Slamming his head against the headrest in his car as he sat in front of Starbucks, Riley had to face the hard truth. He was going to have to face his mother, and chances were there was going to be an audience.
Dammit.
The thought of going to see his mother and not only telling her he was out of the marines, but also that he wasn’t planning on sticking around and helping her with the business wasn’t going to go over well. First, he would have to relive the hell he’d gone through in combat and how it had landed him back in civilian life. She’d most likely be devastated that he hadn’t told her about his injuries sooner. Biting back a curse, Riley knew she had every reason to be angry. What kind of son doesn’t let his mother know he almost died?
The same kind of son who plans on letting her family business go to a stranger.
Not his finest hour.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. This was so not the way he’d imagined his homecoming. Choosing to go to a hotel outside of town for a few days to mentally prepare suddenly seemed like the coward’s way of doing things. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he knew he’d just been delaying the inevitable.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the little white sedan pull away. Without knowing her name or anything of significance about her, Riley knew somehow that the woman was going to be a factor in how things went down with his mother. Growling with frustration, he started his own car and decided he was done mentally preparing himself.
Or hiding, whatever.
He was going back to the hotel to pack his meager belongings, and then he’d do what needed to be done. He was a U.S. Marine, damn it. He had faced the enemy in combat. He’d killed when necessary and walked into dangerous situations where he had no idea who he’d be facing more times than he cared to remember.
And yet the thought of facing his mother was scarier.
Still, Riley knew waiting wasn’t going to change anything, and he believed in owning up to his fears and overcoming them. She was his mother; she’d raised him. Surely, she wasn’t going to be surprised when he told her about his plans. On some level, she had to have seen this coming.
He hoped she’d seen this coming.
With everything packed up, he headed to the front desk, checked out, and walked back to his car.
Here we go…
* * *
Grace closed the heavy front door behind her and promptly sagged against it, thankful to finally be home.
“Is that you, Grace?” a voice called out.
“Yes…” And before she could utter another word, her good friend Corrine was rushing toward her.
“You’re back sooner than I expected. Is everything okay?” One look at Grace, and Corrine had her answer. “Oh no…your leg?” Grace nodded. “I knew you were going to overdo it. Come on, let’s get you on the couch.”
“Corrine, I’ll be fine. I just need…a minute.”
“Please…how many times have I said the exact same thing to you?”
Grace frowned. “Dozens?”
“And how many times did you listen?”
“None.”
With a look of victory, Corrine helped Grace cross the main entryway and led her to the sofa in the massive living room. Once she was settled, Corrine looked at her friend and waited.
Grace knew that look and swiftly rolled her eyes in defeat. “Okay, so I overdid it. I’ll survive.”
“Grace, you know what the therapist said. You have to take these things slowly.”
“How much slower can I possibly take it, Corrine? It’s been months! Months!” She threw up her hands in disgust. “I’m tired of walking on a treadmill. I’m tired of not being outside and enjoying the fresh air.”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Corrine admonished. “No one is locking you away, Grace. You can walk outside, just don’t jog every day. Eventually, you’ll build yourself back up.”
“It wasn’t supposed to take this long,” Grace said softly, emotion welling up inside her. “People break their legs all the time, and within six weeks, they’re back to normal.”
“You broke your leg in four places, Grace. You’re lucky to be walking at all.”
That was something she had heard what seemed like a hundred times while in the hospital and in therapy. It wasn’t that she wasn’t thankful that she was, indeed, walking, but Grace wanted to be back to her old self. Right now, she doubted that would ever happen.
“Look,” Corrine began, “you came here to start over, for a new life. This recovery is part of it. I don’t want to see you hurting yourself because you think you have something to prove.”
“I don’t think that,” Grace protested, but when her eyes met Corrine’s, she knew she was lying. “Okay, so I’m trying to prove to myself that I can be like I was before the accident. That’s not a crime.”
“No, it’s not. But wouldn’t you rather do this the right way so that you can get back to your old self, rather than overdoing it and ruining those chances?”
Grace hated when her friend was right. Well, that wasn’t completely true. She valued Corrine’s honesty and friendship. She just hated when it meant she herself was wrong.
The two had met while Corrine was recovering from hip replacement surgery and staying at the rehabilitation center where Grace had not only spent her own recovery but was also working as a chef. The two had bonded because Grace saw a lot of herself in the older woman. Actually, they had gravitated toward one another, and a friendship had been born.
Having lost both of her parents ten years earlier, Grace found in Corrine the mother figure she had been missing. And Corrine? Well, she only had one child—who was in the military and rarely came home—so Grace figured she was filling a hole in Corrine’s life as well. For whatever reason, they had become fast friends, and when Corrine was released from rehab and ready to go, she had asked Grace to come and help out with her bed-and-breakfast in the mountains of North Carolina.
Over their many conversations about their lives, Grace had told Corrine about her previous life as a chef at an exclusive hotel in New York City. Unfortunately, when she returned from the extensive rehabilitation after her skiing accident, she found her position had been filled, and she was out of a job. Not one to sit still for long, Grace had taken a position in the kitchen at the facility where she had recovered. “Came for the therapy, stayed for the job,” she always said.
“Is this really what you want to do with your life?” Corrine had asked one afternoon.
Grace shook her head. “No, this is definitely not where I imagined myself.”
“So? What’s keeping you here?”
“Essentially, I have no place to go. I don’t have a job to go back to. My roommate put my bigger stuff in storage, sent me my personal items, and found someone who could actually live there and pay the rent. So really, until I find someplace to go, this is it for me.”
“If you could have your dream job, what would it be?”
A slow smile crept across Grace’s face. “My dream? Well, if I delved deep into the fantasy, I’d have to say I want to run a place of my own.”
“A restaurant?”
Grace shrugged. “I’m not so sure about that. I found the pace at the hotel to be a lot more hectic than I was comfortable with. I think I want something smaller, more intimate. A place where I can create different menus every day. Maybe a café or bistro—you know, a place where I’m not catering to the masses but can actually take the time to leave the kitchen and meet my customers.”
A smile of pure joy crossed Corrine’s face. “Grace, I do believe fate has brought us together.”
“Really? Why?”
Corrine looked around as if she wanted to make sure no one was listening before leaning in close to Grace. “Back home, I own a bed-and-breakfast.”
“You do? Why haven’t you mentioned i
t before?”
Now it was Corrine’s turn to shrug. “People are funny. Most of the time when I mention it, I get asked if they can stay for free. I pick and choose who I share my information with.”
“That’s terrible! I would never expect to get a free night just because we’re friends. I’m sorry people do that to you.”
“You get used to it. But my point is,” she began as she reached out and placed a hand on top of Grace’s, “I’m getting too old to run the place on my own, and I think you would be a perfect fit.”
Grace looked at her in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s not only my hip and the recovery that are slowing me down,” Corrine said. “My husband has been gone a long time, and the B and B belonged to my parents, so I’ve been there my entire life. I love what I do—I’ve been doing it since my midtwenties—and I can’t imagine doing anything else, but…” She sighed. “It’s a lot for one person to do.”
“How big is your place?”
Corrine’s entire face transformed as she spoke about it. “Oh, Grace, it’s such a lovely place. It’s very rustic. We’re in the mountains of North Carolina, and I have about twenty acres.”
“Wow! That’s huge! How do you maintain it all?”
“I have a groundskeeper, Ben. He and I grew up together, and after my husband died, Ben approached me about helping out. At first I told him no, that I’d hire a landscaping company to do it, but he wore me down. He told me that they’d rip me off and charge me more than the job was worth. And he was right. They did.”
“That’s terrible.”
Corrine nodded. “Ben always loved working outdoors. He ran a construction company for years, but he said he much preferred working with the land rather than building. So he comes around and makes sure our walking paths are clear and the main house and the few cottages we have are always in good shape.” She blushed slightly. “I have to admit, it’s nice to have a man around the house sometimes.”
“Why, Corrine,” Grace teased lightly. “Do you have a crush on Ben?”
“Don’t be silly—I’m too old to have a crush.”
“You’re never too old to have a crush.” Grace thought it was sweet. Even from the little bit Corrine had shared, Grace had a feeling that, if given the opportunity, Corrine wouldn’t mind having Ben in her life for more than his grounds-keeping skills. But Grace would keep that to herself for now.
“The main house is about three thousand square feet, with four guest rooms, and then I have three guest cottages that are each around eight hundred square feet.”
“Do you do all of the cooking and cleaning yourself?”
Corrine nodded. “It wasn’t so bad when I was younger or when Jack was alive and Riley was home, but since it’s only me… Well, I believe all of that contributed to the osteoarthritis and this hip replacement.”
“Why don’t you hire someone to at least do the cleaning portion?”
“I could, but it’s hard to admit I can’t take care of it on my own anymore. It’s been my entire life. The thought of strangers working here isn’t easy to come to grips with.”
“What about your son?”
“I’m hoping that once he’s done with the military he’ll come home, get married, and take it over.” Her eyes welled with tears. “He’s never made it a secret that it’s not what he wants to do with his life, but there’s still a small part of me that prays he’ll change his mind. If I can’t deal with strangers coming in to clean, how will I handle selling my beloved home to strangers to run? To live there?”
Grace squeezed her friend’s hand. “I can’t even imagine, but I’m still not sure how I fit into all of this.”
“Grace, you have become a very dear friend to me. I know we only met a few weeks ago, but…you’re like the daughter I never had.” Corrine’s voice clogged with emotion. “Jack and I always thought we’d have more children, but that wasn’t in the cards. I love Riley and I miss him so much, but this was never his dream. I think pushing him about it made him enlist in the marines as soon as he graduated from high school.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Grace began but Corrine cut her off.
“I don’t try to kid myself. I pushed a lot, started making plans for him to take over, and the next thing I knew, he was leaving for Parris Island.” She stopped and composed herself. “I don’t know when he’s coming home, or if he ever will. We don’t talk much. I know mainly because he’s been in Afghanistan, but there’s always the possibility…”
“Corrine,” Grace said softly, “don’t think like that. He’ll come back. I’m sure of it.” She actually wasn’t, but she needed to say something to comfort her friend. “You never know. He might come home after years of combat and decide running a bed-and-breakfast is exactly what he wants to do.”
Corrine looked at her doubtfully. “From your lips to God’s ears.” The two women smiled at one another. “The thing is, Grace, I really do need the help, and I believe you are the perfect person. You are a hard worker and a fabulous cook, and really, I’ve been doing this for so long that it might be a good thing to have a fresh set of eyes to see what I can to do put a little life back in the place.”
Grace’s heart beat frantically. It was everything she could ever dream of. A bed-and-breakfast had been on her list of possibilities for her future, but she never thought she’d be able to have one. The thought of running her own kitchen and catering to a small clientele was practically making her giddy. While she knew the place wouldn’t technically be hers, Grace was certain she and Corrine would work together beautifully.
She looked up and met Corrine’s hopeful gaze. “You’re on.”
That had been eight weeks ago, and when Grace had showed up at the Snowflake Inn six weeks ago, it had been love at first sight. The house looked like something off of a winter postcard, and the thought of decorating it for Christmas—heck, the thought of having a home for Christmas—was more than Grace had dared to let herself dream of.
Now, sitting on the sofa while Corrine went to get her some ice for her knee, Grace really felt a sense of belonging. The Snowflake Inn was like no place she had ever seen before. It enveloped you, soothed you. It was as if the structure itself really loved you. In her twenty-eight years of life, Grace had never lived anywhere that felt quite so right. She had lived in beautiful homes with her parents, but to her, they were showplaces that always felt cold and unwelcoming. But this? This was a home.
Grace jumped when Corrine placed the ice on her knee. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard Corrine come back into the room. “Thank you,” she said with a sigh as she relaxed back on the cushions. “I’m sorry to be such a bother.”
The older woman merely made a tsking sound. “Nonsense. I know that I do more than I should here some days. But luckily, I catch myself before I do too much harm.”
“I hope I learn to catch myself,” Grace said with a chuckle. “So what’s on the agenda today?”
Corrine sat beside her. “Well, we don’t have guests coming until Friday, so that gives us three days to finish sprucing up the place.” Since Grace’s arrival, they had spent most of their days refreshing the inn. There had been guests every weekend, but during the week, the two of them had painted and made minor renovations with the help of Ben and some local college students. “There’s not too much left to do. The cabins are the last ones on the list, and we don’t have anyone booked for them until next month.”
“Perfect,” Grace said. “I hope my knee doesn’t slow us down.”
“Don’t worry about that. You know Ben and the crew can handle the heavy stuff. I want you to make sure the kitchen is the way you want it. Make a list of anything else you need, and I’ll go shopping for it.”
“Corrine…” Grace began.
“Stop. I consider you to be my partner in this now.” That discussion had t
aken place recently. Corrine knew the chances of her son coming home and taking over were between slim and none, but she still wasn’t ready to sell the place or to take on a formal partner, even though Grace had made the offer and had the money ready to make good on it. Instead, they had agreed that Grace would lend Corrine the money to do the renovations, but it would be paid back. They were informal partners, and who knew? Maybe someday they would make the necessary changes to become formal business partners.
“I’m more than ready to do that, Corrine. You know that.”
“I do, and I’m sorry if I’m making you feel like I don’t appreciate the offer.”
“I know you have your reasons, and I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
Corrine smiled. “I’m so thankful for you, Grace. You not only helped to breathe new life into the inn, but you’ve encouraged me to be an active participant in my own life again.”
“You were always an active participant, my friend. You just forgot to go out and have fun once in a while.”
“Well, whatever the reason, I want you to know I appreciate you.” They sat back in companionable silence and then heard a knock at the door. Corrine stood. “I’ll get that.” She made her way to the door and then stopped dead in her tracks. Clearly she was seeing things. It wasn’t possible.
Grace turned and noticed Corrine’s still form in the entryway. “Corrine? Are you okay?” She tried to stand and grimaced at the pain in her leg.
“It’s not possible,” Corrine whispered, a hand lying across her heart.
“Corrine? You’re scaring me. Who is it?”
She turned toward Grace, her complexion pale. “It’s Jack.”
Chapter 3
Grace stood in silent confusion for a moment. “Jack? Corrine, sweetheart, you have to be confused.” Before she could say another word, she saw her friend walk toward the door. Grace slowly made her way to the entryway to see who was there.
Corrine opened the door and gasped. “Riley?” she whispered. “Is it really you?”
“Hi, Mom,” a deep voice replied. Grace couldn’t see him because the front door was obstructing her view, but he sounded vaguely familiar.
Mistletoe Between Friends / The Snowflake Inn Page 14