Secrets and Solace

by Jana Richards

  “That’s the thing. She is a small-town girl. You know her, Scarlet. We went to school with her. Remember Laura Constable?”

  Scarlet stared at Harper. Laura Constable? She hadn’t heard that name in a long time. She’d hoped to never hear it again. “Unfortunately, I remember her well.”

  “She came back to Minnewasta with Tessa to live with her parents.”

  “And then Cameron moved here to be closer to Tessa?”

  “Yes. Apparently, he and Laura have an informal agreement of sorts. As long as he pays child support, she lets him see Tessa.”

  Maggie pulled a tray of cookies out of the oven when the timer sounded. “I vaguely remember her name. I gather she was as much of a bitch back then as she is today.”

  “Pretty much. She tormented me all through school. Teased me about my red hair, my braces—”

  “The fact that we were orphans,” Harper added.

  Laura had taken great delight in reminding her, and everyone else, that her father had murdered her mother. “Yes. But I got back at her. I stole her boyfriend in our senior year and made sure she saw us making out behind the bleachers.”

  Maggie laughed. “Scarlet, that’s terrible!”

  She shrugged. Definitely not something she was proud of, but she’d been so focused on getting back at Laura that she hadn’t thought about all the people she was hurting with her actions. Grandma Dorothy had been angry and embarrassed when the story spread around town. She’d used Colin, Laura’s boyfriend, without taking his feelings into account. Worse, she’d hurt Michael, her boyfriend at the time. He’d forgiven her, and they stayed together. Right after graduation, he presented her with a ring and they’d become engaged.

  Until she dumped him. Her first broken engagement.

  Icy déjà vu chilled her, despite the warm summer day. She couldn’t shake the worry that Laura would once more bring havoc into her life.

  A large truck rattled past Cam on its way up the winding road leading to the cottage construction sites. The truck was one of several delivering the cement block that would be used to build the foundations for the cottages. Until now, the cottages had been simply an idea in his head and on his drawings. It was gratifying to see the first steps being taken to bring his dreams to life.

  His plan was to build the foundations and frame all eight cottages at once. That way, he could finish the exteriors of all the cottages and close them in before winter, and his crew could spend the winter working on the interiors. It made total financial and logistical sense to work that way. He had to hire a framing crew, plumbers, electricians, and other sub-trades since the job was far bigger than his five-man crew could handle on their own. Instead of bringing in the sub-trades eight separate times, they’d come in once to do their jobs. The framing crew, for instance, would arrive in about a week, once the foundations were ready. They’d likely have all eight cottages framed within a couple of weeks after that.

  They’d save time, too, by building the cottages at the same rate. The building inspectors could make their checks on all eight cottages at the same time, which would mean they wouldn’t have to waste time waiting for an inspection to be done before they could move on to the next step of the construction.

  It was going to be a challenge to juggle all the pieces of the build, but it was one he welcomed. He was going to do his damnedest to make Ethan proud.

  Cam scaled the steps to Scarlet and Maggie’s cottage two at a time and knocked on the front door. A moment later, Scarlet opened it and shook her head. “You don’t have to knock, Cameron. We told you to walk in at meal times.”

  “I know, but it doesn’t seem right. My Mama raised me better.”

  She grinned and opened the door a little wider. “I’ll bet she did. Come on in. Lunch is almost ready.”

  For the last several days, he and Ethan, Harper and Reese had been congregating at Maggie and Scarlet’s cottage for lunch. Some days, if he wasn’t expecting to see Tessa in the evening, he stayed for dinner as well. He found himself looking forward to his lunch break every day, not only because Maggie was a great cook.

  Admittedly, the highlight of his day was spending time with Scarlet. She was smart and funny, and he liked hearing her ideas. She practically overflowed with plans to market the lodge.

  And when she smiled at him, something moved inside his heart, like ice breaking up on a lake after a long winter.

  He’d never act on his attraction for her. There were too many complications between them, starting with the fact that she was his brother’s sister-in-law. But for the moment, he’d let himself enjoy her company.

  Not to mention her gorgeous long legs and delectable ass. Today, she wore a pair of cut-off denim shorts that showed off both assets to best affect. Cam swallowed as he sat at the dining room table, grateful for the napkin he spread across his lap that hid the evidence of his interest.

  “How’s your day going, Cam?” Maggie asked.

  “It’s going well. We’re making good progress on the foundation work. How are things going with you?”

  “You can tell me how my day’s going after you’ve eaten my lunch. I went to a farmer’s market in St. Cloud yesterday and picked up some organic strawberries. I thought strawberry shortcake would make a perfect dessert this time of year.”

  He’d eaten enough of Maggie’s desserts to know her strawberry shortcake would be a treat. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Good. Why don’t you ask Scarlet how her day’s going?” Maggie said with a grin.

  He turned to Scarlet. “What’s going on?”

  She waved her hand. “It’s nothing, really.”

  “Nothing? You should have heard the salty language in the cottage this morning. My ears are still ringing.”

  “Don’t be so overdramatic, Maggie.” She softened her words with a grin. “I may have uttered an expletive or two.”

  “Or six.”

  “I was frustrated with my Internet connection here. Or lack thereof. It’s too difficult to do what I want to do on my phone, so I was trying to set up a Wi-Fi hotspot by tethering my phone to my laptop. But after spending the morning on the phone with my provider, it turns out my phone doesn’t have the right setting because it’s too old. I haven’t updated my personal phone because I’ve got the latest and greatest through work. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to bring that phone with me.”

  “I didn’t really understand a whole lot of that,” Cam said. “But is the main problem the fact that you can’t get on the Internet?”

  “Yeah, pretty much.” She told him how she’d used the Internet at the public library in Minnewasta, with limited success. Even when the connection was working, she could only spend about a half an hour at a time on it.

  “I’ve got a good Internet connection at my house. You could use my laptop.”

  She blinked at him in surprise. “Thanks. That’s not a bad idea.”

  “I have my moments. You could work there this afternoon, if you like. The place is empty.”

  “I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”

  He pulled his keys from his pocket and removed the house key. “Here you go. My laptop is set up in the spare bedroom. It’s all yours for the afternoon.”

  “What’s your address?”

  “I’m on the outskirts of town.”

  She passed him a pad of paper and he wrote down directions to his house along with the passwords for the computer before handing it back to her. She ripped the paper from the pad. “Thanks, Cameron. This is going to help a lot.”

  “You can use my laptop anytime you like. I’m here all day anyway.”

  “That would be great. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

  “I’m glad I could help.”

  Harper walked into the cottage and sniffed the air. “That smells divine, Maggie. What are we having?”

  “Chicken Cacciatore.”

  “Wonderful. I’m starved.” She helped herself to a glass of water at the sink and then sat beside hi
m at the table. “So, how’s your day going, Cam?”

  “Good.”

  Harper gave him a polite smile and waited a beat, as if hoping he’d say more. When he didn’t, she looked away and took another sip of her water. He wasn’t trying to be deliberately uncommunicative or rude; he simply didn’t know what to say to her. Or what to make of her.

  He couldn’t figure her out. He’d been convinced the staggering amount of money Ethan was dropping on the renovations to the lodge was her entire motivation for marrying him. But seeing them together, and the loving way she looked at his brother, he had to admit she cared for Ethan. But he wasn’t entirely convinced the money didn’t influence her decision.

  Then, there was the gift she’d bought for him. No one had ever thought to buy him artist supplies before, not even his brother or sister. It had touched him deeply. The gifts she’d brought back for the family had shown a generous spirit. But then, she’d purchased the gifts on Ethan’s dime. Again, Ethan’s money seemed to be the common denominator. Would she have been as generous if it had been her own money?

  Ethan and Reese entered the cottage, and Cam saw Ethan’s gaze zero in on Harper. But instead of watching his brother, he watched Harper’s face. A smile of welcome curved her lips, as if Ethan was the one person in the world she most wanted to see. If it was an act, it was an Oscar worthy performance.

  Scarlet insisted she was the real deal. He honestly hoped his worries about Harper were unfounded. Ethan adored her and was obviously happy; he didn’t want anything to change that. Still, he’d reserve judgement on Harper until he got to know her better.

  Ethan dropped a kiss on Harper’s mouth, lingering there for a few moments. Harper laid her hand on his cheek. Cam looked away, feeling like a voyeur.

  “Get a room, you two.” Scarlet’s tone was without heat as she put a casserole dish on the table. “Some of us are trying to eat here.”

  “Sorry, Scarlet. I can’t seem to keep my hands off my beautiful wife.”

  “You don’t look the least bit sorry, and I couldn’t be happier.” Scarlet sat at the head of the table while Ethan sat beside Harper. Maggie sat beside Cam and Reese slid into the chair at the other end of the table.

  “This smells delicious, Maggie.” Reese helped himself to a huge helping of the casserole. “You’re an amazing chef.”

  “I’ll second that.” Cam’s taste buds did a little happy dance as he bit into a tender piece of chicken in a fragrant tomato and onion sauce.

  “Me, too,” Ethan said. “If you keep feeding me like this, I’m going to lose my girlish figure.”

  A pink blush swept across Maggie’s neck and cheeks. “Thanks guys. I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

  “Abby’s been asking about you, Maggie.” Reese poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher Scarlet had set on the table. “She’d really like to see you. All of you girls.”

  Maggie ducked her head, avoiding Reese’s gaze. “Yes, of course. I’d like to see her, too.”

  “How is Abby?” Harper asked. “I didn’t really get much of a chance to speak to her at our wedding.”

  Reese put down his fork. “She’s…She’s getting along, but she doesn’t get out much these days. She’d really like some company. If you could spare a few moments to visit her, Harper, I know it would mean the world to her.”

  “Yes, of course. I’ll call her this afternoon and see when the three of us can arrange a visit.”

  “That’s a great idea.” Scarlet passed the salad to Cam. “I’ve been wanting to visit her. But don’t make any arrangements for this weekend, Harper. I’m going to that wedding show in Minneapolis, remember?”

  “Wedding show?” Cam had never heard of such a thing.

  “Yeah, it’s a trade show for people in the wedding industry – florists, wedding gown designers, and hotels and other venues that hold weddings. I’m hoping to interest brides in booking their weddings at the lodge next year.”

  “Weddings are good steady business,” Harper said. “Once the event center opens, we’ll be able to host weddings for up to two hundred and fifty guests. The problem is, we won’t have enough rooms for that many people.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that.” Ethan said around a mouthful of food. “I think that in Phase two of the renovations, we build another wing of rooms.”

  “This is the first I’ve heard of a Phase Two.” Harper’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “We haven’t even finished Phase One. Shouldn’t we wait to see if this new version of the lodge is profitable before we start spending even more money?”

  “Well sure, we’ll finish these renovations first and then move on to the next stage. We’re in the hotel business, Harper. I know you only wanted to fix up the lodge, but it was way too small. We have to have facilities that make people want to come here. We have to spend money to make money.”

  “What if this place doesn’t catch on? What if nobody wants to come here and we lose a fortune. Your fortune. There’s no way I want to put more of your money at risk.”

  Ethan covered her hand with his. “I keep telling you, it’s your money now, too.”

  “If it’s my money now, I vote that we hang on to some of it. Perhaps some cautious investments elsewhere. We don’t know what’s going to happen next year when we open. We could totally fall on our faces.”

  Cam continued to eat but watched Harper’s face closely during the exchange. Interesting. She looked sincere, concerned even, but a good actress could also play heartfelt.

  Ethan intertwined his fingers with hers. “You don’t have to worry. Lydia is the queen of cautious investing. She’s taking very good care of our money. But I want you to know I care about this place as much as you do. This is our home, our business, and we’re going to make it a success. There’s nothing in this world I’d rather spend that money on than this lodge.”

  “Promise me we’ll wait and see how things go, okay?”

  He kissed her hand. “If it makes you feel better, we’ll take it a little slower.”

  “Just till we know we’re going to be okay. All right?”

  “All right.”

  Their conversation surprised Cam. He’d assumed Harper was the one pushing to spend more money on the lodge, but maybe he’d been wrong. He glanced over at Scarlet. She was staring at him intently, one eyebrow raised in triumph. He could practically hear her ‘I told you so’.

  With a cocky nod, she broke eye contact. “I need advice from you all,” Scarlet said. “While I’m in Minneapolis, I’ve arranged an interview on morning television at WCJC. I’ve sent them pictures of the lodge, as well as the progress on the current renovations, and Cameron’s sketches for the new cottages. Does anyone have any suggestions about what we want to project in this interview?”

  “You’ll want to play up how we’re striving to create an eco-friendly destination,” Ethan said.

  Scarlet nodded. “Yes, that’s high on my list.”

  Harper pointed her fork at Scarlet. “What about the fact that it’s a short drive from the city, but a whole different world out here?”

  “I think that’s a good selling feature. I’m showing a lot of pictures from your wedding, especially the tent next to the lake. I want to emphasize how beautiful an outdoor summer wedding at the lodge can be.”

  “How about telling them about the Maggie’s amazing food?” Reese said.

  “Thanks, Reese.” Maggie smiled at Scarlet.” You’ll do great, sweetie. You’re wonderful at this stuff.”

  “Thanks, honey. I appreciate that, but I’m nervous as hell. I’ve never been on TV before.”

  “It’s understandable to be nervous, but I know you’ll do a good job. There’s no better representative of the lodge.”

  “Thank you, Harper. That’s the nicest thing you could say to me.”

  Cam had to agree with Harper. Scarlet would make a wonderful spokesperson for the lodge. She was smart, poised, and beautiful, a natural for TV.

  She was far too special
to hang around here. She belonged back in Chicago, where she could use her talents to the fullest capacity.

  The thought of her leaving in a few months caused uncomfortable tightness in his chest.

  CHAPTER TEN

  With the help of Cameron’s map, Scarlet easily found his house. The place he’d rented was farther out of town then she’d expected, about a mile and a half. The house was set back from the main road and surrounded by trees, separating it from neighbors and giving the place a sense of complete privacy. The privacy of his house shouldn’t surprise her. Cameron guarded everything about his personal life. At least from her.

  A huge garage at the back of the property dominated the yard and was at least twice the size of the modest bungalow. She wondered why he’d want something so large until she remembered Drew telling her that he built furniture. Was the garage his workshop? Curious, she walked to the garage and tried to peek in through one of the windows, but they were too high. A padlock on the door screamed ‘Stay out!’ Maybe if she asked nicely, he’d let her into this inner sanctum. Then again, it could be one more thing he closely guarded.

  The yard itself was neat, if somewhat Spartan. The grass was clipped and the yard was free of clutter. The bungalow looked recently painted, though somewhat boring with its simple white siding and black trim. The only concession to color was the pot of purple pansies near the front door. Scarlet wondered if Cameron had planted them for Tessa.

  Using the key he’d given her, she opened the front door and walked straight into the bungalow’s living room. Like the outside, the inside of the house was clean and tidy. She stopped to admire a beautiful wooden coffee table set in front of the sofa. The piece managed to be rustic and modern at the same time and would be perfect for the new cottages. She made a mental note to ask Cameron where he’d purchased the table. A thought struck her as she examined it more closely. Had he made this table? If he had, the man was beyond talented.

  Unable to stop herself from snooping, Scarlet wandered through the main rooms of the house. Cameron obviously ran a tight ship. Everything in the kitchen and living room was spotless and seemed to have a place and a purpose, with no extraneous stuff to clutter the landscape. With the exception of the coffee table and a gorgeous wooden dining table with wrought iron legs in the kitchen, the best that could be said about the furniture was that it was clean and serviceable.