Chapter 2
Noelle
With it being the end of September, the walk through town is cool and comfortable.
Living in Vermont means getting four seasons a year.
Sure, winter feels like it is three seasons long but that doesn’t bother me.
I love when the first snow hits and everything is sparkly and new.
There’s a softness that comes with the first snow that I always look forward to.
Plus, winter clothes are the best clothes to shop for.
Evergreen Hollow has been my home now for twenty-five years.
Ever since I came to live with Grams after my parents died.
Sure, I left for college but as soon as I graduated, I came back.
There’s a certain charm to this place that I can’t seem to stay away from.
It’s the kind of small town where everyone knows everyone and we all look out for one another.
Sometimes, that’s a good thing. Like when it’s your sixth birthday and people know you’ve been recently orphaned so the entire town throws you a birthday party.
But it’s also annoying like when your high school sweetheart dumps you before leaving for college and the whole town is talking about it.
I guess that’s what you get when you live the small town life.
“There she goes, off to tackle another day,” a friendly voice calls out. Turning to look at it, I smile when I see Carol, the town dance teacher and Grandma Mary’s best friend, waving at me from her studio door.
“Good morning, Ms. Carol.” I wave back with a smile.
“On your way to the inn?”
“Of course, where else would I be going?” I say back, pausing in the middle of the road to talk with her. Evergreen Hollow is small enough to where we don’t even need traffic lights so I’m not in any real danger standing in the middle of the road.
“Maybe on your way to find a man?” she jokes with a wicked look in her eye.
I brush her off with a wave of my hand.
“That’s a pretty archaic thing for someone like you to say, Ms. Carol. How many husbands have you had? Three?” I tease, trying to cover up the annoyance in my voice.
“Ahh, but at least I’ve had a husband,” she retorts. “A woman of your standing needs a man to support her, to help her through life.”
“I’m doing just fine standing on my own, Ms. Carol. I’ll let ya know if I need a shoulder to lean on, though.” I wave a hand at her and continue towards the inn.
“Tell your grandmother I say hello,” she calls out before I’m out of earshot.
Turning over my shoulder I shoot her a grin that I hope comes off more friendly than it feels. “I will!”
With my back to her I roll my eyes and pull my bag further up on my shoulder. I don’t need a husband, I think to myself. I do just fine on my own, thank you very much. My cheeks feel hot as I stomp towards the inn, continuing to bristle at what she said.
So what if my thirtieth birthday is in a few months?
So what if I’ve been perpetually single after…
nope. Do not think about it. I mean, how do people expect me to date when the only men in this god forsaken town are the same boys I used to run around with on the playground?
It’s not like people ever move to Evergreen Hollow and my current selection is slim at best. And besides, I’m dating.
Okay, maybe dating isn’t the right word but I’ve definitely dated in the past. Belle and I have gone into the city a few times to grab a drink and talked to men.
Then there’s the one time I went to visit Eve in New York for the weekend and I hooked up with a guy we met at the bar. That has to count for something.
Rounding the corner, I feel the corners of my mouth lift when the inn comes into view.
It’s old, faded paint makes me smile because I remember when we painted the inn these colors the first time.
It used to be a plain cream but one day, Grams announced she was bored with the color and wanted something fun, something festive.
So she chose three distinct colors and painted each floor a different one.
A deep blueish teal for the bottom, a washed out pink for the center, and an eye-catching red for the top.
When we pull out all the Christmas decorations and hang the wreaths from the windows, it looks like an old vintage Christmas card came to life. And when it snows? It’s pure magic.
Old evergreen trees stand guard around the inn as I approach, finally reaching the large front door and pushing it open.
I love how it creaks as I step inside and take in the space.
Old, mahogany floors that have been worn in and refinished half a dozen times give the front entrance a distinct homey smell.
Vintage art and photos hang from the walls in brass and wooden frames leading upstairs.
To my right is the library where a few guests are sitting and enjoying their morning coffee.
I lower my bag and hold it in front of me as I approach them.
“Good morning, how’s your coffee?” I ask. They smile up at me and lift their glasses.
“This is the best coffee we’ve had in months,” the man replies. The woman next to him, his wife I’m assuming, nods and rests her hand on his leg.
“Truly, I need an entire pot of it and then some to take home with me,” she adds.
“Well, I’ll see if I can make that happen,” I joke, laughing with them.
“If you need anything at all, please stop by the front desk. I’d be happy to direct you to any of our local businesses or attractions.
The weather’s supposed to be beautiful today and there’s a lovely nature path behind the building if you’re up for a walk. ”
“We might just take you up on that, thank you,” the man says, lifting his cup in my direction. The wife nods along with him before they return back to the photobook they’re looking through.
“Excuse me, Noelle?” I turn around to find Belle standing in the doorway looking at me with a concerned expression.
“Belle, hey, good morning.” I step away from the guests and move towards her. Being one of my closest friends still left in Evergreen, I pull her into a hug.
“Hey, good morning,” she replies before pulling away. When our eyes meet, I know something’s wrong.
“Belle?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even. I follow her back towards the front desk area where I set my bag down behind the desk. There’s a small office tucked away in the corner but we hardly use it.
“So when’s your breakfast with Grams? I’m excited for her to finally tell you you’re going to become the owner of this place. You deserve it, you work harder than anyone I know,” she says, trying to sound chipper. I know she’s trying to deflect but I won’t let her.
“Belle,” I repeat, leaning into her name a little further this time. “What’s going on?”
“Who says anything is going on?” She’s avoiding my gaze by opening the digital guestbook on the computer.
“Your face did, now spill it.”
“Damn my inability to hide my emotions,” she mutters to herself with a sigh. She turns to face me with her lips pressed together in a tight line. “Frank quit.”
“What? When?” My heart sinks hearing that our lead chef and one of the biggest draws for guests to come to the inn in the first place has quit. We’re known for our restaurant as well as our charm and many of the online reviews for the inn mention both. Without Frank, we’re screwed.
“Last night. He’s leaving Evergreen for some big gig in California.
He told me after you left, little fink,” she mutters, pinching her nose up as she thinks about it.
“For such a big dude, he really is a big baby. Six three and he’s too scared to quit to the boss’s face so he makes me do it? What a chump.”
My fingers tap the top of the check-in desk, trying to come up with a plan.
October through the first of the year are our busiest months of the year and we’re already fully booked.
If we don’t get a new chef in here as soon as possible, we’re going to lose bookings.
I cannot let this happen right before I take over.
“When’s he leaving?” I ask, looking back at Belle who’s still muttering to herself about how Frank is nothing more than a pansy who’s afraid of his own shadow.
“The end of the week,” she says, sounding dejected.
I nod. “Okay, well at least we have him for the week. I’ll talk to him today and see if I can’t get him to stock pile meals in the freezer that we can heat up in case we can’t find someone in time.”
“And if we can’t find someone in the next seven days?” Belle asks.
I lick my lips and force a smile. “Don’t worry, I got this.” I give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and try to convince myself as much as I’m trying to convince her.
Where the hell am I going to find a Michelin Star level chef in less than a week?
A chef, mind you, who doesn’t mind living and working in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere Vermont and wants to work at an inn?
My brain starts to run away with my thoughts when the sound of Belle greeting someone snaps my attention to focus.
“Good morning, Ms. Mary. Aren’t you looking lovely this morning?”
I scowl at her. “Why would you joke about Grams being here after telling me Frank quit? That’s not funny Belle, I—”
She stops me in my tracks and spins me around from where I’m leaning against the desk with my back towards the door. When I look up, I find that my grandmother really is standing in the doorway, smiling back at us.
“Grams!” I exclaim, slapping another artificial smile on my face. I glance at Belle, who looks like she’s eaten a frog, before looking back towards the door. “You’re early.”
“I wanted a few extra minutes with my granddaughter. Is that okay with you?” She takes a few steps closer and I meet her in the center of the room.
“Of course it is. Good morning, how are you?” I ask, leaning in and pulling her into a hug.
“I’m hungry and ready for breakfast. Did you remind Frank of our meeting this morning?”