Christmas Angels

by Nancy Naigle

  Matt turned and looked at Roger. “Because of me?”

  “Well, if you hadn’t done such a good job with giving that lady the lowdown on what needed to be done on that house she wouldn’t be calling me to run an RFP in the paper.” Roger rolled his eyes.

  “Request for proposal?”

  “Yes, and I told her politely that an RFP wasn’t going to get much attention in our little paper, but she wouldn’t listen. She’s very insistent, that one.”

  “She’d do better to talk to some of the individual guys and piece out the work.” Like he’d recommended. “When will it run?”

  “Starting tomorrow through December second.”

  Matt made a mental note to pick up a paper in the morning. There was no online version of the Antler Creek Chronicle. If he didn’t pick one up at the Creekside Café or the gas station he’d have to borrow one from one of the locals who still had it delivered to their house twice a week and on Sunday.

  He might even submit a bid himself.

  A little voice in the back of his head reminded him that he’d sworn off getting involved after the Robyn-with-a-“y” debacle, and Liz should be off-limits.

  It would be a fun project. One that he had the skills to pull off. This was about the inn … not the woman. Mostly.

  Chapter Twelve

  The sun shone bright, and unlike most Mondays Liz didn’t have back-to-back meetings, but she was up and ready to face the day.

  After she’d gotten the inspection report and estimates from Matt yesterday, she’d rerun the numbers and even added in some buffer to the project for any new problems they might stumble upon.

  Even the inspection she’d paid eight hundred dollars for when she bought her house in Charlotte hadn’t been this in-depth. He’d even included pictures. That had been helpful too, because it had been too dark to get a good picture of anything the day she was there with him. Maybe that was for the best.

  After carefully working through the entire package, she had no questions at all. He’d left no stone unturned, and there were complete details and hypotheses about all of the elements in the house, along with cost analyses and prioritization of the proposed projects.

  Of course, he had no idea what she’d paid for the place, except that it was more than he’d bid.

  Even with the additional buffer she’d added to the projected spend, it came in just under her declared budget. Squeaky tight, but it passed the go/no-go gate.

  Excited by the possibilities, she exhaled a long sigh of contentment.

  I’m going to do this.

  She speed-dialed a contact in her phone. “Peggy, thanks for talking me off the ledge the other day.”

  “What was that all about anyway? I’ve never known you to balk at a challenge.”

  “I don’t know. I guess there’s a first for everything. Believe me, if you’d been here with me when I walked inside, you’d understand.”

  “That bad?”

  “Gutted. Left for dead.” And that didn’t feel like an exaggeration, but she was here to resuscitate the old place now. “I know we said we’d talk about leave after the holiday, but I wanted you to be thinking about it too. I’m going to request a six-month leave of absence to work on this.”

  “I’m not surprised. Folks are going to feel like the world is caving in when they hear about it, but they’ll get over it. Don’t worry. I’ll handle things here.”

  “I know.” She hesitated. Peggy knew the whole story, but she still needed to say it. “You know I might not come back at the end of that sabbatical, right?”

  “Fully aware, my friend, but that’s between us for now. If anything changes, you’ll have a job to come back to.”

  “Thank you, Peggy.” She let the last of her concerns drift away. “I’ve got it all planned out, right to the weather according to the Farmers’ Almanac.”

  “No surprise.” There was a trace of laughter in Peggy’s voice.

  “If all goes according to plan I’ll have guests at peak season for the leaves to be changing. The only other dependency is on my house selling by July. If it doesn’t I’ll have to look at renting it out, which I’d rather not do.”

  “Hire a property manager if you do. You’re too nice to chase down late rent.”

  “You know that’s right, but when I spoke to Missy she seemed to think it will sell fast, so I’m not going to worry about it. Worst thing that could happen is I’d have to cancel my trip out to California to see my parents in the fall, but I’ve been out to see them the last three years. Maybe under the circumstances they’d like to come back to North Carolina and see the inn.”

  “Wouldn’t that be great? I bet they’d love it as much as you do,” Peggy said. “Call me when things get moving. I’d love to come and see it. Until then, you still owe me a picture of the sunrise.”

  “You got it. I took one this morning. I’m forwarding it now. Thanks for everything, Peggy.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m looking forward to being one of your first guests.”

  “I’m penciling you in for the first weekend of October,” Liz said before hanging up the phone.

  She liked the idea of the family being together at Angel’s Rest again. She immediately dialed her parents, and her mom picked up after the first ring.

  “Liz,” her mother answered. “Your father and I were just saying we needed to check in with you.”

  “Hi, Mom. How are y’all doing?”

  “We’re good,” her mother said. “We spent Thanksgiving with friends on their boat, and they’d like us to join them down in San Diego for the holidays.”

  “I’m sure you’ll enjoy that” was the best she could come up with, because it would have been nice to spend the holidays together in North Carolina for a change.

  “You know you’re always welcome no matter where we go. Your father says hello. I’m putting you on speaker.”

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “Hey, Lizzie,” he said. “So, what’s going on?”

  It was true. She rarely called unless she had something going on or to share. “Well, I bought something.”

  “A new car?” Dad sounded excited. A die-hard Ford fanatic, he hadn’t been a fan of her buying the Range Rover.

  “No. Something bigger.” She’d planned to draw it out, be suspenseful, but she couldn’t hold back. “I bought the inn.”

  “What inn?”

  “Gram and Pop’s.” The absence of a reaction from them kind of dumbfounded her. “Angel’s Rest up in Antler Creek.”

  “Why on earth would you do that?” both of them said at the same time.

  “Because it’s the happiest place on earth?”

  “Hardly,” her mother said. “That place is an hour from anything.”

  “That’s exactly what I’ve always loved about it. Everyone loved Angel’s Rest.”

  “That was a long time ago, Liz. What were you thinking?” Mom asked. “Don’t you remember how much work that place was for Pop and Gram?”

  “I remember how much fun it was. They loved it there, and their love for that town is what brought people to it. I’ve always wanted to carry that on. You know that’s been my dream.”

  “A childhood dream. I never thought you were serious,” Mom said. “You have an excellent job.”

  “Your grandparents loved each other more than any two people I’ve ever met,” Dad said. “It didn’t matter where they were. They’d have been happy.”

  Mom let out an audible sigh. “How will you ever meet someone in that tiny little town? And why would you leave your job behind?”

  “I’m not the least bit worried about finding a husband, and I’d leave my job behind because I can. I’ve worked hard to be in a position to do this. It’s been my dream forever.” She knew Angel’s Rest had something to do with how special her grandparents’ relationship was. That place had always made her feel different too.

  “Goodness gracious. I thought you’d outgrow that fairy tale,” Mom said.

  And wha
t’s so wrong with a fairy tale? Isn’t marrying a prince a fairy tale too?

  “Liz, that place has to be falling apart by now.”

  She wasn’t about to tell them it had been gutted. “It’ll need some work but I have an RFP drawn up and it’ll be in the paper tomorrow.” Liz hoped she’d get a good response on the request for proposal she’d run in the Antler Creek Chronicle this week. All she needed was a few good craftsmen to get this ball rolling. She purposely kept the list short and succinct.

  She could add on to the project later, but right now she just needed to get people lined up so that as soon as she closed on the property she’d be ready to get started.

  “Good luck with that,” Dad said, as if it were a joke. She could almost picture them scoffing at her over the phone line. Mom was probably twirling her long manicured Christmas-red-nailed fingers around in circles on the side of her head, indicating that Liz was crazy.

  “Mom, do you remember a boy named Matt Hardy from when we used to go to the mountains to go fishing with Pop? He’s about my age.”

  “I remember a lot of kids hanging around and participating in those outdoor activities, but no one in particular comes to mind. Why? Is he working on the property for you?”

  “He did the inspection. I don’t remember him at all, but he seems to remember me.”

  “Isn’t that cute. Honey, it’s not like you were ever there for very long. I’m not surprised you don’t remember any of the kids that were around. Your grandparents were quite popular at the church and lots of the kids used to come and help around the place to earn spending money, or to work off the cost to fish or hike.”

  “I do kind of remember there were always a lot of people around.”

  “Your grandparents loved entertaining.”

  “They were always so happy.”

  “They really were,” Mom said. “I hope you find that one day, dear. But if you’re going to find love you’re going to have to do something besides work. Especially with that no-dating-anyone-from-work policy.”

  “Squirreling away in the mountains isn’t going to increase those odds either,” Dad said. “Especially if you want a husband who wears sleeves.”

  “Dad!”

  Her father said, “Nothing wrong with just having fun. Don’t go marrying the first redneck you meet either. Maybe you can flip the place and make a profit. That’s trendy right now.”

  This wasn’t going the way she’d hoped. Talk about bursting a bubble. “I just wanted to share my news. I’ll keep you updated on the progress.”

  “You do that. Bye now.”

  She hung up aggravated with them, and feeling more anxious to get the project going if for no other reason than to prove them wrong.

  Chapter Thirteen

  A week had gone by, and Liz couldn’t believe the paperwork on the property had been settled so quickly. Then again, it was a cash deal, which made things a bit easier. All she had to do now was go down to the courthouse and finish her part. The RFP notice in the Antler Creek Chronicle had ended; unfortunately, all it yielded was two bids, and one of those was from Matt.

  The icy rain had stripped most of the remaining leaves from the trees, and the sky was missing the blue of those perfect autumn days they’d been spoiled with lately. Winter might be officially a couple of weeks off, but it sure looked like it had arrived.

  Liz drove over to the Creekside Café for an early lunch. In an hour folks would descend on the place like ants on a picnic and there wouldn’t be an empty seat in the joint. She walked in, enjoying the quieter time, and took a seat in the small booth at the front. It was her favorite spot, since she could see people coming and going.

  She flipped through the menu, then glanced over at the specials on the wall.

  TODAY’S SPECIALS

  HAM AND POTATO SOUP

  BIG BEN’S FRIED TENDERLOIN SANDWICH

  MAIZEY’S LASAGNA ~ WHILE IT LASTS

  Maizey brought her a glass of tea. “What’ll you have today?”

  “I’d love to try your special lasagna.” Liz slid the menu back into the wooden holder near the wall.

  “I’m famous for it. Garlic bread?”

  “Of course.” Liz tapped her flat hands on the table. She loved this place. This town. She couldn’t believe she was really going to be a part of it. Her eyes misted over. She dabbed at them with her napkin, then placed it in her lap. She smiled at a couple walking in who sat in the booth behind her.

  Maizey came back over. “How’re things coming along with the mountain house?”

  “Great.” Liz leaned her elbow leisurely on the table. She’d gotten used to these chats with Maizey, even looked forward to them. “Right after I eat I’m heading to the courthouse to finalize the deed transfer.”

  “Congratulations! Dessert is on me today.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m so glad everything is working out the way you wanted it to. I like having you around.”

  “I love being here. With the inspection report I got from Matt I was able to prioritize the entire project. I’m planning for an autumn opening. I’ll owe you forever for that connection.”

  “You’re off to a quick start.”

  “That’s what I thought, but I only got two bids on the RFP I ran in the Antler Creek Chronicle.”

  Maizey shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. I know for a fact we have plenty of very talented carpenters, plumbers, and other handymen that could use the work.” Maizey tucked her towel in the belt of her apron. “That whole formal RFP might have scared a bunch of them off. Folks around here don’t usually work in such a … a process-oriented manner. I mean, generally a chat over lunch and a handshake seals the deal.”

  When Matt mentioned working with the locals he hadn’t meant in a formal process. He’d meant more word-of-mouth, she gathered from what Maizey was just sharing.

  “Around here folks just want to do good day’s work for a fair wage. A handshake is as good as a contract to get what you asked for around here.”

  Maybe all of her corporate approaches weren’t perfect for a job in a small town. Know your audience.

  “Might’ve been lucky to get even just two estimates. But you only need one,” Maizey reassured her. “Unless they were both way over your budget. What’s the problem?”

  “No. One was very reasonable, and the other more than double the other.”

  “Double? I’m sorry. That’s just wrong.” Maizey frowned. “Some people around here think just because you bought something for more than they could afford, that you have money to burn, or that they are entitled to a hefty slice of it. It’s not right.”

  Liz had a feeling that statement had come from discussion Maizey had overheard here in the diner, not pure speculation. She hoped she hadn’t set herself up in the wrong light with folks. That hadn’t been her intention. She wanted to be a part of this community the way her grandparents had been.

  “That’s not the case. I don’t have money to burn. My budget is whisper thin. I’m going to have to be very careful.”

  “Then you will be. It doesn’t matter what people think about how much you spent on that old place. This is your dream. You go for it.”

  “How do they even know what I spent?” Had Matt shared his assumptions with people around here? That was really none of his business.

  “It’s public record, sweetie, and Rosie who works for the county is married to Johnny Ray who is best friends with Ben and that whole bunch of men that are tighter than any group of old women—don’t one of them know anything the rest of them won’t hear about.”

  Liz was still processing the chain of friends two beats after Maizey was done saying it.

  Public record. She probably read that somewhere in all the paperwork. Probably would’ve known it had she let Dan be a part of the process, but she didn’t regret cutting that tie.

  She wouldn’t have expected anyone to care enough to pull records to see what she’d spent. But she hadn’t counted on R
osie who was the sister, cousin, or whatever. Geez. Wasn’t anything personal anymore? Information about where and what she’d spent on the inn at auction was probably available on the internet too.

  “I’m glad you got one good bid. That’s all you need anyway.”

  How was Liz supposed to tell Maizey that she was hesitant to take the lowest bid just because it was from Matt? She was his friend. There wasn’t even a good reason to not want him to do the work. He was highly qualified, according to Maizey, and if his house was any indicator of his work the inn would end up looking amazing.

  Liz felt the warmth climbing up her chest to her neck, then the burn in her cheeks. “It’s not quite as simple as you might think. That bid was from Matt.”

  Maizey cocked her head so quick it reminded her of playing with those Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots with her little brother when she was a kid. A heavily penciled eyebrow practically disappeared beneath Maizey’s blond bangs. “Matt Hardy? He bid on your project?”

  “Why are you so surprised? You’re the one who said he could fix and build about anything.”

  “He can,” Maizey said. “He just doesn’t hire out to do work. Ever. Help out? All the time, but never for hire.”

  That seemed odd, but that wasn’t her business.

  “Why are you so perplexed when you have a good bid in the hand?” Maizey laughed. “Bid in the hand. Like bird in the hand.” She sat down at the table. “Get it. I made a joke.”

  Liz lightened up. “Yes. Funny. I don’t know. I just get a weird vibe around him. I can’t explain it.”

  “Weird? From Matt? He’s the nicest man I know. If I had a daughter, he’s exactly the kind of man I’d want her to be with.”

  “He seems nice. Maybe too nice. Or familiar?” She hadn’t let anyone be close to her in a long time. Not since the divorce. And all of her friends were work acquaintances, the closest being Peggy, but it wasn’t like they were the girls’-night-out kind of friends either. “There’s just something about him that nags at me, and not in a totally bad way. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

  Maizey’s lips pursed. “The last man I knew that was as nice as Matt was your granddaddy. There’s not one thing wrong with nice.” She stood and waved as two workmen came in the restaurant, then looked Liz square in the eye. “That city girl brain of yours probably doesn’t know how to wrap itself around a genuinely nice man with no ulterior motives.” She swished away to wait on the men, who’d just seated themselves at the back table.