Homecoming Reunion

by Carolyne Aarsen

  She wanted to say yes, but in her heart, in spite of her resistance to the idea she knew he was right.

  “No. It’ll be fine,” she said quietly looking away. Then, to her shock and dismay, she felt Garret’s hand touch her arm. It was the merest brush of his fingers on her sleeve but it seemed to scorch her skin through the material of her shirt.

  She jerked her arm back then chastised herself for her foolish overreaction. And when she saw Garret’s eyes harden as he pulled his hand back, she felt even more foolish.

  “I wanted to say sorry for my comment about your mother not running the inn anymore,” he said, pulling his hand away. “It was insensitive. I guess I was trying to say that things are different now and I’d like to move on.”

  Larissa sensed an underlying meaning to his words but as she held his gaze, she felt the tension between them even more keenly.

  “I’d like that too,” she said, keeping her own comment purposely ambiguous.

  “We’ll be working together for a while,” he added, his hair falling across his forehead as he dropped his head to one side. “May as well try to get along as best as we can. I mean, the past is past, right?”

  She gave another curt nod, and added a casual smile, wishing the action would create a corresponding emotion. She knew he was right, but why did his practical words create a lingering sense of desolation?

  Chapter Five

  “Did you have a chance to look over my suggestions?” Emily asked as she slowly walked around the kitchen.

  Garret glanced down at the piece of paper he held in his hands and nodded. When he first saw the list of Emily’s “suggestions” he had struggled with both the extent and the cost.

  “I know it seems like a lot,” Emily said, as if he had spoken aloud, “But you said you wanted me to think of quality first so I did. I wanted to do this a few years ago, but Larissa said the money wasn’t there.”

  “Her father didn’t think it was,” Garret said, feeling the need to defend Larissa.

  “There are other reasons,” Emily said. Then without bothering to add to her ambiguous statement, she folded her slender arms over her stomach, glancing around the kitchen with the air of a woman who had just come back to find rodents taking up residence in her home. “Anyhow, this place is falling apart.”

  “It’s only been four years since you’ve been here. Surely it hasn’t gotten that bad,” Garret said, turning over the paper. Didn’t matter how many times he looked at it, the final number still made him gulp.

  Keep calm and carry on, he reminded himself. It’s an investment in the right part of the inn that will pay off in increased revenue.

  That is, if his other plans came together the way they hoped. He’d spent the past few days visiting various members of the Chamber of Commerce, stopping in at local businesses and drinking more coffee than was good for him. All this was in an effort to chase down some ideas he had for boosting business at the inn.

  “Shows how much you know about running a kitchen.” Emily walked around the butcher-block counter to the stove and leaned over it, looking up. “This fan is so gunked up with grease that we’ll need a new one. I doubt the filters have been changed. The refrigerator lost a seal and got mildew. The pots and pans needed replacing when I was still here so that’ll need to be done.” She shot him a challenging look. “I won’t cook in a lousy kitchen with substandard equipment.”

  As he faced down a very determined Emily, Garret felt a niggling of sympathy for Larissa’s situation four years ago. He had never seen this side of the cook when he and Larissa were stealing cookies from her cookie jar.

  But he swallowed his trepidation, ignoring the dollar signs plunging into a black hole in his mind. “I’d like to go ahead, but we need to finalize everything with Larissa.”

  Emily’s eyes narrowed and she planted her hands on her narrow hips. “That girl has always done what her daddy tells her, you know that,” she said, her dubious expression tweaking second thoughts in Garret’s mind. “I don’t want everything changing when daddy comes back.”

  “Her daddy is just a phone call away right now,” Garret reminded Emily. “I’m sure if Larissa wants to defer to him, that’s all it would take.”

  Emily replied with a curt nod. “Okay. Then, let’s go see what she says.”

  Garret stood aside to let Emily lead the way. He still had his second thoughts about what Emily wanted to do, but he was the one who wanted her back. He had to back Emily on what she wanted and hope and pray the chances he took would pay off.

  Garret went ahead of Emily and reached for the door just as she gave him a quick smile. “Always the gentleman, aren’t you?”

  “Not always,” he returned.

  “Yes. You were. I always thought Larissa was lucky to have you,” she said as she walked to the office window overlooking the grounds. “I still don’t think she should have let you go.” Her tone was careful, as if she knew her words moved into places Garret didn’t want to follow.

  He didn’t. He had come here looking ahead, but it seemed that the past kept coming up behind him and tapping him on the shoulder, reminding him of who he once was.

  “It wasn’t just her,” he muttered, thinking of the last-ditch effort he had made when he came to the house and Larissa stood in the doorway, her father behind her. Jack Weir had told Larissa to close the door. To come to him.

  She had made her choice, but looking back, he couldn’t blame her. Not really. He couldn’t have begun to give her what she was used to.

  “Maybe not, but I know her father certainly had a heavy hand in her life,” Emily continued, her back to him, still looking out the window. “But she was always a good girl. Just let her father tell her what to do too often. Probably what got in the way of you and her getting more serious.”

  They were serious enough, Garret thought, setting the papers on the desk beside the computer. He had proposed to her. Wanted to move away from Hartley Creek with her.

  Garret banished the memories. Time to move on. Move ahead.

  “I should go see what’s keeping Larissa,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

  As he closed the office door behind him he saw Orest Wilson standing at the desk chatting with Larissa. She wore her hair loose today, flowing over her shoulders and down her back. Instead of the skirts he’d seen on her the past few times, she wore a loose blouse, blazer and narrow legged pants.

  She looked like a cute executive.

  Orest laughed at something she said, then gave her a hug. With his arm still over her shoulder they walked to the front door. She said goodbye, waved him off then walked back across the foyer.

  When their eyes made contact, her warm, open smile was replaced with a tight, polite one.

  It shouldn’t bother him, but it did.

  When Larissa came into the office Garret noticed the moment Emily saw Larissa. Her eyes widened and then her hand wandered up to her mouth as if to hold back whatever might come out.

  “Hello, Emily,” Larissa said.

  Emily nodded but before she lowered her hand Garret caught the tremble of her lips. “Hello, Larissa. You’re looking well.” In spite of the tremble, her voice was quiet and reserved.

  “Thank you” was Larissa’s even response.

  Garret knew he had to take charge of the meeting and defuse the tension he sensed was building. He strode to the desk and sat down, glancing from Emily to Larissa who still hovered in the doorway.

  “Emily, can I show Larissa the figures you ran past me as well as the new menu?” he said, reaching for the papers Emily still held.

  Emily pulled her attention back to Garret and shoved the papers across the desk.

  “Emily gave me a rough budget and asked if we could go over the menu,” Garret said, looking at the papers he knew by heart. He waited for Larissa to sit down on the end of the table and then set the papers in front of her.

  Larissa took the first sheet and as she read, the frown on her face deepened as her eyes fli
cked over the columns of figures.

  A heavy silence fell in the office and Garret had to force himself not to fill it.

  Larissa put the paper down. “You’ll need a couple of assistants to do all of this. These dishes will require a lot of prep work.”

  Garret was surprised she could draw that conclusion simply from seeing the recipes Emily had written out. Obviously she knew more about running the kitchen than he had given her credit for.

  “I figured that was part of the deal,” Emily said, a faint note of belligerence entering her voice.

  “It was.” Garret intervened before Larissa could protest.

  She shot him an annoyed look, which he simply held, not allowing her frustration to seep into his decisions.

  “Okay. As long as this doesn’t affect the operating loan to much,” she said. “Because I still need to access that for the day-to-day running of the inn.”

  “We discussed this,” he reminded her and she looked back down at the paper a faint nod of her head was the only response he got.

  “Okay, then,” she said, folding the papers up. “If that’s the direction we’re going in, I should talk to my father about this.”

  Garret caught Emily’s knowing glance and chose to ignore it.

  “I better get back to the kitchen,” Emily said, getting to her feet. As she walked out of the office, Larissa was about to follow when Garret called her back.

  “There’s a couple of other things I need to talk to you about,” he said before she got to the door.

  She stopped, closed the door and leaned back against it.

  “So, what do you need to know,” she asked.

  Now that Emily was gone, the room seemed suddenly close and intimate. The light from the window cast intriguing shadows over her face and enhanced the sheen of her dark hair.

  He cleared his throat, trying to focus on what he wanted to talk to her about. “Couple of things. I’ve been in contact with a friend, Sheila Nixon. She’s worked in the hospitality industry for fifteen years and is looking for a change. I’d like you to consider having her run the front desk to help you out.”

  “That’s an unnecessary extra cost,” she protested.

  “We have an operating loan.” He said that so easily, as if he didn’t wonder, yet again, what he would do when they hit the end of the loan. The operating loan wasn’t endless. And eventually it would have to be repaid.

  But he had been watching Larissa the past few days and she was running herself ragged trying to manage the front desk and supervise the running of the inn. If the plans he was slowly putting into place came together, she would be even busier managing.

  If.

  He dismissed the second thoughts and the niggle of fear at the uncertainty of his plans. All part of the process, he reminded himself. All part of the challenge.

  “Have you talked to my father about hiring her?”

  Garret kept his smile intact, stifling his irritation with her need to run everything past her father. “I don’t need to. Not if you agree. You do hold that authority.”

  She caught one corner of her lip between her teeth as if she wasn’t convinced. He wanted to push her to make a decision, but knew he had to move slowly. Especially since she would need to be working with Emily.

  “I also noticed Orest was here to pick up the financials,” he said, bringing his thoughts back to the matter at hand. “Did you talk to him about the audit? I need to set up an appointment with Albert Grimmon in town and I need to know when it works for him.”

  Larissa frowned. “I talked to my father about the audit and he said we don’t need to do that. He thinks it’s like telling Orest we don’t trust him.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I agree with my father,” she said with a frown as if that was a foregone conclusion.

  ...that girl has always done what her daddy tells her.

  Emily’s words of only a few moments ago resonated in his mind and raised surge of annoyance.

  He knew he had to tread carefully. If Larissa decided she was running to her father with every decision and if her father was sentimentally clinging to the past as Larissa claimed then any change he wanted to make was doomed. He needed Larissa on board and he needed her to be willing to look ahead and make decisions for the inn separate from her father.

  “I told you why we needed that audit done,” he said, trying to stay calm. “It’s not about not trusting Orest, it’s about balance and making sure everything is in order.”

  “It always has been. Orest is the most meticulous bookkeeper we’ve had.”

  “I heard he’s also the only bookkeeper you had,” Garret reminded her. “And it’s a common business practice that has nothing to do trust and everything to do with proper management.”

  Larissa sighed. “I guess I could talk to my father again.”

  “Or you could make the decision on your own,” he said, holding her gaze, fighting his irritation with her. “Larissa, I know you want this inn to succeed. So do I. But I also need to know that you and I can work together. I understand you want to consult your father, but at the same time, I need to know that we are moving ahead with our plans to make this inn successful. There are decisions you have the power and authority to make.”

  She held his gaze a moment, and he could see her uncertainty written all over her features. Then her cell phone rang and she glanced at it and gave Garret an apologetic smile.

  “It’s my dad.”

  And that’s all she needed to say as, once again, she made her choice.

  Chapter Six

  Larissa sat down in the church pew and eased out a sigh. She was so ready to sit and let the worship service ease away the troubles of the week. Their housekeeper, Helen Rochester, was balking at the extra work Larissa needed done and had insisted on getting help like Emily had. Larissa’s father was calling her every day now requiring constant updates. Orest was balking at getting an external audit saying it wouldn’t give them more information than what they had already and it was an unnecessary cost. Something her father agreed with.

  And seeing Garret every day was wearing in a way that both bothered and annoyed her.

  Please, Lord, help me to get through all of this. Help me to stop worrying about the money. Help me not focus on Garret and the past. Help me not worry about my future.

  The gentle murmur of the conversation of people coming into church counterpointed by the quiet instrumental music of the worship group soothed away some of her worries and concerns.

  “Hey, Larissa, haven’t seen you in ages.” Alanna Michaels dropped into the pew beside Larissa and set her oversized purse on the floor. “Guess you been busy with Garret and the inn?”

  Larissa caught her friend’s teasing tone, but let the comment slide. “Lots of changes to deal with.”

  Alanna brushed back a strand of platinum blond hair that had come loose from the intricate braid crossed over her head. “I heard Emily is back cooking at the inn. How is that for you?”

  Of course she would know, Larissa thought. Alanna’s chocolate shop was right around the corner from Mug Shots. Alanna had lunch there every day.

  Larissa pulled her hands over her face, drew in a slow breath, then leaned sideways to whisper in her friend’s ear. “I’m here in church to forget about work. Help me out, girlfriend.”

  Alanna’s cornflower eyes gazed into Larissa’s as if searching for the things her friend didn’t want to discuss. She sighed and nodded. “Okay. You got it.”

  “Good. Now tell me what I missed at the last Chamber of Commerce meeting.”

  Alanna pursed her lips. “You really should start coming yourself.”

  The same thing Garret had said.

  “Just tell me.”

  “Okay. Jack Sorenson did a presentation on using Facebook and Twitter to expand your business. Dan Morrow talked about the budget. The history book came up again and got tabled again. Rene Albertson finally joined. And, well...” Alanna stopped there, pulling
her lower lip between her teeth. “The rest is boring stuff.”

  Larissa frowned. “What aren’t you telling me? What else happened?”

  Alanna scratched her cheek with one long fingernail, still hesitating.

  “Just tell me,” Larissa urged.

  “Okay. Norman Parkhurst wants to add another wing to his hotel. Put in a couple of waterslides, a pool, another hot tub and a climbing wall. All for his guests. Don’t know how he gets the money for that.” The words came out in a rush, as if Alanna wanted to get them out of the way as quickly as possible.

  Larissa felt a clench in her midsection. As if she didn’t have enough trouble filling up the inn. Now she had to compete with waterslides and a climbing wall?

  Alanna patted Larissa’s hand. “You don’t need to worry about Norman’s plans. They might not go through. His lot might not be big enough so there’ll be zoning issues.”

  Larissa knew Norman and also knew he was the brother-in-law of the county councillor and the cousin of the mayor. Lots of connections he could milk to help him ease the building permit through the necessary channels.

  She looked back at the front of the church, reminding herself where she was and why she was here. Reminding herself that her business problems were just part of living on this earth.

  Please help me to let go of my worries, Lord, she prayed. Help me to focus on what I can do and let go of what I can’t.

  “I hear Garret has all kinds of plans for the inn,” Alanna was saying. “Rene from Scrap Happy told me that Garret had talked to her about doing a craft retreat at the inn.”

  Why hadn’t Garret talked to her about this?

  “I think it’s a brilliant idea, especially now that Emily is back,” Alanna continued. “Women on a retreat love their food.” Alanna gave a mournful sigh, which made Larissa smile. For the past year Alanna had been struggling with her weight and finally, after years of being “the chubby one,” had shed a considerable amount of weight. Then, as if to prove to herself and the world she had conquered this particular Everest, she turned around and bought Chocoholics, a chain store that sold chocolate and specialty gift items.