The Inn at Holiday Bay Books 7 - 9

by Kathi Daley

  “Is Baron married?” Georgia asked.

  “He is,” Lacy answered. “He has three grown children, who are all successful in their own right. Despite the tragedies in his family’s past, it seems as if Baron and his wife, Ainsley, are very well-grounded. I’ve spoken to Baron on several occasions, but have only briefly met Ainsley. I’m looking forward to getting to know them both once the house is finished, and they come to the area for an extended stay.”

  By the time Lacy finished her story, we’d arrived at the antique shop. Lacy was thrilled to death that the chairs she’d had the owner reserve were exactly what she was looking for. She also bought a nine drawer dresser for herself, and a secretary desk for another client. Georgia and I browsed while she arranged for payment and shipping. I was mostly done decorating the inn, but there were a few pieces I still hoped to find. I did find a sketch by the man who built the inn I owned, Chamberlain Westminster, which I purchased to add to my collection. As I was paying for the print, it crossed my mind that Chamberlain and Ozzie may have known each other. Chamberlain built his house on the bluff in eighteen ninety-five, and Ozzie built his in eighteen eighty-four. Of course, there was a fair amount of distance between the two properties, and Chamberlain didn’t actually live in the house for very long, so it was probably unlikely that the two had crossed paths.

  I’d never been interested in family histories before moving to Holiday Bay. Not my own and certainly not the history of others. But since I’d lived here, I’d found occasion to become pulled into the lives of several men and women who lived long ago, and I got to know more not only about my home but the furnishings within it as well. I was beginning to see why Lacy loved her job so much.

  “It looks like we have time to make one more stop on our way home,” Lacy said. “Any requests?”

  “I’d love to go to the barn you took us to a few months back,” Georgia said. “It’s on the way, and I want to talk to the owner again about the outdoor pieces I had my eye on.”

  Lacy started the car and pulled onto the highway.

  “Do you think you might be able to get us into the Chadwick house for a tour?” I asked Lacy as we sped along the highway.

  “I don’t think it will be a problem for you to come along with me when I go back to take another set of photos and more measurements. I’ll call you, and we can arrange a time.”

  “Now that we’ve been talking about the history of the place, I find I’m interested in learning more about both the property and the various people who’ve lived there over the years,” Georgia said.

  “The library has a lot of old newspapers, journals, letters, and other original documents,” Lacy informed her. “If you really are interested, I’d start there.” She pulled off the highway and onto the country road that led to the antique barn. “I suspect there are clues about prior residents contained within the house as well.”

  I felt that familiar surge of energy that was associated with that first whiff of a mystery. “Given the fact that most of the original furniture, as well as many of the books, housewares, and personal possessions, are still in the house, I’m going to assume there are all sorts of secrets just waiting for someone like us to uncover and expose to the light of day.”

  Chapter 3

  By the time Thursday rolled around, the food was ordered, the flowers arranged, the photo processing station set up, and the inn cleaned from top to bottom. It seemed the social status of our guests was causing Georgia to be anxious, which I didn’t really understand. Georgia didn’t seem to be the sort to be awestruck by people of means or stature. Maybe there was something else causing her sleepless nights. She and Tanner seemed to be getting along well, so I didn’t think it was her love life.

  “I’m going to head over to the inn,” Georgia said. “The first guest should be arriving within the hour.”

  “Do you need any help?”

  She shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. Jeremy is around to help with luggage and such, so I think we’re fine. You may want to keep your eye on your phone. I’ll text you if we get into a bind.”

  “Will do. Do you need help with prep for dinner?”

  She shook her head. “No. I think I’m all set. Since tomorrow is the formal sit down dinner, I’m planning a buffet this evening. I have most everything ready to go into the oven. But again, if I do get into a bind, I’ll text you.” She looked at Ramos with doubt on her face. “I don’t think I’ll take him with me until I can get a better read on these guests. Would you mind taking him for a short walk in a couple of hours?”

  “I’ll be happy to. I want to get some writing done, but I’ll stop by later. I’d love to meet everyone and put faces to the names.”

  “The group is having a cocktail reception between six and seven-thirty. Dinner is at seven-thirty. If you want to stop by during the reception, I think that would be a good time for you mingle and introduce yourself.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll plan on it.”

  Once Georgia left, I decided to call Colt to see if he wanted to come by for dinner. It sounded like Georgia was going to be at the inn late, and Colt and I hadn’t had a chance to really talk in weeks. I wasn’t exactly sure how to describe the status of our relationship. We were friends. Good friends. When I’d first moved to Holiday Bay, I’d been such a mess. My husband and infant son had died in an auto accident a year earlier, and the last thing on my mind was romance, but then I met Colt, and a friendship that seemed to hold the potential for something more began to bloom.

  As time passed, the wounds inflicted by the reality of an unfinished life began to ache just a bit less. At some point, I realized that maybe I could love again. Maybe not right away, but someday.

  In the beginning, I felt as if I was drowning, but as time passed, the panic and terror of my loss became manageable, and I began to find beauty and hope in the world once again. Don’t get me wrong, there are still occasions even to this day when a huge wave of grief will envelop me and threaten to drag me back out to sea, but most of the time, I’m able to find a place of peace from which to live out my life.

  Of course, being ready for romance was a lot different than being ready to embrace love once again. It was a big decision and one I’d considered extensively. The last thing I wanted to do was to bring another person into my heart before I was ready.

  Just before Valentine’s Day, there had been a moment where I’d cautiously considered opening the door to something more with Colt. I sensed he might be open to this as well, and even though we hadn’t taken that final step from friendship to something more, I’d begun to suspect we were headed in that direction. And then Colt’s murder case got in the way, and our trip was canceled. I completely understood that Colt’s work was important and needed to come first. What I didn’t know was where we would go from here.

  Neither of us had brought up the idea of rescheduling the trip or even the romantic Valentine’s dinner that never happened. I supposed the fact that fate intervened and stopped us from taking the next step had me wondering if we even ought to. I had no idea what Colt was thinking, but I do know that he hadn’t brought up the subject of rescheduling any more than I had.

  I glanced at Molly, who was watching me as I paced around and considered my options. “Romance is hard.”

  She wagged her tail.

  “All this should I, shouldn’t I, is making me nuts. I thought I knew what I wanted, but now I’m really not sure. And why hasn’t Colt suggested a reschedule? Is he relieved our plans didn’t work out? I was the one who brought up the idea of a trip in the first place. Maybe he wasn’t ready to move our relationship to the next level, but was too polite to tell me as much.”

  Molly trotted over and put a paw on my leg. I picked her up. “At least with you, I know exactly where I stand.”

  She licked me from chin to forehead.

  “I was going to write, but maybe we’ll take our walk now. I feel like I need to clear my head.”

  Ramos, who’d been ignorin
g me until I said the word walk, came trotting over. Rufus preferred fair weather walks, and it was a sunny but crisp day, but when I opened the door, he took one look at the mud and headed for the bedroom. I guess I didn’t blame him. He had a kitty box, so he didn’t need to brave the mud and wind if he didn’t want to.

  Except for the most blustery days, I enjoyed bundling up and walking the trail along the edge of the bluff. There was something about the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing on the rocks below and the occasional mist on my cheeks created by the spray of the sea. I loved the birds that gathered in the area and the smell of wet dirt after a light rain. I loved everything about my life in Maine. My time here had not only allowed my heart to heal, but it had provided maturity and perspective I really hadn’t had before. Well, most of the time. Those times when I let myself get a little bit crazy about non-urgent matters such as my relationship with Colt, reminded me a lot that the old Abby was still in there somewhere.

  I’m not exactly sure why I felt this need to analyze and control every aspect of my relationship with Colt. I enjoyed having him as a friend, but I supposed that if at some point the opportunity presented itself and we both felt ready to take the next step, then perhaps I was finally ready to do that. But that didn’t mean I needed to force things, and it definitely wouldn’t do me any good to overthink things. What I really needed to do, I decided, was take a step back and settle back into our friendship until the next opportunity presented itself organically. I enjoyed spending time with him. I enjoyed working on cases with him the way I often had with my cop husband when he’d been alive. I simply liked being with him. There was no need to overthink it.

  Taking out my phone, I called the man I’d just spent the past thirty minutes obsessing over.

  “You must be on the bluff,” he said after answering. “I can hear the waves crashing in the background.”

  “I am. I was wondering if you wanted to come by for dinner tonight. Georgia and Jeremy will be occupied with the guests, so it will just be the two of us. I figured we could make up plates from the buffet Georgia plans to set out and then take them to the cottage to eat.”

  “Sounds good. I promised Lonnie I’d stop by his place after work and help him move a dresser upstairs, so I’ll need to do that first.”

  “Lacy did buy a huge nine drawer dresser when we went antiquing earlier in the week. Be careful moving it. It must weigh a ton.”

  “I’m sure between Lonnie and me, we’ll be fine. I’m sure Lonnie will want to have a beer after, so maybe I can come by around seven.”

  “That sounds good. The group that just checked in is having a cocktail reception at six, and I was going to stop by and meet everyone, so if you get here and I’m not in the cottage, just come over to the inn.”

  “Okay. That sounds like a plan. I’ll see you tonight, but right now, I need to go. I have a witness to a robbery coming in to make a statement.”

  “Robbery?”

  “I’ll fill you in over dinner.”

  I hung up and put my phone in my pocket. Calling the dogs back to my side, I turned around and headed back to the cottage. Georgia had set up a foot washing station on the deck at the back of the cottage. The dogs knew the drill. They stepped into the tub one at a time while I washed their feet and underbellies, then they stepped out while I dried them. Once everyone was mud free, I opened the door and let them inside.

  Once the dogs were settled on their pillows in front of the fire, I headed in to shower and change. I wasn’t sure how the pre-wedding party would be dressed, so I decided on dress slacks, a lightweight sweater, and low heeled pumps. I figured the outfit was one that most likely wouldn’t present an image of being either under or overdressed.

  “So, how’s it going?” I asked Georgia after joining her in the kitchen.

  “It’s going well. Everyone is checked in, and so far, everyone seems to love their suite. I have the appetizers ready to set out, and Jeremy has set up a bar in the main lounge area. He’s going to stay and mix the drinks until dinner. I suppose if they want the bar open after that, they’ll be on their own.”

  “Are we worried they’ll drink us out of house and home?”

  She shook her head. “All the alcohol we’ve set out was purchased by the bride and groom. If the drinks were going to be provided by the inn, then yes, I’d keep a close eye on it.”

  “Okay, it seems like you have everything handled. Do you need help with anything?”

  “You can set those platters on the buffet. I’ve already set out appetizer plates and napkins. Once you’ve finished with that, you can fill the ice bucket behind the bar. I think once that’s done, we’ll be ready for our guests when they begin to come down.”

  There were those in the community that felt that as the owner of the inn, I should take more of an active role, but the truth of the matter was I had no desire to run an inn. If not for Georgia, I would probably have set aside the idea of opening an inn, which had been Lonnie’s idea in the first place, and simply lived in the big old house rambling around with only my tortured soul and painful memories to keep me company.

  By the time I’d set out the appetizers and filled the ice bucket, the first of the guests had come downstairs. I introduced myself to Mike Dover, Carson’s best man, and his girlfriend, Ambrosia. Both Mike and Ambrosia seemed to be down to earth sort of folks, not at all the stuffy rich crowd I’d been expecting. In all fairness, maybe it was a stereotype to think that all rich people were stuffy. I was sure that a lot of very wealthy individuals were as relaxed and easygoing as anyone else.

  And then I met Lisa and her date, Alvin. Now there were the stuffy and hard to please millionaires I’d imagined. They weren’t thrilled with the glasses provided for the drinks we planned to serve from the bar, the brand of scotch we had on hand, or the shape of the ice. The shape of the ice?

  Jeremy informed them that the glasses were the only ones we had on hand, so they would have to do for the evening, but also commented that we could look into obtaining other glassware in the future. He also informed the couple that the bride and groom-to-be had provided the alcohol and that he’d had nothing to do with the brand selection, and well, ice was ice. Take it or leave it.

  Fiona and Carson, the bride and groom-to-be, were friendly and extremely complimentary, which made me feel better about Lisa and Alvin. Fiona’s sister, Naomi, and the maid of honor, Jennifer, both seemed nice, as did Carson’s sister, Willa. I couldn’t really get a read on the couple in suite one, Jordan and Stephanie. They weren’t downright rude like Alvin and Lisa had been, but they weren’t nearly as open and friendly as some of the others.

  I supposed that in any group of people, there were those you liked and those you didn’t. This group was no different. After the first thirty minutes, I had a firm handle on which guests I knew I’d enjoy and which I’d be better off avoiding.

  Chapter 4

  “I’m sorry it took longer at Lonnie’s than I expected,” Colt said after we’d filled our plates at the buffet Georgia had set out and had settled in at the cottage to eat.

  “That’s okay. It gave me more time to meet the new guests. Were you and Lonnie able to get Lacy’s dresser upstairs?”

  “We did. And you were right about the fact that it was heavier than it looked. I’ll be sore tomorrow, but the look of delight on Lacy’s face when she realized it fit exactly as she’d imagined was worth the effort.”

  “I’m so glad it fit the way she hoped. She hemmed and hawed at the antique shop about whether it would work in the space she had in mind.”

  “Lacy has a good eye for design. I’ve never seen her guess wrong. She picked out a few pieces for my house that really make all the difference.”

  “She does have talent,” I agreed.

  “So tell me about your new guests,” Colt said, spearing a piece of broccoli.

  “They’re an eclectic group that’s for certain.”

  He lifted a brow. “Care to elaborate?”

  I
set my fork on my plate and took a sip of my water. Colt wasn’t always interested in our guests, but talking about them was a pleasant way to fill the silence, so I decided to provide a detailed report. “So the bride’s name is Fiona Arlington. She’s the daughter of some businessman named Drake Arlington and an heiress to billions. I understand the trust fund she received from her grandmother is more money than most of us can even imagine, and that isn’t even taking into account all the money her daddy has, and she told me she also has her own clothing line, which I’ve been led to understand is quite successful. She is, as you would expect, sophisticated, educated, mature, and seems to be organized and hard-working.”

  “I’ve heard of her father. And her grandfather.” Colt whistled. “The Arlingtons aren’t only rich; they are old money rich.”

  “How old?” I asked.

  “Old. The Arlington family is generally considered to be one of the heritage families that helped develop this country.”

  “I had no idea. I knew she was rich but not that rich. Anyway, Fiona is engaged to a man named Carson Devonshire. Carson isn’t rich. In fact, his dad owns an auto shop. Not a chain of auto shops, just one. Carson works with his dad and hopes to take over the shop when his dad retires. Based on what I’ve observed, he is blue-collar all the way. Easy going, prefers beer to champagne, and plans to wear tennis shoes with his tux at his wedding.”

  “So the polar opposite of Fiona.”

  “On the surface, yes, but after speaking to the couple, I think there is a lot more to both individuals than their financial and social status. If you ask me, I think they have a real shot at making their unlikely pairing last the distance, although if Fiona does come from as much money as you say, I can see some obstacles along the way as well.”

  “It does sound as if they grew up in different worlds. How’d they meet?” Colt asked.