together since they were five.”

  “Is this the one you used to cart around with Paige?”

  “Yes. Chelsea Moore.” Jack picked up the few things in his room that were out of place, just to give himself something to do.

  “So let me get this straight. You have a girl in your house that you actually like, after being what amounts to a monk, and you’re pseudo-engaged to her. You see this as a problem how?”

  “When you put it that way, it seems more of a problem than even I was thinking.”

  “Seriously? Why? Do you really think Paige is going to have a hissy fit if she finds out about it? Maybe she’ll be really happy.”

  “And that would be even worse. I’ve never been engaged. This is one that could rock all our family and friends, and when we break up they’ll take her side because it couldn’t possibly be her fault. I’m the guy, and therefore I’ll be the dog.”

  “You are way over-thinking this. I would give just about anything to get Zoe Bradley to pay attention to me, and she acts like I have the plague. If I could waltz her into a fake engagement and make it real, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

  Jack shook his head even though Dex couldn’t see it. He knew the girls down at Decadence, and he didn’t know what had Dex latching onto Zoe. She was an attractive woman and interesting to be around. In fact all of them—May, Claudia, and Zoe—were lookers with great personalities. But Jack had always envisioned himself with someone a little more low key, someone who would be a partner, someone he could share things with. Not that any of them couldn’t be shared with. May and her husband Brad were very happy, from what he’d seen, and expecting their first child. Claudia and her best friend Nate had just gotten together, after being friends for a long, long time and Nate essentially raising her child with her without the benefits of a relationship. But he’d never looked at any of them as anything more than business women who were at the top of their game.

  Dex had a soft spot and a hot streak for Zoe. Jack didn’t know why he hadn’t gotten her to go out with him just yet, but he must be lying in wait to see what she’d do next.

  “So I guess you don’t have any words of wisdom for me as far as this totally unorthodox situation, then?”

  “I say enjoy the ride, my man, and get the T-shirt when you’re done. There’s nothing wrong with doing something other than working for once.” He paused and Jack heard something like pages being turned. “Hey, speaking of that. Will you be able to fit in a game of darts this week? Or is this Chelsea girl going to take up all your time?”

  “Let me see what I can do. I have to go to all these family function things now, since supposedly I’m an engaged man, so we’ll probably have to do it after.”

  “Buck up, Jack. Maybe there will be some side benefits for you that will make it all worth your while.”

  They hung up, but all Jack could think of was the one side benefit that would be more than just on the side. He was trying to fight the urge, but there was something inside him that was calling out for Chelsea to be the one even if they had only recently reconnected. He’d enjoyed everything about their email conversations. They’d talked about inconsequential things after the first few conversations. She asked how his day was and he did the same. She asked his opinion about an issue at her job—once it was how to handle a confrontational employee—and he gave her the benefit of his experience before he’d settled down with the inn. It was almost like they were building a bridge, one he’d just realized he wanted to run across.

  But there was still the fact that she did not live here and he would not, could not, leave the area. Even if he fell in love with her, which he doubted he’d do in a week’s time, there was no way they could be together.

  And that solidified for him the fact that the engagement had to stay fake and he wouldn’t pursue anything more than what she wanted to give. And she’d leave at the end and he’d be fine.

  ****

  The show began at her parents’ house. Chelsea couldn’t think about the whole situation any other way. She was playing a part and so was Jack. She only hoped no one said anything overt when it came to Mazzy. Jack was all she talked about the whole time while they freshened up in their room. Jack played with her. Jack tickled her. Jack was a good sport about losing, unlike Grammy. He talked Frank into giving them graham crackers and milk and letting them eat in the library. He’d read her a story and gone to get her stuffed bear when she’d asked.

  The gestures were small, but to a young girl who had biannual visits from her grandparents and no male role model, they had taken on brilliant proportions. It was heartbreaking to hear how impressed Mazzy was with so little, when such things should have been an everyday life occurrence.

  She, Jack, and Mazzy arrived right on time at the large colonial house where Chelsea had grown up. Flowers of every shade and shape bedded down in front of the covered porch decked out with rocking chairs and swagged flags left over from July Fourth. The late afternoon sun lit up the stained glass of the upstairs windows.

  “Grammy can’t wait to see me,” Mazzy sang, gripping Jack’s hand and Chelsea’s. She’d already asked for three swings between the two of them in the ten steps from the car, but with the way her child had glowed after playing a couple of board games this afternoon, Chelsea gave in every time.

  The front door swung open before they had crossed the beautifully weathered porch. Her dad stood in the doorway with a smile on his craggy face and his arms open wide.

  Mazzy dropped both their hands to skip up to Pop-Pop. Kissing the soft hair at her crown, he hugged her to him, just like he used to with
Chelsea. He put her down and told her where the candy was, and she was off like a shot.

  “You shouldn’t do that.” Chelsea said. “Mom is not going to be happy if Mazzy ruins her appetite.”

  “Nonsense, my girl.” He dragged her into a hug, his big embrace consuming her. She wanted to stay here forever.

  But then he let her go to shake Jack’s hand. “Good to see you, son.” He winked. “I hear that might be more than just wishful thinking before long.”

  “Dad,” Chelsea hissed, looking over his shoulder to make sure Mazzy wasn’t within hearing distance. “We haven’t told her yet.”

  “Well, at least let me see the rock your mom says knocked her socks right off her sneakered feet.”

  Chelsea turned the ring around from her palm and stuck her hand out to let her father take it, then fought to not snatch it back. As a precaution against too many stares or awkward questions from her daughter, she’d kept it on the correct finger but facing the wrong direction until someone asked to see it. She deliberately hadn’t looked at that hand two dozen times since last night. She hadn’t been as stalwart the other two hundred times. When she had dreamed of getting married one day, long ago, this would have been the ring she would have imagined with her heart even if she hadn’t known the design with her head. The emerald was flawless and looked just right nestled in the cluster of diamonds. It was the “something old” that could be turned into something new. A new promise to fulfill after the love of the first one, made with the same ring, had gone beyond the grave.

  And here she was getting fanciful when she should have been listening to her dad, or at least saving Jack from the myriad questions Hugh Moore was throwing out. She loved the ring, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to give it back when it was all said and done.

  This was only temporary, which included the ring that could have been made just for her.

  They shuffled into the crowd and made the rounds. She was surprised to see all the women from Decadence here, but she shouldn’t have been. After the way her mother had acted in the dress shop, cooing over every line and detail of Belinda’s beautiful dress, it made sense that her mom would have invited them.