by Thea Cambert
Alice’s eyes filled with happy tears. So did Franny’s.
Chapter 16
The sunrise over the Smokies was something to behold. It lit up the sky and made the snow-covered landscape shimmer with unimaginable brilliance.
The whole Maguire family—including their “adopted” son Owen, along with Luke and Chester emerged from the lodge onto the grand second-floor balcony after a delicious breakfast.
The ambulance had finally made its way back into town, and Nan Matthews had been taken into custody. Senator Matthews had been very lucky to survive the fall from the widow’s walk, in part due to his relaxed state of drunkenness, and it part due to the fact that he’d landed in a thick snowdrift—and thus had been able to tell the police that Nan, after begging him to come up and talk things out with her, had told him how she’d killed Roz and that he would have to suffer the same fate.
Once Nan had seen that there was no escape, she’d made a full confession. The saddest irony was that—whatever lingering feelings of love and regret Adam had toward Roz—he’d never actually had an affair with her. Roz had invited him up to the widow’s walk for a midnight kiss, and he’d refused her, which made her angry enough to take a swing at him, scratching his face in the process. But Nan hadn’t known that.
Meanwhile, Sadie had agreed, on Chad’s invitation, to stay in Blue Valley and work with him to create the next phases of the lodge. The last Alice had seen of the two of them, they were having breakfast in the kitchen with Chef Louis and Michael, all of them discussing their plans for the future.
Alice’s hand was warm tucked into Luke’s, even in the cold morning air, and although she was exhausted, she felt a wonderful surge of invigoration. It was the first day of a whole new year, after all. There would be a brand new round of cozy evenings at Luke’s cabin, fun mornings in the rooftop garden, walks in the park and by the lake, and festivals, and fairs, and friends. And, there would be family.
“So, it’s true, then?” Alice looked from Ben to Franny.
Ben beamed with pride and cleared his throat. “I guess we have an announcement to make,” he said. “Just a very small announcement.”
Bea put a hand to her chest. “Go ahead,” she said.
Ben looked at a smiling Franny and said, “We’re expecting the next little Maguire to arrive this summer!”
“It’s early yet,” said Franny. “We were going to tell you once I was through the first trimester, but Owen figured it out.” She turned to Owen. “How on earth did you know?”
“I didn’t even know I knew until Nan came at you with that cleaver!” said Owen. “But I guess it all added up: the mints, the crackers, the four pieces of cake . . . You never drank wine or champagne. You were tired. I think in that moment, I just . . . put it together.”
The whole group broke into joyous congratulations and hugs, and Alice even caught sight of Bea doing a little jig with Owen, and singing, “I’m going to be a grandmother!”
“I’m going to be a great-grandmother!” said Granny.
“The most beautiful great-grandmother the world has ever seen,” said Chester, taking Granny’s hand. “And since we’re all together, as a family, I mean . . . I mean, I’ve been planning to ask, and now seems like the time.” Chester got down on one knee, and a collective gasp went up from the group. He looked up at Granny. “Georgie?” He cleared his throat and started again. “Georgina Maguire, you and I have been friends since I can remember. I think I’ve loved you forever. Today is the beginning of a new year, and I want to spend every single day of it . . .” He paused and smiled into Granny’s eyes. “With you.”
“Well, Chester, I—”
“Now hold on. Let me finish. I want to spend every day of every year with you. Georgie, will you marry me?”
Granny’s eyes filled with tears, and she put her hands on her cheeks, her face breaking into a huge smile. “Yes, Chester. I will gladly marry you!”
Alice’s heart felt like it would burst. “If this is any indication of the kind of year we’re about to have, I can’t wait!”
Everyone gathered around Franny and Ben, and Granny and Chester. But Luke pulled Alice to one side of the group. “I can wait,” he said softly into her ear.
She met his eyes and knew exactly what he meant. This was Franny and Ben’s moment, and this was Granny and Chester’s moment. A year’s worth of moments even more wonderful than this one was in store.
She pulled Luke close. “I can wait, too,” she said, and kissed him. “That’s the kiss we missed at midnight.”
“Happy New Year, my Alice,” Luke said, leaning in and stealing another kiss.
“This calls for a song,” Owen announced. “Since I missed all the showtunes last night, how about a round of that song everyone always sings at the start of a new year?”
At that, the whole family launched into the song.
“Should old acquaintance be forgot . . .”
Owen walked over and put his arms around Alice and Franny. “You know, it’s just occurred to me that I don’t really know the words to this song,” he said. “And I don’t even know what old angzine means.”
Both Owen and Franny automatically looked at Alice.
“What? You think I know everything?”
Owen and Franny kept looking at Alice.
“Okay, okay.” She sighed. “The song is actually a poem, written in Scots by Robert Burns. Auld lang syne means times long past. It’s about remembering old times and old friends.” She smiled at them. “It’s about taking to heart what a blessing they are.”
“Done,” said Owen, giving Alice and Franny a squeeze that turned into one big hug.
Alice smiled at her friends, feeling a wonderful mixture of joy and peace. “This is going to be our best year yet.”
Author’s Note
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