Secrets and Solace

by Jana Richards

  Liar. She’d been unceremoniously dumped.

  “We all knew our relationship had an expiry date. I was always going to go back to Chicago. I decided to leave a little earlier, that’s all.”

  She didn’t add that if he’d asked, she would have given up her life in Chicago to be with him.

  The truth was she couldn’t see Cameron every day and pretend she didn’t love him. Retrieving her things from his house had nearly killed her, especially when she looked into Tessa’s room. Time to go back where she belonged and get on with her life without him.

  Maggie sat on the bed beside her, and Harper reached out to tug a lock of Scarlet’s hair. “Don’t be too angry with Cam. Losing Tessa has broken his heart and his spirit. Maybe he’s saying things he doesn’t really mean right now.”

  Scarlet shook her head. He’d been pretty clear that he didn’t want her. “I know how devastating losing Tessa was for Cameron. She was his baby…” She closed her eyes. She couldn’t talk about Tessa or she’d cry. Again. “I’m going to miss you guys a lot. You have to promise to keep in touch.”

  Maggie hugged her. “Of course. I’ll text you so often you’ll tell me to shut up.”

  Scarlet held her close. “Never.”

  “When are you going to drive back to Chicago?” Harper asked.

  “Tomorrow morning, bright and early. I’ll load my things in my car tonight and be ready to go first thing.”

  Harper tugged on her hair again, her smile pensive. “I’m going to miss you very much. It’s been so wonderful having both of my sisters home the last few months.”

  The three of them had grown closer in ways Scarlet had never thought possible. It was wrenching to leave them, but she had no choice. “It’s been wonderful for me, too.”

  “Group hug!” Maggie put her arms around both of them.

  Scarlet hugged them both, laughing through her tears. She already missed them and she hadn’t left the driveway. How was she going to survive the rest of her life?

  Scarlet put the last suitcase in the trunk of her car and slammed the lid. The only thing she had left in the cottage was a small overnight bag with a few toiletries and a change of clothes for tomorrow. Everything else was ready to go.

  Except maybe for her.

  Cameron chose that moment to drive by, presumably on his way home after work. Since their breakup, if she could call it that, he hadn’t come for lunch at the cottage. He’d been avoiding her as efficiently as she’d been avoiding him.

  He slowed down as he passed, and their gazes collided. Without thinking, she stepped toward his truck. But before she could reach him, he jerked his gaze away and accelerated. His truck sped past the cottage and disappeared around a corner.

  She had her answer. She really did need to leave. Staying any longer would only make it more difficult for both of them to move on, and she had no wish to make Cameron suffer. He’d been through enough.

  Her cell phone rang and she pulled it from her pocket, grateful for the diversion. A name she didn’t recognize displayed on the screen. “Scarlet Lindquist speaking.”

  “Scarlet, hello. I’m so glad I caught you. You’re my last hope.”

  “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

  “I’m sorry. I should introduce myself. My name is Meredith Anderson and I was at the wedding show in Minneapolis this past summer. I picked up one of your brochures.”

  “Oh, I see.” It would be nice if she could line up another wedding for the lodge for next summer. Her heart stuttered a little when she realized she wouldn’t be around to organize the event. “When is your wedding?”

  “That’s the thing. It’s in four weeks. Can you help us?”

  “Four weeks? Meredith, I hope I didn’t give the wrong impression at the wedding show. I did say the lodge was under construction. We’re only taking bookings for weddings and events scheduled for next year.”

  “It’s a small wedding,” Meredith pleaded. “Under fifty people. Our venue had a huge flood. A water pipe burst in the basement and some of the walls collapsed. There’s no way they’re going to have the building ready for our wedding in four weeks. I’ve been searching all over the city for a new venue, even as far away as St. Cloud. Everything is booked. We don’t know what to do!”

  Scarlet heard her sniffle, obviously holding back tears, and she sympathized with her predicament, but didn’t know what she could do to help. “We’re still under construction here. Workers and construction materials and equipment are everywhere. A couple of things are done, but—”

  “I don’t want much,” Meredith interrupted. “As long as we have somewhere to hold a small ceremony and a simple dinner, that’s all we need. I saw the pictures of the wedding you hosted earlier this year. It was lovely and simple. That’s all we want.”

  “That was my sister’s wedding in June. It was warm enough to hold the ceremony outside and have the reception in a tent on the grounds. We can’t count on the weather cooperating like that in late October.”

  “But you said a couple of things are done. It doesn’t have to be fancy.”

  “No, but you’ll need a functioning kitchen, and plumbing and electrical that works. What about hotel rooms? If your guests are coming from the city, they’ll likely need somewhere to stay. Our guest rooms aren’t ready yet.”

  “Maybe there’s a hotel close to the lodge where they can stay,” Meredith suggested, clearly not ready to give up.

  Scarlet supposed they could stay at Miller’s Resort down the road, if rooms were available. The dining room of the lodge was ready; the only change had been to replace the windows overlooking the lake with energy efficient French doors that allowed guests to go out on the new deck. But the kitchen still had a long way to go before it could be considered usable.

  The whole idea was unfeasible. And besides, she was on her way back to Chicago.

  “I’m sorry, Meredith. I’d really like to help you, but we’re in no position to host a wedding so soon. If you’re willing to wait until next spring—”

  “We can’t wait.” She was crying in earnest now. “My fiancé is in the military, and he has to go back to Afghanistan a week after we’re supposed to get married. And…and I just found out I’m pregnant. Mike wants to make sure we’re married before he leaves, so that if something happens to him… if something happens, the baby and I will be looked after.”

  Good God. Scarlet bowed her head and tugged on her ponytail with her free hand. “You must be thrilled about the baby,” she offered.

  “Yes, totally. The timing could have been better, but we’ve always wanted children. There was a time we didn’t think it would happen.”

  “Have you thought about having a civil ceremony at city hall?”

  Meredith inhaled deeply as if trying to get herself under control. “Yes, we have. If we don’t have any alternative, that’s what we’ll do. But both of us wanted a celebration, nothing fancy, just something to mark the occasion with family and a few close friends. And my mother is kind of old fashioned about these things. She’s been looking forward to my wedding for a long time.” She took another unsteady breath. “I’ll let you go. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

  “Wait.” She was probably going to regret this. “What’s the exact date of your wedding?”

  “October twentieth. Why? What are you thinking?”

  “I don’t want you to get your hopes up because this is a long shot. I’ll speak to our construction managers and see if there’s anything we can do to be at least partially ready in time for your wedding.”

  “Oh, thank you, Scarlet! That’s wonderful!”

  “I’m not making any promises, Meredith,” she warned. “If they say there’s no way the lodge can be ready in time, then we can’t help you.”

  “I understand, and I appreciate your willingness to at least try. Thank you so much.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. I’ll call you as soon as we decide. Like I said, I can’t promise anything.”

  “I un
derstand. I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

  Scarlet said goodbye and hung up the phone. This was insane. She was all set to leave for Chicago first thing in the morning. Committing to this wedding would mean she’d have to stay for another four weeks.

  Meredith’s story had truly touched her, but maybe that wasn’t the only reason she was thinking about staying. In her heart of hearts, she knew she was having a hard time saying goodbye to Cameron. Dragging out her departure, however, wouldn’t be good for either of them.

  For better or worse, she’d made a promise, and now she had to keep it. Reese might say there was no way they could be ready in time and the whole exercise would be moot. But if he said it was possible…

  Scarlet wasn’t sure which scenario she was hoping for.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “What’s the date of this wedding again?” Reese asked.

  “October twentieth. Exactly four weeks from tomorrow,” Scarlet said.

  “I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s still a lot to do. I’d say the biggest stumbling block would be getting the kitchen in shape. How could you feed guests without a functioning kitchen?”

  “Where would people stay?” Cam asked. The idea of hosting a wedding had come out of left field, but he found himself rooting for the bride.

  Scarlet’s gaze briefly met his before skittering away. “I know they can’t stay at Miller’s that weekend. I checked, and they’re completely booked. Maybe they could stay at one of the other resorts or hotels in the area.”

  “If the guests are staying at another resort, they might as well hold the wedding there as well,” Ethan said. “If we’re going to do this, it’s all or nothing.”

  Harper nodded. “I agree. If we go ahead with this, we can’t cut any corners just to get done. The project can’t suffer. So how can we make this happen?”

  Cam had to admire his sister-in-law’s can-do attitude. The whole renovation project was a testament to her tenacity and spirit. But even Harper might have to concede that this tight timeline would be a challenge.

  “All the equipment and appliances for the kitchen have been ordered. I can check with our supplier to see if they can deliver in the next four weeks,” Maggie said.

  “That’s a good place to start,” Ethan said. “If we can’t get the commercial appliances in time, I don’t think there’s any point pursuing this further. Let’s call the supplier right now.”

  Maggie retrieved the paperwork for the items that had been ordered along with the business card of the salesman. She punched his number into her phone and put the call on speakerphone.

  “Pete Barker speaking.”

  “Hi, Pete. This is Maggie Lindquist from the Solace Lake Lodge. We placed an order with you for our commercial kitchen equipment almost three months ago. At that time, we told you we wouldn’t be ready to take possession of the equipment until early in the new year, but something has come up and we’re wondering if it’s possible to take possession immediately.”

  “Immediately?”

  “Yes, as in right away.”

  “I can find out for you,” the salesman said. “What’s your purchase order number?”

  Maggie read off the number. The salesman repeated it back to her and then asked her to wait while he checked.

  Cam found himself holding his breath while they waited. If they went ahead with this wedding, Scarlet would stay another four weeks. Despite knowing the best thing for Scarlet would be for her to go, he couldn’t help hoping she’d stay. When he’d seen her packing her car to leave, a piece of his heart froze inside his chest. Though it was agony to see her every day and not be able to touch her, he couldn’t imagine her gone either.

  “Hello, Maggie. It’s Pete here again. We have the commercial refrigerator, the dishwasher and the freezer you ordered in stock, but the range is on back order with the manufacturer and we don’t expect to receive it for several weeks. I talked to my manager, and what we can do is offer you a floor model from our store. But it’s a higher end range.” He gave her the name and model number of the range, and Maggie wrote it down. “It has all the features of the one you ordered and a few more, but it costs nearly a thousand dollars more, even with a floor model discount. If you’re interested, we can deliver it to you in the next few days.”

  “Can you give us a couple of minutes to discuss this, Pete? I’ll call you right back.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Maggie hit the off button, then used her phone to look up the commercial range Pete was proposing to sell to them. “I remember this one. I’d even considered it.”

  “Why didn’t you buy it in the first place?” Ethan asked.

  She shrugged. “The money, I guess. This range is a real Cadillac and since the reviews on the range I ordered were very good, I didn’t think it was necessary to get the most expensive range they had in the store.”

  “So you’re okay with it?”

  “More than okay.”

  “Okay, we know we can get the equipment for the kitchen,” Ethan continued. “The dining room should able be to accommodate a ceremony and a dinner for the small wedding Meredith wants. Can the kitchen itself be ready in time? What about guest rooms? What do you think, Reese?”

  “I know for sure we can’t get everything done in time. But maybe if we put all our resources into a couple of key areas, we might be able to pull it off.”

  “What do you propose?” Harper asked.

  “I’ve had the crew working on the event center for the last couple of weeks. If we concentrate on the kitchen and on the new wing of guest rooms instead, we might be able to get them finished.”

  Ethan nodded. “Cam, what about you? Do you think you could get one or two of the new cottages ready in time?”

  Cam hesitated. To this point, his priority had been to finish the exteriors of all eight cottages so that his crew could finish the interiors over the winter. But if he had to, he could change gears to completely finish two of them in the next few weeks.

  But should he do it? He could tell Ethan it wasn’t possible to complete two cottages. Then Scarlet would go back to Chicago.

  “Yeah, we can get a couple of the cottages ready,” he said. He hoped he was doing the right thing.

  “Good.” Ethan turned to Scarlet. “Will you be able to help? We’ll need you to work with the bride. And Harper will need help getting fixtures and furniture for the guestrooms and cottages. What do you say? Will you stay?”

  Scarlet stared at Ethan, her face pale and her blue eyes wide with what looked like anxiety, or possibly indecision. She’d only said a few words through the whole discussion. Her gaze slid to his, before quickly shifting back to Ethan. “Yes, I can help.”

  Cam let out his breath. Conflicting emotions swirled through his head – elation, trepidation, fear. She was staying four more weeks. He’d see her, but there’d be no closeness between them, no sharing of confidences, no touches. He’d made sure to stomp out any tender feelings she might have once had for him.

  A powerful craving for a drink nearly brought him to his knees. He recited the Serenity Prayer to himself and concentrated on breathing. He only had to get through the next four weeks.

  One minute at a time. One hour at a time. One day at a time.

  Harper and Ethan looked at each other.

  “I think we’re doing this,” Harper said. “Are we crazy?”

  “Probably.” Ethan pulled her into his arms and laughed.

  Maggie picked up her phone. “I’ll call Pete back and tell him we’ll take his deal. When should I tell him to deliver?”

  “As soon as they can,” Reese said. “The appliances can be stored in the dining room until we’re ready to install. That way, at least we know we have them.”

  Maggie nodded and headed to the other room to make the call. Reese left the cottage to go back to work. Harper turned to Scarlet. “I guess you can call the bride and tell her the wedding is on.”

  “Yeah, I
guess I can.” She didn’t look happy about the prospect. “I should call my manager, too and let him know I won’t be coming back to work next week after all.”

  “I’m sorry, honey,” Harper said. “Do you think he’s going to be difficult?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Cam clenched his fists. If the man dared to say one unkind word to her…

  “If he gives you a hard time,” Ethan said, “I’ll tell him where he can stick his job.”

  That made Scarlet smile. “Thanks Big Brother, but I can take care of it.”

  “You’re sure you’re okay with staying?” Harper asked.

  Her smile disappeared. “Yes, of course. After all, I’m kind of responsible for getting us into this predicament. The least I can do is help out.”

  Her gaze once more briefly landed on him. It was obvious his presence made her uncomfortable. He headed for the door. “I’d better let the crew know there’s been a change in plans.”

  “Why don’t you join us for dinner tonight? About six?” Harper said.

  He glanced at Scarlet. If his coming to dinner upset her, he’d stay away.

  “You should come.” Scarlet’s smile appeared forced. “Maggie said she was making something special tonight.”

  They were going to have to get used to seeing each other. And besides, the evenings were long and empty in his house. The silence weighed heavily on him. “Okay, thank you. I’ll be here at six.”

  He left the cottage and closed the door softly behind him. Once on the other side, he exhaled. The next four weeks would test his strength. He hoped he passed the test.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Harper held one end of the tape measure while Scarlet measured the space in the living room where the sofa bed was supposed to go. While they measured, painters rolled the walls of the cottage in a soft gray paint and carpenters hung cabinets in the kitchen.

  “Eighty-five inches. We’ve got to be able to fit in a queen sofa bed and at least one side table in this area.” Scarlet wrote the measurements on her clipboard.