Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Nora let out a deep breath of relief as she put Madison down for her nap the next afternoon, and was met with blissful silence as she walked out a few minutes later, except for the soft sound of the crib mobile behind her as she closed the door.

Last night, there had been a few episodes of barking, which she and Aiden had mitigated by finally giving in and moving Chessie’s bed into their room, where she could be close to them. That had resulted in being woken up just before their alarm by the puppy in between them, happily licking Aiden’s face. She was, apparently, a very big fan of the scent of his aftershave.

He’d taken it in good stride though, and Chessie had been calm for most of the morning. Nora had been able to get breakfast ready for herself and Aiden—thawed-out sausage and egg biscuits, but homemade, and very good—and get Madison to eat some yogurt before Chessie had demanded to go outside. They’d gone for a walk, tiring both Madison and the puppy out, and now Madison was sleeping soundly.

Maybe she had gotten both child and puppy parenting down, after all.

The house wasn’t as tidy as normal, but it wasn’t terrible. There were both Madison and Chessie’s toys to pick up now, but she could manage, and the dishes needed to be done, but only from this morning. Right now, her most pressing task was the laundry, since Aiden had a project to work on that weekend and would need his work clothes to be clean.

For all the craziness, there was a certain satisfaction in all of it that she was surprised she enjoyed as much as she did. She hadn’t gone back to event planning full-time yet, choosing to put most of her focus into Margo’s wedding, with just one other baby shower coming up in January. The rest of the time, she kept house and took care of Madison, and now Chessie as well, and she loved it so much more than she would ever have believed she could. When she’d lived in Boston, she’d wondered if she would go crazy being away from work long enough to go on maternity leave. But now she was just happy that she had the opportunity to stay at home with Madison, and not miss a single minute.

Life really did work out the way it was supposed to, she reflected as she went down to get the clean laundry out of the dryer, tossing another load in. She set the basket on the floor in the living room, thinking that she would fold those clothes in a bit, and maybe watch something on TV while she did. Madison wouldn’t be awake for a little while, and she could grab a few moments just to herself.

Aiden had picked up a new chew toy for Chessie on the way home last night, a puzzle toy that she could hide small treats in, and she gave that to Chessie as she walked into the kitchen. Surely, she thought, that would keep the puppy busy while she made lunch. Lunch wouldn’t take her long anyway. She had more of the leftover soup that Rhonda had sent her home with yesterday, as well as local Swiss cheese to make grilled cheese sandwiches with, and leftover baked apples from dessert last night.

Altogether, she thought, it would be a quick and cozy lunch, and then she could get started on the remainder of the chores while the house was still quiet.

She turned on a Christmas radio station on a low volume while she started to work, feeling once again that things were mostly under control. The to-do list felt manageable, Madison was asleep, and Chessie was contentedly chewing. She puttered around the kitchen, assembling sandwiches while the soup reheated, only to hear a sudden clatter from the living room and the sound of nails scratching on wood.

Nora dropped the wooden spoon she’d been holding, turning off the stove and rushing out to the living room. She was greeted by the sight of the laundry basket overturned in the middle of the room, clothes strewn everywhere, out past the boundaries of the living room. It was fairly clear who the culprit was—she could see that Chessie’s chew toy was abandoned, and there was no sign of the puppy.

“Chessie!” She called out for the dog as she righted the laundry basket, gathering up the clothes closest to it as she looked for her. “Chessie!”

A moment later, the puppy came running out of the bathroom, a shirt in her mouth, looking endlessly pleased with herself. She tossed her head, ears flopping, and Nora let out a sigh, shaking her head as well.

It definitely seemed that she had underestimated what, exactly, taking on a puppy would entail.

That morning, Spencer had called Margo and asked if she would meet him for lunch at Rockridge Grill in between his appointments, and she’d been excited to meet up. Even though they’d just had their date night out at Marie’s the night before, she’d already missed him. She was excited to spend a half-hour with him over lunch, and even more excited for when, very soon, she would get to see him every single day.

But she also couldn’t get the misplaced rings off of her mind. She hadn’t been able to find them, even though she’d quite literally torn her bedroom apart looking again, and she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Where on earth had she put them? It seemed like there were a very limited number of places that they could be, and she also thought that she had already exhausted them all. But apparently, she hadn’t, because they still hadn’t turned up.

“How did the meeting with Nora for the wedding planning go?” Spencer asked as the waitress brought them their lunch—a turkey, apple, and local cheddar sandwich for him with a side of tomato soup, and a winter salad for Margo, with shredded turkey and cranberries, along with a sweet maple dressing. “We didn’t talk about it over dinner last night.”

“We got too excited talking about the honeymoon.”

She smiled, thinking of the plans they’d discussed for outings in the Galapagos, and all the pictures she’d brought to show Spencer over dinner. He’d been excited by the beautiful water and the promise of animal sightings, and she’d showed him the treehouse that they were staying in, which had plenty of amenities. It wasn’t nearly as close to roughing it as he’d been worried that it might be.

“The plans are going well,” she added. “I think we’re nearly just about done. It’s just going over the finer details now, really.”

Spencer smiled, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“Work has been insane lately. With that other clinic closing, we’ve had twice the number of patients. And while I’m so glad that I’m available to help, getting all of the medical records transferred over and working with insurance has been a nightmare. I was surprised that I even got a chance to make it to lunch today.” He chuckled. “I’m not much of an event planner, but working on wedding planning sounds so much less stressful. I wouldn’t mind swapping places with you for a day.”

“You might be surprised.” Margo thought wryly of just how stressful it had become, ever since she’d discovered the rings were missing. Spencer had no idea. “I really haven’t had much of a hand in all the organization. Nora has handled that beautifully. I’ve just picked from what she’s given me options for, and offered up a few ideas here and there.”

“I’m sure it’s going to be perfect,” Spencer said. “You said everything that’s been ordered has all come in, right?”

Margo nodded. That much, at least was true. It had all been delivered to Sugar Maple, she just couldn’t remember where she’d misplaced one very specific, very important thing. Or two, rather. “I’ve stored a lot of it in my office at The Gazette ,” she said with a laugh. “Nora took some of it to her house as well, but with the new puppy, she didn’t want too many things laying around that Chessie could get into. It’s not as if we can rush order anything if it got damaged.”

Spencer laughed. “That’s probably for the best. How is your sister handling a puppy and a baby anyway?”

“With a lot of patience,” Margo said, laughing as well. “I think she’s in a little over her head. I don’t think she realized just how much of a handful Chessie would be. But Madison loves her, and Nora is determined to keep trying.”

“Maybe we should get a dog,” Spencer said thoughtfully. “What kind would you want?”

“A corgi,” Margo said immediately. “Small enough to cuddle on the couch with, big enough to go on hikes. What about you?” she asked curiously. This was a topic they hadn’t discussed before, and she felt a little flutter of excitement. Before moving home to Evergreen Hollow, she’d never been at her apartment long enough to have a pet. She’d always been jet-setting to one place or another, too often to even have a fish tank. But now, she could get a puppy. She and Spencer could, and the thought of that new addition to their future made her feel more than a little eager.

“I think I’d want a husky,” Spencer said. “Perfect for the snow, good for walks, like you said. A bit large for couch snuggles, but we could always get a larger couch.” He smiled, and Margo returned it, thinking of the white-painted farmhouse that she would be moving into after the wedding. Spencer had inherited it from his father, and she couldn’t wait to make it theirs.

“They’re very high energy,” she considered. “But I do go out hiking a lot. And even if you were busy, I have a good bit of extra time.”

“I was thinking a husky would be just the thing to keep you safe on those hikes,” Spencer said with a smile. “But we have plenty of time to talk about it.”

“I’ll have to get all moved in before we can even think about bringing a puppy home,” Margo agreed, and she saw Spencer’s face light up, his hand sliding across the table to wrap around hers.

“I’m so excited to marry you,” he told her. “I can’t wait for our wedding day. And I’m so grateful that you came back to Evergreen Hollow.”

He squeezed her hand as he said it, and Margo’s eyes abruptly filled with tears. It seemed like the sweetest thing he’d ever said to her in that moment, coming from a man who had said so many sweet and romantic things. She felt the same way. But at that moment, she couldn’t help but think of the fact that she couldn’t find their wedding rings. The very rings that she’d had specially engraved to represent just how ready she was to stay in Evergreen Hollow, and forever be Spencer’s wife.

She couldn’t help but feel that it was yet another moment where Spencer was all in, ready and there for her without doubt, and she’d managed to fall short again. She knew he didn’t feel that way, and that the absence of the rings wasn’t anything other than just a moment of forgetfulness, that she would fix just as soon as she found them.

But she still had to wipe away the tears, worried that she wouldn’t be able to find them in the end.

“Are you all right?” Spencer asked, concerned, and Margo nodded.

“I’m just so happy,” she said, smiling at him. And it was the truth. She was happy, happier than she could have ever imagined to be marrying him and starting their life together. And hearing him say how excited he was only made her feel even more happy.

She was just worried that she might have messed up one of the only things that had been hers to handle in all of this wedding planning.

Spencer leaned over, giving her a kiss, and setting some cash on the table to cover their lunch. “I need to go,” he said, squeezing her hand once more. “The clinic is probably going to be overflowing when I get back.”

As soon as he had left, she grabbed her phone, typing out a frantic message to Nora.

MARGO: We need to double our efforts to find the rings. Triple them. I have to figure out where they are.

NORA: Any ideas? We already looked everywhere at the inn.

MARGO: We’ll start with my office at The Gazette . Maybe they’re still where the decorations are stashed.

NORA: Okay. I’ll meet you there. Sunday?

MARGO: Sunday it is. We have to find them.