by Jen Peters
“But that’s what I called about. He misses you. He wants you to come home.”
And there it was—the guilt trip. He ran a hand through his hair. “I know, Mom, but we talked about this, remember? Vaughn loves selling—he needs to be the one Dad turns to. Gran gave me the chance to follow my dream, and you guys said you understood.” He hadn’t needed their permission, but it was certainly easier than constant arguing.
“I know, but you ought to see him in the evenings. If he’s not out with a client, he just mopes around. He misses having you to talk business with, and to hang out at home with him.”
Brandt rolled his eyes. “Mom. I didn’t spend too many evenings at home before, if you remember. He’s just going to have to adjust. Remind him that Vaughn plays a mean game of chess. And maybe you guys need to find a hobby you can do together.”
“He doesn’t want much to do with art and jewelry,” she said quietly. “And I miss you too.”
“I know, Mom. And I miss you. Tell you what, why don’t I come up next week, maybe Tuesday or Wednesday?” He fiddled with the wrench, eager to get back to work.
“Oh, would you? I guess you can’t leave on a weekend, but then, that’s our busiest time for our clients too. Dinner on Tuesday?”
“No, wait—Halloween is on Wednesday, and I ought to be here for the town trick-or-treating. Community goodwill and all that. How about Thursday?”
“That’s fine, dear. Your dad will be so pleased! Don’t let anything else come up, now.”
“I won’t,” he promised. “Have a good day, Mom, I love you.”
They hung up, and Brandt went back to the bike, musing over the conversation. His mom didn’t usually give up that easily, and he wondered what she had planned.
* * *
Raine stood in front of the McCormick Inn and marveled. It had been a run-down hulk the whole time she’d lived here. In the dark, it was the spooky type that kids would dare each other to enter. One time, Chelsea and the gang had dragged a scrawny sophomore boy and shoved him in a window.
Poor kid. He must have been terrified, not to mention humiliated. How long had he spent in there with the darkness and shadows and cobwebs, waiting for the seniors to leave? Did he even tell his friends afterwards?
She shook her head. If she could re-do her life, she would have listened to the little voice and done her senior year a lot differently. She hoped the boy had gotten over it, but she’d probably never know. She didn’t even remember his name.
Now, no one would think of being afraid. Someone had restored the mansion, and it was the high point of driving through town. Bright blue with white trim, the turrets pointing gaily to the sky, the porches welcoming with rocking chairs and small tables.
And Ree worked here.
Not only worked here, but was the manager who was engaged to the owner.
It might not be haunted anymore, but she sure felt like she was entering the lion’s den.
Raine filled her lungs with air and climbed the steps. Inside the entry, a magnificent staircase rose to the second floor, and a chandelier sparkled with light. Voices came from another room, and she followed the sound.
“Ree?” she called, knocking on a door.
“Come on in!”
Raine pushed the door open to find Ree talking to a very handsome man.
“Oh, it’s you.” Ree stood and crossed her arms. Tension instantly filled the air, and Raine could only nod.
“How about some introductions?” suggested Handsome Guy.
“Sure. Lorraine, this is my fiancé Mitchell Blake. Mitch, this is Lorraine DiMarco, someone I went to school with.”
Ouch. If Raine hadn’t known where she stood already, she certainly did now.
“Pleased to meet you,” Mitch said, extending his hand.
Raine shook it. “You’ve done an amazing job here—this used to be the town’s haunted house.”
“What do you want, Lorraine?” Ree’s voice could have chilled a polar bear.
Mitch looked between the two of them. “Uh, I’ve got some clients to contact. No bloodshed, okay?”
Ree glared at him as he left, but didn’t say anything else.
Raine sighed. “Look, I know I messed up big time. I told you that. And I don’t expect forgiveness. But I would like to talk to you about something. Can I sit down?”
Ree motioned her to a blue armchair but stayed standing.
“I was an event planner in Seattle, a good one, too. But it wasn’t…I came back here to get my head on straight and—”
“I don’t care why you came back.”
Memories of times when Ree did care flashed in Raine’s mind: Ree’s arm around her when the boy she liked had asked someone else to Prom; Ree and Robin bringing ice cream when Raine was grounded and couldn’t leave the house.
She shoved the past away—of course Ree didn’t care any more. “I know. But I want to help in the town, and I hadn’t realized we still had a volunteer fire crew. I thought we could combine a couple things for a fundraiser—they must need equipment or supplies or something.”
Ree pursed her lips. “I’m listening.”
Raine took another deep breath. “I also heard that Robin is thinking about doing a quick calendar for her animal shelter.”
“Robin can provide her own marketing without any help from you.”
“I know; it’s just that I think we could combine them.” Raine raised her hand to forestall Ree’s next words. “I’ve been talking to Sam about promotion events at the grocery store. What if we got the firemen and the dogs together—support the guys, support the shelter, take pictures of people with them all. And then follow it up with a photo shoot for the calendar—sexy firemen and cute puppies. It would sell a whole lot more than just the dogs.”
Ree’s face was still hard, but she sat down at her desk. “This town—these guys—aren’t going to go for half-naked pictures.”
Raine shrugged. “I saw some of them at the fire. Believe me when I say they can be sexy with their clothes on. And the ones who aren’t, um, athletically built, will be cute and cuddly with a puppy in their arms.”
“It might work, and it would help the town.” Ree thumbed the edge of some papers. “Mitch and I have talked about ideas to get people up here, build up the town’s reputation as a place to go, but the closest we’ve come was something around Christmas. And neither one of us has had time to do anything about it.”
“Christmas?” Raine felt energy flow through her. “Like a ‘Christmas in McCormick’s Creek?’ We could bring in some reindeer to go with Santa. And have a Christmas tea. And a tree-lighting ceremony. Or better yet, a decoration contest.” Her voice lowered as she thought out loud. “We’d have to start publicity right away. The IGA parking lot would be good for the reindeer. A whole petting zoo, in fact. A photographer for Santa, of course. We’d need a venue for the tea and a caterer. The trees…inside or out? Inside of course, because of the weather. I wonder if we could use the school. Charge for tickets, but only a little this year to get people to come. Which means we may need some extra funding. Maybe…”
Her voice trailed off as she looked up and saw Ree’s face. The disdain was gone, replaced by something Raine couldn’t pinpoint. “What?”
“You really are an event planner, aren’t you?”
“Of course, that’s what I said.”
“Yes, but—” Ree shook her head. “Look, you’ve got more ideas than anything I’ve been able to put together, but you can’t just waltz back into town and take over.”
“I’m not trying to take over,” Raine protested. “But this is what I do. Can you at least let me use my skills to do something good?”
Ree looked out the window, but Raine knew she wasn’t focused on the garden and sculpture beyond. She finally turned back.
“I suppose I’ll find out sooner or later if you’ve changed or not, so it may as well be sooner. I’ll talk to Mitch.”
“This will be great, Ree. I’ll get started rig
ht away.” Raine stood to leave.
“I said I’d talk to Mitch. I’ll let you know. Lorraine.”
But Raine trotted down the front steps with a lift in her heart. She may never be best friends again, may never be ‘Raine’ to the girls again, but this was at least a chance to make up for something that wasn’t as far in the past as she had hoped.
Chapter 10
“Thanks, Shauna,” Raine said, taking her coffee and croissant to a table. The Sunshine Cafe had become her go-to stop after dropping Tyler at school.
The more time she spent in McCormick’s Creek, the more her head was bursting with ideas. Her years away had been good for experience, and she could see things that had seemed invisible to her before.
Her list of possibilities to bring McCormick’s Creek to life was growing. She had a summer concert series mapped out, including a bluegrass festival over a full weekend.
She’d heard people in line chatting about things and had seen enough paintings and digital works hanging in shops and offices to feel like they could have a successful art walk, maybe combined with a wine tasting. Or maybe craft beers. She wasn’t sure how many people in town were into the subtleties of wine.
And she still liked her mock Antiques Roadshow idea. People had a lot of stuff in their attics and garages that they’d like to know about. And it would be simple to put on. That would probably be more for the locals, but if people came from other small towns, that would boost the restaurant and shopping businesses.
She finished her croissant, licked her fingers, and let her mind wander to Christmas. A full-fledged festival was too much in the short time they had this year, even if she had been excited about the possibilities at Ree’s. But maybe a parade? No—she couldn’t count on the weather. A tree decorating contest, though, now that had real possibilities.
A dressed-for-the-office woman appeared by her table. “Do you mind if I bother you for a moment?”
“Sure, sit down.” Raine motioned to the chair.
“You’re Raine DiMarco, right?” she said, settling a cup of tea next to a business portfolio. “I’m Evelyn Hatcher. I work at the Chamber of Commerce.”
“Nice to meet you. What can I do for you?”
Evelyn smiled. “I heard—the friend-of-a-friend thing—that you’ve got some ideas for the town.”
Raine nodded. “My mind can’t seem to turn off the ideas, but it’s just a list right now.”
“Would you mind sharing some of them? Perhaps it’s something we can work together on.”
“That would be great—I’m not sure yet what would be welcome and what would be too much.”
They talked through her summertime list, crossing off a few things, adding a few others.
“We have a lot of home-grown artists, some quite good, so I think including an art walk would be wonderful. We’re also talking to people about a farmer’s market. Not sure why we haven’t done one before. And I love the idea of a concert series.” She paused. “But…can I ask…what’s your purpose here?”
Raine blinked. “No one’s ever asked me that before.” She paused, letting her thoughts form. “I guess it’s several things. I think we could bring a lot of people from out of town that would help businesses here. Restoring the mansion and turning it into a B&B was awesome, but who’s going to come just for that if there’s no shopping and other activities? There’s also the fact that new stores won’t survive unless there are more people spending money. I remember what it was like growing up, and it would be nice if McCormick’s Creek had its own economy.”
Evelyn nodded. “I fully agree. The Chamber tries, but we haven’t fully explored the event route yet. What else?”
“It’s also a sense of community. I remember everyone and their brother coming out for the Founder’s Day parade. So why don’t we have our own 4th of July celebration? Fireworks and such.”
Evelyn made a face. “Dry weather, fire season, remember?”
“Oh. Right. Maybe not that, then, but Thanksgiving and Christmas anyway. Oh—what would your reaction be if I said I wanted to do a Christmas tree contest? This year.”
“This year?” Evelyn squeaked. “As in, two months from now?”
Raine smiled. “More like six weeks. But I’ve put on big parties with less notice. It wouldn’t take much, especially if I can connect with the right people. I’m thinking one competition for individuals and families, with a low entry fee, and one for businesses with a higher one. Maybe use the high school gym and cafeteria?”
Evelyn’s dismay turned to nodding, which turned to a grin. “I can see that working. You’ll need a bunch of volunteers and a lot of publicity, but it would be great.”
“Could we use a school group to do refreshments? It would give them a fundraiser, too.”
“Brilliant!”
Raine gave a mischievous smile. “Want to help?”
“Of course!” Evelyn sipped her tea. “So you want to help out the town while you’re here? How long are you staying?”
Raine stirred her coffee and watched the swirls for a moment. “To be honest, I don’t know. I came back to regroup, but I’m feeling rather stuck in my old reputation. I need to show people that I’ve changed, that I’m capable of doing some good things. I’ve been having fun planning things for next year, but it’s the Christmas thing that will tell me if I’m on the right track.”
Evelyn looked at her. “To be honest myself, I remember you girls in high school. And I came over specifically to meet you now and see for myself. I like what I’m hearing, and I’m behind you all the way.”
“You think we can do it?”
“Oh yes. Just watch us.”
Raine took another sip of coffee, but felt like there were eyes on her. Which was dumb in a public place. She glanced around the room and saw Brandt near the counter, watching them. He finally moved toward them.
“Ms. Hatcher, Raine.” Brandt nodded toward a chair. “Mind if I join you?”
“Be my guest,” Evelyn said. “How’s the shop going?”
He hooked the chair with his leg and pulled it to the side. “Good, everything’s good. Got any new happenings at the Chamber?”
“Not really, but Raine here has a great idea for Christmas. Would your bike shop like to enter a tree in a contest?”
Brandt’s eyebrows lifted halfway to his hairline. “Uh…”
Raine laughed. “No pressure, just think about it. I think we’ll be having one competition for families and one for businesses. So if you want to make an impression…”
Brandt just shook his head. “I’d probably give the wrong impression instead. I’m not the most creative person in the world.”
“So you get someone to help,” Evelyn said, looking pointedly between the two.
Brandt reddened slightly and shook his head again. “What I really wanted to ask was if I should mention the new trails we’re building in my grant application. Would it help or hinder?”
Evelyn considered. “Include it, I think. It can’t hurt. But I should warn you, you might have some competition.”
Raine watched Brandt’s eyes darken. He wasn’t as nonchalant as he liked to appear.
“Who? What project?” he said.
Evelyn glanced at Raine. “Right next to you. Raine’s got some good ideas for the town. She just has to decide if she wants to commit to them.”
“The deadline is the end of next week,” Brandt grumbled.
“No problem,” Raine answered quickly. “I’ve pulled together projects in far less time than that.”
Brandt’s eyes flashed a challenge. “Remember we aren’t backwoods hicks just because we don’t live in a big city.” He stood, knocking his chair back a foot. “I’ll talk to you later, Ms. Hatcher. Raine.” He nodded to them, but Raine could tell he was glowering behind his manners.
Evelyn smiled as he left the cafe. “This should be interesting,” she said. “Now, about the tree decorating—here’s who you need to talk to at the school.”
; By the time Raine left an hour later, she had contacts and advice. More importantly, she had someone on her side.
* * *
That afternoon, Brandt left Rudy in charge of the shop while he worked on a teenager’s bike that had seen too much mud and rain. He pulled the handlebars, cleaned the bearings, and repacked them with new grease. His stomach rumbled for the zillionth time—he hadn’t had anything to eat all day, just the coffee while he’d talked to Raine and Ms. Hatcher in the cafe. Time to fix that. He set the bike aside and wiped his hands off, but he wasn’t going to do a full clean-up when he’d have his hands back in the grease soon.
Twenty minutes later, he left Sam’s IGA with fruit, chips, and soda to last a few days, plus some fried chicken from the deli counter. He stopped cold in the parking lot.
Raine DiMarco had arrived for work. She wore the same fancy skirt and those boots with cut-outs she’d had on in the morning, which seemed dumb since she’d be covering it all up with an IGA apron. But man, was she one gorgeous spitfire. He’d thought she’d be the same as the other women in the same mold, but he was realizing she was sassy and smart as well as beautiful.
The thought of real competition for the grant money had thrown him for a loop, although it might—might—be fun competing against her for the grant money. He sure wasn’t going to cut her any slack, though.
She hadn’t noticed him yet, and he enjoyed watching her slide a clip into her hair as she walked across the parking lot. Graceful arms, flowing walk, she even managed to miss the small pothole growing in the asphalt.
And then she saw him. “Brandt, hi! You’re…” She looked up and down his body. “…really dirty.”
He shrugged, not minding her gaze. “Just taking a break from work. A man needs sustenance, you know.”
“Can you smell anything over that oil? Or is it grease?”
“Grease,” he said, looking down at his shirt. “But my hands are clean, and right now my stomach can’t smell anything but this fried chicken.”