by Thea Cambert
“Oh my gosh! It’s just beautiful!”
It was Bea Maguire. Just behind her was Martin. And just behind him was Granny and Chester Lehman. Alice’s whole family had basically filled the entryway, and she could see another small group ambling up the stone path just outside the doors behind them. There was Pearl Ann Dowry, who owned the Blue Beauty Spa, and her longtime beau, Norman McKenzie who owned and operated Odd Job Bob, a handyman service. Behind them, Alice could see Doug and Barb Blake, who owned the gourmet chocolate shop, Sugarbuzz, and George and Izzie Whitman, of Whitman’s Grocery.
As her family moved off into the great room, oohing and aahing all the way, Alice knew she had only seconds alone with Luke before the next group entered the lodge. “You were saying?” she asked, trying to recapture his full attention and the magical moment.
Luke grinned and gave Alice a peck on the cheek. “Later,” he whispered. “We should go say hello.”
“Gather ‘round, everyone!” Roz Fender was standing next to the fireplace, motioning for the growing group of guests to join her.
Everyone gathered into the space, and Alice noticed half the town had showed up, everyone in the same state of awe at the beauty of the lodge and the view of the Smoky Mountains outside.
“On behalf of myself and my husband, Chad, hello, and welcome to the Great Granddaddy Mountain Preserve and Resort Lodge!” She gave a little snicker. “Whew! That was a mouthful! My husband named the lodge, and he is a man of many words.” She directed everyone’s attention to Chad, who had just come back down the stairs and gave a smile and a wave before joining the group. “We thought we’d start with a little meet-and-greet,” Roz continued. “You’ve already met Chad, of course. I am Roz, the architect who designed this beautiful place—pardon me for bragging. We’d also like you to meet Michael Boyd, our concierge.”
From the crowd, an impeccably dressed man with smiling eyes and rich brown skin stepped forward. “It will be my pleasure to assist you with anything you need during your stay here,” he said, giving a wave.
“Later, you’ll all be sampling the delectable work of our amazing chef, the award-winning Louis Boucher!” Roz continued.
Chef Louis waved at the crowd. “I would also like to thank my excellent staff and your own Mr. Owen James, who has provided the exquisite cake you will enjoy later tonight.”
Alice and Franny looked at Owen, who was fairly beaming at the compliment.
“And now, we’d like you to meet our very special guests for the evening: Senator Adam Matthews, and his lovely wife, Nan.” Roz waved to a handsome couple standing just to the other side of the fireplace.
“Just look at them!” Owen, who was standing next to Alice, whispered. “They’re gorgeous!”
“Look at their clothes!” Franny whispered, from Alice’s other side. “So glamorous!”
“I know,” said Alice. “I mean, they’re dressed casually, but somehow they look so chic. How did they do that?”
“Gertrude Alderman, that’s how,” said Owen.
“Who?” asked Alice.
“Gertrude Alderman. The fashion designer? Duh!”
“Never heard of her,” said Alice. “So that’s what they’re wearing?”
“Her sweater. Her shoes. His pants. His jacket.” Owen sighed. “I’ve had that jacket on my fashion wish list since last fall, when it was launched.”
“It’s a nice tweed jacket,” said Alice.
This comment got her a look of dismay from Owen. “That’s not just tweed, my dear Alice. That’s a hopsack weave in the finest Irish wool. Notice the color variation within the weave. It also has four internal pockets and a double-vented back. Every jacket is bespoke. One of a kind.” Owen let out a small whimper of envy.
“Maybe my parents will get you that jacket on your birthday.” Alice teased.
As Alice, Owen, and Franny catalogued the couple’s clothing, the senator was just wrapping up a short welcome message of his own, where he mentioned the Fenders’ care for the environment as they’d built the lodge.
“What did he say?” Owen whispered.
“No idea,” said Alice. “We were too busy looking at their clothes.”
“Speaking of: Get a load of Roz’s necklace,” said Franny. “It’s so beautiful! What’s that symbol?”
Alice squinted at the necklace, which shimmered brilliantly every time the sunlight from the great windows caught on it. It looked to be made entirely of tiny diamonds, and was composed of three curved branches, curling out from its center. “Oh. That’s called a triskele,” she said. “It’s an ancient Celtic symbol.”
“What does it mean?” asked Franny.
“It means different things to different people,” said Alice. “It can symbolize the interconnectedness of the realms of earth, water, and sky, for instance.”
“I love it when she talks history,” said Luke, putting an arm around Alice as they were herded from the great room to the staircase.
From the second-floor landing, Roz took one group of guests, Chad took another, and Roz’s assistant, Sadie Green, took the third, with each group going off in its own direction. Alice and her family were in Sadie’s group.
“She’s so adorable with her little notebook,” said Owen.
“Sharp as a tack, too,” said Alice, as Sadie answered someone’s question about load-bearing beams.
The lodge got more impressive with every turn, every level. The view from the huge second-floor balcony was amazing, but when the group emerged onto the modern-day widow’s walk on the top of the building, a hush fell over the chatty bunch.
Great Granddaddy Mountain—and all of the surrounding mountains—stood proud and green and snow-spangled against a brilliant blue sky. A bracing wind felt like a chilly rush of refreshment in Alice’s face as she looked around in amazement. She had never felt more grateful to live in this beautiful valley.
As the group descended back down to the first floor, Alice, Owen, and Franny caught up with Sadie.
“This place is just amazing,” Alice told her.
Sadie smiled shyly. “We think so, too,” she said, her dark, almond eyes crinkling with delight.
“So, you’re Roz’s assistant?” Franny asked.
“Yes. I’ve been with her for five years now, since I finished grad school.”
“Oh—what did you study?” asked Alice.
“Architecture,” said Sadie. “I’m interning with Roz, learning everything I can.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Franny.
Sadie gave them another smile and directed everyone back into the great room, where the other two tour groups had already arrived.
The senator stepped forward again. “Before we all go in to dinner, I have the great honor of making a special announcement,” he said, his voice clear and deep above the chatter of the crowd. Everyone stopped talking and listened. “I have just been told that Roz Fender has been nominated for the prestigious Ellison Field Award for Excellence in Environmentally Sustainable Architecture for the design of this amazing place!”
The crowd broke into applause, and if Alice hadn’t been standing right next to Sadie, she wouldn’t have heard her release a small gasp.
“What an honor,” Alice said, looking at Sadie.
“What? Oh, yes! A huge honor!” said Sadie, holding her notebook to her chest.
“And now, let’s all go in and enjoy Chef Louis’ dinner!” said Roz.
They were shown into a huge dining room that lay directly on the other side of the great room—which allowed the two rooms to share the massive fireplace.
A gorgeous long, polished oak table was set with china and crystal and too many candles to count. From the ceiling hung what looked like thousands of crystal snowflakes, each one glistening in the fire and candlelight. There was a place card for each guest. Alice, Franny, and Owen were seated next to each other, and Alice was happy that Luke was seated directly across the table from her. Ben sat across from Franny. Owen was delighted to have Gr
anny Maguire across from him.
On the menu that night were five courses: the amuse bouche course consisted of seared scallops and tiny roasted root vegetables. That was followed by a crisp salad, a creamy pasta with black truffles and crispy garlic, a pan seared fresh-caught trout almondine, and finally, a selection of fine cheeses and fruits. Chef Louis was summoned for a bow at the end of the meal, and he received a boisterous round of applause.
“Here’s to the best chef this side of the Smokies,” said Roz, raising a glass of wine.
After glasses were clinked and sips of wine were taken, Owen leaned over to Alice and Franny. “Anyone else notice that old Roz has been hitting the wine a bit hard this evening?”
“She does sound a little tipsy,” said Franny. “And it’s only seven thirty.”
“I bet I know why,” whispered Alice. “She and Chad had a big fight earlier.”
“And you know this because . . .” Owen said, raising a brow at Alice.
“I overheard the whole thing. From the coat closet,” said Alice. “She said she was going to leave Chad. That she’s serving the papers on Monday. Isn’t that sad?” Alice looked at Chad, who was seated next to his wife, and to all outward appearances, seemed fine. “I’m surprised Chad’s not the one drinking too much wine.”
“Why?” asked Owen.
“Because he said he’ll be ruined if she leaves him.” Alice lowered her whisper even further. “And, he said he wished she was dead.”
This met with looks of shock from Owen and Franny, along with “Seriously?” and “Harsh!”
“They do seem ill-suited, though,” admitted Franny.
“I wonder how they met,” said Alice.
“I can answer that,” said Owen. “Because my end of the table has been discussing it.”
“Spill,” said Franny.
“We don’t know the whole story,” said Owen, glancing briefly over his shoulder at the group of locals nearest him, which included Pearl Ann, who knew everything about everybody, their uncle, and their uncle’s uncle. “But we do know that Chad was supposed to be Roz’s transitional man.”
“Her transitional man? As in, she rebounded into him?” asked Franny.
“Everyone knows you’re not supposed to marry your transitional man,” said Owen sagely. “Big no-no.”
“I wonder who Roz was with before she married Chad,” said Franny.
“You two are horrible. Who cares?” said Alice.
“Well, that brings us to the juicy part,” said Owen, leaning over Alice and giving Franny a conspiratorial grin. “The other odd couple here tonight—the couple who doesn’t seem like a logical pairing—is the senator and his wife.”
Alice rolled her eyes as Owen and Franny subtly looked to the end of the table where the Matthews were seated.
“Go on,” said Franny, biting into a small wedge of cheese.
“Adam Matthews, the senator, dated Roz Fender before he married Nan!”
“He was who Roz was rebounding from!” said Franny.
“Oh, for crying out loud!” said Alice, begrudgingly entering the conversation. “Look at Nan! She clearly adores her husband.”
“Just saying,” said Owen, holding up his hands innocently. “Pearl Ann says Adam and Roz were quite an item, but then they broke up, and each married a different person fairly soon thereafter.”
“And now the four of them are seated at opposite ends of this table,” said Alice.
“Aaawk-waard,” sang Owen.
“Apparently, things aren’t going so well between Chad and Roz,” said Franny. “So, maybe it’s all true, and you really shouldn’t marry your transitional man.”
Alice glanced down the table at Adam and Nan, then casually turned the other direction to look at Roz and Chad. She noticed that Roz kept looking down in Adam’s direction. Alice shook her head. “Trouble in paradise.”
Chapter 5
“Ha! I told you it would snow!” Alice said as they all stepped out into the wintery evening.
“You call this snow?” Owen scoffed. “Nah! These are just teaser flakes. They won’t even stick. You’ll see.”
“Want to make a bet?”
“Alice. Meteorology is an exact science. To take that bet would be unfair to you.” He glanced over at Franny. “And even to Franny’s mystical sense of smell.”
A chilly breeze swept across the entryway.
“I’m going back for my parka,” said Alice.
“Me, too,” said Franny.
The breeze swirled around them, blowing a little funnel of leaves across the lawn.
“I guess it couldn’t hurt,” said Owen.
They left the group—most of whom had bundled up before exiting the lodge—and hurried into the check-in area and coat closet. When they emerged, they saw Sadie and Roz, standing behind the front desk, and Roz was clearly not happy.
“I told you a million times, Sadie! I wanted the extra-large marshmallows. Not the regular-sized ones! How could you be so stupid?”
“I’m sorry. There were none at the store. Those were the largest they had.”
“Then you should’ve special ordered them!”
“You didn’t specify until two days before the opening. There wouldn’t have been time to—"
“I don’t want to hear it! Not one more word!”
Sadie opened her mouth, then closed it in defeat. This seemed to appease Roz, who walked off in a huff and went outside to join the group where, even from inside, she could be heard welcoming everyone to the candlelit hike in her happiest voice.
“What a witch!” Owen said, approaching Sadie, who still stood silently in the same spot. But now, her cheeks glistened with tears. “How can you stand to work for that woman?”
Sadie hastily wiped her cheeks and turned bright red, seeing that three people had just witnessed her chastisement. “I really messed up,” she said. “Sorry you had to hear that.”
“Messed up by getting the wrong marshmallows?” Alice shook her head. “That’s not a big deal, Sadie. No one should be talked to like that.”
Owen put a comforting hand on Sadie’s back and handed her the box of tissues from the desk. “She was awful to me, too.”
“Owen! You didn’t say!” Alice said.
“Yep,” Owen continued. “I mean, I didn’t want to make a big thing of it. But about the cakes: It wasn’t just that Roz was picky. She was mean. I wanted the gig, so I put up with it. I can’t even imagine having to deal with her all the time.” He looked back at Sadie.
“I need the reference. For all of her faults, Roz is a famous architect.”
“You said you’ve been her intern for five years! Isn’t that a bit long? Where did you go to school?” asked Alice.
“M.I.T.,” said Sadie, blowing her nose. “Part of my master’s degree was an internship. Then, I become a licensed architect and can finally break away from Roz. But she keeps dragging the whole process out. I’ve invested so much time with her . . . I can’t leave now. You have to pay your dues in this line of work.”
“What a price to pay!” said Owen.
Sadie nodded. “But, I’m grateful for the experience.”
They all moved together outside, where the group was walking toward a candlelit trail up ahead.
“The experience of doing what? Buying marshmallows?” Owen whispered, craning his neck to locate Roz, who was up at the front of the group, along with Chad, the senator, and Nan.
“Does Roz let you do actual architecture work? Did you help with the design of the lodge?” asked Alice.
At this question, a small furrow appeared between Sadie’s brows, then vanished. “Oh, no,” she said nervously, her eyes moving ahead to the front of the group. “I am currently designing a lovely, um, garden shed, though.” She patted the little notebook she carried. “Roz has talked about letting me work on a convenience store floor plan, so . . . I’m hoping that works out.”
“Is that where you keep your designs?” Franny asked, gesturing toward the
notebook.
Sadie looked down at the notebook and nodded. “All of my ideas and inspirations go in here. Sketches. Brainstorms. That’s why I keep it with me at all times. You never know when the big ideas will come.”
“Can we see some of your sketches?” Owen asked, playfully elbowing Sadie, who finally smiled again.
“Oh, no! No one looks at this. These are just . . . ideas.” She smiled at all three of them. “Thank you for cheering me up. I’d better get down the trail. I need to make sure everything’s ready in the clearing.”
“The clearing?” asked Franny.
“Where we’re having the bonfire!” Sadie called back over her shoulder as she veered onto a different trail. “See you up there!”
“Well, that was interesting,” said Owen after Sadie had disappeared into the woods.
“Poor girl,” said Franny. “I’d like to give that Roz a good, swift kick in the—”
“And now, we will relax and enjoy the hike. Let’s go catch up with Ben and Luke,” said Alice.
Ben and Luke were deep in conversation with the Maguire parents up near the front of the pack. Alice caught hold of Luke’s hand, and he smiled warmly.
“There you are,” he said, squeezing her hand.
A small movement out of the corner of Alice’s eye caught her attention. She turned, expecting to see a chipmunk or squirrel in the trees, but instead, saw Roz and the senator, walking in the shadows just off the trail. Alice was pretty sure she saw Roz reach for his hand. Alice looked away quickly, then a moment later, subtly turned her head to check again. But the senator was moving on ahead, out of the trees, and then he stepped back out onto the trail.
Alice sought out Nan in the group and saw that she seemed to be enjoying a chat with Pearl Ann and Norman. When her husband approached, she turned a beaming smile on him and took his arm.
A few minutes later, the woods opened up into a clearing, where a bonfire snapped and crackled, creating a warm circle of light. Trays laden with marshmallows, chocolate bars, and a selection of cookies and graham crackers were passed around, along with skewers. The guests were also invited to look through the telescope that had been erected just beyond the fire.