Chapter 10

TEN

August arrived with an abundance of warm, breezy days, prompting Emily to spend as much time outside as possible. She’d been restless for the last few months, probably since the night of her earth-shattering one-night stand. Maybe the exposure to Diana’s fearless confidence had opened Emily’s eyes to all the ways in which she was the opposite of fearless or confident.

She stared at the trail marker ahead, marking the split where the trail divided. To the right, the Blossom Trail meandered along a scenic hillside, while the Crescent Peak Summit Trail veered left, headed for the top of the mountain. Beside her, Alexis pulled out her water bottle and took a long drink.

“I’m going to do it this year,” Emily announced as she and Alexis took the fork onto the Blossom Trail. “I’m going to make it to the summit. This is going to be my year.”

“Cool,” Alex said. “But I don’t know why you care so much if you make it to the top. It’s just a mountain.”

“Because it’s not that hard. I should be able to do it.” She gazed toward the peak. “The rest of you have done it more than once. The only thing holding me back is myself. It’s a hurdle I really want to conquer.”

“If it’s that important to you, then yes, you should do it. Let’s get you ready to make it to the top. What do you think would help?”

Emily pondered that as she and Alex walked to a large rock and sat to take in the view. With most people, she danced around her fears or changed the subject, but Alex was her closest friend and one of the least judgmental people she knew. “Confidence. That’s what I need.”

Alexis gave a brisk nod, as if this didn’t surprise her. “Is there a particular part of the trail that’s intimidating you?”

“Several of them,” Emily said. “I psych myself out at the ravine, and also the cliff.” The spot where hikers had to leap over a two-foot-wide chasm that dropped about ten feet was nerve-racking for many hikers, as was the part near the summit where the trail narrowed as it hugged the side of a cliff with a steep drop on one side.

But those were technical challenges. They weren’t what was truly holding her back.

“I have a mental block where the summit is concerned,” Emily admitted. “I’m afraid to push myself to the top. I don’t know why.”

“Okay.” Alex didn’t sound surprised by this either. “Do you think it’s because your mom hiked to the summit without you when you sprained your ankle that time? That was right before she left town, wasn’t it?”

“It was the last hike we ever took together,” Emily admitted. “She was—and still is, I guess—so stubborn when she puts her mind to something. Nothing was going to stop her from making it to the top that day.”

Alex’s lips twisted to the side. “Not even helping her injured daughter. ”

Emily wished she could say she’d encouraged her mom to keep going without her, but that wasn’t true. She’d been in so much pain and so afraid she’d broken her ankle. She’d been in tears when her mom went on without her, promising she’d be back before Emily knew it.

She’d known it. She felt like she waited forever, ankle throbbing, tears drying on her cheeks, waving off concerned hikers who stopped to help, wondering why a ten-year-old was alone on a trail that difficult. Finally, Violet had returned, euphoric over her success as she’d shown Emily photos from the summit.

A month later, Violet had followed her boyfriend du jour to Paris, leaving Emily with her grandmothers. Violet came back to Crescent Falls every now and then for the occasional visit, but as the years passed, those visits had become increasingly awkward. Seeing your mother and realizing you don’t know her anymore was almost worse than not seeing her at all.

It had been close to a decade since her last visit, when she’d breezed into town, having booked a room at the inn so she and Emily could spend time together. Emily had tried her best, but she’d been in her midtwenties then, and her mother was little more than a stranger. After a couple of uncomfortable dinners, Violet had done what she did best and left.

These days, she occasionally tagged Emily on Facebook with captions like “Wish you were here!” which was even more awkward because she obviously didn’t. She’d never actually invited Emily to visit her.

Maybe Alex was right; maybe her mom’s abandonment was part of Emily’s mental block when it came to reaching the summit. Ugh . Thinking about her mother filled Emily with all sorts of uncomfortable feelings, so she tried not to whenever possible.

“Anyway.” Emily hugged her knees against her chest. “I want to do the hike.”

“Good for you,” Alex said. “Seems like this is about more than making it to the top of the mountain for you, and I’m all for pushing ourselves to do hard things, especially when we have besties there to support us.”

She gave Alex a grateful look. “Besties make everything better.”

“I need to push myself too, I think,” Alex said. “I took this job at Frankie’s store to tide me over while I looked for something better, and now I’ve been there for two years.”

“It’s not a bad job,” Emily said.

“No, but I’m not using my degree. I’m not doing what I love.” Alex had been so proud of her culinary degree when she graduated. She dreamed of opening her own bakery someday, but in the meantime, she’d taken a job at a restaurant in town. The reality of life in a kitchen, though, was that Alex had worked a lot of nights, weekends, and holidays—the opposite of her girlfriend, Frankie, who owned a shop downtown that sold local art and home goods.

Emily was fond of that shop. Frankie sold some really unique things there, and she kept a selection of Emily’s paintings on consignment. In fact, Frankie’s shop was responsible for a significant portion of Emily’s local sales.

Alex’s and Frankie’s opposing schedules had caused friction in the relationship, though, so when the restaurant where Alex worked went out of business, she’d taken a temporary job working with Frankie at her shop. Two years later, Alex was still working there.

“It’s hard living and working with Frankie.” Alex shrugged. “Sometimes, I think it would be nice to have one part of our daily lives that’s separate, you know?”

“Totally. Have you applied for any other jobs?”

“Not in a year or so,” Alex admitted. “I haven’t even looked.”

“Okay. You help motivate me to get to the top of the mountain, and I’ll help you dust off your résumé and get back out there. Deal?”

Alex grinned, tapping her knuckles against Emily’s. “Deal.”

When Emily got home later that afternoon, she was somewhat surprised to find a text from her grandma, asking her to stop by when she had a chance. Grandma had followed the text with a sunflower emoji, which was code for “nothing’s wrong.” It had started during Gram’s cancer treatments, when every text sent Emily into a panic that they’d received more bad news. A sunflower emoji meant Emily didn’t need to worry.

Even now, the presence of that cheery flower after a text was a source of reassurance. Still, their definition of “not bad news” might differ slightly from Emily’s if this had anything to do with the inn. For the last two months, Emily had been waiting with bated breath for an update to the news they’d blindsided her with earlier that summer.

After a quick shower, Emily walked over to the inn. Already, she could feel a crispness in the evening air that hadn’t been there a few weeks ago. Soon, fall would arrive, and that was when Vermont really dazzled. Emily had never lived anywhere else, but she could still appreciate that she lived in a beautiful state. The foliage was truly spectacular, and she couldn’t wait to paint it. Her foliage paintings were always highly anticipated among her customers.

At the inn, she bypassed the front door and circled around back to the patio that marked the private entrance to Grandma and Gram’s apartment. A rainbow-striped suncatcher winked against the glass, casting bursts of light across the white-painted wood beneath her feet. Emily smiled as she knocked.

“It’s open, honey,” Gram called from inside.

Emily went in, shutting the door behind her. “Hi.”

“We’re in the kitchen,” Grandma answered, and Emily followed the scent of something savory as she crossed the living room and entered the kitchen. “Stew’s almost finished. Want to join us for dinner?”

“I’d never say no to dinner I don’t have to cook or your stew. So what’s up?” Emily sat at the kitchen table.

“We won’t keep you in suspense.” Gram gathered her braids in one hand, pulling them back from her face as she sat across from Emily. “We’ve sold the inn.”

“Oh.” The word came out almost like a gasp. Emily swallowed hard. “That’s…congratulations. It must be a big relief for you.”

“Aww, honey, you should see your face.” Gram gave her a sympathetic look. “This isn’t going to be as big of a change as you think, except that Grandma and I won’t be living in this apartment. We’ve got our eye on a little house just a few miles down the road, though, but that’s a story for later.”

Emily’s smile felt more natural then. Grandma and Gram would only be living a few miles away? That wasn’t so bad. “So who’s your buyer? Anyone I know?”

“In a manner of speaking. We’ve sold to a brand-new company, Aster Boutique Hotels.”

“I love the name,” Emily enthused. Asters were one of her favorite flowers, so cheerful.

“I do too,” Gram told her. “They’re a company who buys and oversees independent, boutique hotels around the country, and the Inn at Crescent Falls will be their first purchase. The owner was able to give us all the assurances we’ve been looking for, that our queer legacy won’t be touched. Our staff will remain unchanged with the exception of a new manager who will replace your grandma and me. We’re going to sell the cottage to you separately for a few hundred bucks, whatever’s legal, so the deed is yours. No one can mess with your home.”

Emily fiddled with her bracelet. “That sounds great, except that they’re a brand-new company. What if they go out of business and the inn ends up in bankruptcy or sold to someone who’ll change things?”

“The owner doesn’t seem like she’s accustomed to failing,” Grandma said, joining them at the table. “In fact, as Gram mentioned, you’ve met her: Diana Devlin. She’s left Devlin Hotels and started her own company.”

“Holy shit!” Emily blurted, then slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, but wow…that’s… wow .” She gave her head a quick shake. Diana had awed Emily with her ten-year plan to run Devlin Hotels. How had she gone from that to this? What could have changed so drastically in such a short time?

“Why is that so surprising to you?” Gram asked.

“Because when I met her, she told me about her plan to become CEO of Devlin Hotels. She had it all mapped out. It was honestly one of the most impressive things I’ve ever heard, so now I’m wondering…how did her plans change so suddenly? Maybe she’s all talk. Maybe you ought to be cautious accepting her offer.” It was hard to imagine Diana not being every bit as competent as she seemed, but then again, she’d bitten off more than she could chew with her hike. What if that was a more common occurrence for her than Emily had thought ?

“It’s a risk we’re willing to take,” Grandma said. “Her plan is solid, Em. We feel confident about it. Since we’re her first acquisition, she’s going to come up and manage the inn herself during the transition, so Gram and I can start our retirement immediately.”

“She’s coming here?” Emily cleared her throat to cover the slight squeak in her voice. Diana was coming back to town. Oh boy…

“Yes. She’ll be here for two months or so, until she’s hired a full-time manager,” Grandma said.

“We’ve booked a month-long cruise around the Mediterranean.” Gram’s eyes were glowing now, excitement radiating from her so powerfully, Emily felt it in the pit of her stomach. “We leave mid-September.”

“Oh, that’s…really soon.” Emily’s eyes stung, but she wasn’t going to cry about this. It was just…why did everyone she loved eventually leave her to go travel the world? First her mom, then Jenny—the woman she’d fallen head over heels in love with about five years ago—and now her grandmothers. “So the sale is a done deal, then?”

“It is, honey,” Grandma told her. “We got the price we wanted, and Ms. Devlin has given us every assurance we asked for. If her company goes belly up in ten years, well, who’s to say the same wouldn’t have happened to us? We can’t control everything. We can only do our best, and this seems as close to perfect as we could hope for. Your job and home are secure, the inn’s legacy is secure, and we get to retire while we’re still young enough to enjoy it.”

“We’re going to drink wine in Florence, Em.” Gram’s voice was awed. “We’re going to dip our toes in the Mediterranean and have real champagne in France and tour the Sistine Chapel.”

“That does sound amazing.” Emily smiled despite the lump still lodged in her throat. Unlike her mom, Gram and Grandma were coming back, and they deserved an amazing trip like this more than anyone she knew. “I’m sure I don’t have to remind you to take lots of pictures?”

“We’ll create an album on Facebook,” Grandma promised. “And update it every night.”

“Unless we’re too busy having fun,” Gram added.

Emily laughed. “I’m really happy for you both. You deserve this.”

“And you’re okay with the sale of the inn?”

“I mean, I’m as okay with it as I’m going to get.” Emily decided to go for full honesty…well, at least about the inn. “Change is hard for me. You know that, but I know I’m just being selfish, and I’ll get over it.”

“Oh, honey.” Gram wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her tight. “You’re not selfish, and I think that, in the long run, this is going to be good for all of us. You’ll see.”

“I hope so.” Emily tasted salt on her lips and realized she’d lost the battle with her tears. “Mostly, I’m just so glad that you’re going to have this amazing retirement together. Now, tell me more about this little house a few miles down the road?”