Chapter Thirty-Five
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
On their way to the inn, Riley and her mother stopped into the wine and cheese shop to stock up on both. An older man was behind the counter, with snow-white hair, blue eyes, and a big smile. The store was busy with holiday shoppers, but still he paused from ringing in a customer to welcome them to the store.
“Please look around and let me know if you’d like to try samples of anything. I have some smoked Gouda samples on the counter if you’d like to start with those.”
They walked toward the counter and both took a sample. The cheese was creamy, sweet, and smoky at the same time. “We should get some of this,” Riley said. She also picked out Manchego, which she knew Franny loved, and a sharp cheddar.
Her mother picked up a container of goat cheese smothered in honey and crushed almonds. “This looks interesting.”
“Let’s get that, too. It will be nice to have a sweeter option as well,” Riley said.
They also bought a case of assorted bottles of wine. Some were for the inn and a few bottles of Prosecco and Cabernet were for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Riley’s family had a custom of always having Prosecco on Christmas Eve when they mostly had fish dishes, and then a little red wine on Christmas Day with prime rib.
The man behind the counter nodded in approval when they gave him their selections to ring up.
“That Gouda was delicious,” Riley said.
“That’s a personal favorite of mine. The other is the honey goat cheese. I have a bit of a sweet tooth,” he admitted. “We make that up here, adding the honey and crushed almonds to an excellent goat cheese.”
“I’m looking forward to enjoying that one tonight,” Riley’s mother said.
“Thank you, and happy holidays!” he said cheerfully as he handed Riley’s mother her receipt.
When they got back to the inn, Riley carried the case of wine into the kitchen and her mother managed to carry the bag of cheese as she slowly walked in on her crutches. She was able to do much more now than when Riley first arrived. Riley knew she was anxious to get her cast off and switch to the brace. She’d be able to move around much more easily then. And her mother had insisted that she’d be fine if Riley wanted to head back by the New Year. That gave her another full week to get used to the brace.
“If you want to go and do the turndown service, I’ll get the cheeses all ready to go,” her mother suggested.
“Sure thing.” Riley paused for a moment. “Mom, how will you be able to manage the turndown service after I leave? You could stop it, I suppose.”
Her mother shook her head. “I’ll manage just fine. I’ll be able to move around much better with the brace and that will only last a few weeks. The turndown service has been really popular, so I hate to stop. I think it’s a selling point with the ads you have going.”
Riley thought so, too. She’d put up a new blog post with pictures of the chocolates on the pillows and they’d quickly added several new bookings the same day the post went up.
She grabbed the bag of chocolates and headed off to the rooms. Half of them were occupied but they still wanted Riley to come in. She’d noticed that people seemed to get a kick out of watching her fluff the pillows and turn the comforters down and they especially liked seeing the little boxes of chocolate placed on the pillows. Franny was one of those people.
“Thanks so much, Riley. I do love those chocolates. I’ll see you all downstairs shortly.”
Riley expected Aidan and Luke to be in their rooms, but they didn’t answer when she knocked. She waited a moment, then entered the room and did her thing. She wondered what they were up to. She hadn’t seen either of them for almost a week, since they went to Edaville Railroad the prior Sunday.
Riley finished up and headed downstairs to the living room. It was only a few minutes past five but the living room was full. Just about all of their guests were there except for Aidan and Luke. Riley also noticed with interest that Sean was there, sipping a glass of Cabernet and chatting with Franny while her mother made the rounds. She always liked to chat with every guest that attended the wine and cheese hour, to make them feel welcome and included.
And her mother had always enjoyed learning more about the people that stayed at the inn. Riley did as well. It was fascinating to hear people’s stories and learn where they lived. They came from all over. Most were from other areas of Massachusetts or New England, but occasionally they had visitors from other countries. She knew that they had a young couple from Germany staying through New Year’s Eve but she hadn’t had a chance to chat with them yet.
She poured herself a small glass of Cabernet and put a slice of Manchego and Gouda on her plate. While she was debating whether or not to try the honey goat cheese, a young couple walked over to take some cheese. As soon as she heard them talking she recognized the German accent and introduced herself and they did the same. Their names were Elsa and Henry and they lived just outside of Berlin.
“I hope you’re enjoying your stay so far?” Riley asked them.
“Oh, we are,” Elsa said.
“It’s very peaceful here,” Henry added. “We just lost Elsa’s mother last month and we have no other family left in Germany, so we decided to travel.”
“We thought it would be less sad than staying at home,” Elsa said.
Riley nodded. “I’m so sorry for your loss. The holidays can be so hard sometimes.”
Elsa smiled. “It has been hard. But we’re glad we came. We’re going to stay through the New Year and I’m hoping it will feel like a fresh start. A lovely way to ring in the New Year, as you say.”
“I’m sure it will be. I don’t know what your plans are for Christmas Day, but we are having a Christmas supper here that evening. It will just be a simple meal but we thought it might be fun and festive.”
Elsa and Henry exchanged glances. Henry nodded and Elsa spoke. “We will come. That sounds wonderful, thank you. We weren’t sure what we were actually going to do on Christmas Day. We thought we might head to a hotel for the midday meal possibly.”
Riley smiled. “If you want a bit of a splurge, the Chatham Bars Inn has a grand Christmas buffet. It has everything you could imagine, all kinds of seafood, as well as carving stations and beef Wellington, and so many desserts. We went once and it was really something.”
“Oh, that sounds marvelous,” Elsa said and Henry agreed.
Out of the corner of her eye, Riley saw movement at the front door and turned to look. Aidan and Luke walked in carrying big bags. They’d been shopping. Luke ran over to Riley. “We just finished our Christmas shopping!”
Aidan reached them a moment later. “Just about all of it,” he agreed. “We should go drop these bags off and we’ll be back down in a moment.”
Riley’s mother made her way over and Riley introduced her to Elsa and Henry. Riley stepped away to mingle with the other guests.
“Did you try that goat cheese yet, Riley?” Franny asked as she scooped more of it onto her plate and added a few crackers.
“Not yet, is it good?”
“You have to try it, before it’s all gone,” Franny insisted.
So she did and it was very good. The sweet honey complimented the tangy, creamy goat cheese and the crunchy, savory almonds were the perfect topping. Riley immediately went back for a second serving.
As she popped it in her mouth, Aidan and Luke returned and came over to her.
“You have to try this goat cheese,” Riley told them. “Luke, are you ready for a hot chocolate?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?” Aidan said and Riley smiled.
“Yes, please, Riley. And thank you!” Luke said with enthusiasm.
Riley laughed. “You’re very welcome. I’ll be right back.”
She went into the kitchen, and returned a moment later with Luke’s hot chocolate. They were still standing by the wine and cheese station. Aidan was sipping a glass of Cabernet.
“How were the stores? Were they packed?” Riley asked.
He nodded. “We went to the mall in Hyannis and it was a zoo. We got just about everything we were after, though. And I got all the info I needed for one last child-free trip. I have a babysitter lined up so I can run out for a few hours tomorrow afternoon.” He spoke softly so Luke wouldn’t overhear.
“I still have more shopping to do, too,” Riley said. “And lots of wrapping.”
Aidan made a face. “That’s the worst part. We went to one of those stands in the middle of the mall and had everything wrapped. The money goes to charity and it’s worth it not to have to do that. Especially here. All that stuff—tape, paper, tags, is all at home. I didn’t want to clutter our room here with it.”
“I don’t blame you. Speaking of Christmas, Mom and I are having a holiday supper on Christmas night here at the inn. Very casual, some kind of soup probably and something sweet. We thought it might be fun to watch more Christmas movies and have a meal together.”
Aidan’s eyes softened. “That’s really nice of you both. We’ll happily be there. Luke doesn’t care about a fancy meal. I figured we’d have our usual breakfast here and that maybe we’d catch a movie in the afternoon. We love to go to the movies on the holidays. I remember the first time we went, I thought we’d be the only ones there, but the theater was packed. I guess lots of people like to get out on holidays.”
“They do,” Riley agreed. “I used to work at the movie theater when I was in high school. Thanksgiving night was always super busy. After eating such a huge meal maybe people want to get out and move around.”
Aidan nodded. “I think a lot of people are alone on the holidays, too, so it is something to do.”
Franny walked over and caught the last bit of their conversation. “My husband and I used to always go to the movies on Christmas Day. It was a fun treat and we always looked forward to it.”
Aidan smiled. “Would you like to join us, Franny? Luke and I are going to an afternoon matinee right up the street.”
Franny looked pleased with the invitation. “I just might do that. Thank you, dear.”
Riley hadn’t had a chance to say hello to Sean yet and smiled as he walked over. “Mom says you two are going Christmas shopping tonight?”
His eyes twinkled. “That’s the plan, yeah. We both have a few more things to pick up. How did your interviews go?”
Riley filled him in on where she was at. “I’m grateful for the one offer. I’m just not sure it’s the right job.”
“It’s good to be sure. Nothing worse than getting stuck in a job or a company that you don’t like,” Sean said.
Riley nodded. “I know. There are pros and cons. I really need to weigh everything and decide. I’m trying not to think about it until after Christmas.”
Sean raised his eyebrow. “Excuse my bluntness, but the fact that you don’t want to think about it should tell you something.”
“He’s right,” Aidan agreed. “If you’re not excited about this job, let it go and wait for the right one to come along.”
“Well, that’s the problem. What if the right one never comes along? I haven’t gotten any other interviews and there are very few new openings.”
“There’s bound to be more after the New Year, don’t you think?” Aidan said.
“Maybe. I don’t know for sure. The money is really good for this job. It would be hard to turn it down without something else to go to.”
Sean looked thoughtful. “Your mother mentioned that you’re doing a side project for her friend Donna for her law firm’s website. If you have any more free time while you’re here, I could use some help with my website, too. It’s pretty basic. Maybe you could add a few blog posts and whatever else you think I should have?”
“Really? I will have time next week. I’ll be finishing up Donna’s project Monday. I could start on Tuesday.”
“That works. Why don’t you give me a call Tuesday morning and we can talk about it.”
“Thanks, Sean. I will do that.” Her mother walked up at that point and Riley filled her in on the conversation. “I’m going to do a project for Sean next week, similar to what I’m working on for Donna.”
Her mother looked pleased to hear it. “That’s wonderful news, honey. Maybe you can build up a little consulting practice. Sean told me that’s how he changed careers into woodworking. It started as a side gig.”
“And thankfully it grew. I do not miss wearing a suit.” He looked miserable at the thought of it and they all laughed. Riley couldn’t picture him in a suit. He was more of an outdoorsy, rugged kind of guy, more comfortable in faded jeans and flannel work shirts. That was another change Riley was in for. The dress was more formal at the law firm. Most of what she owned was business casual. She might need to pick up a few more dress shirts and pants. The thought of shopping for work clothes did not excite her. She had enough to get by for the first week, but after that she would need to pick up a few things. She didn’t want to think about that, though. She still hadn’t made a decision on whether or not to take the job.
“What are you up to tonight?” Aidan asked as he reached for another slice of cheddar.
Riley grinned. “Wrapping. I always wait till the last minute. But I can’t put it off any longer. What about you?”
“I think Luke and I are going to have an early night.”
“Do you and Luke have plans tomorrow night? My mother has family and friends over Christmas Eve, kind of like an open house. You’re both welcome to come by.”
Aidan smiled. “We’d love to come.”
“Great, we’ll be heading over there after the wine and cheese hour tomorrow,” Riley said.
“Perfect. I’ll probably see you at breakfast tomorrow,” Aidan said. Riley laughed as she saw Luke cram two pieces of cheddar in his mouth. Aidan looked embarrassed.
“He does like cheese. I need to talk to him about his manners.”
“I love his enthusiasm,” Riley said.
“I do, too, most of the time. I’m going to see if I can drag his enthusiasm upstairs now so we can get out of your hair.” It was a few minutes past six and everyone except for her mother and Sean had left the living room. Aidan went to get Luke and they said their goodbyes.
“Mom, I can get this cleaned up. You guys should go and have fun.”
Her mother hesitated. “Are you sure, honey? I don’t want to leave you with everything.”
“It won’t take me long and I’m in no hurry. I’ll see you later at home.”
“Thanks, Riley. Talk to you on Tuesday,” Sean said.
Riley quickly put everything away and headed home. She heated up a mug of leftover soup and curled up on the sofa with Lily by her side. She had a mountain of wrapping to do, but no energy to do it. It had been a long day. She could go to bed early and deal with the wrapping early tomorrow morning.
The soup was not satisfying, but the pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia she found in the freezer was. She polished it off as she watched the classic movie When Harry Met Sally… She never tired of it. And when the movie ended, she and Lily went to bed and she dreamed that she was in a store filled with hundreds of navy suits and none of them fit.