Winter in Wonderland

by Kari Trumbo

  “Yeah.” He adjusted them on his face. He liked his contacts better. “After working with you for a few weeks, it was hard for me to be elsewhere.” He pulled at his collar.

  “How horrific was Chelsey?”

  “Oh, about the usual. Thankfully there was a crowd, so she was easier to duck. By the way, some good news.” He told her about the other council members’ opposition to the Mileses plan.

  “Well, that’s something. I have good news too – I was able to finish everything on the second floor, and your team from the lumber yard came by and started on the siding. They were very efficient – I didn’t even notice them most of the time.”

  “Yeah, I saw when I went by. So you’re still on schedule even without me?”

  She smirked at him. “I wasn’t sure how much I could rely on you when I put the schedule together, so I built it around what I could do alone. We’re way ahead. If it weren’t for Little Miss Extortionist, we could be done by Tuesday. Now, it’ll probably be Thursday or Friday, depending on how fast the paint dries and how much more snow we get. The humidity in the house is a problem.”

  He thought about bringing in a dehumidifier, but Ashley didn’t have the extra funds and he didn’t want her to feel bad. They’d have to hire someone to come out and do it, which would cost even more. “No snow in the forecast until Christmas Day.” Hopefully they’d get a lot that day, which would keep her there just a little longer.

  “Good, then nothing should hold us back. Hey, do you want to celebrate with a little walk? We can look at the lights.” She stood and headed for the coat rack, assuming he’d want to go.

  He’d walked a lot that day and seen the lights. Not to mention, if anyone saw him, they might make a comment about the caroling, which he didn’t want to think about any more than he had to. “Actually, it’s been a long day. I’m glad you finished the second floor … but if you’re done working for tonight, I’ll probably head home and crash. It’s likely to be another long day tomorrow.”

  Ashley froze with her hands on her coat, then backed away, looking disappointed. “I suppose. Well, then I’ll just head off to bed too. It’s pretty late and you know how early I get up.” She headed toward the stairs.

  “I’m sorry. I just wanted to see you before I called it a day. I missed you.” And he had. He’d regretted the whole day and how Chelsey’s blackmail had made their lives more difficult, though there was less between them now that he’d hopefully cleared up any remaining confusion about Chelsey.

  “I missed you too. I guess that’s why I wanted to take a walk with you, so we’d get a few more minutes together.” She pulled her flannel shirt tightly around herself and crossed her arms.

  “It’s not a bad idea – if I wasn’t tired, I would. I’ll drop by tomorrow morning and put in some work before I have to rejoin the chain gang, how does that sound?”

  She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it if you can’t. Just text me or something.” She led him to the door and held it open.

  Sam wanted to hold her, kiss her, assure her that everything would be fine. Instead he said goodbye, left, drove home and mentally kicked himself the rest of the night.

  Ashley closed the door behind Sam and leaned against it. Something had changed that day, and she couldn’t put a finger on what it was. Sam had bared his soul even more than usual, had allayed her fears regarding Chelsey Miles, had come over even though he was obviously dead on his feet. What was going on in his head? He’d always been able to read her, but she had trouble figuring him out.

  Unless … unless it hadn’t been the blackmail that caused him to go caroling, but wanting to spend more time with …

  No. First of all, Sam might have issues, but he’d never been a liar. And second, he’d had seven years while she was away to do whatever he wanted with Chelsey. And he’d done precisely zilch. Even when Chelsey had been all over him like an octopus, he’d pulled away. He’d all but ignored her at the tree farm. He’d been very clear how he felt about her in their conversation earlier that day.

  No, Chelsey wasn’t going to keep them apart. The main threat to Sam being with her was still her, her plan. Her repeated desire to get out of Wonderland after Christmas. Maybe it was time to rethink that …

  Ashley’s phone rang and she ran up the stairs to catch it – she’d left it in her room when she saw Sam pull up. She pushed aside her curtain just to see if he’d changed his mind, but the truck was no longer outside. “’Lo?”

  Evelyne laughed on the other end. “Took you long enough – I was worried you wouldn’t pick up. I thought you were waiting to hear from me.”

  Had it already been a whole day? Of course it had - Evelyne and Derrick were in town now. “I didn’t realize you’d call me so late.” She faked a yawn, since Evelyne knew her usual habits didn’t include staying up late.

  “We got in late – Derrick had to work today. Being a broker isn’t always fun and games, especially when the office is forty-five minutes away.”

  “Will he list the house then, since this one’s so close to you?” There was some rule Evelyne had told her about where, if a house was within a certain radius of her husband’s firm, he had to be the one to list it. She didn’t understand the particulars – that was their business.

  “No, he’ll have me do it, since it’s far enough away that we won’t have to worry about dual agency. Anyway, I’m excited to see it. Will Sam be there tomorrow?”

  Ashley flopped on her bed, but refused to let herself sound sad. She wanted Sam around more the last week she’d be there. Though if she adjusted her plans, stayed a little longer … maybe. But how would she support herself in Wonderland? “Maybe, maybe not – his schedule is tight this week. Long story.” She didn’t want to get into the Chelsey mess this late – it could wait until tomorrow.

  “Oh, that’s too bad. Hopefully I’ll catch him. “But he’s been helping me for weeks, so we’ll finish this week. The house looks amazing.” Saying it felt suddenly strange. After owning it for so long and seeing the difference, she couldn’t imagine anyone else moving in there. But she couldn’t own two houses in such a small town without making money on one of them.

  Evelyne yawned. “Sounds good. I’ll work on some sales copy tonight if I’m not too tired. I won’t be pushing this for a while. You sound good – can’t wait to see you.”

  “You too,” Ashley replied, wrapped up the call, laid back and stared at the ceiling. She felt good. She trusted Sam – and more importantly, felt like she could. Tomorrow, she’d see Evelyne, get the house a day closer to finished and make sure Sam knew she cared. But … how much did she really care if she wasn’t willing to stay around? Yes, she really needed to rethink her departure plans.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sam cut his sleep short the following morning. Ashley showed up at the reno house between four and five every morning. That gave him about five hours with her there before he had to go meet the choir and practice. He’d rather be with her than be fresh for the singing he didn’t want to do.

  He combed his hair back, decided to go one more day without shaving and put on his glasses. Chelsey had hated them the day before, which was reason enough. He adjusted them again, uncomfortable because he usually didn’t wear them. He checked for his wallet, grabbed a sweater to keep in his truck so he could change once he finished working and headed out.

  A few minutes later, he entered the reno, wiped his feet and found Ashley sitting at the center island glancing over some papers. She started, then smiled. “I wasn’t really expecting you this morning.”

  He hadn’t expected his chest to warm immediately when he saw her, but there he was. “Told you I’d be here. I wanted to see you. Show me what you did yesterday.”

  She stood and headed for the stairs, grabbing his hand as she walked by. She pushed open the door to one of the bedrooms. Inside, three walls were a faded red, but treated to give it texture. The fourth wall held matching toile wallpaper. They both hated wallpaper, but it was tr
ue to the period of the home, so they’d compromised. She stepped farther into the room and spun. “What do you think?”

  Her smile took his whole focus. “Beautiful.” He laughed, not talking about the room at all.

  She blushed, something she hadn’t done much when they were younger. It was so sweet and innocent that he couldn’t resist it. “I meant the room.”

  “Oh, yeah, that’s great too.”

  “Come on.” She hurried to the next room. “The pass-through bath is done – I put the locks on both doors yesterday.”

  “Good. We wouldn’t want guests in Room 2 to get a nasty surprise from guests in Room 4.”

  She laughed as she headed through to Room 4. He took his time looking around, though he’d finished most of that bathroom himself. His critical eye caught some paint he needed to touch up and a window valance that didn’t look quite level. Room 4 was almost identical to Room 2, except the paint and toile were blue. “Nice.” He didn’t know what else to say. “What can I help with today?”

  “I’ll always take your help. Follow me.” Ashley headed for the hallway again, even as the words hit Sam like a sledgehammer. Always – he liked the sound of that. Did that mean she might not flee Wonderland in a week? He had to hope.

  Ashley jogged down the stairs, her heart tumbling like a snowball. She’d never felt so giddy with Sam. They had gone from comfortable friends, to a comfortable couple, to exes. Now that he was back, her heart didn’t seem to want to go back to just being comfortable. She stopped in the kitchen and looked around for something she could do so she wouldn’t feel silly just standing there.

  Sam shuffled down the stairs, walked around her and grabbed a pair of safety glasses off the center island. “So what can I do to help?”

  Unaccustomed heat climbed up her neck. She couldn’t think - she needed her lists. “Um …” She reached for her papers, brushed his arm and thought she might swoon. She wasn’t a silly woman – why wouldn’t her body or her head cooperate? “The pantry, uh … it needs some repairs.”

  He lifted his tool belt - she’d left it right where he’d put it – and strapped it on. “I hate repairing plaster, but for you, anything.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  She burst out laughing. “Really? I should’ve come up with something more difficult.”

  He leaned down to pick up the can of drywall compound they used to fix smaller holes. “It might take me a while. In fact, let’s be honest, I probably won’t get much else done if you don’t want the patches to show.”

  Neither of them wanted that. “I trust you.”

  He pulled out his phone and held it out toward her. “Care to repeat that? I may need it as evidence later.”

  She laughed. “Sorry, you missed your shot.” She turned, set her papers down and tried to figure out what she could do that wasn’t near him. Otherwise she’d be too busy thinking about what he was doing …

  Something fell to the floor behind her and she whipped around. Sam had dropped the bucket of spackle on the kitchen floor. He strode to her, pinning her hands at her sides. She thought her heart couldn’t handle more.

  Turns out, he’d just begun. “I decided that if I was going to have to be in that dark pantry for the next few hours, I needed to be in the right frame of mind. Plus, I won’t be able to kiss you goodbye if I’m covered in goop.” He jerked his head toward the pail.

  Her lips were suddenly as dry as the Badlands and she licked them. “K-k-kiss?”

  “Splendid idea.” He closed his arms around her and pulled her away from the counter. “I really like this kitchen. It’s nice and open, bright, great light.” He leaned closer until their noses were touching.

  She could barely breathe. “You picked the lights …” Seven years before. He’d said a kitchen needed to be bright to start the day off right.

  “I picked a lot of things. Some good decisions. One very bad one.” He brushed his lips over hers, softly, waiting for her response. He always did. It was both expected and brand-new. He’d always taken cues from her, even now when he was leading.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck as he drew her in, savoring the moment like a fine chocolate. This was nothing like their outdoor kiss – that had been more of a test. This was a remembrance and an awakening.

  An eternity later, he slowly pulled back until she could look him in the eyes. “Do you still trust me?”

  A week ago, she hadn’t wanted to. A month ago, she hadn’t thought it possible. But now, in the kitchen they owned together, in his arms, there was no doubt. She nodded. “Yes, I do.”

  “Despite my teasing, I will remember you said that. If anything changes between us, let this moment set us straight.”

  “I don’t want to think about going back to the way things were,” she insisted. “It scares me, but I still want to think about the future.”

  “Good. Because nothing good can come from examining our past. We spent seven years on that. Now let’s move on.” He cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb over her temple.

  “What will the future be like?” She hoped he did forget the past, including those conversations about her continuing to flip houses. If she had to, she could find something else to do. He had for seven years. She could.

  “I don’t know. But let’s talk more about that after Christmas.” Sam kissed her cheek softly, then went back to work.

  Ashley rolled her eyes – like she’d be able to get anything done now. Her whole body was warm and alive. She couldn’t say that all she’d been through was worth it, but she was excited about whatever came next. And that was enough.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Evelyne burst through the door with shopping bags and a big smile. She tapped her feet on the rug as she bounced the door closed with her hip. Ashley had forgotten just how sparky she was in person. “Ashley, the house looks amazing!” She jogged in, dropped her department-store bags to the floor and crushed Ashley in a hug. “I must see everything. I brought you some housewarming gifts.” She nudged one bag with a slender designer boot.

  “Where’s Mr. Belle?” Ashley laughed, pretending to glance behind Evelyne to the door.

  Evelyne pouted. “On a conference call - he couldn’t come. But I hope you’ll have dinner with us tonight.” She linked Ashley’s arm with hers. “So let’s start right here. Wow, the kitchen is huge. That center island will be a good selling point.”

  It was, with twelve upper cabinets and loads of counter space. She’d argued with Sam over it – it wasn’t necessary when the kitchen had so many other useful areas – but he’d been right. When she wanted a place to look at her plans or just sit, that’s where she gravitated. Like the rest of the house, it was a soft mix of Victorian charm and country contemporary design.

  Evelyne touched the cool granite countertop. “If this house were anywhere but Wonderland, it would already be sold. I could probably sell it sight-unseen with just photos.” She stopped, spotted the tool belt Sam left every day and eyed Ashley. “So how are things going with Sam? That was my hope and my concern when I bought Grammy Jean’s house.”

  Ashley felt the goofy grin take over her face before she could stop it. “Sam is great. He’s been helping almost every day. In fact, if not for a … another obligation, he’d be here right now.”

  “Shame. I haven’t seen him in years. I take it from the pink in your cheeks you two have gone back to being kissing friends?” She raised an eyebrow and smirked.

  “I didn’t plan it. It just sort of happened.” Somewhere over the last month, she’d gone from questioning everything Sam said to trusting him. The hurt had fled to the back of her mind, leaving only hope.

  “I’m glad. Though worried. I just drove by the lumber yard and it was closed and dark. No one was there.”

  “Yeah – that’s not the other obligation.” No time like the present – she sat and told Evelyne about Chelsey’s blackmail technique.

  “Oh, that’s awful. And her daddy runs the town council?”

  “With
an iron fist. But Sam was here this morning. He was working on the pantry.” Among other things.

  “I see. So he’s coming here when he can and you’re giving this your usual energy. Which means you’ll need a coffee pretty soon.”

  True enough – she had been there since 4:30. It was now 2 p.m. and her energy was flagging. “I could go for a coffee.”

  “Great. Just so you know, these gifts will look good in either house, no matter which one you decide to keep.”

  Evelyne probably hadn’t meant to make her think, but that’s exactly what happened. Ashley scanned the room and pictured families sitting in overstuffed chairs near the front picture window, looking out at the snow and the mountain peaks all around. She could hear Sam giving directions to someone. A tall Christmas tree stood in the corner, heavy with lights and ornaments. Presents lay under it for the guests who were staying through the holiday. A fluffy orange cat took a nap in the large curved front window seat.

  She’d been clear that they couldn’t afford to keep this house – she’d have to sell Grammy Jean’s. But the longer she stood there, letting her heart take root in the idea of finally owning her own B&B, selling seemed foolish. “Which … one?”

  “I guess I assumed you’d at least keep one. You’ve wanted a place to call home for years. Aren’t you tired, Ashley? All this running can finally be over. You could stay in Wonderland.”

  She could. She and Sam could live in her house and they could run this place as they had originally dreamed. But she was out of money. Owning Grammy Jean’s house didn’t make paying for the reno any easier. “I don’t want to pick one. But I can’t afford both.”

  “You never planned to live here with Sam.” Evelyne headed for the door.