Mistletoe Between Friends / The Snowflake Inn

by Samantha Chase

  Corrine turned and looked at him. “What? What are you talking about?”

  Ben turned her in his arms and pulled her away from her hiding spot. “Corrine, did you not just hear yourself?”

  “What? What did I say?”

  “In a matter of seconds you went from wondering why they were being so secretive to having Riley’s children and grandchildren taking over the inn. If you come at him with that kind of talk, you’ll scare him away.”

  She wanted to argue with Ben, but unfortunately he was right. She sighed. “I know I can get a little ahead of myself, but…I just want him to be happy, Ben. I was standing there, and I saw the look of peace and happiness on his face, and all I could think was… Finally! My son is finally happy! Is that so wrong?”

  Ben shook his head. “No, it’s not wrong at all. But if they do decide to share this new relationship, you are going to have to be careful how you react to it. If you get all excited and start planning the future, he’s going to shut down again. Is that what you want?”

  “No,” she said sadly. “But how am I supposed to hide how happy I am for them?”

  He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. “You share it with me. When you feel like you are just going to burst with excitement, come and talk to me about it. Until you know where this relationship between Riley and Grace is going, you need to reel it in a bit. Okay?”

  “Fine,” she said with a pout. “I’ll do it, but I don’t see why I have to pretend that I’m not excited when I really am.”

  “It’s only temporary. Let them figure out where they see their relationship going before you jump in with both feet and share your hopes and dreams for their future. Okay?”

  “Fine…for now.”

  * * *

  “I know a lot of people put their Christmas trees up on Thanksgiving, but I’m so glad you didn’t do that,” Grace said a week after Thanksgiving as they were going through the inn’s ornaments and decorations. It was a rare night with no guests, and they’d decided to take advantage of the time to decorate the main house.

  “Well, I jumped the gun a little bit on cabin number three, but that was just to impress Ben,” Corrine said as she leaned over and kissed that very impressed man.

  “And it was well and truly appreciated,” he said.

  All four of them had gone walking on the property that morning to find the perfect tree, and once they found it, Ben and Riley had cut it down and brought it back to the house to get it acclimated to the temperature before decorating it. Grace had made a batch of chili for lunch and chicken and dumplings for dinner. Now, with their bellies full, they were ready to tackle both tree and home holiday decorating.

  Grace had finished her cleanup in the kitchen while the others got everything set up in the living room. The scene that greeted her there hit her hard. It had been so long since she’d had a family Christmas that it was a bit overwhelming. She stood back and watched as Ben and Riley strung the lights on the ten-foot tree while Corrine instructed them on where the bare spots were. Christmas music was playing in the background, and there was a fire roaring in the massive stone fireplace.

  Earlier in the week, she and Corrine had baked cookies, and Grace knew that at some point tonight they would all sit and admire their work while eating those cookies and drinking hot chocolate.

  Her throat clogged with emotion. In her mind, she could see the last Christmas she’d spent with her parents. It had been an eerily similar scene. They listened to music and laughed as they decorated their tree. Grace remembered how her mother used to love to bake cupcakes; cookies weren’t her thing. So every year they made Christmas cupcakes, and the first batch would be eaten only after the tree was decorated.

  Her father used to curse as he strung the lights, much like Riley right now. Grace smiled at the similarity. Her mother was lovingly militant not only in the placement of the lights but of the ornaments as well. She had a feeling that Corrine was going to be the same way.

  Down in the basement, tucked away in her closet, were three small boxes that held the few ornaments Grace had kept when she sold off everything in her family home. They were ornaments that held special significance for her, ornaments that represented the love that they had shared as a family.

  Carefully, she tiptoed out of the room and headed to the basement. She needed a few minutes to compose herself before joining the others in the living room. Once in her room, Grace went to the closet and retrieved the boxes. She had contemplated putting a tree here but hadn’t gotten around to it. For now, it didn’t matter that there wasn’t one. For now, it was enough to just unwrap a few of those precious pieces of her family and to say a prayer of thanks for the years that they’d had together. Even though those years had been cut short.

  Would they be proud of her? Her parents? Would they look at the woman she had become and tell her that she was doing a good job with her life? She hoped so. Not a day went by that she didn’t miss them, but the holidays were extremely hard. Reaching into the first box, Grace pulled out the first tissue-wrapped item she found. It had been years since she allowed herself to open the boxes, mainly because she never had the time or a place of her own where she felt comfortable taking them out.

  Sitting on the floor, she gently unwrapped the item with shaking hands. Inside was a Lenox ornament that said “Our First Christmas,” and below those words was a picture of Grace as an infant in her mother’s arms with her father beside them. Reverently, she ran a finger over each of their faces. “I miss you,” she said quietly as tears began to roll down her face.

  Hugging the fragile ornament to her chest, Grace drew her knees up and rested her head on them as she allowed herself to cry. So many years. It had been so long since she had seen them or heard their voices or felt their embraces, and right now that was all she longed for.

  She never heard his approach, but suddenly there was another embrace, and without questioning it, Grace turned into Riley’s arms and continued to cry silently. “Grace? Sweetheart? What’s going on? What happened?”

  Unable to answer, she did her best to crawl into his lap and just enjoy the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her. Luckily he didn’t push her to talk. He simply held her and rocked her gently until her sobs subsided.

  Taking a deep breath, Grace realized she had no idea how long she had been in her room or how long Riley had been holding her. She held up the ornament she had been cradling to her chest so Riley could see it.

  “This is me with my parents on my first Christmas. I was three months old.”

  Not wanting to take something so precious from her hands, Riley looked at it, carefully touched it with one strong finger, and smiled. “You look a lot like your mom,” he said softly.

  Grace studied the picture and realized he was right. Why had she never noticed that before? “Thank you.”

  Riley looked around the room and saw the three boxes beside them. Only one had been opened. “Are these all filled with Christmas ornaments?”

  She nodded. “They’ve been in storage for years. This is the first time I’ve opened them.”

  “Do you want to bring them upstairs and put them on the tree?”

  Now she shook her head. “I promised myself I wouldn’t take them out until I had a place of my own, a tree of my own. But tonight”—she stopped and took a steadying breath—“tonight when I came out of the kitchen and saw the three of you working together to decorate, I was just overwhelmed with the need to take these out and see them. To remember.”

  Riley held her a little tighter. “Oh, Grace…”

  “I haven’t had a Christmas tree in ten years. I made sure I always worked through the holidays.” She wiped at her eyes. “All of my bosses and coworkers loved it because someone else could have those days off. I didn’t want to be home alone on Christmas.”

  “You’re not alone this year, Grace,” Riley sai
d, his tone deep and serious.

  She smiled sadly at him. “I know. But it’s still not a place of my own. This…my time here…it’s temporary.”

  “What are you talking about?” Riley was confused. Was she planning on leaving?

  “You and I both know that right now everyone is keeping the peace, but once the holidays are over, Ben and Corrine will want to start planning their future, and so will you. As much as I love this place, I need a place of my own where I can grow roots.” She scooted off Riley’s lap. “Eventually you’re going to want to leave, and if you go, Corrine’s not going to stay either.”

  “Then you should buy the inn.”

  A mirthless laugh escaped before she could stop it. “In my wildest dreams I couldn’t even imagine having someplace as grand as this. I have money put aside, but nowhere near enough to own this. Don’t get me wrong. I would love to own the Snowflake Inn, but the B and B that I eventually buy will be on a much smaller scale. And I’m really okay with that.”

  “Grace…”

  “Your mother has taught me so much in these past couple of months, and I appreciate all of it. I think she and I were good for one another. But she’s got a new life that’s just beginning, and I’m realistic, Riley.” She reached out and touched his face, looked into those amazing blue eyes. “This was never in the cards.”

  He knew she wasn’t talking only about the inn but also about the two of them, and his chest actually ached. “I thought you wanted to be partners…that the two of you had talked about it.”

  Leaning in, Grace kissed him. “When you leave, Riley, I won’t want to be here.”

  “Who says I’m going to leave?” His voice was rough with emotion; she was killing him.

  “You did. Repeatedly. I’m old enough to know that in the end, everybody leaves.”

  “So this is what? A preemptive strike? You’re going to leave before I do?” Now he was frustrated. What the hell had happened since dinner? All of this was over a Christmas tree? An ornament? He didn’t understand. Standing up, he looked at her. “Where is all this coming from, Grace?”

  Standing, she placed the ornament in its tissue wrapping and closed the box. Without saying a word, she carried the boxes to the closet and tucked them away. Riley was standing where she had left him, waiting for an answer. “I don’t want to argue with you,” she said simply.

  “Well, that’s too bad because that’s what’s happening, Grace,” he said, unable to hide his frustration. “An hour ago we were all laughing and enjoying dinner and planning to decorate for Christmas, and now…now you’re not only withdrawing from that but from the inn…and me.”

  Grace let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “I didn’t plan this, Riley. I got overwhelmed by the situation, and when I came here and thought about my parents… Well, it reminded me of what’s real and what’s not.”

  “This is real, Grace. What we have is real.”

  If only, she thought. “I know that. I honestly do. But we want different things in life. I’m twenty-eight years old, Riley. I’ve been alone and trying to get my head together for ten years. I want…” Now she was getting frustrated. “I want a place of my own! A tree of my own! I want to take those damn boxes out of the closet and hang those ornaments and know they’re hanging in my house. I want to look at them without feeling like my heart has been pierced.”

  “You can do all of that here,” he said as patiently as he could. “Bring them upstairs; share them with us.”

  He didn’t understand. Grace knew that he wouldn’t, and if she were honest with herself, she didn’t fully understand her little outburst either. Riley was right. They had been having a wonderful day, and instead of being upstairs enjoying the festivities, she was having a temper tantrum because, basically, she was afraid. It was a preemptive strike. She needed to start distancing herself from this family, from this place, so that it wouldn’t hurt so much when she left.

  Riley watched the play of emotion on Grace’s face and wanted to do whatever it took to take her pain away. Stepping forward, he carefully pulled her close. “Tell you what,” he began. “Let’s go upstairs, help with the decorating, eat cookies, and drink cocoa, and we’ll put off this discussion until after Christmas.” Tucking a finger under her chin, he gently forced her to look up at him. “What do you say?”

  “It won’t change—”

  “Shh…” He placed a finger over her lips. “After Christmas.”

  Grace didn’t see that it would make a difference, but for argument’s sake, she reluctantly agreed. “After Christmas.”

  Smiling, Riley leaned in and kissed her. The kiss was soft and sweet and over almost before it began. “I’m going to head back upstairs and see how Mom and Ben are doing. Why don’t you put on something more comfortable?” he asked and then saw Grace roll her eyes. “Like sweats or something,” he corrected, “and come upstairs and join us. Mom was singing your praises earlier about the cookies, and if you aren’t up there, none of us can have any.”

  “I’m sure she wouldn’t—”

  “And you know how much I love cookies,” he interrupted. “I’ve been in the military for twelve years, Grace. By the time any Christmas cookies got to me, they could be used as weapons. Have pity on me.”

  “Oh, for crying out loud. Dramatic much?” she asked with a chuckle. “Fine, let me wash my face and get changed, and I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

  “You’re an angel,” he said, placing a kiss on her nose. Turning, he headed toward the stairs but stopped before taking the first step. “I mean it, Grace. You’re an angel.” His tone was gentler than she had ever heard, and the smile on his face said more than any words could have. “I’ll meet you upstairs.”

  And then he was gone.

  Closing the door to the basement, Riley walked determinedly into the living room.

  “Is everything all right?” Corrine asked. “Is Grace feeling okay? You were gone for a long time.”

  Riley looked over his shoulder to make sure Grace hadn’t followed him up yet. Turning back to his mother and Ben, he motioned for them to sit on the couch. “She was pretty upset. This is going to be the first real Christmas she’s celebrated since her parents died.”

  “Oh no,” Corrine cried. “Maybe I should go and talk to her.”

  Riley held up a hand to stop her. “Not right now, Mom. I talked to her, and I convinced her to come up and join us.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “I’m hoping it is. Can you both help me with something?” Ben and Corrine looked at one another and then back at Riley. “I want to make this the best Christmas Grace has ever had.”

  Corrine smiled like the cat that ate the canary, and Ben leaned back on the sofa with a grin of his own. “Whatever you need, son, count us in.”

  Chapter 10

  Grace wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was pretty sure something was up. The night that they had decorated the Christmas tree and the main house, she had ended up truly enjoying herself. Riley had been attentive and made sure she was included in everything. When she entered the living room that night, he became a different person. He had walked right up to her, taken her in his arms, and kissed her in front of Corrine and Ben!

  At first Grace had been too shocked to react, but then she figured if he had made peace with it, then she should too. No one said a word about their kiss, and that in itself had seemed odd. They had ended the night by sitting in front of the fire, eating cookies and drinking cocoa, and Grace felt like she had stepped into a Norman Rockwell painting.

  The days that followed had also seemed different. Corrine was asking for Grace’s input more and more and leaving her in charge of a few more things. None of it was major, but Grace knew how much her friend enjoyed running her business. She preferred to take care of some aspects of it herself. But suddenly, she was asking Grace t
o help her with them.

  Ben was constantly keeping her up-to-date on the progress with the barn and the garden and had asked her opinion on every decision that had to be made. Grace had wanted to tell him that it really didn’t matter if she liked it because she wasn’t going to be here when it was done. Unfortunately, the more involved she got in the project, the more she found herself wanting to stay.

  And then there was Riley.

  Sigh.

  Riley had essentially moved into the basement with her. Grace had thought it would be weird, but they’d settled in together perfectly. She hated that everything was going so well, because it was going to make leaving that much harder. Granted, Riley hadn’t mentioned leaving once—not even to visit his friends in Florida. All of his conversations about the future were about the barn and the possibility of organizing tours and walking trails and activities for guests.

  He worked side by side with Ben all day and then slept beside her every night. The only way Grace could describe life at the Snowflake Inn was…normal. That thought gave her pause because she had been so busy running and struggling just to stay alive that she had forgotten what normal even felt like. But now as she pulled a roast from the oven and looked around the kitchen, she realized that she felt content.

  When did that happen?

  How did that happen?

  And what was she going to do about it?

  It was hard to remember why she had wanted to leave, but Grace knew it was getting close to time for her to go. Maybe. Stepping away from the butcher-block island, Grace went to stand by the French doors that led out to a massive deck on the back of the inn. Beyond the deck was nothing but beautiful, wooded property. A light snow was falling, making the woods look like something off a postcard. She sighed.

  How was she going to walk away from all of this? She had spent ten years moving around the country, and no place had ever felt so right or made her feel like she belonged.

  The Snowflake Inn did.