Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Later that day, back at her own cottage, Caroline ran through her mental to-do list once again.

Toby was playing happily in his playpen, gurgling to himself as he tossed around a set of large, connected plastic rings. She glanced over at him, smiling, and then looked at the clock. Jay would be home from school soon, and she still had a lot more things to do than she had hours in the day. Not the least of which was the fact that she needed to get dinner started.

She’d spent all day running around after Margo had left. She’d enjoyed the small coffee break with her mother and her sister, but it had left her thirty minutes behind in an already packed schedule.

The inn was at capacity for the weekend, which meant housekeeping for every room, and making sure that all of the guests had anything special that they’d asked for. She had notes for every guest, their likes and dislikes, if they’d bought additional packages or just had recurring requests from prior visits, but she’d had to go over them multiple times this morning, feeling over and over like she’d forgotten something.

Then there was helping her mother with meal prep, and helping her father with the chickens and goats, and office paperwork, as well as finding out if there were any repairs around the inn that needed to be made, and all of the little things that always managed to find a way to add themselves to her to-do list.

She glanced over at Toby again, the sight of him sorting through blocks now in the center of his playpen making her smile, and set about getting dinner ready. She had all the ingredients for her favorite winter casserole, involving butternut squash, sage, ham, potatoes, and heavy cream.

She put on some soft background Christmas music in the kitchen as she worked, humming to herself and letting herself unwind just a little. She’d gotten much better at cooking over the years, and now it felt a bit meditative, something that she could just focus directly on and cut out all the noise of the endless other things that needed doing.

Other things that, once the casserole was finished, she could focus on.

She slid the casserole dish into the oven, set a timer, and walked into the living room where Toby was still happily playing. There was plenty that needed doing in that room alone—she needed to vacuum, dust, and finish putting up the Christmas decorations that were still sitting in their plastic tote next to the fireplace.

The tree was up and decorated, but she had mantle decorations and things for the stairs and the rest of the house to arrange. But, she thought as she looked around, she could sit down for a minute. Just a minute, and close her eyes, while she listened to Toby’s happy babbling and the soft sound of the wind blowing the snow around outside.

Before she knew it, she suddenly heard the sound of Rhett’s boots kicking off snow in the entryway, and the door opening as he walked into the house. She jolted up, realizing with a start that she must have fallen asleep.

“Do you have something in the oven?” Rhett called out from the entryway, and Caroline jumped up, the acrid scent hitting her nose a second after he said it.

“Dinner’s burning!” she gasped, rushing to the kitchen. She yanked open the oven, pulled out the smoking casserole dish and dropped it on top of the stove. One look at it told her that it was unsalvageable; she must have fallen asleep so hard that she hadn’t even heard the timer go off. It was completely burnt to a crisp.

She was going to have to start all over again from scratch. The thought hit her so hard that she started to cry, looking at the mess of dinner in front of her. She was far too overwhelmed.

Rhett’s arms slipped around her waist from behind, and she felt him squeeze her gently as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said calmly. “But it’s probably a good thing that you’re married to a fireman.”

That made Caroline laugh through her tears, sniffling them back as she nodded. “You know, Margo said the same thing this morning, about Spencer. He told her that it was a good thing she’s marrying a doctor since she keeps insisting on going on those risky hikes.”

“See? The Stoker women know how to pick their other halves.” Rhett dropped a kiss on her cheek. “It’s going to be okay. We can get takeout if you want. I’ll call up to the Grill and put in an order. Or we can make sandwiches, I think there’s some leftover shredded chicken from lunch. Maybe some taco shells in the pantry.”

“Takeout sounds nice,” Caroline admitted. She leaned her head back against Rhett’s shoulder, allowing herself to luxuriate for just a moment in the feeling of him holding her. “I feel so behind on everything,” she said quietly, still staring at the burned mess of casserole in the dish.

In the living room, she could still hear Toby happily babbling away, completely unaware of any stress she felt at the moment. That was a good thing, so it made her feel slightly better, along with the fact that Rhett’s arms were still around her.

“I’ve been telling Mom for weeks that I would put the lawn ornaments and Christmas decorations up at the inn, and I haven’t had time to do it,” she admitted. “Normally it’s all out the day after Thanksgiving. Mom and Dad can’t go up to the attic any longer, and I would get Nora or Margo to help, but they’re busy too, these days. And the guests are going to expect to start seeing Christmas decor soon.”

“I can help,” Rhett offered, and Caroline made a soft noise of acknowledgement, turning to give him a peck on the cheek.

“I appreciate that. I really do. But I know exactly how Mom likes the decorating done, and we’re both really particular about it, especially me. I’ll get around to it.”

For a moment, Rhett looked like he wanted to argue, but he nodded, leaning in to give her a kiss instead. She closed her eyes, and just as she expected to feel him kiss her—the shriek of the fire alarm interrupted them, making them both jump back.

Rhett started to laugh. “Hang on, I’ll take care of it. Don’t go anywhere,” he told her, with mock firmness, and Caroline laughed.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I have this to clean up.”

But it didn’t feel quite as daunting, now that she and Rhett had been laughing in the kitchen together. It hadn’t shortened her to-do list at all, or changed the fact that they were going to eat dinner even later now, but it had made her feel less like everything was on the verge of toppling.

She should let herself enjoy things like that more, she told herself as she scraped the burnt casserole out into the garbage can. She had always struggled with letting herself relax and taking time for herself, but at least in the past, she’d had a more manageable to-do list and the time to do those things if she wanted to. Now, she usually felt like she didn’t have the time to relax into those moments like coffee with her sisters or romantic moments with Rhett.

But she could tell that it helped. It was a good reminder.

“Do you remember the possessed smoke alarm at the inn that was the reason we met?” Rhett’s voice cut through her thoughts as he walked back into the kitchen, and Caroline set the pan in the sink to soak as she turned around to face him.

“Of course I do,” she said with a laugh. “It was so frustrating! I didn’t have time to deal with it, and there didn’t seem to be a reason for anything to be wrong. But it just kept going off, and you kept having to come and check on it. If I didn’t know that it was that stupid electric furnace that was wired wrong, I’d think you’d rigged it so you could keep coming to see me,” she added, poking him teasingly in the chest.

“I’d have done it if that’s what it took.” Rhett set his hands on her waist, leaning in to finally grab that kiss. “As persistently annoying as that smoke alarm was, it was worth it. And you didn’t feel like you had time back then, but you handled it all just fine. I know you’re going to keep doing that. I was impressed with you back then, and I still am now, all the time.” He leaned down, kissing her again. “How about I go get us dinner from the Grill, and when I come back, Jay will be home and we can put Toby down for bed, and have a nice family dinner.”

“I’d like that.” Caroline smiled, feeling a little of the tension seep out of her shoulders.

“I’ll call.” Rhett went to sit at the kitchen table as Caroline finished washing what dishes she could from making dinner, and left the casserole pan to soak overnight. Just as Rhett was hanging up, probably to ask her what she wanted him to go and get for takeout, Jay came barreling through the front door.

“I’m home!’ he yelled, his voice carrying through the house and making Toby let out a joyful screech. “And my homework’s all done! Can we watch a movie tonight?”

Caroline looked anxiously at Rhett, who stood up and came over to give her another squeeze. “Sure thing, dude!” he called out to Jay. “Just run upstairs and get changed, and then we’ll talk about it. We’re having takeout for dinner, so you can come ride with me while I grab it.”

“I have a lot to do tonight.” Caroline bit her lip, and Rhett reached down, taking both of her hands in his.

“I know. But it’ll keep, and you’ll be bummed out later if we miss out on one of these nights when we’re all home, Jay doesn’t have homework, and we can all spend time together. It’s all right if the living room is a bit messy and all the decorations aren’t up yet.” He grinned at her. “Do you want me to get covered plates from Rockridge Grill? There’s brisket, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables, or I can bring home the pot roast sandwiches and fries that are the special tonight?”

“Sandwiches and fries sound good. Get me some of that aioli that Jonathan makes? And I’ll tidy up as much as I can until you get back.”

Caroline let out a breath, telling herself it would be all right if some items got pushed to the next day. Rhett was right there, telling her that it would be all right, and after all, her family was what mattered most. Not her need to cross items off of a list or have everything around her just so.

“I can.” Rhett hesitated, still holding her hands. “This is just a thought, sweetheart, but maybe you shouldn’t be trying to do everything all by yourself anymore. Maybe it’s time to look into hiring some help.”

Caroline’s eyes went wide. “I’m not hiring a maid !” she exclaimed, and Rhett chuckled.

“I know the idea of anyone but you cleaning your own house makes you twitchy. I don’t mean for our house, I meant for the inn.”

“Still…” Caroline was already shaking her head. “I don’t know if I like the idea of bringing someone else in. The inn has always been family. We’ve always taken care of things ourselves. It’s worked just fine that way for years.”

“Yes, because you’ve always had someone in the family helping out,” Rhett insisted gently. “For a long time, your parents ran things, and you helped. Then they started getting older, and you took over more, and it was more of you running things, and them helping. Nora moved back home, and she started to help out. Margo moved back home and moved into the inn, and I know she’s helped you with a lot. But now your parents are slowing down, Nora has a baby and her own business to run, and Margo is getting married and branching out into her photography classes. It’s starting to be just you, and that’s a lot of pressure.”

“It’s just the holidays?—”

“I know you want to think that.” Rhett rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles soothingly. “And I know your parents are still in good health, and they do a lot. But they’re going to want to enjoy some semblance of a retirement, although I don’t think either of them are ever going to stop completely,” he added with a chuckle. “Still, they’re slowing down a bit. I don’t want you to feel like you’re missing out on time with Jay, and Toby’s childhood, because you’re so overwhelmed. I know you want to do it all, but you really don’t have to.”

Caroline pinched the bridge of her nose, considering his words. She knew, deep down, that he was giving her good advice. That she should listen. She was overwhelmed, and tired, and she did want to spend more time with her own family.

But she also knew that she liked things a certain way, and that it would be incredibly difficult to adapt to someone else doing those things. Not to mention the fact that whoever she hired would have to be a very patient person, to put up with how picky she would be for a long time, at least until she learned to let go of some of it.

“I’ll think about it,” she finally said, speaking slowly. “But just think about it. Okay?”

“That’s all I ask,” Rhett promised, giving her another soft kiss. “I’ll go pick up dinner with Jay, give you a few more quiet minutes to knock some items off of your list. And then we’ll have a nice family night in.”

“Okay.”

Caroline smiled, taking a deep breath as she watched him walk out, grabbing his truck keys and calling for Jay. But as she watched him go, she couldn’t help wondering if she really could consider what he’d asked.

She had never imagined hiring a stranger to help out at the inn. But she had promised her husband that she would truly consider it.

So she would.