Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

The sunshine was calling her name. Emily stood behind the front desk, gazing dreamily out the window. She’d already decided to take her lunch break outside so she could soak in the sun. It was mid-September now, her absolute favorite time of year. The air outside was cool and crisp. The leaves were starting to turn, but the flowers were still blooming. It was perfect.

This year, it was a little bittersweet, because her grandmas had just left on their month-long Mediterranean cruise. Yesterday, they’d posted photos of themselves in Barcelona before the cruise ship departed. Emily missed them already.

The front door slid open, and Tom, Drew, Talia, and Alex walked into the lobby. What in the world? “What are you guys doing here?” Emily asked. It wasn’t totally unheard of for her friends to show up while she was at work, but it was unusual.

“We’re headed out for a quick hike this afternoon and thought we’d stop by and have lunch with you first,” Tom said, holding up a large bag from the deli in town.

“That’s extremely random, but thank you.” Emily stared at her friends, still suspicious, because Tom had a distinctly mischievous glint in his eye. He kept glancing down the hall toward the offices in back. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with me mentioning that Diana would be covering the desk while I took lunch today, would it?” She kept her voice pitched low, although it was still ten minutes before her lunch break and she hadn’t heard the distinctive click of Diana’s heels in the hall yet.

“Total coincidence,” Tom deadpanned while Talia giggled behind him. Drew was shaking his head like he couldn’t believe he’d been talked into this, and Alex just gave Emily a guilty shrug. “Okay, fine. We’ve all been dying to meet this woman, and Alex mentioned this potentially golden opportunity, so I insisted we crash your lunch break. But we brought your favorite pastrami!”

“I appreciate the pastrami…and the company, even if you’re here for stalkery reasons.” Emily rolled her eyes at her friends. She was glad to see them even if she simultaneously wanted to shove them back out the door because any minute now, Diana would come down the hall and stumble right into this setup.

“Sorry, but after you carried on about the best sex of your life and how this one-night stand changed you as a woman, you can’t blame us for absolutely having to meet her,” Tom said.

“Okay, first of all, keep your voice down, like… way down.” Emily raised her eyebrows at him, because not only did she not want Diana to hear any of this, but there were guests around too. “And secondly, I don’t remember saying anything about being a changed woman.”

“Maybe not those exact words, but you did say something to that effect,” Tom insisted. “You definitely looked like a changed woman when we went out for drinks that night.”

“I mean, you did,” Talia agreed. “You’d definitely had your world rocked.”

“It was just sex,” Emily whispered. “Really great sex, but just sex, and now she’s my boss for the next month or so, so I expect you all to be on your best behavior when she comes down that hall, okay?”

Tom lifted three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

“It’s weird without your grandmas here, huh?” Alex said, changing the topic. She glanced around the lobby as if looking for evidence of the new ownership.

“So weird,” Emily agreed. “I keep waiting to hear Gram’s laugh or see Grandma come through the front door.”

“How are they enjoying retirement so far?” Tom asked, resting his hands on the desk.

“They’re loving it,” Emily admitted with a rueful smile. “I wish I’d known how ready they were. Maybe I could have helped them get started sooner. They’ve been busy settling into their new house, and yesterday, they left on their Mediterranean cruise. They can’t wait to see the world.”

“I want to see the world,” Talia said, her tone wistful.

“Maybe we should expand our adventuring and have a big trip somewhere each year?” Drew suggested. “Because I’d like to travel more too, but I don’t have anyone to go with for anything other than my annual trip with my parents to visit relatives in Vietnam. I’d like to see new places too.”

“I’m in,” Tom agreed.

“Me too,” Talia said. “Let’s start somewhere warm…maybe with a beach. Family friendly would be a plus too, so Chantal and Colette could come with me.”

Emily pressed her lips together as her friends began talking over each other, excitedly planning their international adventure. She’d never been past the states that bordered Vermont—New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts made up the sum total of her travel experience. The thought of going farther, of seeing the world…it felt overwhelming somehow, like she might not find her way back home, like there was an invisible string tethering her here, a string she was afraid to break.

While Talia talked about zip-lining through the rainforest and Tom advocated for them to learn how to scuba dive, Emily’s attention diverted to the unmistakable click of heels against the hardwood floors. Behave, please, she silently begged her friends, because it was too late to say it out loud.

Diana came down the hall in maroon pants and a matching blazer that brought out the red highlights in her hair. She paused when she caught sight of the group gathered at the reception desk.

“Hi,” Emily said as Diana stepped beside her behind the desk.

Diana glanced at Emily’s friends, her brow slightly pinched as if she was trying to decide if these were guests and if so, why they were all hanging around the reception desk, talking about international trips. “Everything okay?” Diana murmured, that piercing gaze now focused on Emily.

Before Emily could answer, the raucous conversation around them ceased, everyone falling comically silent as they caught sight of Diana. Way to make things awkward, guys. They were all watching Diana now with barely disguised curiosity.

“My, um…my friends stopped by to take me to lunch,” Emily said. Diana was standing so close beside her, it had Em ily’s heart racing. Her cheeks were probably bright pink by now, and she was never going to hear the end of this.

“Hi,” Tom said, extending a hand. “I’m Tom, and that’s Alexis, Drew, and Talia. We’re all in an outdoor adventure group with Emily.”

“The Adventurers,” Diana said with a polite smile as she shook Tom’s hand. “Diana Devlin. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Tom enthused. “Hey, you’re welcome to join us on a hike or something while you’re in town. We go out almost every weekend. I think you’d fit right in.” He tapped the mini Progress flag on the front desk, not so subtly hinting at Diana’s sexuality, which he’d only know if Emily had told him about their night together, and she was definitely going to give him hell for this. She’d been trying to smooth things over with Diana, and this surely wasn’t the way.

“I do enjoy hiking.” Diana darted a glance at Emily, her expression guarded. “But I’m pretty busy right now with the inn.”

“I bet you are,” Tom said. “We were just saying how weird it is not having Emily’s grandmas around. They left you some pretty big shoes to fill, huh?”

“Alas, my shoes are quite small,” Diana quipped, glancing down at her feet, which were as petite as the rest of her, “but I spent all last week working with Eva and Mary to ensure the future of the inn will be what they envisioned. I’m confident I can continue their vision while also implementing a few new ideas to further the inn’s success.”

“I’m sure you can,” Tom said, and Emily knew him well enough to tell he’d been impressed with her answer. “Mary and Eva wouldn’t have left you in charge if they didn’t have faith in you. This inn’s special around here, you know? ”

“I do know.” Diana nodded, hands resting on the counter. “It’s important to me too. That’s why I made it my first purchase under the Aster Boutique Hotels brand.”

“Okay, I think we like you,” Tom said with a grin, drawing laughter from the rest of the group. “Have you gotten to see much of the town yet? Emily’s lived here her whole life, you know. She’s a great tour guide if you need one.”

“I’ve seen the basics,” Diana said, sidestepping the second half of his comment.

Emily’s heart was racing, embarrassment heating her skin. Surely by now, Diana realized that Emily’s friends knew about their night together, and Emily could only hope Diana wouldn’t be upset with her about it. But Diana’s expression remained polite. If she’d caught on to why the group was here, she gave no indication.

“You should come to the fall festival,” Talia suggested. “It’s the first weekend in October. It’s super fun and a great way to meet people in town.”

“We’ll see,” Diana deflected, but it sounded like a no.

Emily would be at the fall festival. She looked forward to it every year, and now that she was thinking about it, she wanted Diana to go. A lot of the local vendors who supplied the inn would be there, people who had expressed concern about the inn’s ownership changing hands, worried that a businesswoman from Boston was all wrong for the job.

Most people in Crescent Falls had been here their whole lives, and they tended to be distrustful of outsiders. This could be a good opportunity for Diana to build rapport and show she was dedicated to the community. Plus, Emily had been looking for an opportunity to smooth things over with her, and this could be just the thing.

But it was a conversation for another time. Right now, Emily was starting to sense something defensive behind Diana’s cool veneer. She probably felt ambushed by Emily’s friends, uncomfortable that they knew about her history with Emily. The best thing Emily could do was get them out of here before anyone said or did anything to make things worse.

“Come on, guys.” Emily stooped to grab her bag from its spot under the desk. “I’ve only got thirty minutes. Let’s get going.”

Luckily, her friends took the hint and started moving toward the door. Emily paused to look at Diana. “You good?” It was only the second time Diana would be watching the desk for her, and while she seemed at ease with the booking system, Emily imagined it had been some time since Diana had worked a frontline job like this.

Diana nodded, making a shooing motion with her hand. “Go and enjoy lunch with your friends. In fact, take the whole hour. I can use the opportunity to spend a little more time seeing how things run on this end.”

“Oh…are you sure?”

“Positive. The best way to understand what needs changing is to get hands-on experience.”

Emily smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Their eyes held for a moment, and Emily felt it in the pit of her stomach.

Oof .

Her attraction to Diana just kept growing, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. Suddenly aware that she and Diana were still standing close while her friends watched from the doorway, Emily turned and walked away.

“Enjoy your stay,” Diana told the young couple in front of her as she handed them their room keys. They’d had their arms around each other since they entered the lobby and kept sneaking kisses while Diana checked them in. Usually, she found that kind of public show of affection grating, but today, she felt an uncharacteristic tug of longing.

One of the women reminded her of Emily, which led Diana to imagine herself checking in to a hotel somewhere with Emily for a romantic weekend together. Now she was frustrated with herself for becoming increasingly smitten with Emily when she was supposed to be doing the opposite. These feelings were beyond inconvenient.

If she were anywhere else, Diana would visit the local gay bar and find someone to hook up with, a surefire way to get Emily off her mind. But Crescent Falls and its surrounding towns were too small to have a gay bar, and anyway, small towns weren’t suited to discreet one-night stands. She’d learned that lesson back in June.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she should have eaten something before she covered Emily’s lunch break. She glanced at her watch, surprised to see that it had already been forty-five minutes since Emily left. The time had passed more quickly than she’d expected while she’d been busy dealing with guests. She’d also jotted down several ideas to run past Carter while he was building the new website with its upgraded reservation system.

The front door slid open with a whoosh, and Diana’s polite smile became a genuine one when she saw that it was Emily. Even when things were awkward between them, Diana was always glad to see her. Emily was like a ray of sunshine in Diana’s day.

“Thanks for covering the desk for me,” Emily said, holding out an insulated cup. “Alex brought fresh cider from her parents’ orchard. I thought you might like some. It’s honestly the best cider you’ll ever have. I look forward to it every year.”

Diana took the cup, not sure if she’d ever had fresh cider before. “Thank you. That was thoughtful.”

“Any time. I want you to get a flavor of Vermont while you’re in town. This is the absolute best time of year here. Actually, you should really come to the fall festival that Tom was telling you about. It would be a great chance to meet some of our vendors and reassure other local business owners that you’re committed to the inn and its legacy, you know?”

“Why should I have to reassure them?” Diana frowned. Eva and Mary had sold the inn to her. Why did anyone else’s opinion matter?

“They’re mistrustful of outsiders. I’m sure they want to give you the benefit of the doubt because my grandmas vouched for you, but they don’t like big companies coming in and buying up local businesses. And I realize that’s not exactly what you did, but it kind of looks like it on paper. Anyway, don’t be a Jacqueline Norwood. Just make an effort around town, that’s all.”

“Who’s Jacqueline Norwood?” Diana asked.

“She used to be a famous ballerina, I think, moved here with her football-player husband about ten years ago. Rich as hell, both of them, and they never showed their faces in town. A lot of rich people retire here. As long as they don’t act like they’re better than us, we get along fine, but these two…” Emily shook her head. “He died a few years ago, and now she’s living in this big mansion all by herself, and she still hasn’t made any effort around town. You’d think she’d want to be involved in the local ballet company or something at least, right? From what I’ve heard, she’s stuck-up as hell, and before you say that’s just gossip…you’re right. It is gossip, but the point is that the town has made its mind up about her now. Don’t give them a reason to feel the same way about you, you know?” Emily shrugged. “Anyway, if you come to the fall festival, it’s a great way to get to know people. Plus, it’s a lot of fun.”

Diana lifted one shoulder noncommittally. She wasn’t the festival type, although she did see the value in Emily’s suggestion to be seen around town. Surely she could do that by visiting local businesses instead of attending this festival, though. “I’ll think about it.”

Emily nodded as she slid in beside Diana behind the desk. She was still several feet away, and yet, Diana felt her presence in every cell in her body. To distract herself, she lifted the cup and took a sip. Flavor exploded on her tongue, the sweet taste of apples with a rich spiciness she hadn’t expected.

“Wow, this is really good.”

Emily beamed at her. “I’ll tell Alex you said so. She worked in that orchard every year while she was growing up. She’s the one who suggested that her parents add a hint of maple syrup to the recipe, and I’m convinced that’s what makes it the best.”

“Mm.”

“Anyway, thanks for letting me take a long lunch with my friends.”

“No problem.” But the embers in Diana’s chest cooled as she remembered how uncomfortable she’d felt when she realized Emily’s friends knew about their history, that they’d clearly come here today to meet Diana because of it. Her stomach rumbled again, and she backed out from behind the desk, still holding the cup of cider. “I’m heading out for a bit, just call my cell if anything comes up.”

Diana stopped in her office to get her purse, then headed to her car in search of lunch. With Emily’s words echoing in her head, she decided to go to the café downtown instead of grabbing a sandwich to go from the general store as she usually did. If Emily thought Diana needed to be seen around town, well, that was something she could easily accomplish.

Her father had mentioned her failure to nurture business relationships as one of the reasons he’d passed her over for CEO. Diana never made the same mistake twice.

At the café, instead of taking a quiet table in back, Diana sat at the counter, chatting politely with a young waitress named Summer, who told Diana that her mother owned the place. The next thing Diana knew, she was being introduced to the owner.

“Cheryl O’Malley.” The woman shook her hand with a firm grip. “So you’re the woman who bought the inn. I was glad to hear Mary and Eva finally retired. Are you staying in town?”

“For a few months,” Diana told her. “Until I’ve hired a full-time manager at the inn. I’ve just started a new company—Aster Boutique Hotels—that will manage independent hotels across the country.”

“Oh yeah? You should stop by our local women-in-business group. We meet the second Monday of every month.” She rummaged around beneath the counter and handed Diana a business card.

“I’d love that,” Diana told her. “I’ll put your next meeting on my calendar.”

“Great. See you around, Diana.”

As she turned her attention to the bowl of soup in front of her, Diana decided that her outing had been a success. She was extremely curious to attend the next women-in-business meeting. Her phone buzzed with an incoming email, which turned out to be a notification that the toys she’d ordered were out for delivery.

Thank God. She really needed an orgasm she didn’t have to think about, the kind of release where she could just close her eyes and let the vibrator do all the work. The tension in her shoulders said that release couldn’t come soon enough. She hadn’t tried again on her own, knowing her anxiety was so high right now that she’d probably end up frustrated.

After lunch, she spent a quiet afternoon at the inn. Things had started to settle down now that she’d been here a week and a half. The initial bumps caused by the shift in ownership were beginning to level out. Just after five, she checked in with Jeremy, who had taken over the front desk from Emily a few hours ago, and then she headed for her car.

As she drove to her cabin, thoughts of a luxurious evening began to take root. She had a bottle of wine she could open, a hot tub she hadn’t yet used. Any minute now, that package would be delivered, and she’d be ready to indulge. There were benefits to living out here in the woods: no one to interrupt her evening of self-care.

This road was a dead spot for cell service, so as she pulled into the driveway, her phone began to ding with notifications as it connected to the cabin’s Wi-Fi. Diana had turned to grab her purse from the passenger seat when she saw movement. For a moment, her eyes couldn’t make sense of what they were seeing, a large black animal strolling across the driveway toward her car.

That was not a dog .

“Bear,” she whispered as adrenaline flooded her system, making her stomach swoop and her scalp prickle. There was a bear in her driveway. A huge bear.

Frantic, she jabbed a finger against the automatic lock button on the door. Of course, the doors were already locked, but she jabbed it several times just to make sure. She’d heard stories about bears breaking into cars…did they do that while people were inside them?

The bear glanced over its shoulder at her, and their eyes met, or at least that was how it felt to Diana. Despite her fear, she felt a bit awed in the presence of such a magnificent creature. She’d never seen one in person before. Big as it was, it didn’t seem aggressive…not that she was likely to get out of her car anytime soon…or ever .

As Diana watched, the bear crossed the driveway and ambled into the forest. She sat there, breathing hard. What should she do now? The trees around the house were so thick that she lost sight of the bear almost immediately. Had it kept walking, or was it watching her now, stalking her from the protection of the forest, waiting for her to leave the safety of her car?

Her phone began to ring, its cheery tune making her jump. Without looking away from the spot where the bear had entered the woods, she fumbled with her free hand until she’d grabbed it. A quick glance revealed Carter’s name on the screen.

“Carter, help,” she said as she connected the call. “I’ve been cornered by a bear in my car.”

“What? A bear? Where are you?” His voice rose, sounding more excited than alarmed.

“I’m in the driveway of the rental cabin. I just got home from work, and there was a bear in the driveway.”

“Holy shit. That’s so cool! Did you get a picture? ”

“No, I didn’t, and did you miss the part where I’m trapped in my car?” She rolled her eyes, slumping in her seat. The whole thing felt a little less scary with her nephew on the other end of the line.

“What’s it doing?” Carter asked, definitely sounding excited now. “Is it standing outside the car? Take a picture! I want to see.”

“It walked into the woods. I can’t see it anymore.”

“Oh. Then why are you trapped?”

“Because it might be stalking me from the trees, I don’t know. People get attacked by bears! Do we have grizzly bears in Vermont? This one was huge. Looked more black than brown, though.”

“Hang on. I’m googling.”

While he did that, Diana scanned the trees around her, looking for any sign of the bear. As far as she could tell, she was alone, but the trees were too thick to be sure.

“Okay, it seems like you only have black bears in Vermont, and they aren’t generally aggressive toward people. It says not to approach them…like, duh.” He laughed. “But if this one walked away and went into the woods, you’re probably fine.”

“All the same, I’ll wait a few minutes before I get out of the car. Were you calling for something specific or are you just lonely there in my town house by yourself?” She put a teasing note in her voice.

“I wanted to let you know you got a package and also, I’m going to come up and join you around the middle of next week. I should have the system ready to start testing by then.”

“Great.” Internally, she heaved a sigh of relief. Carter had turned out to be a bigger asset than she could have imagined, taking over all the technological aspects of the business. Diana didn’t consider herself a dinosaur when it came to technology, but she couldn’t have set up this new online-reservation system on her own. “There’s plenty of room for you here at the cabin, so just rent a car when you’re ready and let me know when to expect you.”

“Awesome. I can’t wait to see Vermont.”

“You should be just in time for the foliage,” she told him.

“Eh, leaves don’t excite me, but I’m sure I’ll find something to entertain myself.”

“You mentioned a package?” Diana asked.

“Oh yeah. I don’t know what it is. It’s pretty small. The return address label just says ‘shipping department,’ no company name.”

Oh no. A warm flush rose in her cheeks as she realized what Carter was holding, with its famously discreet packaging. In her rush to place the order a few days ago, she’d forgotten to update the shipping address. The toys had gone to her town house instead of coming here to her rental. “Oh. Um…”

“Want me to put it aside for you or is it something you need? I could bring it with me next week.”

“No,” she said quickly. “No need to bring it. It’s just, um—” She fumbled, trying to think of something he wouldn’t be tempted to open. “It’s a toiletry item, but I don’t need it urgently.” She hoped he misinterpreted her awkwardness to mean he was holding a box of tampons so he’d immediately put it aside and never mention it again.

It seemed to work. She heard the muffled clatter of him putting it down. “Okay. I left it on the end table for you.”

“Thank you.” She let out a sigh as she panned the woods again. There would be no battery-assisted relief for her tonight, and she wasn’t sure she felt comfortable sitting in the hot tub now that she knew there were bears in the area. Her evening of self-care was a bust.

And, now that she was thinking about it, she did need to buy tampons soon. Perhaps some of her recent irritability and difficulty sleeping could be chalked up to PMS.

“Are you still in the car?”

She sighed again. “Yes.”

“Come on, Aunt DD. The bear is long gone. You can go inside now.”

“Will you stay on the line with me, just to be safe?”

He snorted with laughter. “Not sure what help I can be from two hundred miles away, but sure.”

“You could at least call 911 on my behalf if you hear me being mauled,” she said dryly.

“You aren’t going to be mauled. Go on. I’ll stay on the phone.”

“Thank you.” Summoning her courage, she shut off the car and picked up her purse. Her heart gave a nervous kick as she stepped out of the car, half imagining that the bear would rush at her from the woods the moment she was exposed, but nothing happened.

She speed walked to the door and let herself in, locking it securely behind her.