Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

That afternoon, Nora arrived with Madison all bundled up, ready to pick up Chessie.

She came in through the general store since she wanted to get some things from Leon. She knew that Bethany would probably give her everything that she needed for Chessie, at least to start, but she wanted to be extra prepared. So she grabbed a new dog bed—a cute, bone-shaped one in green and red that looked very festive—and some puppy treats and a few squeaky toys.

There was a Christmas stocking in a mink-like fabric that had a crinkly texture inside, and a squeaky bone, as well as a stuffed lamb. She had Leon bag them all up, just as she heard the connecting door open and saw Bethany walk in with Chessie squirming in her arms.

Aiden had been a little worried about agreeing to take the puppy that morning. He’d questioned if maybe they’d made a snap decision the night before, influenced by how perfect and romantic the night had been, as well as his musings about expanding their family and how adorable Madison had been with Chessie.

He pointed out that Madison was too little to actually realize that they’d agreed to take the puppy, so she wouldn’t be disappointed if they backed out. He’d expressed his concerns again that it might be too much since Nora would be doing the bulk of the work, taking care of both baby and puppy while he was working his long days at the carpentry business.

Nora was convinced that it would be a breeze though. After conquering Madison’s sleep schedule last Christmas, she felt sure that a puppy couldn’t be even half as difficult as that had been. And the thought of how happy it made Madison made her sure that it was the right plan.

Still, she couldn’t help but notice how frazzled Bethany looked as she carried Chessie out to her. Madison let out an excited squeal the instant she saw the puppy, and Nora felt that that was just confirmation that she’d made the right decision. Madison was already clapping her hands and reaching out for Chessie before Bethany had even passed her over to Nora.

“She’s been barking and running around all morning,” Bethany said, pushing a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “Getting all the other dogs that come in worked up. She has pretty much boundless energy, although that’s usual for a puppy her age. You’ll have your hands full, wearing her out.”

“She’ll have the whole house to run around in.” Nora took Chessie, smiling as the furry puppy curled up in her arms, squirming happily and trying to lick her face. “I’m sure she won’t be an inconvenience at all.”

“Well, if anything goes wrong, just give me a call,” Bethany said. “I don’t want you to feel that you’re locked into this, or anything. If it does prove to be too much, I’ll take her back until I can find her a home.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Nora reassured her, gathering up Chessie along with the bag of supplies, and giving Bethany a smile before heading back out into the bright winter afternoon.

Excited and a little anxious to get back, she took her baby and their—temporary—new puppy home.

Mid-morning on Tuesday, Caroline drove to The Mellow Mug, tapping her fingers nervously on the steering wheel to the sound of the Christmas music playing in the car the whole way. Fidgety as she was, she ordered her favorite cinnamon Americano and found a table near the window. She stared at her cup as she picked apart a maple cinnamon roll, anxious and wishing that her coffee would hurry up and cool down so that she would have something to distract her.

She’d made the mistake, after Rhett had urged her to think about hiring help for The Mistletoe Inn, of talking to Nora and Margo about it. She’d felt sure that as soon as she sat down with the two of them over lunch and told them about Rhett’s ridiculous idea, they would reassure her that it wasn’t at all necessary, that she was doing just fine, and that she was completely justified in not wanting help outside of the family to come in and start fussing around the inn.

Instead, they’d agreed with Rhett. She’d felt a little betrayed at first over the whole thing, feeling that as her sisters, they should have agreed with her from the jump. But Nora and Margo had both pointed out the same things that Rhett had. Their parents were slowing down, and after a lifetime of working hard and putting their all into the inn, they deserved to get to enjoy that slower pace.

Nora had pointed out that she could no longer come by as much as she once had, with Madison, the wedding planning, and reviving her own business. She’d used to come by the inn almost every morning for coffee and breakfast, now she only made it over a couple of times a week, outside of scheduled family dinners. Margo pointed out that she too, would be moving out of the inn soon after the wedding, and with planning it and her photography classes and job, she hadn’t had much time to lend a hand.

And they’d finished it up with a reminder that Caroline had two children to raise now, a stepson who was rapidly becoming a teenager, and a brand new baby. The two most difficult phases of childhood, Nora had told her with a laugh, and also the ones filled with all the biggest milestones. Margo had reminded Caroline that while she had always thrown herself fully into the work of the inn, she couldn’t give her whole life to it. And she shouldn’t. She had her own life as a wife and a mother now, and she should get to enjoy that too.

As much as she’d wanted to totally toss all of that out of the window, Caroline had to admit that her sisters had valid points. She had always had some form of help, in her parents or sisters. And now that help from those sources was tapering off, for a variety of reasons, she couldn’t expect herself to keep up the pace of running everything almost single-handedly forever.

She looked at her phone as her coffee finally cooled down enough to drink, re-reading the string of text messages that she had between her and the woman that she had finally settled on an interview with—a woman in her late thirties named Shelby Nussle. She’d put out a few feelers in town, trying to find out if anyone she knew also knew of someone looking for a part-time job.

Her best friend, Audrey, had said that her husband’s cousin Shelby had just moved into town, and was looking for work. She’d given Caroline a glowing recommendation, assuring her that Shelby would be perfect for the job, and it had been the only recommendation Caroline had felt comfortable following up on.

After all, Audrey knew Caroline better than anyone, other than her family and Rhett. If Audrey thought that this Shelby would be able to tolerate Caroline’s pickiness, and that they’d work well together, then Caroline thought that there was a good chance that was actually the case.

It was clear that Shelby was someone who was energetic, disciplined, and used to hard work. She had been a track athlete in high school, college, and afterward, according to the resume that she’d sent Caroline, and she’d worked as a coach for high school track in Burlington until very recently. On paper, and via her references, she seemed like exactly the sort of person that Caroline would want to hire.

Still, she couldn’t feel sure that the meeting would come to anything. She wasn’t sure that she wanted it to. But she had to admit that she couldn’t keep going the way she was. And just the thought of how many of Toby’s firsts that she might not be enjoying to their fullest because she was so distracted made her throat tighten, every time it popped into her head.

She needed more time to soak up this stage of his life. And Jay’s teenage years, which were going to be full of as many milestones as Toby’s first years, as Nora and Margo had reminded her. She didn’t want them to grow up remembering that she had always been working, more than anything else.

Looking up, she saw a woman that she didn’t recognize standing at the end of the counter, waiting on her coffee. The woman looked to be in her late thirties, with short brown hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, wearing a pair of workout leggings and a long, soft-looking dark red sweater, with duck boots. She looked in Caroline’s direction a moment later, green eyes bright, and a big smile crossed her face as she waved eagerly to Caroline with one hand and grabbed her coffee with the other.

“It’s so nice to meet you!” she exclaimed as she sat down. “Shelby Nussle. I haven’t been here long, but I already love this coffee shop. They have the best peppermint mocha. It’s even better than my little spot back in Burlington.”

“Caroline Donovan.” Caroline held out a hand, and Shelby shook it enthusiastically. “Audrey told me you might be interested in the job.”

“Oh, yes.” Shelby nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. “Audrey is the best, isn’t she? I’ve really been enjoying getting to know her better. She and Ted were lovely enough to let me crash at their place until I could find something of my own to rent. Not a lot of apartments here in Evergreen Hollow. But I think I’ll be looking for something to buy soon enough. Anyway, that’s not what I’m here to talk about. The job.” She refocused, smiling brightly, and Caroline couldn’t help but think that at the very least, Shelby had the energy for it.

“Tell me a little about yourself. You were a track runner and a coach? What brought you back here?”

“Well…” Shelby took another sip of her coffee, settling in. “I did track in high school, and went to college on a scholarship for it. I kept competing after college, until a knee injury made me quit. After that, coaching seemed like the next logical choice. I love kids, and I loved the sport, so I thought that would be perfect for me. And it was, but honestly, I started to feel burned out by all of it. I went through some big life changes—a breakup, friends moving away, you know the sort of thing—and I thought maybe I needed a more drastic change for myself. I felt like I needed new scenery, something quieter. Somewhere that I could think about what my personal dreams are now that I’m not running track any longer, you know?”

“I can understand that.” Caroline glanced down at her resume. “You do have some experience in hospitality though.”

“Yes!” Shelby nodded eagerly. “I worked for a bed and breakfast in Burlington all through college, to supplement what my scholarship gave me. I loved it, honestly. I liked interacting with the guests, hearing their stories about where they’d traveled from and what brought them there, all of that. I was sad to leave after college, honestly. But the place was downsizing, and I had to travel for track, so it didn’t work out for me to stay.”

“I see.” Caroline sat back, taking another long sip of her Americano. “This is part-time, for now at least, and probably for the foreseeable future. Evergreen Hollow definitely isn’t as expensive of a place to live as Burlington, but the salary probably won’t cover all your expenses. And I’ll need the schedule for the inn to take priority. Is that possible?”

Shelby nodded. “I’ve been doing some article writing, sort of freelance work on the side. I can easily schedule that around when you need me at the inn.”

Caroline let out a slow breath as she scanned the resume once more, thinking. On paper, Shelby was as perfect as Audrey had made her out to be. She was enthusiastic, had some experience, was friendly, and flexible. Caroline knew she should hire her, but she still felt hesitant. The inn was like her child, and she couldn’t help but feel that she was turning part of it over to a stranger after she’d spent so much of her life carefully tending it at all times.

“I think I’d be a great addition,” Shelby added. “I’d really like to come work for you, Mrs. Donovan. I’ve seen the inn from the outside, and it’s so cute. I’d love to work there.”

Slowly, Caroline nodded. “Alright,” she said finally. “We’ll do a two-week trial period. I’ll let you know, this is one of the busiest times of the year, so be prepared. It will be quite hectic. And I’m very particular about how things are done.”

“So were my employers at the place in Burlington,” Shelby said with a smile. “No worries there. It’s your place, so of course you are. I’m just going to be happy to learn how you like it all done.”

“I’ll see you bright and early Thursday, then,” Caroline said. “If that works?”

“Absolutely.” Shelby’s smile brightened. “See you then!”

As Caroline watched her go, she hoped that she’d made the right decision. She knew that Rhett and her sisters had been right to encourage her to bring someone else on.

But that didn’t mean that it would be easy to make that leap.