The Inn at Misty Lake: Book Two in the Misty Lake Series (17 page)

20

After three solid days of painting, Susan was ready for a break. Her arms and back ached, she had a kink in her neck from looking up she was certain would never go away, and not only did she have paint all over her, Gusto had snuck into Northern Lights and knocked over a tray of paint on top of himself. Frightened by the noise, he had bolted and had tracked paint along the hallway and down the stairs before Susan had corralled him. So, by Sunday, Dylan’s baptism was not only a cause for celebration but a welcome respite.

The McCabes were out in force for the service as was most of Karen’s family. With Jake and Karen’s sister Kelly serving as Godparents, the rest looked on as the priest baptized Dylan who, on cue, let out a wail as water was poured over his head.

Karen’s mother and mother-in-law had overruled her and insisted on handling everything for the luncheon following the baptism. Anna had pushed to host it at her house and Karen’s mother had agreed, so the group prepared to move from the church to the McCabe’s house.

“’I told Mom I’d have Rose and Kate ride with us so she can get going faster and get home before everyone else arrives,” Riley told Susan as they made their way out of the church. “They don’t always move too quickly.”

“Sure. I’d still like a chance to ask them a few more questions to see if they remember any history surrounding the house or the family that lived there.”

“They’d be the ones to ask. They’ve lived here longer than just about anyone else in town.”

The two made their way through the crowd and found the women chatting with the priest who, after greeting Riley and Susan, moved on to visit with a couple Riley didn’t recognize.

“I’ll pull the car up and meet you outside,” Riley told his great aunts.

Kate started to agree, but Rose interrupted as her face went ashen. “You know, Riley, I’m really not feeling very well. I think I’d like to just go home.”

“Are you sure? You could come over for a while, I’ll take you home whenever you’re ready.”

“No, no, I think I’ll just go home now. I’m tired and this bug I’ve been fighting all winter just keeps hanging on.”

Kate looked disappointed but agreed with her sister. “It’s probably for the best, a big crowd like that will tire her out. I’ll head back with her and we’ll have some lunch together.”

Riley was concerned. Normally a big crowd did just the opposite for his aunt…she fed off the chaos and the more people, the more stories she could tell. He had hardly seen her since Thanksgiving with her bowing out of the Christmas Day celebration at the last minute, and now that he looked more closely he could, for the first time, see her age catching up with her.

“Okay, if that’s what you want I’ll get the car and take you home.”

Rose seemed upset and started scanning the crowd. “Frank’s right over there, I’ll ask him if he can take us home. I need to talk to him about something anyway.”

Rose walked away without so much as a goodbye and Kate, after giving Riley and Susan an apologetic shrug, followed.

“That was weird,” Riley said. “I’m worried about Aunt Rose, I’ve never seen her like this before.”

“Maybe she just doesn’t feel well. It’s been a long winter, spring will make everyone feel better.”

“Maybe, but I think I’ll talk to my mom, she always knows what’s up with those two.”

He did just that.

“I don’t know, Riley, she seemed better the other day when I stopped by and took the two of them grocery shopping. She couldn’t talk fast enough when she started telling me about the new woman who moved into the building and who likes to play her Elvis records well into the night. It’s been a winter of ups and downs for her.”

“She just seemed…old, I guess.”

“Well, she is old and maybe that’s all it is, but she’s scheduled for a check-up next week. I’ll mention to the doctor what’s been going on and see what he has to say.”

Riley nodded then noticed the grin blooming on his mother’s face. Turning to see what had her so pleased, he spotted Susan holding Dylan and fussing over him.

“She sure looks like a natural holding a baby,” Anna sighed.

“Oh, no you don’t. Jake’s up before me…way before me.” With that, he walked away leaving Anna to grin at his back.

Riley ended up asking Sam to help him choose a ring. He had been back to the jewelry store twice on his own but didn’t trust his judgment on something so important. What did he know about rings? Sure, he could listen to the salesman tell him about cut and carats and so on, but that didn’t help him figure out which one Susan would like best. Following the suggestion of the salesman who had helped him every time he’d been in, he had tried to get an idea of what type of jewelry Susan preferred. Did she tend to wear larger, flashier jewelry or understated, more traditional styles? Since he didn’t know the difference, that hadn’t gotten him far. And since so often when they were together they were working, she didn’t wear much jewelry at all.

Sam had been a willing, even eager, assistant. Riley had sworn her to all forms of secrecy from pinkie swears to cross my hearts. He didn’t doubt Sam’s intent to keep the secret, just hoped that she didn’t let anything slip. Sam insisted the ring they chose together was exactly what Susan would have chosen herself. It was simple with a single princess cut diamond that seemed, to Riley, to sparkle more than the others they had considered. And Sam had even thought to bring along a ring from Susan’s jewelry box—one she swore Susan almost never wore and wouldn’t miss in just one day—so the ring could be sized before Riley proposed. A woman didn’t want to get a ring one day and then have to return it to the jeweler the next to have it sized, Sam had explained. With so much to ponder and consider, Riley found himself, on more than one occasion, helplessly deferring to Sam and thanking his lucky stars she had agreed to help him.

With the ring purchased and plans in place for a weekend away, Riley took to counting down the days like he had when he’d been a kid waiting for Christmas. Frank asked him repeatedly what was up when he was so distracted he forgot the frozen pizza in the oven until the smoke alarm went off, screwed up royally in their monthly poker game costing himself twenty bucks, and even forgot they were supposed to meet at Mick’s Bar to watch a hockey game. Riley tried to brush it all aside saying he was busy making up for lost time after his coaching stint, but he was pretty certain Frank wasn’t buying any of it.

She didn’t want to ask Dez but she was desperate. She knocked on his door and tried to hide her desperation and her fear. When he growled ‘come in’ she took a deep breath, nervously smoothed her hair, and opened the door.

“Well, well, what brings you here, Lis—”

“It’s Jasmine,” she interrupted.

“Sure it is, Jasmine.” When she just stood there staring he barked, “What are you doing here? If you’re going to tell me you can’t work tonight then you can walk out of here and just keep walking. I’ve put up with all I’m going to from you.”

“I can work tonight. I, um, I wondered if you could do something for me,” she stammered and broke out in a nervous sweat. Digging her hand in her purse she wrapped her fingers tightly around the vial and squeezed, drawing strength. Pulling it out of her purse, she held it in front of her. “Could you get my prescription refilled for me? I’m out and I, ah, I really need it.” She couldn’t meet his eyes as he started to laugh at her.

“Your prescription. That’s rich, Jasmine.”

“It is a prescription, see? My name’s on the bottle.” Her hand shook as she held it closer to him.

He snatched it from her and read the label. “Oxy, huh? Should have known. Oh, and would you look at that? It sure doesn’t say Jasmine on the label.”

“I hurt my back real bad. I need it, Dez. Please?” Her voice wavered as she begged.

Dez looked her up and down. “Right, okay, I’ll get it for you but you’re gonna work two nights for free. Take it or leave it.”

She wanted to be mad, wanted to argue, but knew she wouldn’t…couldn’t. She just nodded and looked at the floor.

“Come back in an hour, I’ll have it,” he smirked.

“Thanks, Dez.” She choked the words out as she turned and stumbled towards the door.

Once she was in the hallway, she forced herself to breathe deeply and tried to slow her racing heart. She checked the time on the cheap cell phone Dez had given her, ordering her to have it with her at all times. She’d be back in an hour. Exactly.

She’d turned off the phone Jenny had given her and had hidden it under the lining of her suitcase before coming to Omaha, figuring she could probably be tracked if she used it. She was sure Jenny had been texting and calling and was most likely plenty worried. Maybe she should try to find a computer and send a quick email. It would buy her some time, she figured, before Jenny did something. She wished she’d just leave her alone. She was never going to live up to Jenny’s expectations—to her family’s expectations—she’d stopped trying long ago.

When she got back to the apartment she made the boy a sandwich and sat him in front of the TV while she snuck away and counted the money she had managed to save. It wasn’t much, but she was getting closer. She’d tried to figure how much she’d need before she could leave and move on to what she hoped would be the answer to her problems. What would have to be the answer because she was out of chances. A few months ago the idea had terrified her but she had managed to convince herself she could pull it off. She needed to do something. She couldn’t go on like she was.  She’d be in Dez’s debt forever, or until he decided he was done with her.

She calculated and decided a month, at the most, and she’d be out of there. The weather would be warm enough that they could sleep in the car to save money. Once she got there she’d figure something out. It would be early in the season, maybe she’d be able to work out a deal for a cheap room. Some money was better than no money, surely someone running a business would realize that. It will all work out, she told herself again.

She checked the clock and paced for a few minutes until it was time to head back to Dez’s.

“Can I please go with you, Mommy?” the boy pleaded.

“I said no. Can’t you ever just listen to me?”

He seemed to shrink as he dropped his gaze to his hands folded tightly in his lap. She turned away and pretended not to notice. 

“Dina’s here. Don’t give her any trouble, you hear? I’ll be right back.”

She slammed the door and rushed down the stairs hoping Dez had followed through on his promise. She was sweating, her hands shaking, and her heart racing as she walked as quickly as she could to Dez’s apartment. She knew he would make her beg again before he handed it over and she knew she’d do it. She hated him…but she hated herself more.

21

Susan fired up her computer and found three new emails in her inbox. She read the first, an inquiry regarding a family reunion. The group was interested in reserving all the rooms as well as the event center for a weekend in December and wanted to confirm the policy regarding children. Susan’s fingers tingled with excitement as she typed a response and included links to caterers and restaurants in town. She highlighted some of the inn’s selling points as they related to a large group and included a couple of her favorite pictures of the inn after last winter’s big snow storm. She had given the subject of children a lot of thought and had decided if a group booked all the rooms, children would be welcome. She wouldn’t be providing cribs or cots, but kids could bunk with their parents in sleeping bags. She figured if she wanted to attract groups for family reunions or weddings, kids were part of the package. Besides, she loved kids and as long as everyone in the group knew to expect them, she didn’t foresee any problems. This was the third serious inquiry she had gotten and each one was thrilling. She already had two reservations penciled in and was crossing her fingers the Tanner family would like what they heard and would book their reunion.

The second email she opened was a good luck message. A bed and breakfast owner in Wisconsin had come across her website and had taken the time to send her best wishes along with a few words of wisdom. Susan was touched and immediately sent a sincere thank you hoping to keep the dialogue open between them.

Cheered by thoughts of the goodness of strangers, Susan opened the third email only to have those thoughts dashed. A cryptic, threatening message greeted her. ‘Stay away from what’s not yours.’ She had no idea what it meant. Someone upset about the changes she was making to the property? That was really all she could come up with. The message she had received a few months ago and had promptly forgotten jumped back into her thoughts. What had that one said, exactly? ‘You will pay,’ that was it. It hadn’t made any sense at the time and didn’t make any more now, but that made two strange emails.

Susan noted the Gmail account used to send the email and considered replying, but quickly decided that probably wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t want to encourage communication with someone out to harass her. She had deleted the other email and didn’t remember if it had come from the same address. She didn’t even remember if she’d paid any attention at the time.

Somewhat stumped, she stared at the email for a few minutes before deciding to simply close it and wait and see if anything more happened. She wouldn’t delete this one, though, in case more followed.

Moving on to happier things, she began adding details to her website, unveiling the name for another of the rooms with promises of more to come soon, and uploading pictures of the progress. She had decided on two more room names in the past week.

Lakeview named itself while she was painting and was continually distracted by the view from the room’s window. The second floor room had, without a doubt, the best view of the lake. Even in the winter while still snow-covered, it drew Susan. She decided she’d decorate with a nautical theme and include Frank’s photographs of the lake taken during all four seasons.

Sam ended up naming The Igloo, the second attic room, when she stopped by one day and, shivering while she chatted and watched Susan apply the white base coat, commented that she felt like she was in an igloo. Susan had immediately latched onto the name and the two had brainstormed ideas for decorating that included crisp, white linens, white and blue décor, and a Jacuzzi for two. Susan planned to promote the room as the perfect place to snuggle into in the winter or the ideal place to escape the heat in the summer.

That left her with one room yet to name, but she knew it would come in due time. She wrapped up her work on the website pleased with the way it was coming together…pleased with the way everything was coming together.

Susan’s phone rang that evening and glancing at the display had her giddy with excitement.

“Hey, Cassie, how’s it going?”

“How’s it going? I’ll tell you how it’s going. Absolutely, craptastically horrible, that’s how it’s going.”

Susan ached for her friend so had to tamp down her joy. Stephen must have done something especially stupid to finally convince Cassie it was time to leave and since she was calling, Susan was praying that meant she was headed to Misty Lake to get a look at the inn.

“What did he do?”

“He fired Jamie, that’s what he did, the idiot.”

“No. Even he’s not that dumb.”

“Oh, he is. Fired him yesterday in the middle of the dinner rush. He stormed into the kitchen, started pitching a fit about portion sizes, and fired him. Just like that.”

“But Jamie’s the best chef the Billingsley has ever had, he’s got to know that.”

“He doesn’t think things through. When Billingsley Senior found out, he stomped into Stephen’s office and slammed the door. Didn’t matter, I could still hear the yelling. He demanded Stephen get Jamie back. Stephen tried, but Jamie told him to take a hike.”

“Good for Jamie. He’s not going to have any trouble finding another position, he’s one of the best chefs in the city.”

“Susan, I don’t know how much more I can take. He’s running this place into the ground and I don’t want to be around to see it happen. So…I’m thinking about paying you a visit next week.”

“Oh, Cassie, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that. Things are moving so quickly here, I’ve already booked a few reservations and I’m still months away from opening. I can’t wait for you to see the place, you’re going to love it. But no pressure or anything…”

“Sure,” Cassie laughed. Then, growing more serious said, “I need to make a change. I almost gave my notice yesterday when he fired Jamie, but I need to have something lined up first. It’s just depressing going into work, everyone is unhappy and on edge and the place is going downhill fast. I think Senior is starting to realize it and I get the feeling he’s going to try to do something about it, but I’m afraid it’s going to be hard to repair the damage that’s already been done.”

“You know, for as much as I couldn’t stand Stephen, I feel sorry for Senior. He put his heart and soul into that place and it must be killing him to see his son run it into the ground. Too bad he doesn’t have another son with a little more sense.”

“He’s been mentioning a niece to me lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if he brings her in before long.”

“A woman? Priceless. That will really send Stephen over the edge.”

“So, are you available to give me the grand tour next week?”

“Sweetie, you just tell me when.”

Susan had been working tirelessly trying to get the inn looking its best before Cassie arrived. Foolish, she told herself, as it was obviously still under construction and she couldn’t possibly clear out all the mess, but she couldn’t help herself. She was sweeping and straightening inside and doing what she could to clean up the yard outside. April had arrived and while there were still some piles of snow, grass was showing through in most of the yard. She picked up sticks and cleaned up after Gusto. As she stepped around the rotted boards on the porch, she wished Riley had gotten to it last fall as it definitely didn’t make a very good first impression, but she knew the majority of the outside work would be tackled over the spring and summer.

Riley and his crew would also be shifting a lot of their focus to the barn soon. As with the outside work, most of the barn renovations were waiting until the weather warmed and there was more daylight to work with. Riley had made arrangements with Jeremiah to continue on a consulting basis and he assured Susan—every time she asked—that it would be ready for the wedding with plenty of time to spare. Susan would never admit it to Sam, but she was starting to worry.

As she finished sweeping out the last bedroom, Gusto wandered in and nudged her hand until she finally sat down on the floor with him.

“I’m sorry, boy, you’ve been neglected these past few days, haven’t you?”

In response, the dog climbed into her lap as he had done when he’d been just a puppy. The fact that he now weighed nearly sixty pounds and he couldn’t get much more than his head and shoulders in her lap didn’t deter him in the least. They sat for a few minutes enjoying the sun shining through the window and warming them.

“I think I’ll just rest for a minute before I get back at it,” Susan mumbled as she leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.

They were driving along a curvy, country road in a fire red convertible, the top down and her hair billowing in the wind. Riley reached over and took her hand. Lifting it to his lips, he pressed a kiss in her palm. They drove on and the road started to climb as they made their way up a mountain, past cows and wildflowers. Somehow Susan knew they were in Switzerland. She asked Riley how he had known to bring her there, but he just squeezed her hand and watched the road.

They stopped in front of a darling chalet complete with a balcony wrapping around the front and sides and with flower boxes beneath every window spilling over with brilliant red and yellow flowers. The grass was bright green and was dotted with cows as far as she could see. Susan could hear the lazy clanging of their bells as they meandered through the fields.

She wanted to go inside, but Riley took her hand and led her along a path made by countless hikers before them. She asked him where they were headed, but he just smiled. Susan longed to stop and look around, it had been so long since she’d seen the mountains, but Riley coaxed her on. Again she asked where they were going and why they had to hurry, but with a gentle tug on her hand, he urged her to keep moving.

The climb got steeper and Susan’s legs began to burn. She looked at Riley and his eyes seemed to tell her to hold on, they were almost there. After a few more minutes, Riley stopped. Susan looked around her and felt as if she were on top of the world. She could see mountaintops and valleys. Tiny villages punctuated the landscape…clusters of houses and farms with nothing but green separating them. She spotted a waterfall and followed it with her eyes to a stream that flowed down the side of the mountain.

She could hardly tear her eyes away but needed to ask Riley why they were there. She was supposed to be meeting Cassie and she needed to get back. When she turned to look at him he was down on one knee holding a ring resting in a black, velvet box and he was asking her to marry him. Of course, she’d marry him, it was all she really wanted. She tried to tell him, but the cowbells were clanging loudly now and he couldn’t hear her. Frustrated, she tried shouting but her words were drowned out by the bells that were getting louder and louder. The sound seemed to envelope her. She repeated herself over and over but he didn’t hear her. Riley’s eyes grew sad and he started to turn away from her.

Susan jerked and her eyes flew open. Gusto was on his feet licking her cheek and her phone was ringing. She took a deep breath and tried to gather her wits.

“Hello?” she managed.

“Hi, Susan. I’m almost to Misty Lake. Where should I meet you?”

Susan rubbed her eyes and tried to focus. Switzerland? Weird. But, she and Sam had just been looking at old photos. A red convertible? Maybe Riley had one hidden away somewhere. Eventually, she got her brain working and made plans with Cassie.

Struggling to her feet, she tried to shake off the feelings that she couldn’t even really define. Part of her was deliriously happy with the idea of Riley asking her to marry him, but the fact that something got in the way of her answering him nagged at her. She couldn’t get the sight of him turning away from her out of her mind.

Taking another deep breath, she ordered herself to shake it off. It was just a dream, it didn’t mean anything.

Then she realized it did mean one thing…she had a name for the last room. Sweet Dreams. Because, she told herself, that’s what it had been. If the dream had lasted just a little longer, she would have gotten through to Riley, he would have slipped the ring on her finger, and they would have planned their happily ever after. Satisfied, she headed out to meet Cassie.

“Now, keep in mind there’s a lot of work yet to do and the place is a mess. The porch is in pretty rough shape, but it will be fixed up as soon as the weather gets a little warmer. I have sketches inside, I can show you what it will look like when it’s done. And you’ll have to imagine what it will look like inside once the tiling and woodwork is all done. It’s going to be beautiful.”

The words spilled out and Susan seemed unable to stop them. She was so certain Cassie was the perfect person for the job, her nerves and her desire to have Cassie love the place as much as she did had her babbling.  She didn’t slow down as she stepped carefully over the rotted boards on the porch and opened the front door.

“This is the parlor, one of my favorite spots. The fireplace is original and during restoration Riley uncovered this brick wall hidden behind the plaster. Isn’t it gorgeous? I’m thinking I’ll—”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Susan, take a breath!”

Susan did just that and as she blew the hair out of her face said, “I just want you to love it, Cassie, but I’m going to shut up now and let you look around. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, but you need to make your own judgments. I don’t want to pressure you. Really,” she added when Cassie gave her a skeptical look.