Chapter 4
Noelle
“Ican’t believe she said you have to be married before she’ll give you the inn,” Belle says, bringing up the bombshell my grandma dropped on me nearly three weeks ago for what feels like the millionth time.
“I’m not talking about this right now,” I hurry out under my breath while smiling at the guests approaching the desk to check-in.
“In what world does a woman need a man to help her run a business? I thought Grams was more progressive than that.”
I ignore her completely while checking in our guests who are in town for the annual pumpkin festival happening all month long.
While Evergreen Hollow is known for our Christmas spirit, people come far and wide for all of our seasonal charm and festivities.
Handing them their key, I direct them towards the stairs and wave over one of our bellhops to take their bags and show them up to their room.
Once they’re gone, I turn to look at her.
“She is more progressive than that but the family lore is not.” I run my fingers through my hair, trying to work out the stress that’s been collecting in the back of my head since my breakfast with Grams. “Apprently it’s tradition or something, I don’t know.
All I know is that I need to find a husband and prove to Grams that he’s legit by Christmas so she’ll give me the inn before her birthday. ”
“And if you don’t?” She raises a brow at me. “You don’t really think she’d sell the place, do you?”
We lock eyes on one another and a sinking feeling in my stomach starts to make me feel like I’m going to hurl.
“I don’t have time to worry about that; I need to figure out our chef situation.
” We’re currently without one and while we’re making do with our sous chef taking the lead, I knew that won’t last forever.
Harper is great in the kitchen but she gets easily overwhelmed and doesn’t like being in charge.
“But Christmas is only ten weeks away,” Belle calls out in my direction. I need a coffee if I’m going to figure this out and with Frank gone, we have nothing worth drinking on the premises.
When I reach the front door I turn to look at her, holding it open with one hand before stepping out to head into town. “Trust me, I know.”
Walking through town, I feel the sense of panic start to settle in once more as the fall festival decor comes into view.
Everything in Evergreen is within walking distance of the inn so it doesn’t take me longer than ten minutes to be in the center of town.
Over the last week, the town decorating committee has been hard at work wrapping each and every light post in twinkly lights and perfectly orange and red leaves.
Pumpkins have pretty much taken over and are scattered across every doorstep, small business window, and balcony that’s within view of the square.
Walking down the sidewalk, I read the signs advertising the pumpkin carving contest at the end of the month as well as the ‘World’s Largest Gourd’ competition the town is hosting.
It’s not actually the world’s largest gourd, but to the people of Evergreen it might as well be.
Crossing the street, I reach for my phone in my back pocket when it starts to buzz.
I feel my cheeks push up when the photo of me and one of my longest friends, Eve, light up on the screen.
We’re both well into our night out on the town, smiling at the camera like a couple of drunk idiots.
I snapped the photo when I last went to see her.
Borrowing her swanky city lifestyle if only for a weekend.
“Well hello there, my wonderfully talented friend, how are you today?” I say as I answer her call. I skip up onto the sidewalk and pull open the door to my favorite coffee shop.
“I hate this city. I hate this fucking apartment. I hate my life!”
She’s shouting so loud into the phone that I have to pull it away from my ear so she doesn’t cause permanent hearing loss. Some of the people around me also hear her and turn to look.
“Uhhm,” I begin apprehensively. “Did something happen or?”
“Did something happen? I don’t know, why don’t you tell me.
” She’s snarky as she barks at me over the phone.
“I only just got completely canned from my role at the restaurant because it’s suddenly a ‘boys club.’ My rent is going up again for the second time this year even though it’s fucking illegal to do that and…
” It sounds like she’s going to say something else but she hesitates.
“I’m just fucking done with this city,” she finally mumbles into the phone.
This is the first time I’ve heard her talking like this. Normally whenever we talk it’s ‘New York is amazing! You have no idea what you’re missing! I’m never coming back to Evergreen!’
“Wait, why did you get fired?” I ask, starting on the easiest question first. When it’s my turn to order, I pull my phone away from my mouth and quickly tell the person at the counter what I want so I don’t hold up the line.
“It doesn’t matter why I got fired, I just did,” she snaps, almost sounding out of breath. “I’m coming home; can I stay with you?”
“Stay with me?” I ask, her question catching me off guard.
“Yeah, if that’s okay. There’s no chance in hell I’m giving my parents the satisfaction of moving home after they told me a million and one times that ‘New York would never work!,’” she mocks, sounding just like her mother.
“Besides, I know you’re not seeing anyone which means my sleeping in your spare bedroom isn’t going to cock block you in any way. ”
“Hey,” I scoff at her assumption even though it’s not inaccurate. At the same time, my name is called so I step up to take my drink from where it’s been placed at the edge of the counter.
“What? Are you suddenly sleeping with someone? Who’s there to even get fucked by? The Tanner brothers were the only good looking ones who stayed around and I thought I saw online that they’re both married with kids now.”
“I can’t have this conversation with you right now,” I hush, glancing around at the crowded coffee shop. Even a whisper of me discussing my sex life—or lack thereof—would be front page news by tomorrow if the wrong ears heard it.
“Why? Where are you? The corner store?” she teases.
“No, smart ass, the coffee shop,” I retort. She snickers over the line.
“So can I stay with you or not?” she asks again. I weave my way through the crowded space, trying to keep my coffee in one hand and my phone in the other.
“On one condition,” I say as an almost-too-brilliant-to-be-true idea forms in my mind.
“Shoot.”
“You can stay with me so long as you agree to work at Holly House. Our lead chef quit for a gig in California and we need someone to take his place.”
She audibly groans over the line. “I really wasn’t planning on staying very long, Noey, only until I found a new gig to take.”
I smile at the childhood nickname she gave me. “Then you can stay with your parents until you do. It’s either that, or you work at the inn and stay with me. Your choice.”
I can hear the wheels spinning in her head as she considers my offer.
Since the beginning of forever, Eve has been trying to get out of Evergreen.
She always said her wings were too big for this town and she wanted to land somewhere more exotic than here.
I never saw the appeal of leaving. Evergreen is it for me.
“Fine,” she finally says, conceding to my deal. “I’ll stay with you to avoid my parents and will work at your beloved inn. But as soon as something else comes along, I’m gone.”
I fist pump the open air and spin around, shaking my hips and doing a little dance as I go.
I’ve finally managed to make my way out of the coffee shop after pushing past the line that is now out the door.
Hearing her agree to work at the inn as our new head chef is one less thing I have to worry about which is enough to make me happy.
“Ahh! Thank you, Eve. Thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much you’re saving me,” I gush.
“Yeah, yeah. When I get there, we’re going to have a serious conversation about your lack of a sex life, though. It’s a little embarrassing if I’m honest.”
I stop dead in the center of the sidewalk and scowl at the ground. “Listen here, missy. I do not need to talk to you about my sex life. I’m doing just fine on my own, thank you very much.”
This has her laughing on the other end. “Sure, sure. Just so you know, Noey, your toys don’t count. See you in a few days, roomie.”
“Excuse me, but you are not allowed to stay with me if you’re going to give me a hard time about my toys.
Those and my sex life are none of your business,” I whisper-yell over the phone but she’s already gone.
My cheeks are hot as I shove my phone into my back pocket and turn around to head back for the inn.
When I do, though, I run smack into another body that has a good five inches on me and smells like pencil shavings and aftershave.
I run into the stranger so hard I drop my coffee and it splashes all over my feet.
Looking up to apologize, I realize they’re no stranger at all.
In fact, their dark hair and square jaw are almost unchanged from when he broke my heart at the end of the summer before we parted ways and went to college.
Even the dimples in his cheeks are unchanged, only showing when he has his signature smile on his face which is what he’s flashing me now as I look up at him.
He takes a step closer to me and lowers his head, speaking to me under his breath with the same cocky grin I fell in love with on his face and I feel like I’m about to throw up.
“What about me, sugar, can I know about your toys and your sex life?”