Stone Bridges

by Carla Neggers

  More than that, she didn’t want to mess up Adam’s life. Knights Bridge was his home. He’d come back here after his military service—with his heart broken. It was his refuge, where he could be himself. He wouldn’t stay at Vic’s guesthouse forever, but she didn’t want to leave him with sour memories.

  “Only good memories,” she whispered as she stared at her blank laptop screen.

  Jumping in bed with him risked stirring up emotions that could overwhelm them both.

  Not only was Adam unflappable, he was patient.

  She saw she had an email and smiled when she saw it was from Vic.

  Dear Adrienne,

  You caught me at the right moment. I only have thirty seconds but it’s so good to hear from you. I think of you often, too. I’m not really surprised innkeeping suits you. I know you still worry you’ll get things sorted out and then be off again. One day at a time, okay?

  I’ve been at the lake for a few storms but on my own, no unflappable Sloan.

  Gotta run.

  Love,

  Vic

  Adrienne shut her laptop. She did feel a bit like Mary Poppins. Did anyone in Knights Bridge expect her to stay through spring? What if she wanted to stay? But Maggie and Olivia hadn’t said anything about making the job temporary.

  She had a meeting with Felicity MacGregor in an hour.

  Best focus on that.

  * * *

  Adam stopped at Red Clover Inn and found Eric tearing out wallboard in a small upstairs bedroom. “I didn’t realize you still knew how to wield a crowbar.”

  “Muscle memory but it’s not that hard.” Eric whacked at the last of a section of wall. He was in a baseball shirt and cargo pants and had worked up a sweat. “Feels good.”

  Adam stood back as bits of sawdust and plaster flew into the air. “Burning off some steam?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Rough day on the job?”

  “Job’s good.” He leaned the crowbar against the wall and stood back as he pulled a folded bandanna from his pocket and wiped his face. “Heard from Trish. Stirred things up. I finally told Gran we called off the wedding.”

  “How’d she take it?”

  He tucked the bandanna back in his pocket. “Asked me if I got the ring back.”

  “Gran’s practical.”

  “There was no ring to give back. I didn’t give Trish one. We were just...” He took another whack at the wall. “Engaged, I guess. We never set a wedding date. Probably should have been a clue.”

  “You said she got in touch.”

  “Yeah. No big deal. She’s fine. Wanted to know how I was doing.”

  “And you said—”

  “I’m fine, too. It’s the truth.”

  “You’re tearing out a wall, Eric.”

  “It needs tearing out. It’s in the schedule, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it’s in the schedule.”

  Adam glanced around the room. Peeling, yellowed wallpaper clung to the remaining wallboard. The hardwood floors had deep scratches, and there were chunks missing from the woodwork. It was in the toughest shape of any of the guest rooms.

  Eric tore at more wallboard.

  “Hope it feels good to bash in a couple of walls,” Adam said.

  “Always does. I told the folks about Trish, too. It’s not a secret. It was time to quit—I don’t know. Pretending, I guess.” He flicked plaster dust off his forehead. “I should have worn a mask. This needed doing and I needed to do it. It wasn’t breaking off the engagement that got to me. It was having to tell family and friends. I didn’t want to disappoint Gran and the folks especially.”

  “Were they disappointed?”

  “They’d already guessed. They’d figured I’d tell them when I was ready. Trish is settling into Atlanta. It’s the right thing for her. As if I had any doubt. I didn’t. Don’t feel sorry for me.” He raised the crowbar again. “That’s the worst.”

  “No pity. I get it. You didn’t have to go through this alone, you know.”

  “I didn’t. My little brothers have been around.” Eric grinned, his dark hair matted with sweat. “I didn’t need to bare my soul to appreciate the company.”

  “That makes sense in a weird way,” Adam said.

  “Of course it does.” His brother stood back, admiring his handiwork. “Justin wants to convert this room into a storage room. Samantha wants to combine it with the adjoining room to create a suite.”

  “What does Heather say?”

  “She hasn’t weighed in yet.”

  “She’s got all the plans in London,” Adam said. “She’s always had a good sense of space, but her interior design coursework gives her real expertise—she has some good ideas.”

  “Just have to keep us all from going overboard with the budget?”

  Adam shrugged. “Always.”

  “Samantha admits she doesn’t know much about construction or interior design, but she’s stayed in a lot of inns and hotels around the world. She knows what people like. Justin knows what can be done.” Eric grinned at Adam. “You know what it all costs.”

  “This place could turn into a classic money pit.” Adam hesitated. “Eric...”

  “I’m fine, Adam. Never better, in fact. It wasn’t just procrastination that stopped Trish and me from setting a date for the wedding. Atlanta helped us stop fooling ourselves that we were meant to stay together. She grew up in the city. Small-town New England never appealed to her. She loved the idea of a fresh start.”

  “So tearing apart this room isn’t related to Trish?”

  “It’s related to liking to wield a crowbar once in a while. Keep my hand in with the family business. But if anyone irritates me, it’s not a bad way to let off steam. There are more rooms I can tear apart. You’ve got rocks if you need to let off steam, but you never do.”

  Eric whacked at another section of wall. Adam left him to it. Eric seemed as fine as he said he was but it could be hard to tell with him. With any of his siblings. His eldest brother and Trish both deserved happiness, and it was best they’d split up instead of pretending, going through with the wedding. With Gran now in the loop, Adam figured the whole town would know by nightfall. Only Eric’s experience as a closemouthed police officer and Trish’s not living in town had prevented word from getting out by now. If there’d been rumors and rumblings, Adam hadn’t heard them.

  There had been rumors and rumblings about him and Adrienne, though.

  When he drove out to the lake, she was sitting on the porch rail at the main house. She’d heard about Eric. “Maggie knew a few weeks ago. Brandon told her, I guess after you all dragged it out of him. Once she knew he’d told your parents and grandmother, she told Olivia and me.”

  “We knew something was up but it took some work to pry it out of him. Chris heard Trish wanted more action as a paramedic, but he didn’t work with her. Different town. He didn’t know she’d left for Atlanta.”

  Adrienne leaned back against a support post and stretched out her legs on the rail, crossing her ankles. “Would you rather be the one chucked or the one who does the chucking?”

  “I’d rather not look at it that way.”

  “But sometimes it is that way,” she said pragmatically. “Sometimes a breakup isn’t a mutual decision.”

  Adam sat on a chair and put his feet up on the rail next to her. He noticed neither of them had taken Vic’s usual chair. The lake was still, glass-like under the late-afternoon sky. He had on a canvas shirt over a T-shirt but Adrienne wore a fleece jacket. Black, of course. He supposed it was easy to pack if everything was black. It looked good on her, but she’d mentioned wanting to get some warmer colors into her wardrobe for when she dealt directly with guests. He suddenly envisioned her in red. She’d look great in red.

  She glanced at him. “You’re thinking about your
ex-girlfriend?”

  “Nope. But she did the chucking, if you’re wondering. I was the chuckee. Is that even a word?”

  He thought she’d smile but she didn’t. “It must have been particularly bad timing.”

  “Tell me a good time. I couldn’t wait to get back here and pound rock after I got out. She didn’t have any interest in that.”

  “The grass was greener where she was?”

  “Probably.”

  She touched the scars on his hand and wrist. “Wounds heal. We learn.”

  “We can make fresh mistakes despite our best efforts. I’m in a line of work where nicks and the occasional smashed finger aren’t unusual.”

  “But you take appropriate precautions to protect yourself from debilitating injuries.”

  “I do what I can.”

  “I’m torturing this metaphor, huh?”

  “It’s a metaphor? I thought we were talking about stonework.”

  She laughed and kicked his foot playfully, not dislodging it from the rail. “It can be easy to overcompensate.”

  “Get gun-shy, you mean. In stonework, that can lead to more injuries. You’ve got to work your plan. Be patient. Know when you have to make your move and then do it.”

  “Without hesitation,” she said.

  “Hesitation causes injuries.”

  Adrienne frowned at him. “Are you making that up?”

  “Torturing the analogy. What about you and this wine guy?”

  “I did the chucking. Absolutely. But he didn’t care. We seemed perfect on paper but we never—” She broke off. “It just didn’t work.”

  “He wasn’t so perfect in real life?”

  “Entitled, self-absorbed, condescending. Also smart, witty, charming. If I’d stayed with him...” She placed her feet on the porch floor. “Well, I wouldn’t be here in Knights Bridge with you, would I?”

  “This guy tempted you to be part of a life you realized you didn’t want.”

  “We didn’t bring out the best in each other.”

  “He read your wine blog?”

  “He pretended to.”

  Adam grinned. “That when you chucked him? When you found out he was faking it?”

  “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak. It wasn’t a requirement that he read my blog. I just didn’t want him to lie to me about it.”

  “I’ve read your blog,” Adam said.

  Her eyes brightened. “Really?”

  “I don’t lie to you, Adrienne. I won’t lie to you.”

  “I lied last year—I lied to everyone close to me. I can understand why Eric kept his news to himself. Sometimes you just need to adjust to it, figure out your next moves on your own. It’s your pain, your responsibility, your confusion.”

  “We’re not talking about the wine guy now. We’re talking about you and Vic.”

  “I guess. I wish I’d told him who I was on day one, but I didn’t.”

  “Your mother didn’t tell either of you for years. I’m not criticizing her, or you.”

  She studied him a moment, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Have you always been an honest and straightforward type?”

  “With five siblings and my grandmother?”

  Adrienne laughed, her dark eyes sparkling. “Yeah, why bother to lie and pretend with that crew? Did your parents always know what was going on with all you kids?”

  “Hell, I hope not.” Adam lowered his feet from the porch rail. “Dinner?”

  “What do you have?”

  “Frozen burritos.”

  “Vic has some of Maggie’s lasagna in his freezer.”

  “Sold.”

  “I’m not sure I want to tell him you and I had dinner together on a chilly October evening while he was away. He’s a savvy diplomat. He’ll figure out...” She stopped herself. “Never mind.”

  “You’re worried he’ll figure out we like each other’s company.”

  “It’s Maggie’s lasagna. Vic loves Maggie’s lasagna.” Adrienne grinned as she got to her feet. “He’ll figure out I was the one who mentioned he had some in the freezer.”

  “She’s my sister-in-law. I’ll get her to replace it.”

  “Perfect.”

  “And it’s okay if he finds out we enjoy each other’s company?”

  “He’s going to find out anyway. It’s all over town, isn’t it?”

  Adam shrugged. “Gran mentioned us to Eric.”

  “Did she figure it out on her own?”

  “Heard it at her book club.”

  “I do love this town,” Adrienne said lightly, leading him into the house and straight to the freezer for the lasagna.

  Sixteen

  The lasagna was perfect reheated out of the freezer. Adrienne chose a Chianti from Vic’s wine cellar—she’d replace it, too—and they set the table in the dining room, complete with candles. “I’d have offered to fetch salad fixings at the guesthouse, but I don’t have any,” Adam said. “I meant to stop for a few groceries on my way back here, but I ran into Eric with his crowbar and it slipped my mind.”

  Adrienne smiled at him across the table. “Is this a white lie?”

  “Nope. Truth. I was going to pick up some kombucha, too.” He smiled. “Now, that’s a white lie. I hate the stuff.”

  “It’s an acquired taste.”

  “Meaning you drink it?”

  “Certain brands and not every day. The country store carries it.”

  “I know. Town’s going to hell in a handbasket.”

  She glanced around the softly lit dining room. It retained some of its original Arts and Crafts features—its leaded windows, beamed ceiling and built-in glass-front cabinet—and Vic had decided to have the original table refinished and the chairs reupholstered. The kitchen had been remodeled with creamy white cabinets and granite counters that worked with the house’s style. Adrienne had stayed out of the decision-making on renovations, offering her opinion only when asked. It was Vic’s house. He was the one who needed to be comfortable here.

  “I need to run up to New Hampshire tomorrow,” Adam said. “I’m checking on stone from a demolished town hall in a little town near Peterborough. It’s from the same quarry as the stone in a job I’m doing in town. It should match.”

  “Is that important?” Adrienne asked.

  “It’s an aesthetic consideration rather than a structural one. It’s nice if the visible stone in the new work matches the existing stone.” He picked up his wineglass. “Are you due for a day off? You’re welcome to join me.”

  “I am, as a matter of fact. I’ve never been to New Hampshire. I’d love to join you.”

  “I’ll pick you up first thing, then.”

  They cleaned up the dishes together and kissed each other good-night. Somehow anything more after eating Vic’s food and drinking his wine seemed wrong, and if he suddenly walked in—which was entirely possible...

  Adrienne squeezed Adam’s hand. “See you in the morning.”

  When she reached Carriage Hill, she realized she hadn’t left on so much as a night-light. She used her phone to make her way up the walk, unlock the door and find the light switch for the overhead in the kitchen.

  She almost screamed when Buster lumbered out to her. She’d forgotten he was here. He’d arrived before she’d left for Echo Lake. He’d escaped from Olivia and she hadn’t had the oomph to chase after him. She’d called Adrienne just as the big dog had burst onto the terrace of his old home. “He’s protesting,” Olivia had said. “I’ve been distracted with the baby coming. I’m not taking him on long walks the way I used to. Dylan does, but Buster senses he’s in for more changes around here.”

  Or he knew Adrienne had dog biscuits.

  She’d offered to let him stay and promised to bring him back in the morning. Now, thoug
h, that meant she had to walk him. She grabbed a proper flashlight and headed out with him, snapping a leash on his collar.

  It turned out that he walked her. He led her up to Dylan and Olivia’s house, not, thankfully, down the dark road toward the Quabbin wilderness. She’d have argued with him if he’d tried that one. It wasn’t late, just very dark. Dylan greeted her at the front door. “Buster wants to come home,” she said.

  Dylan insisted on driving her back down to the inn. She’d left the kitchen light on, but the house still felt very dark, even lonely. She had a fresh perspective on what guests would experience on these shortened late-fall and winter days. The long summer days allowed for walks into the evening, but who would want to venture out in the pitch dark? The lack of light pollution did allow for spectacular starry skies. Why not add that to the list of possible activities? Torchlight snowshoeing excursions. She’d need guides, people with expertise.

  “It could work,” she said aloud, heading to her suite.

  She couldn’t believe she was taking tomorrow off so she could join Adam for a drive to New Hampshire to examine rocks.

  Life could be worse. A lot worse.

  The weather forecast looked good. Sunny, in the low fifties. It would be a fun day.

  She sat on the edge of her bed. What if she’d invited Adam to spend the night with her? Dylan and Olivia would know. Felicity. Maggie.

  Do I care?

  Adrienne shut her eyes, feeling the muscles in Adam’s back under her palms, tasting his mouth against hers. They’d come so close to stopping their would-they/wouldn’t-they dance. She could have invited herself down to the guesthouse, too, but she hadn’t. He wasn’t pushing her, he’d told her more than once. He was getting to know her, letting her get to know him. There’d been some spectacularly speedy relationships in Knights Bridge lately, and maybe he’d want to be more certain about what was going on between them after his brother’s experience with his fiancée.