“Actually, we do.” He pulled a file folder from the briefcase he’d brought with him. He had a feeling he’d need to do some convincing this evening. “He’s submitted a bid.”
Harper accepted the file from him and read through the papers. “This seems…reasonable.” She sounded both surprised and reluctant.
“He’s also taken the liberty of coming up with some new designs for the exteriors of the cottages. He’s proposing to make each cottage slightly different-looking on the outside, but using the same cladding and colors to give a cohesive appearance.” He handed her Cam’s preliminary sketches.
“This is beautiful.”
Ethan blew out a breath, relieved. “I told you Cam was the best man for the job.”
She handed him back the drawings. “If you and Mr. Hainstock were so convinced his brother was the best person for the job, why couldn’t we put the job up for tender and let him bid? If he was so good, he would have won fair and square.”
“Mr. Hainstock wanted to make sure he got the job.”
“I don’t like being told what to do.”
Ethan cringed, his stomach clenching. The lies kept multiplying. He was actively deceiving her at every turn, digging himself deeper and deeper into a pit of falsehoods and fabrications. And, as the pit got bigger, he was having a hard time figuring out how to find his way out. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but this was important to Mr. Hainstock. It was his one demand in the whole project.”
“It would have been nice to know that upfront. You didn’t need to spring it on me at the last minute.”
“You’re right. We should have talked to you about this earlier.”
She huffed out a breath. “So, when do I get to meet this Cam person?”
“Very soon. The demolition of the old cottages should start in a couple of weeks. He’s got a crew ready to go.”
“Is he going to need some place to stay while he’s here? Are we going to have to bring in a trailer or something?”
“No need. He lives in Minnewasta.”
“In Minnewasta? I thought I knew everyone, and I’ve never heard of Cam Hainstock.”
Damn. Maybe he should have lied about where Cam lived. What was one more lie when he’d told so many? “He recently moved here. It’s, um, a more central location for his business.”
She looked up from the pictures she was scrolling through again. “Really? I would have thought most of the action would be around Minneapolis.”
“He does mostly rural and small contracting jobs. He also has a side business building furniture from reclaimed wood.” Though the room wasn’t overly hot, sweat ran down his back.
“A man of many talents, this Mr. Cam Hainstock.”
“Yes, he is.”
For the rest of the evening, Ethan steered the conversation away from Cam. He knew she wasn’t happy about being forced to accept his brother without any other bids, but it couldn’t be helped. Cam needed this work so he could be close to Tessa. If Harper knew the circumstances, he was sure she’d agree.
But she didn’t know the circumstances. That was the whole point.
Perhaps she might have forgiven him for withholding the truth, but now he’d outright lied to her. There was no going back.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Harper pulled into Abby’s driveway and killed the engine of her truck. Gathering her mother’s photo album and the container of cookies she’d made, she hopped out of the cab and made her way to the front door. This time she’d phoned ahead and Abby was expecting her.
She knocked on the door and a moment later Abby opened it with a warm smile. “Come in, come in. It’s good to see you, sweetheart.”
“It’s nice to see you, too.”
Abby seemed more energetic than she’d been the last time, but she still had dark circles under her eyes that weren’t entirely camouflaged by a skillful application of makeup. There was something very delicate about her that Harper didn’t remember from years before.
After Harper tossed her coat and the photo album on the sofa, Abby led her into the kitchen and put on the kettle.
“I hope you like tea. I made you drink some the last time you were here, but it occurred to me later that I never asked you if you even like the stuff.”
“You’re in luck. I love tea.”
Abby patted her hand and chuckled. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“I brought some cookies. Chocolate chip.”
“Did you make them?”
Harper laughed. “I did, but don’t let that put you off. I’m not as good a cook as Maggie, but I make a decent chocolate chip cookie, if I say so myself.”
“I’m sure Reese will love them.”
“I hope you’ll love them, too. I made them for you.”
“I’ll try one later. I just had lunch and I’m not very hungry right now.” She gave Harper an apologetic smile. “Since my surgery my appetite isn’t what it used to be.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” That would probably explain why she was thinner than she remembered. “How are you feeling?”
“Better every day.” Abby set teacups and spoons on the table. “Do you know what I’ve been thinking about since the last time I saw you? Chocolate brownies.”
“Oh, really? You should have told me. I would have made you some. What made you think of brownies?”
“Maggie used to bring me brownies. I guess talking about your sisters made me think about that.” She poured hot water into the teapot to steep. “Has she mentioned anything about coming to Minnewasta since we last spoke?”
That was the second time Abby had asked if Maggie was coming home, and she wondered at the reason. “I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I haven’t talked to Maggie since I last visited you. I’ve been crazy busy with the renovations.”
“Don’t let yourself get so busy you lose touch with your sisters.”
“I won’t. I’ll make sure to call Maggie tonight. Maybe I’ll even get her to give me her brownie recipe.”
“That would be awesome. Tell her I said hi, would you?”
“Of course.” Abby was so anxious to see Maggie. Perhaps she missed her. They had been close at one time, after all.
Still, if she missed Maggie, why hadn’t she contacted her in the last ten years? She was sure Maggie would have told her if she had.
Harper picked up her delicate china cup and sipped at the hot tea, struggling to come up with another topic of conversation. “How is Luke? I haven’t heard any news about him for a long time. Is he still in California?”
Abby smiled proudly. “He is. He’s doing great. He’s the hotel manager of a resort in the Napa Valley. He’s become something of an expert in California wines.”
“He sounds like the kind of guy we’re going to need at the lodge when we reopen.” She told Abby how Ethan wanted someone with more experience than she had to manage the new lodge.
“I think he’s wrong. I’m sure you could do the job. You’ve always been so strong and determined, ready to take on anything.”
Abby’s faith in her was gratifying. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but much as I hate to admit it, I think Ethan is right. Managing the resort is too important a job to leave to an amateur.”
“It would be my fondest fantasy to have Luke come home,” she said with a sigh. “But I don’t think that will ever happen. He made it pretty clear when he left that he was never coming back.”
He sounded like Scarlet and Maggie, so determined to stay away. But a small rural area like Minnewasta, as beautiful as it was in her eyes, was no match for the stunning vistas and opportunities to be found in the Napa Valley.
“Oh! I almost forgot. When I was cleaning out the lodge, I found my mother’s photo albums. I was hoping you could help me identify some people.”
“Sure. Let’s take a look.”
Harper jumped to her feet and retrieved the album from the sofa in the living room. Pulling up a chair to sit next to Abby, she set the album on the table in front o
f her.
“I was hoping you could tell me who some of these people are. Reese identified several for me, but there are still some question marks.”
“You showed this to Reese?” She sounded surprised.
“He was there when I found it.” She pointed to the pictures of Abby and Willy. “You guys look so young.”
“That’s because we were young,” she said with a laugh. “We couldn’t be more than fifteen or sixteen in these pictures.” Abby ran her index finger over Willy’s picture. “Poor Willy. He was such a sweet guy. It’s a shame what the alcohol has done to him.”
“I know. It’s kind of scary, too.” Harper told her about how Ethan had ended up bathing Willy and his promise not drive drunk again.
“Is that a promise you think he’ll keep?” Abby asked.
“I hope so, for his sake. And for everyone else on the road.”
Abby turned another page of the photo album. “You know, Willy had the biggest crush on your mother back in high school.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
“I don’t think he ever told her. I only found out because I snooped through his desk and found some poetry he’d written for her. He swore me to secrecy.” She gave Harper a wry smile. “Oops. Seems I broke my promise. You’re the only person I’ve ever told.”
“He never told my mother he cared about her?”
“I don’t think so. Miranda cared for him, too, but she thought of him more as a friend.”
“Do you think that’s why he never married? Because he was holding a torch for my mother?”
“I think Willy’s marital status has more to do with his drinking than holding any torches.”
Abby was probably right. What woman would knowingly marry an alcoholic? Even if someone had been willing, by the time he was in his twenties or thirties, there probably hadn’t been a lot of eligible, unmarried woman in the community to choose from. Just like there weren’t many eligible men now.
Abby flipped the page to the picture of the young man in the ball cap. Harper pointed at it. “Do you know who this is?”
“You said Reese saw this photo album?”
“Yeah. Why do you ask?”
Abby’s lips quirked in amusement. “Because apparently he couldn’t identify himself. This is Reese. He’d be about eighteen or nineteen here, I’d guess.”
Harper squinted at the picture. “He said he worked at the lodge the summer after he graduated high school.”
“Yeah, he did.”
She still found it unusual that her grandfather had never mentioned it. But then it had been years before she’d been born. Ancient history.
Abby identified several other people in the photo album that Reese hadn’t known. She told Harper stories about her and her mother and some of the crazy things they’d done as teenagers. The Dynamic Duo they’d been called. Harper wished she’d talked to Abby years ago. Her stories helped to bring Miranda to life.
They laughed and talked for over an hour, until Harper noticed Abby was looking tired. “I should go and let you get some rest. Are you sure there isn’t something I can do for you? Some housework, or maybe some gardening when the weather gets warmer?”
“No, we’ve got it covered, but thanks for asking.” She cupped Harper’s face. “Miranda would be so proud of her girls.”
“I wish she was here.”
“I know you do, sweetheart. So do I.”
The lump in Harper’s throat prevented her from responding with more than a nod. She didn’t often let herself go down the ‘what if’ road, but talking about the past with Abby had brought back those old childhood longings she’d neatly packed away years ago. How different her life, and the lives of her sisters, would have been if their parents had lived.
If they’d lived, it was possible she wouldn’t be here now, renovating her grandfather’s old fishing lodge. She wondered if the lodge would mean as much to her if she’d grown up in Minneapolis with her parents. Maybe she and her sisters would have been closer if she hadn’t had to take on a parental role. If her parents had lived…
She gave Abby’s hand a squeeze and got to her feet. “I should go. It’s been fun playing hooky with you, but I’ve got a client I need to meet with this afternoon.”
“It was wonderful seeing you again, Harper. I hope you come again.”
“I will. Maybe next time I’ll even have some brownies with me.”
“Maggie’s brownies. That would be wonderful.”
“I’ll make sure to tell her you asked about her.”
“Thanks. Take care, Harper.”
As she climbed into her truck and headed to her client’s business, an overwhelming desire to talk to both of her sisters assailed her. She desperately wanted a new relationship with them, one in which they were simply sisters and friends.
When Harper got back to her cottage, the first thing she did was phone Maggie. Even though she was likely at the restaurant, Harper gave it a shot. Nothing ventured, and all that.
She was surprised when Maggie picked up on the second ring. “Harper. What’s up?”
Her voice was crisp, even a little impatient sounding, as if she’d been taken away from something important. Or maybe seeing Harper’s name on her cell phone set her off.
“Nothing really. I wanted to hear your voice, that’s all. I’m sorry if I’m catching you at a bad time.”
“No, not at all.” Maggie’s voice softened, relaxed. “I’m just hanging around my apartment.”
“I was afraid I was going to catch you at work.”
“Not today.” The same crisp edge crept into her voice. “Is something going on? You usually only call me if there’s some kind of problem.”
“Really?” She hadn’t realized she’d done that. “Well, today all I want to do is talk. I miss you.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a couple of heartbeats. Then Harper heard her sister’s whispered reply. “I miss you, too.”
Harper swallowed the lump in her throat and launched into a play by play of the renovations and the new construction on the lodge that had taken place so far.
“Did I tell you that Reese Hanson is our general contractor, and that he and Abby have moved back to Minnewasta?”
“No, you didn’t. Have you talked to her?”
“Yes, I was at her house this afternoon. She asked about you and said she wanted to see you. She remembered the chocolate brownies you used to make for her.”
“The chocolate brownies? Oh!”
Maggie was silent for a moment. All Harper could hear was her erratic breathing, as if she was trying to hold back a sob. “Honey, are you all right?”
“Yeah, yeah, I am. I haven’t thought about those brownies in a long time. When I was upset with you or Grampa, I used to bake. Many times I brought something to Abby and she’d listen patiently to all my complaints and my heartaches. Then, she’d gently tell me I should go home and talk to you.”
“But you never did. Why not?”
“Because you were so bossy!”
Harper winced at her sister’s rebuke. “Yeah, I guess I was. I was the oldest, so I thought I had to look out for you and Scarlet. I thought I had to be the parent, especially after Grandma died. You were so upset after she died, and I was afraid…”
“What were you afraid of?”
“Of losing you, too.”
It was the first time she’d admitted her fears to Maggie, to anyone. Maggie turned fifteen a few months after Grandma Dorothy died and for some time after their grandmother’s sudden death, she seemed to lose control. Harper had been afraid that in her grief she’d turn to drugs, or sex, or something else that would ruin her life. Her biggest fear was that she’d run away and be lost to them forever. So she’d kept a close eye on her, monitored all her activities, and strictly controlled whom she could see and when she could go out. Maggie had hated her for it, but at least she’d been safe.
“I’m sorry I was such a brat, Harper. It was a ba
d time. I had a lot of trouble coping.”
“I wish you would have talked to me back then, told me what you were feeling.”
“I didn’t think you’d understand.” Maggie’s voice was barely a whisper.
“Oh, honey!” Harper pushed back her own tears. “I’m sorry you felt that way. I’m sorry I was such a hard ass with you.”
“I know I wasn’t fair to you. You were in an awful position. Abby tried to tell me that, over and over, but I wouldn’t listen. If it wasn’t for you and Abby, I might have done something stupid. I’m sorry, Harper.”
She swiped at her eyes. “It’s in the past. Can we go forward now? All I want is to be your sister and your friend. I want you to know that you can come to me with any problems, and I’ll listen and not judge. At least, I’ll try not to judge.”
Maggie gave a hiccupping laugh. “I’d like to see that. It would be a first.”
Harper gave a half-laugh, but her sister’s words made her think. Had she judged Maggie all these years? She hadn’t meant to question her choices, especially as an adult, but she’d always worried about her. Much more than Scarlet, and she worried plenty about Scarlet. Perhaps if she started treating Maggie like an adult instead of a recalcitrant teenager, she’d start behaving like one. “Be gentle with me. I’m new to this non-judgemental stuff, so I might backslide from time to time. You’ll have to cut me some slack.”
Maggie chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
They said nothing for a few moments, but Harper welcomed the silence. A window had been opened in their relationship. They hadn’t yet said everything that needed to be said, but it was a start.
“When I was cleaning out the lodge, I found a photo album that belonged to Mom. Grandma had them boxed up and hidden in the back of her closet.”
“What was in the album?”
“Mostly school photos of her friends and some lovely pictures of Mom I’d never seen before. There were pictures of Willy and Abby, and even Reese. Abby told me the names of the people I couldn’t identify.”
“I wonder why Grandma hid them away from us. It doesn’t sound like there were any racy pictures in the album.”
Lies and Solace Page 17
