The Inn at Rose Harbor (13 page)

“Try their coconut cream pie when you do.”

“I will.”

“Best in town.”

“Good to know.” I was rather fond of coconut cream myself. The handyman took another sip of his coffee. “I’ll have the estimate to you before the end of next week.”

“Perfect.”

“If you decide you want to go ahead with it, I’ll need to know when you’d like it completed so I can get it listed in my book.”

That little black book of his. I hadn’t researched when the best time was to plant rosebushes, but spring sounded like a good time. “March,” I told him. “Maybe April, after the last frost.”

Mark stood, reached for his mug, and carried it over to the sink. “I’ll get those figures to you first chance I get.”

I walked him to the foyer.

“Have to tell you, I’ve tasted a lot of chocolate chip cookies in my day, and yours are some of the finest.”

I blushed with his praise. “Thank you.”

He left then, following the walkway. The parking area was empty, which meant he’d come on foot. Then I remembered that Peggy had told me he lived just a few blocks over. He was an unusual man, that was for sure. If I were to guess his age, I’d say mid-forties. And I couldn’t help but think that there was much more to him than met the eye.

Time would tell.

Abby checked her watch and saw that she was right on time. Her brother had asked her to meet him and his fiancée at a coffee shop—a place that had opened after she moved away. So much had changed over the years. The coffee place was in a strip mall that had been a vacant lot the last time she was in Cedar Cove.

Abby parked in front and she immediately spotted her brother just inside the shop. He looked wonderful; happy and a bit anxious as he paced the area, waiting for her and Victoria to arrive.

When he saw Abby, Roger swung the door open and held his arms out to her. “Abby.” He embraced her, squeezing hard. “You look … fabulous. I’m so pleased you’re here.”

“I am, too.” And she meant it. The time she’d spent with Patty Morris—oops, Jefferies—had gone surprisingly well, and meeting
up with her classmate had encouraged Abby. Maybe, just maybe, she could put the accident behind her for at least this one weekend. The wedding was supposed to be a joyous occasion. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—allow her fears to rule every waking minute. So what if someone mentioned Angela or the accident? If they did, Abby would deal with it like an adult instead of running away or hiding under a rock.

“Victoria will be here any minute,” Roger said. “She said I should order a latte for her.”

“I’m so looking forward to finally meeting this paragon who has managed to steal my brother’s heart.”

“She’s anxious to meet you, too.” The siblings walked inside and out of the cold. The latte line was long. It always surprised Abby to read how popular these places were in the Pacific Northwest. She couldn’t think of a single latte stand in Florida, other than Starbucks, and in Cedar Cove there was one on practically every street corner. Coffee was hot stuff here.

“When did you get in?” Roger asked, joining the line.

“A while ago,” she said vaguely. Roger would feel bad if he knew she’d been in town for nearly twenty-four hours without contacting him.

Her brother reached for his wallet as they approached the counter. “What would you like?” he asked.

Because she so rarely had anything other than plain old black coffee, Abby wasn’t sure what to order. The menu on the wall listed a number of drinks and she found it all a bit confusing. “Just a latte, I guess.” As it was, she’d already had three cups of coffee this morning.

“What about mixing it up a little?” he suggested.

Abby kept her gaze focused on the menu. There were dozens of different flavors to choose from. Dozens. “Just get me what you’re ordering for Victoria,” she said, fearing her hesitation was holding up the line.

“Good idea.”

The barista was ready for their order. “Three hot vanilla chai lattes with a shot of espresso plus a mocha twist with caramel, no whipped topping.”

The woman grabbed three cups and quickly wrote out the order in shorthand on them, and then her fingers flew across the cash register’s keyboard. The total could have bought them lunch.

Roger paid and then they scooted down to where the drinks were being assembled and delivered. The sound of gurgling milk filled the compact room. After they collected their drinks, Roger found them a table by the window.

Abby tasted her vanilla chai tea with espresso and had to admit it was good. The drink probably had as many calories as a full sandwich, which was fine. She hadn’t planned on eating lunch anyway.

“So how does it taste?” Roger asked, watching her expression.

“Not bad,” she admitted.

Her brother had only just sat down when he abruptly stood again. “Victoria’s here.” His eyes brightened as he focused his gaze at the parking lot.

Abby glanced over her shoulder to where her future sister-in-law was climbing out of her car. She’d parked next to Abby’s rental car. Victoria was just as lovely as her picture, perhaps even more so. Her hair was as dark as Roger’s, shoulder-length and tucked behind her ears. She was petite and slim and she wore a soft pink sweater and white slacks under a long gray wool coat that she’d left unbuttoned. Abby took another sip of her drink and then stood to meet the woman who’d snagged her brother.

Roger greeted his fiancée with a gentle kiss on the lips and then, with his arm around her waist, he led her toward the table where Abby waited.

“Victoria, this is my sister, Abby. Abby, my soon-to-be-wife, Victoria.” His eyes were warm with love and pride.

“I’m pleased to meet you,” Victoria said. “Roger has told me so much about you.”

Abby frowned, instantly afraid that Roger had told her about the accident. Naturally he would have. Victoria was to be his wife; she would need to know, if she didn’t already. It seemed to Abby as though her entire life had been rent in two by that fateful night.

Before the accident.

After the accident.

And between that chasm, was a huge pile of “what ifs.” Abby stuffed down the regrets, the guilt, and the pain, refusing to allow the feelings to surface.

It took an awkward moment for her to realize that Roger and Victoria were awaiting her response. “I’m so very pleased to meet you, too,” she finally managed to blurt out.

Roger pulled out a chair for Victoria. “Did you get everything settled with the caterer?”

Victoria expelled a deep sigh and nodded as she settled into the chair and shucked off her coat. “Thank goodness my mother kept the receipt.”

“What happened?” Abby asked.

“Nothing important, just finalizing everything for tomorrow.” Victoria reached for Roger’s hand. “My mother has been working on this wedding for weeks …”

“Months,” Roger interrupted.

“She’s the organized one in the family and it’s a good thing.”

“What about the rehearsal dinner tonight?” Abby asked. With her parents living out of state, it would have been difficult for her own mother to arrange such a large dinner. Nor could Abby remember her mother mentioning it.

“Not to worry, I took care of that.” Roger looked downright proud of himself.

“You?” Abby asked, laughing.

“Hey, it was a breeze. I booked the banquet room at the Lighthouse restaurant and—”

“Just a minute,” Abby said, raising her hand to stop him. “I thought Mom told me that the Lighthouse burned to the ground.”

“It did,” Victoria answered on Roger’s behalf. “But it was rebuilt.”

“And under new ownership, too,” Roger added. “They have a large banquet room that will fit the wedding party plus an assorted group of relatives.”

“I helped choose the menu,” Victoria whispered, “otherwise Roger would have ordered pizza and beer.”

“They have great pizza,” Abby’s brother countered.

“Pizza? You wouldn’t have?” Abby teased. “You’re not serious.”

“I am serious,” Victoria said, smiling.

Abby enjoyed the banter between Roger and his fiancée. The two were so obviously in love, so obviously right for each other.

“Have you been down Harbor Street yet?” Victoria asked after sipping her drink.

“Well, yes … a ways, why?”

“Did you see the Victorian Tea Room?”

“Ah.” Abby didn’t think so. “I don’t know. Is it new?”

“Very. It opened last year. The couple who owned the Lighthouse sold it and built the tearoom instead. It’s become one of the most popular places in town for breakfast and lunch. Be sure and give it a try before you leave … or at least drive by.”

“I will,” Abby promised.

“Where are you staying?” Victoria asked next, her hand gripping her latte.

“Rose Harbor Inn.”

Victoria frowned. “I don’t think I know it.”

“It was originally the Frelingers’ place.”

“Sandy and John’s? They sold?” Victoria sounded surprised. “Well, good for them. I remember Mom saying something about the place being up for sale, but that was months ago. Is it still as lovely as I remember?”

“It’s amazing, and the new owner is very nice.” Thoughtful and considerate, too, but Abby didn’t want to sound like she was gushing, or let on that she’d been there long enough to become acquainted with Jo Marie.

“I can’t tell you how pleased we are that you’re here,” Victoria said, holding Roger’s hand. “It means the world to us.”

“I wouldn’t miss my big brother’s wedding.” Abby would never admit how difficult it’d been to make this simple decision. Her parents had more or less guilted her into attending. Guilt was one emotion she responded to well, although it was sad to admit.

“When do Mom and Dad arrive?” Abby asked next. She already knew but she wanted to change the subject. It would be uncomfortable if Victoria started asking questions she didn’t want to answer. Questions about why it had taken so long for her to commit to serving the wedding cake. Questions about why she hadn’t booked her flight until it was almost too late.

Roger checked his watch. “Their plane landed ten minutes ago.”

“Was it on time?”

Her brother pulled out his cell phone and typed in a few words. After a couple of minutes he glanced up and announced, “Right on the nose.”

“When do you expect them to arrive?”

“By the time they get the rental car and check into the hotel, it’ll be a good two hours. Mom said she’d phone if they were going to be any later than five,” Roger explained.

“Mom suggested we meet up at the church just before the rehearsal,” Abby added.

“They told me that, too.”

Victoria sighed as though she was exhausted. “I better get back. My mother is working herself into a heart attack. I’m meeting her at the florists in”—she glanced at her wrist—“ten minutes.”

“I know everything must be hectic so close to the wedding,” Abby said. “Thank you for taking time out to come meet me.”

“I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks. It’s going to be so nice to have another sister.” She stood and reached for her drink to take it with her.

Roger stood, too, and so did Abby.

The two women briefly hugged, and then Roger walked Victoria to her car. They chatted for a couple of minutes outside before he returned to the coffee shop.

“Oh, Roger, she’s wonderful.”

“I know.” His gaze followed Victoria as she backed the car out of the parking space and turned onto the street.

He relaxed and turned his attention back to Abby. “You okay?” he asked.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” Silently she prayed he wouldn’t bring up the accident. For once, just once, she wanted to pretend it had never happened.

“It’s been a lot of years since you’ve been back.”

Abby sat up at bit straighter. “You’ll never guess who I ran into,” she said, forcing enthusiasm into her voice. She didn’t give Roger time to guess—“Patty Morris,” she said.

Roger frowned and shook his head. “Who?”

“Patty Morris. We went to school together. We were good friends.”

He went still, as if he was afraid of what she’d say next.

“Patty married Pete Jefferies. You might have known him.”

Roger shook his head.

“She and her husband are both pharmacists. They own the pharmacy down on Harbor Street. I forgot to pack toothpaste and so I walked down there and ran into Patty.” She didn’t mention
how disconcerting it had been to see her old friend, but Roger seemed to know just by looking at her.

“That’s good, right?” It was just like her big brother to worry. He knew she’d avoided people for years.

“Everything was wonderful.”

“Good.”

“Patty and Pete have twins. A boy and a girl. They’re six and in first grade.”

Roger seemed distracted but he nodded.

“She invited me to lunch tomorrow afternoon.”

He reverted his attention back to her and frowned slightly. “You okay with that?”

“I’m fine,” she said, making light of it. “Apparently several of my old friends still live in the area. Patty insisted they would skin her alive if she didn’t let them know I was in town. We’re all meeting at the Pancake Palace.”

Roger’s gaze remained dark and steady. “You and your high school friends?”

Abby nodded. “Mom’s invited, too.”

Roger shifted as if suddenly uncomfortable. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea? I mean, I think it’s great you meeting up with your friends and all, but it’s cutting it close to the wedding, don’t you think?”

His concern, Abby realized, was that something might be brought up at lunch that would upset her. “It’ll be fine. Patty seemed so pleased and excited to see me. Apparently I was missed at the reunions … people have asked about me.” Which in retrospect was probably pretty natural considering the circumstances.

Roger nodded and sipped his latte. “I’m glad, Abby. It’s time to settle the past once and for all.”

Her past. That meant the accident. Angela’s death. The guilt she carried.

“I’m glad the wedding brought you back to Cedar Cove and
I’m thinking maybe this lunch with Patty and the others will go a long way toward giving you the peace of mind you need.”

Abby lowered her head and swallowed against the thick knot in her throat. Heart-to-heart talks with her brother were rare and his encouragement meant a great deal to her. “Thanks,” she whispered.