by Helen Lacey
“With Ethan in charge, I’m surprised you got a chance to do much looking around,” he said, exhaustion shaping the lines around his mouth.
“Just a quick peek.” She smiled at him, hoping he’d smile back.
He didn’t.
Henry put his front paws up on Marnie’s leg and nudged his nose under her hand. “Is everything okay? Is the baby okay?”
“Yeah, he’s great and so are the parents.” Luke hugged his son and touched his bright red cheek lovingly. “Everything is just fine,” he said, his tone filled with a mixture of relief and sadness.
There was something bothering Luke that went beyond his concern over his friends and their baby. “Let me stay here and watch Ethan. You’re exhausted. Why don’t you take a break?” She reached for the little boy, who hugged his father’s neck, pursed his lips and glared at her in response.
Luke held his son tighter as he met Marnie’s anxious gaze. “I’m… I… Their joy at having a baby…”
The yearning imprinted on his face did it for her. In that moment she felt connected to him in an inexplicable way, sharing his unspoken wish for a child. “The perfect Christmas present, a healthy baby boy,” she said. “Will they be able to get home tonight?”
“I doubt it. The plows aren’t making much progress.” He squinted up at the sky. “And the weather service says we’re in for at least another six hours of this.”
* * *
HE SWALLOWED OVER THE unwelcome sensation that he was very close to tears. He couldn’t cry in front of his son, or Marnie. Tears and the emotions driving them had never been welcome in his family growing up, and old habits held them in check now. “It is the perfect Christmas present, and I’ve never seen my friends happier.”
“How’s Dr. Pearson?”
“He’s great. He and his wife were fantastic. It was as if they were in their own world as they did all the things they had to do.”
“You were there when the baby was born?”
“No, only when they were getting organized, but I waited outside, in case they needed anything. Francine was there to help Mae. She was the one who told me the good news.”
She touched his shoulder. “What does he look like?”
“He’s got reddish hair. Other than that I couldn’t see very much of him.” Emotion clogged his throat at the memory of seeing his friends so happy, a memory that left him wanting to feel that special kind of joy again.
“Do they have a name for him?”
“They’re calling him James Edward after Jack’s brother who was killed in Iraq.”
“What a beautiful gesture.”
“It is. Jack and James were only a year apart, and Jack had just returned from a tour of duty himself when the family learned that James had been killed in a suicide attack.”
“I’m sorry for their loss.”
“But what a nice way to remember James,” Luke said.
“So, what happens now? I mean until the storm stops.”
“We’ve set up a temporary nursery in one of the empty suites, and Mary found Ethan’s bassinet up in the attic. I’d forgotten it was up there.” He pressed his face into Ethan’s neck to hide the tears stinging his eyes.
Stop this! You have an inn to run, a major snowstorm to deal with and so many people depending on you.
She reached for Ethan. “Let me take him. It will be dark soon, and I’m sure he’s hungry. I’ll get his dinner ready.”
She was being so kind and yet she hardly knew him. Looking into Marnie’s eyes as she stood waiting, he wished he didn’t have so much to worry about. Marnie’s kindness, her warmth and his growing feelings for her had made him see the emptiness in his life.
He felt so tired, so drained. All he wanted was to spend time with son. “Marnie, I’ll take Ethan into dinner and get him ready for bed. I haven’t seen him all day, but thank you for everything.”
She lifted her hand from his arm, her smile focused on Ethan. “You’re welcome.”
“I know this is asking a lot, but could you possibly help me with something else?”
“Sure, anything,” she said.
“I need someone to work the reception desk. Some of the staff who couldn’t stay last night weren’t able to get back to do their shifts. Would you mind?”
“No, of course not. I’ll change and go over there right now.” She opened the door and went inside, Henry on her heels, the snow blowing through the door behind her.
* * *
MARNIE SHOOK THE SNOW off her boots and yanked them off her feet, carrying them up the stairs with her. She avoided making eye contact with anyone as she made her way to her room. Tears blurring her vision, she pulled off her clothes and changed into dry ones, as a stark realization formed in her mind.
More than any other time in her life, she wanted someone to love, and she wanted a marriage like her parents had, one based on mutual love and respect. And she wanted a relationship with Luke, a man she hadn’t been honest with, and knew beyond a doubt that should he learn the truth, he’d reject her.
She had to make a decision soon. If Scott was right, Angus McAndrew would announce the sale of the inn, possibly leaving Luke without a job. And if the survey she was working on cast his managerial skills in a bad light…
She should tell him what she knew about Advantage’s intention to sell the inn. But if she did, and it impacted Scott’s business relationship with Advantage…
She felt she had to support Scott, after all, he was her brother and he had always been good to her. But with Luke now in her life…
She knew what her decision had to be. Luke had to be told the truth. He needed to know what Advantage’s plans were for The Mirabel Inn, not just to ease her conscience, but also to give him an opportunity to prepare for his future. If Advantage dropped this news on Luke without any warning, how would he feel?
Luke had alluded to the possibility of the inn being sold, but hadn’t given any indication that he had a plan should it be true.
But what if she finished the survey purely for Luke’s benefit, to alert him to any problems she found, wouldn’t that make the dreaded job of telling him easier? He might be able to correct any deficiencies immediately, and she wouldn’t have to report them.
While she figured out how to tell Luke, she headed to the reception desk. She arrived to find a weary Amanda waiting for her.
“I haven’t had a wink of sleep in almost twenty-four hours. I’ll show you the basics, including how to do a reservation, and then I’m off to bed somewhere....”
Amanda showed Marnie what she needed to do, and it looked relatively easy. The computer booking system was very much like the one she had installed at Total Elegance, so that part would be easy. The switchboard also seemed straightforward, and all she had to do was read up on the various packages the inn offered should someone want to make a reservation. As she settled into the job and began to feel comfortable, she pulled the questionnaire out of her bag and looked it over. She’d given the inn top ratings for each category listed except when it came to the visibility of the staff name tag, a minor problem she’d spotted on her first day here.
She sighed in relief. There was nothing in the survey that could hurt Luke. The damage to the wiring in her old room had been fixed right away. The issues with the manicurist’s technique were mostly a matter of retraining that could be done very easily.
The evening settled into a routine, broken only by the wind howling outside the massive
front door. She wondered if Luke was getting some rest after putting Ethan to bed. She hoped he was.
She had one call for a reservation, and other than that, the evening was quiet. The generators kept the lights on, but Kevin came by the desk to say that unless the storm eased by tomorrow morning, they could face a total blackout as the fuel tanks feeding the generator were running low on fuel.
At ten o’clock, Marnie passed the keys over to the night watchman. Despite the blizzard outside, and the sense of isolation, Marnie felt at home in this place. There was something so solid and enduring about it. When she reached her room, she fell into bed, at peace for the first time in a very long time.
CHAPTER TEN
THE NEXT MORNING THE STORM had fizzled to a dusting of snow drifting through the morning air. The plows were out in force, clearing the roads leading to the interstate. Marnie was on the reception desk once again, fielding calls from staff trying to get into work and people wanting to speak to Luke. She’d taken several reservations for the ski packages in January, and she was really enjoying the work, and loved feeling useful. She could get to like the hospitality business. Several of the guests came by to chat about the weather, when the roads might be cleared and how cozy the inn felt with all the snow packed around it. Everyone was in generally good spirits, and talking about this evening’s Christmas Eve dinner that was part of the Christmas Getaway event.
Meanwhile, the questionnaires on the reception desk and the booking system were finished. She was about to put the material in her bag when Luke appeared with two coffees. She hurriedly put her notes away.
“Thought you might need a caffeine hit,” he said, holding out a mug of coffee to her.
She took a sip, delighted to find that Luke had added just the right amount of cream and sugar. A man with devastating appeal who remembered what she took in her coffee. “There are lots of similarities between working here and working in a salon. There are the bookings, the phones to answer and…”
“Does the salon include babysitting and bartender duties?” he asked, chuckling.
“Not yet, but we keep evolving,” she offered, wishing he would make a move, to demonstrate that he was still attracted to her. That he still wanted her to have dinner or lunch with him, go to the moon, to the movies, she really didn’t care.
A Christmas Eve kiss would be perfect, especially if he was going to be as busy today as he had been all of yesterday.
She waited, sipping her coffee, meeting Luke’s gaze, and…and nothing.
Her feelings for him ran deep, but wasn’t it time for a little show of response on his end? He’d left her waiting for him in the bar, but he’d had the perfect excuse. He’d gotten her to babysit Ethan because his friends had needed him. As much as she wanted him, he’d been too preoccupied with his own life to make room for her. When they were together, most of the conversation had revolved around his issues, and she was more than willing to be helpful—her best role actually—but needing her help was a long way from demonstrating that he cared.
Luke leaned on the desk, his muscled arms a tempting display. “I need to talk to you about something.”
No words about missing me. No stolen kisses like the night at the bar. Not even a word about this being Christmas Eve. Just the same old words he always used when he thought she was hiding something.
He was acting as if they were simply friends, and maybe that’s all they were. Maybe she’d read more into his behavior than was there. But they were together for a few moments on one of her favorite days of the year, the day when all the final Christmas preparations were completed. She could be generous and hope he was about to offer her some other role than being supportive. “Sure, what is it?”
“Would you be willing to help out with the changes you identified as being needed at the spa?”
Disappointment curled its cold tentacles around her chest, squeezing any hope from her. Had she been fooled into thinking he cared because she cared so much? Or had he simply taken advantage of her generosity?
Whatever the case, she needed to decide what she should do. There was always her life back in Boston, her Mrs. Claus suit and all the uproar her brothers would create over the sale of her business.
If only Luke had given her a reason to be helpful. Wasn’t he taking her role as his assistant a little far? After all, it was Christmas Eve. “Today?”
“If possible. I’d like to go over how the changes should be implemented.”
She forced back the hurt, the longing, dredging up her pride to rescue her. “I have…had some of the same services in my salon, I’m well aware of the key components in a professionally run spa. Mostly, the issues relate to product type and use, and I can easily make a few notes for Francine and provide a copy for you.”
“That would work, thank you. Would you like to see the new baby?”
Had she misread the situation that badly? Was she that desperate to fall in love? She could feel her cheeks growing hot with embarrassment. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Lindsay is bringing him down to lunch. The staff wants to see him, and of course you’re invited. By the way, thank you for looking after Ethan. I didn’t really get a chance to thank you enough for what you did yesterday, but I really do appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome.” Those few hours were some of the best she’d had in months, and she’d felt so much a part of Luke’s life, but he clearly didn’t feel what she was feeling.
He stood before her, a faint smile on his face, and humor in his eyes. “Would you like to have lunch with me? Ethan’s been asking for you. It seems he’s quite impressed with your snowplowing capabilities.”
Was the only way to this man’s heart through his son? “You mean my ability to bury myself under a snowdrift.”
He laughed and the sound drew her into his space, lifted her spirits and made her wish that they were a couple. All these years while she’d been working to build up her business, other people had been making a life with someone they loved, having children and connecting in a way that really mattered. Meanwhile, she’d been working in a business she loved, but a business that left her feeling unfulfilled at the end of the day. The only living things that needed her back at her house in Boston were a fern and her overweight tabby, Prince. “What time is lunch?”
He checked his watch. “In about fifteen minutes. I’m going to find someone to replace you on the desk so you can meet me in the dining room.”
Seeing the baby, getting to spend time with Luke was great, but so far it wasn’t leading anywhere. “Fine.” She smiled up at him, searching for some genuine affection in his eyes and coming up empty.
* * *
DESPITE LUKE’S EXHAUSTION, he was suddenly energized at the prospect of lunch with Marnie. It was amazing how easily she fit into his life, how much he had begun to rely on her, and he’d only known her for a couple of days. Could life really change that much, that easily?
He checked his cell phone for messages, and for the first time in over twenty-four hours there weren’t any. He was settling into a table in the dining room, relieved that the power had come back on an hour ago, and the emergency generator could be shut down for repairs. It had taken all of Kevin’s skills to keep it running and he owed the man a bonus.
But if the owners decided to sell the inn, everything he’d worked for would be relegated to the past. Anger, deep and primal, boiled up inside him at the thought that people who lived somewhere else, who c
ared nothing about the inn and its employees, were in a position to threaten everyone’s livelihood and happiness with one indifferent signature.
He was still angry when Marnie showed up with Ethan trailing along behind her. As they approached the table, his anger evaporated. His heart rose in his throat, his breathing ceased and he was filled with the sense that he belonged with Marnie. The three of them together enriched his life, and gave it meaning. He held the chair for Marnie.
“I found someone who says he’s hungry,” Marnie announced as she helped Ethan into the chair next to him before sitting down.
“Dad, I want macaroni,” Ethan said, wiggling forward in his chair and tilting his cheek up to his father for a kiss.
Luke kissed his son’s smooth skin, offering him a moment to calm his expectations. As much as he liked Marnie, and as much as he enjoyed her company, he didn’t know her very well. And a woman like Marnie almost certainly had a life she was eager to return to in Boston…possibly someone special who had to be wondering when she’d return for Christmas Eve.
And as of today, she was free to leave the inn with only a goodbye.
“So, where’s the man of the hour?” Marnie asked, her eyes bright with enthusiasm.
“He must be having his lunch, but I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”
“Babies are so sweet.” Marnie spread her napkin on her lap. “Unfortunately, there are no babies in my family right now, just a rowdy bunch of teenagers.”
He remembered those first days after Ethan was born, his scent, his cry, the way he took over their lives by simply being there. Luke beckoned the server over to hide his discomfort around a topic that evoked a sense of emptiness in him.
They placed their orders with special attention to Ethan’s request for extra cheese on his macaroni, and lots of ketchup. She had just left when Jack and Lindsay arrived with James, accompanied by the curious glances of the guests at other tables.
