Cruz rapped on the door and came in with a plate of sandwiches. He popped them on my desk and left as quick as he came – I yelled out thanks. While I nibbled, I switched gears and scoured the internet for props for the party, like feather boas and moustaches on sticks that guests could use in the photo booth. Scotty smelled something delicious on offer and scampered in, paws up on my shins, little nose twitching. I snuck him some of the ham from my sandwich, and wondered briefly if we were all sneaking him food. He was irresistible and I now knew the meaning of the term ‘puppy dog eyes’. Once he’d taken his fill and knew I was fresh out of scraps for him he toddled off, probably next door to Amory to repeat the process.
My cell phone buzzed, and I checked the screen before answering. Mom. I smiled, hoping she was calling about all the gold and glitter desserts we’d ordered.
“Mom, how are you?”
“Clio what have you done?” her frosty tone froze me down to my bones. “You promised me you’d leave it alone, and now Isla comes into Puft and tells us all how she’s found a maze, and is going to restore it back into its former glory. You promised me, Clio.”
Damn it. I hadn’t thought to tell Isla to keep it hushed up for now. To be honest, I hadn’t expected her to mention it to anyone, least of all my own mother.
I took a steadying breath, “They don’t know anything about it, Mom. Isla stumbled on it and showed Micah, and they announced it to all of us on Christmas Eve. There was nothing I could do, they found it by pure accident. And I didn’t mention a word about it, I just changed the subject and hoped they’d forget.”
Mom sighed, a world-weary, I-can’t-handle-this-any-more kind of sound. I was at a loss for words and was bone-weary about it all myself. Hiding someone else’s secret was exhausting, especially when I didn’t know what it was exactly.
Mom’s delicate health concerned me, and I worried about what she’d do if she felt cornered, but surely it had to come out. It’s not as though the town folk didn’t know… They did, and they kept their lips pressed tight when questioned over it. And me, her own daughter, wasn’t trusted enough to confide in. It was mind bending.
“Mom, look. I know it’s difficult for you and I’m not trying to push you or anything, but don’t you think it’s time you told me? Cedarwood is getting busier by the day, we’ve got guests booked to stay in the lodge soon. We’ve got parties and weddings planned. I can’t keep it a secret forever, people will stumble over it if they hike, and especially as Isla clears the grounds come spring. Don’t you think it’s better if I know what happened?” She didn’t say anything but her breathing was audibly shallow. With a soothing voice I tried a different tack, “Why don’t you come visit, and we’ll find the maze together?”
“I never want to see it again as long as I live.” Her voice broke but I pushed on. At least she hadn’t hung up on me… not yet anyway. That had to be progress.
“I know you don’t. But avoiding the situation isn’t working, is it? Lots of people have kept your secret, Mom, which says a lot about how people feel about you. It’s time to trust me. I am your daughter, and I do love you unconditionally.”
The line went silent, and eventually she said so softly I could barely hear her, “I haven’t exactly been a mother to you.”
I closed my eyes, wishing so hard that she’d just forgive herself for whatever it was. “I love you, Mom. You’ve done the best job you can. I’m home now and I want to work on our relationship, and that means we have to be honest with each other.”
Once upon a time I couldn’t get out of town quick enough, bereft that my mom didn’t care one iota about me. I’d been ready for a new life and new friends who would eventually become my family. But I was young and naïve and didn’t know that whatever had happened to Mom had shaped her future and made her turn in on herself. Now, I was ready to help her navigate whatever it was, and be there for her, without any recriminations on my part. It was the only way forward. Any grudges I’d held had evaporated a long time ago and all I cared about was that she got better.
The faint sound of crying travelled the length of the line, and my heart just about tore in two. “Think about it, yeah, Mom? We can get through anything, me, you, and Aunt Bessie.”
She cleared her throat, and managed to compose herself enough to say, “I’ll think about it, Clio. Will I see you for Friday night dinner?”
“You sure will, I’m looking forward to it.” The hope in her voice told me to leave it for the time being. That she was happy to have dinner with me was enough. It was a step forward and not something I would ever take for granted.
We hung up, and while it had been an emotional phone call, I felt like we’d finally gotten somewhere. Now I just had to tell Isla to leave the maze be for the time being; as thrilling as it would be to see it restored, we had to bide our time.
While the sun sank behind the mountains, pitching the sky into shades of dense gray, I thought about love and loss, and what shaped our lives. Could my mom find peace? I hoped so. If I didn’t believe she could find peace in truth, I wouldn’t have pushed her so. She had been living as if she was paying a penance, obsessively cleaning, hyper alert, not interacting with people if she could avoid it. I couldn’t predict the future, but I hoped my good intentions wouldn’t backfire.
Before I could get lost worrying, the phone rang again.
“Cedarwood Lodge, Clio speaking.” A mumble of static greeted me.
“Clio! It’s Georges. Sorry, the phone reception is appalling on board.”
From the choppy wind in the background, it sounded as though he was calling from above deck, not below. “Georges, how’s it going? I bet you’re staring into the beautiful blue of the Mediterranean!”
He let out a deep belly chuckle. “Sort of. I’m bracing myself for another storm actually. With the pitching of the vessel, I’m quite nauseous all the time…”
Poor Georges. Even though he had left us in the lurch when he’d left to be an onboard chef for a celebrity’s cruise ship, I’d never be able to be angry at him – and look how well it had turned out! I was surprised though at the tone of his voice, he was quite plaintive which was unusual for him. “You just have to develop your sea legs, Georges. All great adventures have their downsides, I’m sure it’s only temporary,” I reassured him. “Soon, you’ll be screeching you’re the king of the world at the bow, or whatever that pointy front bit is called.”
He laughed, but it was hollow. “Yes, yes, you’re probably right. I just have to get acclimatized. It’s just a matter of becoming one with the sea, the beast that it is.”
“That’s the spirit, Georges!”
“Did you find a new chef? I’m so sorry to have left you in such a bind, Clio. You know I could always come back… if you insisted.”
Oh, Georges! I suddenly understood his phone call. “Well, we were lucky actually, Georges, and we managed to hire Cruz as a part-time chef until he figures out his new direction. I’m hoping though we’ll be busy enough and give him enough creative freedom that he’ll stay on for good. I am sorry, Georges. But really I just think you’re a little homesick. If you give it a chance this will be the best thing you ever did.”
I could empathize with Georges, I’d felt the same when I arrived in New York. A country girl suddenly thrust into the big city, blinded by bright lights, fast talkers, and so much traffic. But each day got a little better until I was one of those subway-catching cosmopolitan drinking locals, snatching every minute of the day to do things I’d never tried before. And it had been so worth it. Worth the nights I’d cried into my pillow, the mornings I was fuzzy with confusion, lonely among so many people. It was a learning curve, and once you’d done it once you could do it again, quicker, bravely.
“Thanks, Clio. I know you’re right. I do. It’s just so utterly different, but that’s what I wanted, right? To be busy, to not spend every waking minute worrying about making enough money.”
“Now you’ll have money
to burn, Georges! And when you have your days off think of the places you’ll see! Sailing around the world on someone else’s dime is nothing to sneeze at.”
It was like I could hear the cogs in his brain whirr as he warmed to the idea. “Yeah, not many people get to travel the world and get paid to do it. It was nice talking to you, Clio. Keep in touch, yeah?”
I smiled. “Send us postcards at every exotic port of call.”
“Will do,” he said jovially. “Give my love to everyone.”
Just then I heard the pitter patter of tiny feet and that could only mean one thing. Trouble. “Where are you, you little varmint!” I said jokingly, watching as the fluffy ball of fur heavy-breathed his way under my desk. I bent on hands and knees to grab him before he used my antique handwoven rug as his personal toilet or nibbled on one of my spare pairs of high heels tossed under there in case of surprise customer arrivals.
I scrabbled for him, darting a hand and grabbing air. I huffed.
“What on earth are you doing, darling? Is that one of your yoga moves?”
I started and smashed my head into the top of the desk as I tried to retreat, realizing it probably wasn’t my best angle, rump in the air jiggling around for the world to witness. The little fur ball barreled backwards out of sight, and my hand came to rest in a still-warm puddle. “Amory! He’s peeing all over the place!”
She laughed from behind me. “There’s absolutely no point harping on about it now, darling. What’s done is done. All the puppy training manuals say you have to catch them before they commit the act, yelling like a banshee after does absolutely nothing except confuse the poor mite.” Scotty dashed out of the office and down the hall to the front door, his little paws clip clopping on the wooden floorboards.
Ungraciously, I managed to shimmy my way out from beneath the desk and Amory handed me a wet-wipe to clean up as she laughed. “Jesus, did you have a nap down there? Darling, you’re quite bedraggled…”
“What?”
Before she could answer, Isla, Micah and Kai trooped in. The trio gave me a slow once-over, alarmed at my heavy breathing and red-face, hair sticking up at odd angles. Running my hands through my riotous hair I pasted on a serene ‘I’m in control’ smile and said, “How’d it go with Ned?”
“Great,” Kai said, hiding a smirk. “He’s signed off on the chapel, and has agreed to the plan for the chalets. Only kicker is, you need a registered builder on site at all times…” he trailed off.
“Oh, but…” I stopped short as a car slipped into the driveway and pulled to an abrupt halt, and Timothy climbed out. I frowned, hoping it wasn’t another issue with the New Year’s Eve party. Looking back to Kai I smiled distractedly. My mind was whirling as I tried to troubleshoot any potential problems whilst thinking I should really respond to what Kai had just said. “Sorry, Kai, could you repeat that?”
Amory nodded at Tim through the window, then headed towards the front door to let him in. Turning back to Kai I tried once more to concentrate on what he was saying.
Just then out of the corner of my eye I spotted Scotty careening through the snow and running straight for Timothy. Before I could even so much as shout out, he skittered under Timothy’s feet sending him flying. Holy moly! Timothy fell in a heap, letting out an oomph as he landed hard on the ice.
“Oh, no!” I raced outside, pushing past Amory, who’d frozen on the spot, her face pinched with worry. “Are you OK?” I asked breathlessly.
Tim stood and brushed snow from his jeans, a rueful grin on his face. “Sure, sure, he caught me by surprise, is all.”
Amory scooped up Scotty and held him to her chest. “I am so sorry Tim, he just ran out! I thought for a minute you’d landed on him, and my heart just about stopped.”
“Hey, he’s a puppy, he didn’t do it on purpose,” Tim said. “And he was well clear of me, don’t worry.”
“Are you OK, little man?” Cruz said as he wandered out, standing next to Amory while she searched Scotty for any cuts or bruises as he wriggled in her hands. The care she was taking over him showed a completely different side to Amory. All of her untapped maternal instincts were coming to the surface and although, sure, she might never have wanted to be a mother in the real sense, her protective instinct was still strong.
“He’s fine,” I said to Cruz. “Tim took the brunt of the fall, Scotty scampered out the way.”
“Sorry, Tim.” Amory said again, pulling her attention away from the squirming puppy. “It’s just he’s so little and fragile, you know. He’s just a baby really.”
“Is everything OK with the party?” I asked Tim, worried another unofficial visit spelled trouble.
He slung his hands into his pockets as we walked to the door. “Yes, Vinnie’s happy, invites are sent, and Cruz has the new menu sorted. I’m here to steal Cruz and Amory away actually. I’ve lined up a range of cottages to show them in the area.”
“Oh, of course.” They really were serious about moving to Evergreen and starting a life here. Part of me understood their needs for a space of their own but still, I’d miss them at the lodge. My mornings with Amory, our chats over coffee and cake, slowly awakening as the sun split the sky.
“We’ll just grab out coats,” Amory said, pulling Cruz inside with her.
As we followed slowly behind Tim motioned towards my office and said, “Can I talk to you for a sec, Clio?”
“Sure.”
In my office we sat at the desk. “What’s up?”
He fumbled with the sleeve of his sweater. “I was… It’s just that… How did you get on with the cocktail menu?”
The cocktail menu? I sensed that wasn’t what Tim really wanted to ask, no one normally got nervous asking about gin and tonics. “I thought I emailed you? Anyway,” I smiled, “we’ve hired a mixologist for the evening, so he can fling those cocktail shakers and wow the guests, without spilling a drop.” Mixologists were worth their weight in gold. They had an innate sense of how to entertain people, not only with their cocktail knowledge but also their upbeat personalities and general sense of fun. Worth every penny, and we never scrimped on hiring the best we could find for the job. Amory had convinced one of our favorites from New York to fly in for the evening, and we were lucky to secure him so late, and that was only because he’d had a cancellation.
“Great, that should be lots of fun…” he tailed off.
I nodded, hoping he would get to the point soon. “Anything else?”
He clasped his hands and looked beyond me. “Erm… That’s about it, I guess. You’ll save me a dance on the night, won’t you?”
I laughed. “Of course.”
“I better go, they’re waiting for me.” His face was etched with concern. What had he really wanted to ask? Part of me didn’t want to know. Maybe I had to be more upfront with him, but what if I was presuming too much? Then I’d look a fool.
“I’ll walk you out.”
We joined Cruz and Amory outside once more, both were bundled up and ready to find their very own dream house. Kai stood peering under the bonnet of Micah’s rust bucket of a car, while Micah tried to explain that he was sure it would work again if they just did this or that. Again it was having some kind of mechanical issue, and I wished he’d scrap it and drive something more reliable.
The car diagnosis over, Isla started a tense discussion with Micah about what movie to watch on the upcoming movie night we’d been planning. Micah was deeming all of Isla’s suggestions ‘too girly’ – when in fact I knew he’d watched many a chick flick on my watch.
“Why don’t you guys go to Shakin’ Shack that night and leave us to it?” I said, diplomatically. There was no way I wanted our movie night ruined by men pretending to hate chick flicks!
“I’ve got Grease,” Isla said. “And a selection of other musicals, but the boys here seem to think that’s LAME, in big fat capital letters.”
We’d need donuts, and lots of them.
“Deal,” Mi
cah said, laughing. “I’ll take the boys for burgers and you girls can snuggle up and dream of John Travolta sweeping you off your feet.”
Isla bumped him with her hip. “Oh, so you just so happen to know the star of the movie huh!”
A blush crept up his cheeks. “No, it was…a lucky guess.”
“We’ll still think you’re manly if you admit you are a fan of musicals, Micah,” Amory said grinning.
Micah reddened. “Help me out here, guys.”
“We won’t judge you, Micah,” Cruz said, deadpan.
Micah swatted his arm and said, “Get outta here before I change my mind and we all watch it together.”
The gang burst out laughing and Micah’s color deepened. We used to watch musicals together a million years ago, and I couldn’t remember him complaining about our famous singalongs back then. The joys of your best friend being a girl, I suppose.
Timothy gave me a loose hug and took Amory, Cruz and little Scotty in his car to view cottages in Evergreen.
Isla and Micah waved them off and then walked back in the direction of the chalets. They were preparing them for the painters who’d arrive in the new year.
“Make sure you light a fire, Micah,” I yelled after him. The chalets were ice cold with the frosty breeze blowing off the frozen lake beside them. Kai and I left them to it, instead opting for the warmth of the lodge and a little hot chocolate to take the chill away.
Once I’d made a pot of cocoa we stood nursing steaming mugs in front of the pot belly stove, which belched its usual greeting. We sat for an hour, chatting and then lapsing into silence.
“It’s so quiet,” he said suddenly. “No puppy, no banging of pots. It’s weird how you get used to a choir of sounds, until they’re gone.”
“I know,” I said slowly. “The lodge is going to be so lonely when you all leave again. Isla has moved in with Micah, and Amory, Cruz and Scotty will no doubt find a nice cozy cottage, and you… you’ll be heading back to San Francisco. Soon it’ll just be me, rattling around the big old lodge again.”
Midnight and Mistletoe At Cedarwood Lodge Page 7
