The Lakeside Inn

by Leeanna Morgan

Barbara blew her nose. “If you leave it to chance, nothing will happen.”

  “We’ll see.” Penny wiped her brush against the rim of the paint can. She had other things to focus on apart from Wyatt. Over the next few weeks she had to transform her grandparents’ home into a Bed and Breakfast, help with the art project, and discover what happened to her great-grandfather. That was more than enough to keep her busy.

  Wyatt handed another bucket and brush to a volunteer. This morning, everyone was getting together to wash the garages in the tiny home village. Three water blasters would get most of the dirt and grime off the walls but, for some areas, an old-fashioned bucket and brush were the best option.

  He smiled when he saw the next two people waiting in the line. “Hi, Richard and Jack. I’m glad you could make it.”

  “We marked it on our calendar,” Jack said happily, standing beside his dad. “Dad said we should come early so we can use a water blaster.”

  “Your dad was right,” Wyatt said as he handed Richard the last water blaster. “The other two are already being used. This is for you.” Wyatt handed Jack a bucket and brush. “If you go to the first garage, Penny will show you what to do.”

  “Thanks.” Jack squinted up at Wyatt. “Is Penny your girlfriend?”

  “Jack. Don’t ask people personal questions like that.” Richard looked apologetically at Wyatt. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t have any nephews, but I’ve been around enough kids to know they don’t have filters.” He knelt on the ground in front of Jack. “Penny is my friend, not my girlfriend.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “Usually when you have a girlfriend, you live in the same town. I’m leaving soon and going to the other side of the world.”

  “Can Penny go with you?”

  Wyatt frowned. He hadn’t thought of that. “She has things she wants to do here.”

  “I like Penny.”

  He ruffled Jack’s hair. “So do I.”

  “Does that mean she could be—”

  “We should leave Wyatt to hand out the rest of the cleaning equipment,” Richard said to his son. “Penny will wonder where the people with the water blaster have gone.”

  As if by magic, Jack forgot about Wyatt’s relationship status and gripped his bucket. “We’re here.”

  “But we need to be over there.” Richard pointed to the garage. “Let’s go, kiddo.”

  Jack hurried across the yard.

  Before Richard left, Wyatt sent him a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. If Jack asks too many questions, distract him with anything mechanical. He loves pulling things apart and putting them back together.”

  “I’ll remember that. Thanks for helping.”

  “I’m happy to be here. Everyone’s talking about the designs we’ve come up with. They’ll brighten the village once they’re finished. Do you want me to return the water blaster to you when we’re done?”

  Wyatt shook his head. “Give it to Penny. We’ll take it back to its owner tonight.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Jack rushed back to them. “Come on, Dad. Everyone’s waiting.”

  With a glance across the yard, Richard picked up the water blaster and followed his son.

  Wyatt smiled at the next person in the line and handed them a bucket and brush. It would be interesting to see how the day unfolded. They had a lot of work ahead of them, but more than enough enthusiasm to make it fun.

  Chapter 10

  Penny lifted her arms above her head and stretched sideways. Somewhere in her back, a bone clicked, making her wince.

  Diana walked onto the veranda. “Hard day?”

  “It was tiring but good. We cleaned all the garages for the art project and then prepped the walls for the next stage.”

  “You’re still smiling, so it must have been enjoyable.”

  “It was. Pastor John brought lunch for everyone and Wyatt ran a competition to see who could make their garages the cleanest.”

  “It sounds better than my afternoon. Charlie rubbed himself in a dead animal and it took three shampoos to get rid of the smell.”

  Penny sat on the porch swing. “Where is he now?”

  “With Barbara. She’s decorating the cupcakes for tomorrow night.”

  “He’ll enjoy that, especially if any crumbs fall on the floor.”

  “He’s already licked the floor clean.” Diana sat beside her. “I called Katie. She still doesn’t know if she’s coming home.”

  That was the last thing Penny wanted to hear. “I can’t believe she’d stay in Los Angeles when we want to keep the house in the family. I’d better call Grandma’s solicitor. We might get an extension on having everyone living together.”

  “I’ve already done that. He’s okay with us taking a little more time. I don’t know how she can sleep at night knowing we’re all here, waiting for her.”

  “She doesn’t realize how much we’ve given up to be here.”

  Diana looked across the backyard to the lake. “We need to make her feel guilty so she hurries back.”

  “We’ve tried to make her feel guilty before and it’s never worked. Half the time, Katie has her head in the clouds. I’m surprised she remembers what day of the week it is.”

  “What if I fly to Los Angeles? She might take us more seriously if we speak to her in person.”

  “It hasn’t helped before.”

  “But it might this time.”

  Penny’s eyebrows rose. “Do you really think so?”

  Pulling her feet beneath her, Diana shook her head. “No, but it made me feel better. I’ll call her again tomorrow.”

  Knowing their sister, it wouldn’t matter how many times they called her. She would still do exactly what she wanted to do. “I like the lights you and Barbara wrapped around the veranda. They’re romantic.”

  The large, white bulbs were strung beneath the timber frame, casting soft light across the deck.

  “I thought it would brighten up this area for our guests. Barbara painted the outdoor chairs and table, and we’ll move a few of Grandma’s roses into pots and display them here. I just hope Katie comes home. Otherwise, everything we’re doing is a waste a time.”

  Penny thought of the light, bright spaces they’d created. Most of it was done by moving furniture around, taking down old and dated curtains, or painting a couple of walls. “Someone will appreciate what we’ve done. I just hope it’s our Bed and Breakfast guests.”

  The screen door opened and Barbara appeared carrying three mugs on a tray. “Hot chocolate, anyone?”

  Diana uncurled her legs and pulled a chair closer to where they were sitting. “That sounds perfect. You sit here while I get everyone a slice of cake.”

  After their sister had left, Barbara carefully lowered the tray to a table. “Diana still looks stressed,” she whispered. “Did she tell you about Katie?”

  “She did. I hope Katie changes her mind.”

  “So do I. If she doesn’t, Mom said you, Diana, and Charlie can stay with them.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll go back to San Diego.”

  Penny’s heart sank.

  “I feel the same way. Hopefully, it won’t come to that. Did you get the garages ready for painting?”

  “We did. Everyone’s looking forward to seeing what the murals will look like.”

  “I bet they are. It isn’t often that you’re able to add your own personal touches to a housing development.” Barbara handed Penny a mug. “Mom said she popped down to see you. She was impressed with how Wyatt included everyone.”

  “She’s always impressed by Wyatt, especially when he gave each of the volunteers a bag of candy from Sweet Treats.”

  Barbara grinned.

  “No! I’m not asking him to go out with me. It will spoil our friendship.”

  “Or push things in the right direction.”

  Diana opened the screen door. “I’ve got the cake and Charlie
.”

  At the sound of his name, Charlie’s ears twitched.

  “No cake for you,” Barbara said to Charlie. “You’ll get a tummy ache.”

  As if knowing he wouldn’t get what he wanted, Charlie flopped on the floor.

  Leaning down, Penny rubbed his soft ears. “I can’t believe it took Grandma’s death to bring us back to Sapphire Bay at the same time.” She lifted her gaze to her sisters. “I’ve missed you guys. It didn’t matter which city I was in, something didn’t feel right.”

  Barbara gave Penny a hug. “Me, too. Living here is different, but I’m enjoying being away from the smog and noise of city life.”

  “I’m enjoying being away from my ex-husband,” Diana said softly.

  Barbara lifted her mug of hot chocolate in a mock salute. “I’ll drink to that. I always thought you were too good for him.”

  Suddenly, Charlie leapt to his feet and ran down the veranda steps.

  Penny quickly followed. “Charlie! Come back.” She ran around the corner of the house and almost collided with Wyatt.

  Charlie was on his hind legs, leaning against their neighbor and getting lots of love and attention.

  Wyatt’s grin was almost as wide as Charlie’s. “I think I know what your missing piece of furniture looks like.”

  Penny was so surprised to see Wyatt that she had to refocus her brain to piece together what he’d said. “The furniture that goes with the key?”

  With a gentle command, Wyatt untangled himself from Charlie’s exuberant welcome. “It’s in the photo.”

  “Which photo?”

  “The one I’m using from the library.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I took a photo of it to make it easier to enlarge. Here, look at this. It’s in the dresser behind your great-grandmother,” Wyatt handed her the phone.

  She zoomed in on the dresser, slowly moving down the image so she could check each drawer. They all had locks but, so far, they were all empty. By the time she reached the bottom drawer, she thought Wyatt must have been imagining a key.

  “I don’t see…” Hidden in the shadow of Margaret’s skirt was a blurry object.

  Wyatt peered over her shoulder. “It’s not very clear but, if you fully enlarge the image, you can just make out the shape of the key.”

  No matter how hard she tried, it was just a blurry shadow. “Come to the back veranda. I might be able to see the key in a better light.”

  When Barbara saw Wyatt, she grinned. “We were just talking about you.”

  “You were?”

  A blush streaked across Penny’s face. If Barbara mentioned anything about dating, her sister wouldn’t be getting a birthday present from her.

  The look Barbara sent her was pure mischief. “Penny was telling us what she did today. It sounds as though the art project is well underway.”

  “We’ve finished the first part,” Wyatt told her. “The tricky bit will be keeping everyone motivated until the end. Hi, Diana.”

  “Hi.”

  Holding Wyatt’s cell phone in front of her, Penny stood under one of the lights. As soon as she saw the top of the heart-shaped key, her mouth dropped open. “You’re right.”

  “What are you doing?” Barbara asked.

  With a trembling hand, Penny showed her sister the key. “That’s the piece of furniture we’ve been looking for.”

  Diana leapt out of her chair and hurried across to them. “Let me see.”

  Penny handed Diana the phone.

  Barbara bit her bottom lip. “You can’t see the entire dresser.”

  “But there’s enough to give us a good start.” Diana lifted her gaze to Penny. “I haven’t seen anything like this in the house.”

  Neither had Penny. “We could look in the attic again. I’ve cleared out most of the things we want and pulled everything else into the center of the room.”

  Wyatt searched each of their faces. He wasn’t the only one who was excited. “It looks as though we’re heading into the attic.”

  With Penny leading the way, they hurried upstairs. Maybe, if they were lucky, the answer to their mystery might have been in front of them all along.

  Wyatt rested his hands on his hips and surveyed the attic. Fresh white sheets were draped over a dozen pieces of furniture. One wall looked as though it had received a fresh coat of paint, and someone had scrubbed the floors. There wasn’t one cobweb, one dusty shelf anywhere in the room.

  He knew Penny had spent hours up here, cleaning years of dirt and grime from every surface. She’d done a good job.

  Barbara lifted a sheet off the closest piece of furniture. “We should look for anything with an ornate edge of wood along the top.”

  “Or anything that looks as though it could have had one,” Diana added. “Someone might have removed the fancy trim.”

  Wyatt helped Penny take another sheet off a bookcase. “What are you doing with the furniture after you’ve remodeled this area?”

  “Some pieces will stay here and Barbara’s taking a couple of dressers back to San Diego. Mom and Dad don’t have room for anything else in their apartment, so we’ll probably sell what’s left.”

  Diana ran her hand along the top of a mahogany table. “If we could turn the house into a Bed and Breakfast, I’d like to keep as many pieces as possible. Some of the furniture might have come from our great-great-grandparents.”

  Barbara lifted another sheet. “We’re lucky it’s so dry up here. If the roof had leaked, it could have damaged the furniture. Has anyone found anything that looks like the dresser in the photo?”

  Penny draped a sheet back over an old bookcase. “Not yet. What about you, Diana?”

  “All I’ve found are small tables and a dresser that’s completely different. With all the work we’ve done upstairs, we would have found the dresser if it were here.”

  Wyatt looked under the last sheet. The large dresser was beautiful, but it wasn’t what they were looking for. “Penny said the attic used to be full of furniture and old family keepsakes. Did your grandparents give anything away or store some of the furniture in another place?”

  “Not that I know of,” Barbara said. “But we could ask Mom.”

  Diana pulled out her cell phone. “I’ll call her now.”

  While Diana talked to her mom, Wyatt helped Penny and Barbara cover the furniture. “The attic’s huge. Are you turning all of it into a honeymoon suite or just some of it?”

  “We’ll use all of it.” Penny pointed to the far side of the room. “The walk-in closet and bathroom will be over there. On the wall facing the lake, we’ll add a large window with some pretty curtains.”

  “We want whoever stays here to see the lake as soon as they wake up,” Barbara said.

  Penny moved to the other side of the attic. “On this side, we’ll create a relaxing living and dining area. Diana has already found a really nice sofa and Barbara chose a few pieces of furniture from the house.”

  “It will be amazing when it’s finished,” Barbara said. “Even the first coat of paint makes a difference to how it looks.”

  Diana turned back to them. “Mom said to check the building that used to be the old steamboat museum. Granddad used to volunteer there and she thinks he stored some furniture in an unused room.”

  Penny looked at her watch. “It’s too late to call anyone, but what if I speak to someone tomorrow?”

  Barbara wiped her hands on her jeans. “Sounds good to me. If they’re happy for us to look through their spare rooms, I’ll go with you.”

  “Me, too,” Diana said quickly. “I can’t wait to see what’s there.”

  Wyatt had a lot of painting to do, but solving the mystery surrounding his neighbor’s great-grandfather and the key in the box was too good to miss. “If you want another person to help, I’m in.”

  Penny’s smile was instant. “That would be great. I’ll let you know when we can go. In the meantime, does anyone want another hot drink?”

  Diana flicked a sheet over a side table. “I do.
What about you, Wyatt? Do you want to join us on the back veranda? Penny made Grandma’s special carrot cake this morning.”

  “And the frosting is delicious,” Barbara added.

  He didn’t want to overstay his welcome, but Penny and her sisters didn’t seem to mind his company. “I can’t resist delicious frosting. I bought some cookies from the bakery in town. I’ll get those.”

  “You don’t need to,” Penny said. “We always have plenty of food in the kitchen.”

  “I know, but that’s not the point. I’ll be back soon.” Before Penny could disagree, he left the attic and headed to his house. Even though they were a small step closer to discovering what happened to Penny’s great-grandfather, they were still miles away from knowing the truth.

  And if the dresser didn’t give them any information, they’d be back at square one.

  Later that night, Penny walked with Wyatt back to his house. “Thanks for helping us tonight.”

  “I didn’t do much.”

  “You found the picture of my great-grandmother and my grandma. And the key. That’s more than any of us have discovered since we started looking for my great-grandfather.”

  Wyatt stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. “This might sound strange but, from the moment I saw the photo of your grandma and great-grandmother, I’ve felt an odd connection to them. Even when I’m painting, it’s as if Margaret’s talking to me, describing her life and what it was like living in Polson one hundred years ago.”

  “I don’t think it’s strange at all. After Grandma died, I could have sworn she was still in the house, watching what we were doing. It was like…” Penny tried to think of words that described how she felt without sounding too far-fetched. “It was as if her spirit was still here. Some rooms had a strange energy that wasn’t in them before she died.”

  “Maybe she was there. No one knows what happens after we die. She could have been in an in-between place, figuring out where she belonged.”

  Penny looked up at the stars and sighed. “Wherever she is, I hope she’s happy.”

  “If your grandma was anything like you, your mom, and your sisters, there’s no way she won’t be happy. She’s probably rearranging everything your granddad got ready for her.”