A Case for Forgiveness

by Carol Ross

  “I bet he did. And forget about it. I didn’t expect you to come all the way home for it, buddy. But thanks for the uh...the gift. I’m sure Emily sent you a thank-you and all that.”

  Jonah grinned. “You’re welcome for the...gift, Bering. I’m glad you’re enjoying...it.”

  “Oh, boy, yeah—we are using the heck out that...thing.” Bering looked guilty as he added, “Sorry, Jonah—I don’t even know what...”

  Jonah laughed. “I don’t remember what I got for you either, Bering. My assistant took care of it for me.”

  They both chuckled, and Jonah realized how good it felt to share a joke with a friend. He didn’t have friends like this back in Chicago. Coworkers, colleagues that he admired, but no true got-your-back kinds of friends like Bering.

  “Man, it’s good to lay eyes on you though,” Bering said. “Glad to see city life isn’t making you soft. How long are you in town for?”

  “Not sure yet. A few weeks at least.”

  “That’s great. We’ll have to get together. By the way, have you heard yet that I’m going to be a dad?”

  Jonah felt something wrench hard in his chest. He was happy for his friend of course; it was just being here so close to Shay where he was inundated with these thoughts of their almost-life together that had him feeling a bit envious, he told himself.

  “Congratulations, Bering! That’s amazing.”

  Neither he nor Bering were much for social media, so over the years they’d mostly kept in touch via the occasional email or phone call—usually on Bering’s part. Suddenly, Jonah felt a little guilty about that.

  Bering dipped his head in the direction of his pickup. “Hop in, I’ll buy you breakfast at the Caribou. I’m meeting Tag and Cricket and some of the guys.”

  “That sounds good, but, um...I’m not quite finished with my run.” Not to mention that Shay’s older brother, Tag, would be less than thrilled to discover he was back in town.

  “Ah, I get it. You headed up to see Shay?”

  “I am, but not for the reason you’re probably thinking.”

  “I wasn’t thinking anything.” Bering shrugged, but he appeared to be fighting a grin.

  Jonah stared at his feet for a few seconds. Maybe it would do him some good to talk to Bering. And he definitely wouldn’t mind seeing some of the guys. He looked back up. “You know what? Breakfast sounds great.”

  * * *

  “SO, IF MR. TAKAGI CALLS—or shows up—tell him that yes, he can absolutely check in early. His suite is ready and he could be arriving at any time because he’s flying in on his own plane. And you will personally help Mr. Takagi put the koi in the tank and get him anything he needs, okay? We will also be feeding the fish and monitoring the water temperature et cetera, per Mr. Takagi’s instructions. You’ve read them, right?”

  “Yes, but Shay, they are goldfish. How difficult can this be?”

  “Hannah, they are not mere goldfish.”

  Hannah tipped her head and gave Shay a doubtful look.

  “For your information—these fish are worth thousands of dollars. There is one that could sell for over ten-thousand alone. It has a rare lipstick pattern.”

  Hannah snickered. “Lipstick pattern, huh? I don’t even want to think about how that came to be.”

  “Hannah, this is serious.”

  “I know.” Hannah nodded, her face now a solemn mask. “I do know, so in my ongoing quest to constantly improve my customer service skills, I am going to assure Mr. Takagi that I will win him as many goldfish as he wants at the next carnival to come through Glacier City. You can get six Ping-Pong balls for a five-spot, and as you’re well aware, my accuracy at the fish frenzy is renowned. And, as a special bonus—for Mr. Takagi only—I can arrange for these fish to all have Hannah James’s personalized Ping-Pong pattern.”

  Shay sighed, dipped her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. Then she looked back at her sister and met gold-brown eyes that were a close match to her own, except Hannah’s were now filled with laughter.

  “In spite of your lame attempts at fish humor here, you are going to follow all of these instructions, right?”

  “Of course,” Hannah said. “But remind me again why we’re going to have the giant goldfish trough out back.”

  “We have to keep these fish alive until Mrs. Milner gets her pond and atrium finished. There was a delay in the construction, but Mr. Takagi could only transport the fish now—and he insists on transporting all the rare koi himself. If she didn’t get them now then she would have to wait months for another opportunity, which would add the complication of the winter weather. Mrs. Milner asked if we could keep them here because she doesn’t want them at her house with all the noise and mess of the construction going on.”

  Hannah stared back at her and Shay could tell she was trying not to crack a smile.

  “Go ahead and say it,” Shay said.

  “Okay, I’m thinking about how Bud and Cindy—our goldfish? The ones I won at the school carnival in fourth grade? We had them for nine years in a glass bowl in the middle of the coffee table. Mom and Dad raised six kids in that house. Mittens drank out of the bowl daily and I wasn’t exactly religious about changing the water.” She chuckled. “Remember that time Seth knocked the bowl over and Bud and Cindy were flopping around on the floor? Mittens swatted Bud around a couple times like he was a cat toy and I was sure he was a goner. But I scooped them both up and dropped them in Tag’s glass of water.” She laughed for a few long seconds.

  Shay stared back at her blandly, brows arched—prompting her to get to the point.

  “I’m thinking the goldfish will be fine, Shay.”

  “Hannah, listen to me, if you are going to operate your own place someday—like you tell me you might like to do—then you have to go above and beyond for your guests.” Owning her own hotel had been Hannah’s latest idea in a long list that she’d been compiling during the months of her recovery.

  Shay reminded herself to have patience. Hannah was still trying to deal with having her life’s work—her identity—snatched away from her. It had been just over a year since the accident—and the end of her professional skiing career. Her body had healed for the most part, but Shay knew it would be a while before the rest of her completely caught up.

  “It’s part of—”

  Hannah interrupted. “Shay, I’m kidding. I’m ready for the fish. What is wrong with you, today? You always—well, almost always, think I’m funny.”

  Shay stared at her sister, anxiety fluttering in her stomach. Maybe it would help to talk about it. “Don’t say anything to anyone else, okay? I’m waiting for Jonah to call. Caleb—”

  “Jonah!” Her voice shot up in tone and volume. “Jonah is here? He’s in town? In Rankins?”

  “Yes, to all three of the exact same creatively crafted questions,” Shay answered drily.

  Hannah flashed a knowing smile with an exaggerated nod. “I get it.”

  “Get what?”

  “Why you’re all testy and irritable.”

  “Hannah, no, I’m not. Jonah doesn’t have anything—”

  Hannah held up a finger. “Hold on just a sec.” She grabbed her phone and tapped out a text. Then she looked back at Shay. “Continue.”

  “I’m worried about Caleb. He had an appointment with Doc this morning.”

  “Doc? Well, of course you’re worried about Caleb, too, then. But that’s not what’s going on right now. Because when you’re worried you look like this—” Hannah made a ridiculous tight-lipped face that Shay was almost certain she had never made in her life.

  “And you get quiet—not snippy. I know. It’s Jonah.”

  Shay narrowed her eyes at her little sister.

  Hannah met her look and added a one-shoulder shrug daring Shay to dispute her claim.

  “Really?” Shay said. “You know, huh? Can you tell what I’m thinking now?”

  Hannah winced. “I can actually, and I don’t think it’s very nice to mind-talk to me lik
e that. I would never mind-say something like that to you.”

  Hannah reached down and picked up her phone, which had let out a buzz. She looked at the display and grinned. Her fingers flew over the screen again.

  “You know I hate it when you text and talk to me. And what are you smiling about?” Shay realized then that her voice did have an edge to it—best to work on that, she told herself, before she inadvertently unleashed on a guest.

  “Oh, I’m just excited that I was able to scoop Piper. What do you think is wrong with Caleb? I thought he was getting over that bug. Did he have a relapse or something?”

  Shay looked at her quizzically. “Piper?” Piper Davidson was a friend of Hannah’s and the younger sister of Shay’s friend, Laurel. Laurel owned the Rankins Press, the town’s newspaper. Piper wrote the “Happenings” column in addition to being the biggest gossip in town.

  Hannah seemed pleased with herself. “I texted Piper asking if she knew that Jonah was back in town, and she texted back saying that she hadn’t heard that yet. So, yay—scoop.”

  “And this is news, why?”

  “Come on, Shay. Jonah coming home is kind of a big deal. Small-town boy goes off to the big city, has tons of success and makes piles of money. He’s good-looking, he’s a bachelor, he owns a ’69 Boss 429. I can guarantee you that everyone will be talking about this.”

  “You know what kind of car he drives?” Shay heard Hannah’s phone buzz again, no doubt Piper with a follow-up question. She hoped it didn’t involve her. After all, it’d been ten years since she and Jonah had broken up, Sometimes though it felt as if it was only yesterday. She and Jonah had been friends throughout their childhood, and it had seemed inevitable when they’d started dating during their senior year of high school. They’d gone away together to the University of Alaska and earned their undergraduate degrees. Jonah proposed soon after he’d found out that he’d been accepted to Yale Law. They’d come home to Rankins to enjoy one more carefree summer with plans to elope in the fall before they moved to Connecticut. Life was as perfect for Shay as it had ever been—before or since.

  But then, as that summer was drawing to a close, her world began to unravel.

  Shay’s Grandpa Gus died and left her the inn. Shay had spent much of her childhood working at the inn with her grandfather and while it was her dream to have her own hotel one day she hadn’t expected it to be the Faraway Inn.

  Shay had been touched and honored and hadn’t felt like she had any choice but to stay in Rankins and take over the business. Grandpa Gus had taught her so much, showered so much love and attention on her. She owed it to her grandfather—to her family, to continue the inn’s success.

  Jonah and Shay had been left with two different dreams—two different lives—that couldn’t possibly merge. Hannah asked, “Do you have any idea what’s wrong with Caleb?”

  “No, I...no idea...”

  “I really hope he’s all right, Shay. You know I love him, too.”

  “I do know that, Hannah.” The entire James family adored Caleb.

  “So, how did it go when you saw Jonah? Was there weirdness? Or was it like old times?”

  “Okay, Hannah, you’re my sister and I love you, but can we not talk about this? About Jonah? I’m anxious for Jonah to call, but it’s only because I’m waiting for some news about Caleb—”

  Hannah interrupted, “I can help you there.” Hannah held up her phone so Shay could see the display. “Jonah is at the Cozy Caribou having breakfast right now with Bering and some of the guys. So, I’m guessing that Caleb must be fine or else Jonah wouldn’t be...”

  Every vein in Shay’s body seemed to throb at once. Jonah had said that he would call her after Caleb met with Doc, but he was hanging out at the Cozy Caribou instead? Having breakfast? No doubt chowing down on a pile of biscuits and gravy. How was she supposed to help him if he didn’t keep her informed? Why had she been so foolish as to think that he had changed even one bit in this selfish regard?

  Shay stood up. “I have to go. Can you handle things while I’m gone?”

  Hannah nodded. “Sure. Go kick some lawyer butt. But before you go—that Adele person called again.”

  “Adele?”

  “Yep.” Hannah looked down at the paper in front of her. “She called last night, too—twice. I told you.”

  Shay shook her head, vaguely recalling the conversation. She’d been so distracted after the evening at Caleb’s she didn’t remember the details. “Did you get any details?”

  “I tried, but she said she only wanted to talk to you. She said it was very important.”

  “I don’t know anyone named Adele. Did she say what it was about?”

  “Nope, but I think she’s from Utah. I recognize the area code.”

  Hannah would recognize the area code for Utah—she’d spent a lot of time there in her ski-training days. Probably something to do with a reservation. Shay was continually surprised by how often guests thought only the manager could handle their special requests.

  “Can you put her name and number on my desk? I’ll call her back later. I don’t have time right now.”

  “Will do, but when you get back we need to talk about the staffing issues in the restaurant.”

  “Have you had a chance to look over the applicants for the server positions?”

  Hannah grimaced. “I have, but there’s not a lot to choose from there. Kyla Randle applied, but we know she was fired from the Cozy Caribou for stealing from the till. Randy Baxter applied, but Shay, he hasn’t showered in three years. There are a few other applicants with literally no experience and/or dicey references—Crystal Scower is a known meth dealer from Glacier City and this other guy who just got out of jail because of some brutal animal cruelty charges.”

  “Nope. No way on that last one. I’d rather hire the drug user—but seriously, her name is Crystal and she deals meth?”

  “Yes, and I agree—you know what Agnes used to say—if a person isn’t kind to animals then there can’t be much for kindness in there at all.”

  “That’s the truth. We’re having open interviews on Friday, so maybe someone will show up then.”

  Hannah looked doubtful and Shay felt the same. This was a problem. She was also short at least one more maid and a front desk person. But the restaurant was the most pressing problem. She and Hannah were picking up the slack, but it was becoming increasingly difficult with the tourist season officially upon them.

  Shay had not only expanded and remodeled the dining room; she’d hired a professionally trained chef, Javier, who had overhauled the menu. Shay had been skeptical when Javier had introduced a few of the dishes—like honey-glazed salmon and halibut with mango chutney. She would have lost a lot of money betting that the men in this town would never eat “fish with jam,” as her friend Cricket Blackburn had taken to calling the dish.

  The Faraway Restaurant was now quite a bit more upscale than Rankins’ other two eateries—the Cozy Caribou and the Top Rock Café. This didn’t include the Donut Den, but her sugar-addicted cousin-in-law Emily was the only person she knew who considered a donut a proper dinner.

  Shay hadn’t realized there were quite so many people in Rankins hankering for a fine dining experience. Well, fine dining Rankins-style consisted mainly of changing out of your work clothes before grabbing a bite, but still the restaurant was filling a niche she hadn’t expected.

  “Don’t worry—we will figure this out. I need to go, so let’s recap quickly—what are you going to do with the fish if Mr. Takagi shows up?”

  Hannah looked skyward and slowly tapped a pink-polished fingertip to her pursed lips before pointing it at Shay. “Lightly bread and panfry?”

  “Hannah—”

  “Shay, chill—seriously, you need to lighten up. I’ve got this. You can leave the expensive lipstick-kissed koi in my capable hands.”

  Shay wasn’t so sure about that, but she picked up her bag and headed out of her office. She had more important matters to attend to, b
ecause family trumped everything in her life—even the inn. And she considered Caleb family, so if Jonah thought she hadn’t been thrilled with him last night...well, then he hadn’t seen anything yet.

  CHAPTER THREE

  THE SUN SHONE bright amongst a smattering of high, fluffy clouds and from the Faraway Inn’s ridge-top location Shay could see the entire town of Rankins below. The Cozy Caribou’s distinctive red roof stood out like a beacon in the heart of its quaint downtown. Normally, on a day like this, she’d soak in the sight, be grateful for the sheer beauty of this place she was lucky enough to call home—but not this morning. Because now, instead of the lovely view and the drive down the hill calming her anger, the time only managed to rile her further.

  Breakfast? With his buddies? Shay felt her blood pressure spike anew. Jonah had said he would call her as soon as he learned anything, but he had opted for breakfast instead? Unbelievable...

  Shay marched into the Caribou, her eyes sweeping the place until they latched on to the table where Jonah sat, sure enough, shooting the breeze with a bunch of his old compadres—Bering, Cricket Blackburn, Gary Watte, Steve Howard and—Tag? That was a surprise. Could her big brother finally have let go of his animosity toward Jonah? It seemed unlikely. Like her, he’d probably been blindsided. Unlike her, he was too polite to make a scene.

  As she headed toward the table, she heard a few greetings and comments in her periphery. She offered only quick replies.

  Jonah jumped up from the table as she approached. “Shay, I was going to—”

  The table went silent as she interrupted smoothly, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “I—”

  “In private.”

  All eyes were on her, every mouth shut. Tag asked a question with his eyes and Shay conveyed with a look that yes, she was fine.

  Jonah nodded.

  She pivoted and headed toward the back of the restaurant and into the area that served as a bar in the afternoons and evenings. The section was closed now and darker than usual in the normally bright space, but she could feel that Jonah was close behind her. Maddening how she still felt so much where he was concerned.