Chapter 28
As the days on the calendar sped by, Jonah’s anxiety ratcheted up. Somehow it was the last week of November, and he and Lauren
were still barely on speaking terms. He’d hoped that since she’d recovered her dream job, she might let him off the hook.
But no.
In the five and a half weeks since she’d confronted him on his doorstep, she avoided him whenever possible. When she did speak,
it was with that overly polite tone he remembered from her early days at Pinehaven. Her smiles were downright frosty.
He’d already apologized multiple times in person and via text. She had a right to be upset. But the longer it dragged on,
the more he suspected her anger was just a convenient shield. She’d gotten a second chance at that position, and she wasn’t
about to risk it by allowing him back into her life.
His bruised heart gave a pitiful thump. Sure, she couldn’t recall what they’d had before, but it hurt just the same. Surely
there was some part of her, deep down, that remembered the love they’d shared. He couldn’t imagine all those amazing feelings
and wonderful memories being completely eradicated as hers apparently had. It was impossible not to take it personally.
Especially when she seemed to have drawn closer to the rest of his family, Meg in particular, during the impasse. He could hardly resent her for it though. On the contrary—he was glad she had people here who loved her—people she could care about in return.
He arrived at the resort, stepped from his truck, and dashed through the blustery cold. The deciduous trees had shed their
fall flesh, revealing skeletal fingers that pointed skyward. Already a few inches of snow had fallen, though it had soon melted
away.
As he entered the lodge, a crackling fire and the strains of “Winter Wonderland” greeted him. His mom started with the Christmas
music the second Halloween passed. She also went over the top with decorations. Though she wouldn’t put them up until the
day after Thanksgiving since she used live garlands and trees.
Yes, trees . A giant one in the lodge and a small one in each cabin. She loved when the smell of pine permeated the lodge, and their
regular December guests anticipated seeing the decked-out property each year.
After hanging his coat on the rack, Jonah peeked in the office and found it empty. His parents’ SUV was outside, but they
were probably upstairs in their living quarters. He headed through the lobby and toward the kitchen for a snack. Sustenance
before facing his long-lost love.
But as luck would have it, Lauren was in the kitchen.
He stopped on the threshold, words jamming his throat.
She glanced up from the sandwich she was making on the island and smiled—an eight on the frosty scale. “Hello.”
“Hi.” He stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets. An awkward silence ensued. “How’s your week going?”
“Pretty slow. Only two cabins occupied.”
“It’ll pick up in December.” She would leave on the twentieth, less than four weeks away.
“That’s good.”
“How’s the barn coming along?” It had always been a favorite topic, and he longed to see her eyes light up the way they used
to.
“Fine.” Her eyes were as flat as a skipping rock. “We’re on schedule.”
In other words, it would be finished before she hightailed it out of Pinehaven. And then he would be left with a ginormous red reminder of the one who got away. “I’d love to see it.” Yes, he was fishing for an invite. He was that desperate. If they could just hang out awhile, surely he could lower those walls yet again.
She capped the mayo. “Be careful of the wiring. The electrician isn’t finished yet.”
Well. No invite then. She wasn’t taking any chances, was she? Heaven forbid she let him in even a little. She might end up
stuck here in Pinehaven for the rest of her life.
He dredged up a smile. “Anything you need?”
“Don’t think so.”
Okay then. He tried to think of something else to say. Something work related, just to keep her talking. Wow, he’d sunk so
low. You’re pathetic, Landry.
“Hi, honey.” Mom entered the kitchen, slipped her arms around his waist, and gave him a squeeze. “What brings you out today?
Don’t you have a class?”
“Just finished. Came to check out the barn’s progress.” And also to see if he could eke a few words and a brittle smile out
of Lauren.
“Oh, it’s coming along great, isn’t it, Lauren?”
She aimed a tropical smile at his mom. “I’m very pleased with the work so far. I can’t wait to see the floor finished. They’re
starting it next week. Fingers crossed the electric and plumbing will be complete by then. The ductwork is finished. Did you
see the size of that furnace?”
Wow. That was more words than she’d said to him in all of November.
“Well, it’s a huge space. I love the ceiling fans you picked out. And the chandeliers! You have exquisite taste. I can’t wait
to see them hung.”
“Thanks. They were a real bargain.” She’d gotten them secondhand from a hotel on Squam Lake that had gone out of business.
He’d extracted that bit of info from Meg.
“We appreciate the way you watch every dime as if it were your own.”
Lauren’s smile warmed another ten degrees. “I enjoy scavenging for deals. It’s second nature to me.”
Mom headed to the freezer and opened the door. “Your dad’s craving ice cream. If I keep it upstairs, he’ll eat the whole container
when I’m not looking.” Ever since his heart attack Mom monitored his diet—a service to which his dad reluctantly submitted
himself.
She grabbed the container, shut the freezer door, and headed from the room. At the threshold she turned, meeting Lauren’s
gaze. “Oh, honey, I almost forgot to ask. Are you busy tomorrow?”
“Not really. Only two cabins are occupied and no one is checking in or out. Why? I was gonna scout out some white gauzy material
to drape from the barn ceiling, but that could wait.”
“Oh, good. I have a lady near Colebrook who’s painting some Christmas decorations for me and they’ll be ready tomorrow. I’m
so eager to see them, but in the morning Tom and I are heading to visit friends in Bartlett, and I want to put them up Friday.”
The day after Thanksgiving.
“I’d be happy to pick them up for you. Just text me the address.”
“Thank you, honey. I’ll see if Meg can work from the office tomorrow in case one of the guests needs something or we have
a last-minute check-in.”
Lauren beamed. “Perfect. I can’t wait to see this place all decked out for the holidays.”
“I just love Christmas. Oh, Jonah, you’ll need to tag along with her—you don’t have classes tomorrow, right? Those decorations
are gonna be heavy.”
Jonah perked up. Way to bury the lede , Mom. He would’ve grabbed this opportunity even if he’d had to ditch a final. “No problem.”
Lauren’s smile had faltered. “I’m sure I can handle it. I’m stronger than I seem.”
“Oh, they’re much too unwieldy for one person, dear. They’re large wooden cutouts: Mr. and Mrs. Claus, cute little elves, Rudolph, a sleigh, and a toy factory. She’s making me a nativity too. They’re so darling. Meg found her online, and since we had such a great year, I decided to go all out. The kids are gonna love it!”
“Oh. Okay.”
“I’ll send you both the address. You can take the property truck or Jonah’s, whichever you prefer. I’ll leave the check in
the office tonight.” She glanced down at the container. “I’d better get this ice cream to your dad before it melts. Have a
good afternoon, kids.”
As soon as she cleared the doorway, Lauren glared at him.
He held up his hands, palms out. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t have anything to do with this.”
There was no smile on her lips, frosty or otherwise, as he slipped from the room, following his mom. He had an idea to run
past her.
He found her at the foot of the steps. “Real smooth, Mom.”
She blinked at him with her innocent brown eyes. “What?”
“You’re not fooling anyone with this spontaneous field trip—not that I’m complaining.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay. Well, listen, I was thinking about the barn venue. What would you think of having a New Year’s Eve party out there
for the community? It might be an effective way of getting the word out about the venue if the locals see it firsthand.” Not
to mention distract him from the fact that Lauren was gone.
“That’s a great idea. You should run with it. Let me know how your dad and I can help.” She started up the stairs again.
She seemed on board with the idea. But even though he was graduating next month, he still sensed she was less than thrilled
about his taking over the resort. Maybe it was time to settle this once and for all. Get it out in the open like Lauren had
suggested weeks ago. He was tired of carrying this weight.
“Hold up, Mom.” He caught up with her midflight where she stared at him expectantly. “You’re okay with me taking over the resort at the first of the year as we agreed—right?”
“Sure, honey. You do a great job around here, and if that’s what you really want, your dad and I are on board.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“Of course I do!”
“Because I’ve been telling you for years it’s what I want. If you’re not concerned about my ability to run this place, then
either you don’t believe me for some reason or...”
Mom tilted her head, her gaze sharpening on him. “Or what, honey?”
The words caught in his throat. The ones that had taunted him as he labored through seven years of college, fitting classes
around his work schedule. “Is there some other reason you don’t want me running Pinehaven?”
Thought lines creased her forehead. “Like what?”
“Like... like maybe you hoped Meg would change her mind someday?”
“ Meg? She’s perfectly happy with all her numbers. Why would we be hoping for that?”
“I just thought maybe you wanted to—” His throat tightened, strangling off the words.
She put her hand on Jonah’s arm. “Wanted to what?”
“It’s just... This place was passed down through your family, Mom. I thought maybe you wanted your real child to take it
over.”
Mom’s expression turned stricken as tears glazed her eyes. “ Jonah. You are my real child. You’re my son . Honey, what have I done to make you think this?”
His own eyes stung. “You haven’t—I just wondered, Mom, that’s all. You and Dad want to retire, yet you insisted I get a degree.
It felt like you were just drawing things out, like maybe you’d really hoped Meg would take over.”
She cupped his cheek. “My sweet boy. I just didn’t want you to take on this responsibility because you felt we expected you to, especially once Meg dropped out. You’re so smart and gifted—you could be anything you want to be. We just want you to be happy, that’s all.”
“This resort makes me happy, Mom. I love this work. I belong here.”
She smiled through her tears. “Yes, you do. You belong here in every way possible.” She wrapped an arm around him.
He drew her into an embrace, and a wave of relief washed over him as she held him tight.
“Jonah Landry, I love you more than words can say. You’re gonna do a wonderful job with this place. I trust you completely
with its legacy, and your grandparents would approve 100 percent.”
“Mom...” He tried to pull away, but she held him tight.
“Real child.” She whacked him on the back of the head. “Don’t you ever say something like that ever again. Don’t you even think it!”
His lips twitched. “Mom. The ice cream’s melting.”
“What?” She pulled back and glanced down at the container smooshed between them. The lid had come askew and ice cream was
trickling down Jonah’s shirt. “Oh. Sorry, honey. I’d better get this up to your dad before he ends up with a milkshake.” She
palmed his face again. “I love you. Please don’t give this another thought.”
“I won’t. Love you too, Mom.”
So much had gone wrong this fall. But as he turned and headed back down the stairs, Jonah felt lighter than he had in months.