“That’s what Katie told her. It’s just as well Dad’s happy to look after the general store.”
Diana frowned. That could all change in the next couple of weeks. As the weather became warmer, more people would arrive in Flathead Lake. Apart from the breathtaking scenery, a lot of summer events were scheduled for the area. Boating regattas, Farmers’ markets, art festivals, and outdoor concerts were just a few of the things that brought people here. And when people came to town, they usually visited the general store.
Tying the last shoelace, she stood upright and looked at her sister. “At least we live close to Mom and Dad now. If Dad needs help, we’re only ten minutes away.” She wiggled her foot in the air. “What do you think?”
“The sneakers look better than I thought. It’s still a date.”
Picking up a pillow, Diana threw it at her sister. “It’s not, but thanks for suggesting the dress.”
“You’re welcome. If my bedroom light is still on when you arrive home, come and tell me where Ethan suggested we take our guests.”
“I won’t be that late.”
Barbara sent her a mischievous smile. “You never know. You might enjoy yourself more than you think.”
With one last look around her room, Diana picked up the notepad and pen she’d left on her dresser. She wouldn’t tell her sister she was looking forward to spending time with Ethan. It would create too many questions she wasn’t ready to answer.
After growing up in Sapphire Bay, it would be interesting to see her home town through someone else’s eyes. And as long as she didn’t see her ex-husband, it would be even better.
Chapter 4
While he waited for Diana, Ethan sat at a table in Sweet Treats. As usual, the store was full of people searching for the perfect gift or candy to take home. But candy wasn’t the only product sold in the store.
Cakes in all shapes and sizes filled a display case: everything from fantasy birthday cakes decorated with fairies and dragons to flowers cascading down the sides of multi-tiered creations. And they all looked too good to eat.
It still amazed him how busy Sapphire Bay had become even in the short time he’d lived here. He suspected people were searching for a place that reminded them of how the world used to be. With its old-fashioned stores and the friendly hellos as you walked down the street, Sapphire Bay was everything a lot of people needed.
The bell above the door jingled and Diana walked into the store.
His eyes widened when he saw the red dress she wore. With her hair falling to her shoulders and a smile on her face, she was even more beautiful than when they’d first met.
“Hi, Ethan. Sorry I’m late. It took longer than I thought to finish what I had to do in town.”
“That’s all right. I was happy to wait, especially when Brooke gave me some samples of her fudge.”
Diana looked behind the counter and smiled. “I’m guessing Sweet Treats is at the top of your list of places to visit.”
“How did you know?”
“It wasn’t hard. Since I arrived home, I’ve come into town more times to visit this store than any other place.”
He picked up the bags of fudge he’d bought and handed one to Diana. “I hope you like chocolate fudge.”
She seemed surprised that he’d bought her some candy. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Ethan motioned toward the front door. “You might need the extra sugar. It will take a while to visit all the places I’ve enjoyed since I moved here.”
“It’s just as well we’ve got the rest of the evening, then. Where to next?”
“After the general store, my next favorite place is right next door.”
“Davis Jewelers?”
“Have you been inside?”
Diana shook her head. “I haven’t, but I’ve looked at the displays in her front window. Mom can’t get enough of their jewelry. She’s always excited about seeing Cassie’s new collections.”
He led Diana outside and stopped in front of Cassie’s front window. “You’re in for a surprise. Once you step into the showroom you’ll never want to leave.”
“It sounds exactly like the type of store our guests will enjoy.” Diana looked at the latest window display and sighed. “It’s no wonder Mom loves coming here. Everything is gorgeous.”
Ethan opened the door and smiled. Cassie was helping a customer.
After he’d spoken to Diana earlier, he’d thought of a lot of activities her guests could do. A few times a year, Cassie ran jewelry-making workshops from her studio. If Diana wanted something different, Cassie might organize some special classes for the Inn’s guests.
And with the award-winning jeweler working tonight, it was the perfect time to talk about it.
Two hours later, Diana was buzzing with ideas about activities they could provide for the guests at The Lakeside Inn.
The last place she’d visited with Ethan was the Christmas tree farm and shop. Open year-round, visitors could enjoy a tour of the farm before looking at the exquisite handmade Christmas ornaments and decorations. She’d already decided to bring her sisters back for an enormous shopping spree. There were so many decorations that would look wonderful at the inn.
After they’d left the farm, Ethan suggested having dinner at a small restaurant in town. Before their meals arrived, she opened her notebook. “As soon as I get home, I’ll email the businesses we visited. I can’t believe how nice everyone was.”
“Your tours will showcase the work they’re doing. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. Do you know about the local network of business owners? That could be something you and your sisters might want to join.”
“Mom mentioned something about it, but with all the remodeling happening at the inn, we missed the last meeting.”
“I’ll send you an email with details about the next meeting. I’m doing a presentation about work-life balance.”
“I’ll bring my sisters. That’s something we’re desperately short of at the moment.” Diana had assumed that once everyone was living in Sapphire Bay, their lives would become less hectic. But the opposite had happened.
To keep the remodeling costs low, they’d done a lot of the work themselves. But that meant fitting in their other commitments with what they were doing inside the house—and it hadn’t been easy. Even now, with everything finished, the time involved in setting up the business side of the inn was immense.
“You’re frowning. What are you thinking about?” Ethan asked.
“My sisters. It’s been a hectic few months and I don’t think it will get any easier.”
“Are you looking forward to meeting your first guests?”
“We are, but it’s a double-edged sword. Barbara’s still juggling her current job and using all her marketing skills to promote the inn. Katie’s well into her next book, but she’s worried she won’t have enough time to dedicate to writing after our guests arrive. And Penny’s working at the inn and looking for other business opportunities around Sapphire Bay.”
“And you?”
She looked at the container of knives and forks sitting on the table. “I’m busy organizing these events and making sure everything’s ready for our guests. Sometimes I worry that I’m not doing as much as my sisters are.”
“I’m sure they would have said something if they thought there was more you could do.”
“I hope so. Tell me about being a counselor. What do you like most about your career?”
“Helping people. There were times in my life when I didn’t know how I would get through each day. I was lucky. I had good people around me, but a lot of people don’t have that support. I want to make people’s lives better.”
“That’s a big responsibility.”
“It is but, most of the time, I enjoy it.”
“Is that why you were running the art workshop today?”
“Not everyone enjoys talking to a counselor. Combining therapy sessions with art or another activity makes it easier to talk ab
out your feelings. Wyatt and another artist helped me design a series of workshops for teenagers. They can be one of the most challenging groups to work with.”
Diana remembered living with her sisters when she was a teenager. It was hard enough when everything was going well. She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like if they’d been going through a tough time. “How many workshops have you organized?”
“Six. Today’s class was the second one we’ve had. As long as they don’t cost too much money, I’ll keep running them throughout the year.”
“Do you pay for the materials yourself?”
When Ethan nodded, Diana frowned. She thought there would be some kind of grant that could pay for everything. “Are you sure there isn’t funding available from somewhere else?”
“Regardless of how many people move here, the county doesn’t have the resources to pay for this type of therapy. I thought working at the medical clinic and in the tiny home village would make our case for funding more obvious, but it hasn’t made any difference.”
“There should be more funding. Maybe the county doesn’t want to acknowledge how many people have mental health challenges.”
The same thing had crossed Ethan’s mind. “I’ve spoken to the other health professionals in the area. We’re gathering as much information as we can without disclosing who our patients are or where they live. It will take time, but we’re determined to show the county how many people would benefit from targeted programs. We want to make a difference.”
“It sounds as though you already are.” Diana leaned sideways as the waitress placed her order in front of her. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. If you need anything else, just ask.”
Ethan took the plate the waitress handed to him. “This smells delicious. Thank you.”
The waitress blushed and Diana knew how she felt. Being on the receiving end of one of Ethan’s megawatt smiles would melt anyone’s heart.
Over dinner, Ethan told Diana about moving to Sapphire Bay. As he talked about the clinic and the funny things he’d seen and done, she felt a deep sense of gratitude to whoever had suggested he come here. Growing up in Sapphire Bay had been wonderful, but they’d never had many health services.
Even now, if it weren’t for people like Ethan and Zac, the town’s only physician, they would have to drive for miles to get any sort of help.
By the time the waitress returned with the dessert menu, Diana felt as though she’d known Ethan for most of her life. He was funny, intelligent, and didn’t mind laughing at himself.
She shook her head when he tried to convince her to order a slice of apple pie. “I can’t eat another thing, but you go ahead.”
“What if we share a slice?”
Diana choked back a laugh at the teasing note in his voice. “I’ll have one mouthful if you eat the rest.”
With a satisfied nod, he ordered dessert. “Now that I’ve told you about my life, what about yours? Was it a hard decision to stay here?”
A sliver of unease crept up her spine. Ethan knew why she’d returned. He’d even met her ex-husband. What he didn’t know was how broken she’d been.
How did you tell someone you’d just met that your self-esteem was so low that even meeting him was a big deal? “Staying in Sapphire Bay was the easiest decision I’ve ever made. I didn’t have much of a life in Cincinnati. I just wish I’d come home sooner.”
“It’s easy to look back and wonder why you didn’t make a different choice but, at the time, it must have been the right thing to do.”
Diana’s sense of right and wrong had been so twisted she couldn’t have made a better choice even if her life depended on it. Taking a deep breath, she decided to tell him about her marriage. Ethan was a counselor. If he couldn’t see beyond the years of emotional abuse she’d suffered to the real person she was, no on would.
“I was too young and in love to make good decisions. Derek knew how close I was to my family but, after we moved to Cincinnati, he didn’t want me to visit them. He thought it would make it harder to adjust to our new life. So I stayed in Cincinnati and slowly lost contact with my family and friends. It wasn’t until later, when he wouldn’t let me go anywhere without him, that I realized how unhealthy our relationship had become.”
“How long were you married?” Ethan asked softly.
A blush of shame washed across her face. “Seven years.” She still felt embarrassed that she hadn’t seen how controlling and manipulative Derek had been. “Even after our divorce, it was difficult leaving Cincinnati. If Grandma hadn’t been so sick, I don’t know if I would have come home.” Hot tears stung her eyes. “Does that make me a bad person?”
Ethan placed his hand over hers. “It makes you human. It isn’t your fault you were in a toxic relationship.”
Diana gently pulled her hand away. “It was my fault. My sisters warned me about him, but I didn’t listen.”
“When did you get divorced?”
“Three years ago.” Diana tried to lighten the mood by forcing a smile. “I know what you’re thinking. I should have ended my marriage long before I did.”
“I’m not thinking that at all.”
Her throat tightened at the sincerity in his eyes. “I didn’t realize how broken I was until Dad called to tell me Grandma didn’t have long to live. I packed a suitcase and flew here with Charlie. It was the most spontaneous thing I’d done in years and it was terrifying.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here.”
So was she, more than Ethan could ever know.
“Do you think your ex-husband will visit you again?”
She sighed. “I hope not, but Derek has trouble taking no for an answer.”
“You could always tell your family he was here. They would make sure you’re okay.”
Diana knew Ethan was only trying to keep her safe, but she had to figure out what to do on her own. “I’ll think about it.”
Instead of telling her she should do more than that, he took a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I wrote down some other ideas I had for activities with your guests. Most of them would be easy to organize.”
Diana was grateful they’d moved onto another subject. Talking about her marriage made her feel like such a failure.
“I spoke to a woman called Andrea,” Ethan continued. “She works part time at The Welcome Center. When I told her I was looking for activities your guests could do, she said she could take bicycling tours of historical sites around Sapphire Bay.”
“That sounds like fun.” Diana read the other ideas Ethan had written on the list. “These are great. I like the tree hugging meditation morning.”
He smiled. “That’s a personal favorite. One of the residents at the tiny home village is a trained meditation coach. She’d be happy to help.”
“With activities like these, our guests won’t want to leave.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. Before you know it, you’ll have a thriving business.”
Diana hoped so. Her sisters had given up a lot to be here and, for her, it was a chance to start again.
Chapter 5
The following day, Diana opened the front door of the inn, welcoming Cassidy inside for a tour of the house. The teenager’s eager phone call last night had surprised Diana, but Cassidy didn’t want to miss seeing the inn before their guests arrived.
“Thanks for offering to show me around,” Cassidy said. “Mom has to work, but I said I’d call her as soon as we’re finished.”
“That’s a good idea. Let’s start in the main living room. It’s one of my favorite places in the house.”
Cassidy looked up at the ceiling. “Oh, wow. I really like the chandelier.”
Diana smiled. Her sisters thought she’d gone overboard when she’d bought the large, crystal light fixture. But the extra height and width of the entranceway begged for something dramatic to welcome guests into the inn.
The chandelier she’d found was perfect. It added a touch of glam
our to the soft white walls and filled the space with beautiful light.
“There are more chandeliers throughout the house, but this one is lovely.” She opened the door to the living room and waited for Cassidy.
When the teenager saw the circular room with its old-fashioned rocking chair overlooking the lake, she sighed. “This is so awesome. If I lived at the inn, I’d spend most of my time in here.”
“It was my grandparents’ favorite part of the house. Grandma used to sit in the rocking chair and knit all kinds of things for us.”
“I wish I’d known my grandparents. They died when I was a baby.”
From the sadness Diana in Cassidy’s eyes, Diana knew the loss of her grandparents meant a lot to the young woman. “Do you have any photos of them?”
“Mom has a whole boxful.” Cassidy stood in front of a dresser and frowned. “Is this the piece of furniture where you found the letter from Abraham Lincoln?”
“It is.” Diana stood beside her. “It’s just as well you came to the inn today. We’re sending the dresser to Washington, D.C. tomorrow.”
“When will it come back?”
“I’m not sure. The people who work at the Smithsonian want to study it to see if it holds any clues about how the letter came to be in Sapphire Bay.”
“Do you think they’ll ever figure it out?”
“I hope so.” Diana picked up the snuffbox. “This was given to my great-grandmother. The key that’s inside it opens a secret compartment in the dresser.”
“That’s amazing. It’s a pretty shade of blue.”
“We think it was made in Switzerland about two hundred years ago.”
Cassidy bit her bottom lip. “It must be worth a lot of money.”
“I don’t know, but it’s special to us. Would you like to see the kitchen? My sister, Katie, should be getting dinner ready.”
With a quick nod, Cassidy followed Diana through the living room.
Diana opened the kitchen door and inhaled the delicious scent of freshly baked bread. “Something smells amazing.”
Summer At Lakeside Page 4