Chapter 3
Chapter Three
“ T his place is beautiful,” Robin Grover gushed into the phone as she paced in her suite. Her husband had found a dock for his fishing boat on the western side of Rocky Ridge, and he’d be here tomorrow about noon. “You’re going to love it.”
“I can’t wait to be there,” Mandie said, her voice sounding even further away than it was. She reached up and ran her fingers through her ponytail, then worked the band out. Relief cascaded through her scalp, and she scratched the spot where she’d secured her hair so tightly for so long.
“How are finals going?”
“Most of mine are next week,” Mandie said. “Charlie’s have already started, and they are going to be the death of us.” She whispered the last several words.
Robin took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of pine and cinnamon that permeated the air. “I’m sure he’ll do great,” she said, infusing as much positivity in her tone as possible. “He’s incredibly smart.”
“That’s what I keep telling him.”
“Jamie can’t wait until you get here.”
“Is she okay in the bunk room with Billie and Grace?”
“Of course.” Robin had worried about her youngest daughter for a couple of days, as Billie and Grace wore blouses and skirts, designer jeans and name-brand sneakers, while Jamie had been wearing more navy blue and black than any other color. She only had a few friends, and she certainly hadn’t gotten multiple invites to Homecoming the way Billie had. “We got most of the Christmas decorations up tonight, and we’ll fill the house with food tomorrow.”
She put a smile on her face and moved over to the sleigh-style bed here in the Aurora Suite. She sank onto it and sighed. “I brought too much stuff, of course.”
“Of course you did,” Mandie teased. She laughed, and Robin sure did like hearing such happiness from her twenty-year-old.
“Well, I’ll let you go,” Robin said. “I’m on muffin duty in the morning.”
“Okay, Mom. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Robin ended the call and lowered the phone. She’d already spoken to Duke after escaping to her third-floor suite, and Robin didn’t usually have any problem being alone.
Tonight, though, inside the manor, the world seemed so big. So wide open and… She looked over to the window, got up, and went to stand at the glass. “Dark,” she murmured.
The night on the horizon practically radiated with blackness, as no other buildings stood nearby The Starlight Manor. Thankfully, the outdoor pool lights glittered and danced, moving to and fro as if fairies themselves swam about.
She’d gone to bed when everyone else had retired to their rooms too, and since Arthur had come on the ferry after he’d gotten out of school, Robin didn’t feel like she could go over to Alice’s suite and chat.
No one else had arrived who’d been assigned rooms on the third floor, which left Robin with only Alice and Arthur. Jamie’s bunk room was situated in the basement, three full levels below Robin. But she’d only thrown her a single nervous glance, and then she’d headed downstairs with her bag, right on the heels of Billie and Grace.
Robin forced herself to go through the motions of getting ready for bed. Brushed her teeth. Pulled on her pajamas. Checked her calendar for the next couple of days. Only then could she climb into the king-size bed and lay down. She sighed as she gazed up to the ceiling, a soft smile coming to her face as the constellations that had been carefully and masterfully painted on the ceiling came to life.
With the blankets and mattress as fluffy as they were, she felt like she’d be sleeping in the clouds, and the next thing she knew, her alarm roused her.
Robin opened her eyes and reached for her phone to silence the song she woke to each morning. Disbelief tore through her that she’d slept so soundly all night, but the clock read six-thirty, and the darkness beyond the glass seemed to be one step above black—and getting lighter.
She showered quickly, dressed, and headed down the flights of stairs to the kitchen. The scent of coffee greeted her on the second floor, and her smile had appeared before she found Kristen in the gourmet kitchen. “Good morning,” she said.
Kristen gave her a soft, kind smile. “Morning.”
Robin poured herself a cup of coffee without asking if she could, and she relaxed into the sip of straight-up, black brew. Then she stirred in a couple of big spoonfuls of sugar, left her coffee to “cure” as Duke said, and went to get out the boxes of muffin mix she’d brought.
“Since you’re the only one up,” she said as she put the assortment on the island next to her mug. “What do you think we should have today? I have cornbread, blueberry, pumpkin, and chocolate chip.”
Kristen looked over to her from the kitchen table. “With the crowd we have here this morning, I’d go with blueberry and chocolate chip.”
“Asher loves the chocolate chip ones,” Robin said with a smile.
“So does Heidi.”
Robin did a quick count of how many people would be at breakfast that morning—fourteen—and decided two boxes of muffins would be plenty.
Kelli, Shad, and their kids would be arriving this afternoon, as would Tessa and Julia. Duke, Matt, Maddy and Ben, Laurel and Paul, and Clara and Scott should all be here by lunchtime, and Robin’s nerves vibrated through her stomach.
She and El had spoken about having everyone in the same room and how that might go, because both of them wanted this holiday at this house to be nothing short of magical.
Laurel had been tasked with finding a local Five Island Cove charity or charitable event they could work with or contribute to, and Robin hoped that project could unify them.
She hoped Alice wouldn’t say anything to rile up AJ, and she prayed AJ could keep her cool if the conversation went in a direction she didn’t agree with. For the most part, Kelli and El didn’t speak up unless absolutely necessary, and she supposed she could learn to curb her tongue about certain topics too.
And you will, she told herself. Because she wanted this Christmas to be the most amazing one for all of them.
The muffins came out perfect, and Robin started with the sausage patties and a pound of bacon. The scent of that usually got everyone out of bed, and this time was no exception.
By the time she pulled the last crispy slice from the pan and turned to set the paper-towel lined plate on the island, all of the adults had arrived in the kitchen.
“Wow, Robin,” Arthur said with a big smile. “Thank you so much for making breakfast.” He stepped over to the fridge and pulled out the cream, as well as a square of butter. “What else do we need?”
“Muffin!” Asher yelled, and that caused Heidi to add her voice to the morning.
“I’ll get you one,” Billie said kindly, and she took Asher from AJ and started to buckle him into a booster seat at the table.
“No one has to wait.” Robin gestured Jamie and Grace forward. “Come get something to eat. Everyone, come get breakfast.” She stood out of the way while a line formed and conversations broke out. She wasn’t sure what about providing a meal for people caused so much satisfaction; she only knew it did.
So she slow-sipped her coffee until everyone had a plate of food, and then she took a few slices of bacon and the last blueberry muffin over to the table. El had saved her a seat, and she slid into it with a quick look at her best friend.
“Thank you, Robin.” El leaned her head against Robin’s shoulder for a brief moment, and then she put another chunk of chocolate chip muffin on the table in front of Heidi.
“I really want this to be the best Christmas ever.” She only spoke loud enough for Eloise to hear.
“Me too,” El murmured in return. She took a bite of her sausage and gave Robin a somewhat anxious look. “Do you think Charlie will propose?” She shot her gaze down to Alice and then focused on Robin again. “I asked Alice, and she acted like she had no idea.”
Robin’s throat turned into a narrow straw. “I don’t know either,” she said, doing everything in her power not to look at Alice and Arthur only a few seats down. “But my best guess? Yes, a proposal is coming soon. Mandie said they’ve talked about getting married next summer.”
“That’s only a handful of months away.”
“Good thing she knows a really great wedding planner.” Robin gave El a quick smile, and she squeezed El’s hand as she returned it.
The familiar weight of responsibility settled on her shoulders, as Robin carried things she probably shouldn’t. After all, she couldn’t guarantee that everyone would get along here at The Starlight Manor. She couldn’t even make them. And for someone like Robin, who loved to be in control of things and situations, and yes, even people, she’d been learning to let go of some things.
Or rather, she n eeded to do so—and she had plans for the New Year to help with this very thing.
One, she couldn’t tell Mandie how to live her life. Either she’d marry Charlie or she wouldn’t. She’d keep living with him while they went to college. No matter what, the world hadn’t ended when they’d moved in together, and they seemed really happy together.
Two, she couldn’t control her friends. Having them all back in Five Island Cove for these past few years had only solidified that for her, and Robin had been trying to love each one of them for exactly who they were—not who she wished they were.
As breakfast finished up, Arthur, Aaron, and Reuben went into the kitchen to clean up and do the dishes, and Robin went into the foyer to get the meal binder she’d brought with her. She returned to her spot at the kitchen table and flipped open the cover.
Beside her, El set down her coffee cup and started to laugh. And laugh, and laugh, and laugh.
Robin glared at her and flipped a plastic sleeve with today’s date on it. “What?” she clipped out. “AJ said we’re going to get groceries this morning, and in case you have forgotten, we’re feeding almost forty people tonight.”
“Who could forget that?” El rolled her eyes and got up. “I want to show you my binder.”
Robin grinned at her retreating back, then switched it to Kristen. Everyone else had vacated the table, with some of them headed downstairs to the game room and indoor pool, and the moms of little ones going to get them dressed for the day.
“She has a binder?”
“It’s an incredible sight,” Kristen said. “Just you wait.”
Sure enough, El came out of the mudroom, which led into the garage, carrying a two-inch binder with red and green tassels hanging from it. Christmas tassels .
Robin started to laugh again, and El proudly held up her binder like it was a shield and would protect her in battle. “Wow,” Robin said between her giggles. “What is in that thing?”
“Everything,” El said as she rejoined her at the table. “The room arrangements, WiFi codes, how to restart the individual routers, how to heat the hot tub, who to call in a pool emergency.”
“The important things.”
“The floor plans.” El chose a tab and flipped a bunch of pages to the basement layout of the manor. “I love floor plans.”
Robin leaned over to study the page too. “There’s something about them,” she agreed. “Oh, there’s a spa in the pool and hot tub area downstairs?”
El searched the page and then pointed to what Robin had already seen. “Yeah, it looks like it.”
“I’m glad you told us to bring our swimming suits.” It wasn’t an item Robin normally packed with her in December.
“Do either of you want to go for a walk around the grounds?” Alice asked, and Robin looked away from Eloise’s amazing binder to find another of her best friend’s tugging on a pair of gloves that probably came from a high-end department store.
Alice exuded charm and sophistication, even when simply putting on a sweater and gloves to go for a winter walk.
“I do,” Robin said, eyeing Alice’s black sweater. “Let me grab my jacket.” She closed her meal planning binder and took it into the foyer, where a coat closet also housed her jacket. Back in the main part of the house, she glanced over to the hallway that led down to the bedrooms.
“AJ hasn’t come out yet?”
“She put Asher in the tub,” Alice said. “She said she doesn’t want to go on a walk this morning.” They exchanged a glance, but Robin wasn’t quite sure what Alice meant to say. She could ask once they left these walls behind. “She said maybe later.”
“Okay,” Robin said cheerfully. “El, you coming?”
“Yep.” She turned from the sink, where she’d been washing her hands. Her binder had likewise been put away. “We can do the groceries when we get back.”
“Lunch is on-your-own today,” Robin said. “So yes, we can go get what we need once we get back.” Worry instantly stole into her thoughts, because she’d planned a three-meat taco bar, and she wanted to get enough cod—or maybe mahi mahi—for it. She should’ve gone first thing this morning to get the freshest fish.
Calm down , she told herself as Eloise pulled on her sweatshirt and the three of them left through the back sliding door. They exited onto a sprawling deck, covered by plenty of roofing. The outdoor pool waited at the bottom of a set of three steps, glinting and dazzling in the morning sunlight.
Beyond that, a stretch of cement housed a gas fire pit with two dozen Adirondack chairs stacked nearby. Cobblestones led through the grass toward the back of the property, with the bare branches of the trees jiggling slightly in the post-breakfast breeze.
Robin exhaled, all of her worries about what kind of fish they ate in their tacos that night simply floating up, up, and away. “I really need this holiday house.” She linked arms with Eloise and brought her closer. “Thank you so much for thinking of it, El.”
“Yes,” Alice said. “It feels like exactly what I need too.”
“Maybe a lot of us do,” El said, her gaze far away on the horizon. “I have only told Aaron this, but I felt like Cliffside was going to kill me this year.”
Robin had not heard Eloise say such a thing, and she hated that eleven months of the year had passed before she’d known this. “I’m so sorry, El.”
“This month off is a test,” El said, her voice definitely carrying a confessional tone. “I’m not going back until after the New Year, and Aaron and I are going to see how it goes when I’m off-site.”
“I hope it goes well,” Alice said.
Eloise took a deep breath and as she released it, she said, “All right, my confession came out. Now I need one from each of you.”