The Inn at Misty Lake: Book Two in the Misty Lake Series (5 page)

A door opening down the hall made her jump but when she realized Riley wasn’t coming just yet, she wandered on. A series of family photos taken with obvious care and loving detail dominated the next section of wall space. She stopped when she came to a grouping of pictures and newspaper clippings of Riley and Frank dressed in hockey gear. She glanced at some of the headlines from the local paper touting the ‘dynamic duo’ of Frank and Riley McCabe, co-captains of the high school team. Susan had just started to read when Riley reappeared.

“You never told me you played hockey.”

“It’s not what I usually lead with.”

Susan laughed. “Point taken.” Indicating the article she had started to read, she added, “Apparently you were pretty good.”

He seemed embarrassed. “I don’t know…”

Susan scanned the article then, with a trace of admiration in her voice said, “You set the school record for most goals scored?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Why don’t you like to talk about it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like to talk about it, I do…sometimes.” When she gave him a confused look he sighed and continued. “I know a few guys who seem to have never gotten over their high school glory days. Every time I run into them we have to rehash the same old stories. Honestly, none of them have done much with their lives since high school. It’s almost as if wearing a letter jacket for a couple of years was as good as it’s ever going to get for them. I guess I don’t want to wind up like that so I tend to avoid the subject.”

Susan cocked her head and gave a slow nod. “That’s deep, McCabe.” Putting up a hand to stop the retort she saw forming on Riley’s lips she added, “But I get it. Although, I don’t think you have to worry about never accomplishing anything worthwhile past your school days.”

“Well…thanks.”

“Still, I’d love to learn more about the dynamic duo. Maybe over pizza? I can tell you all about my glory days, too. But, I have to admit, there’s really not much to tell.”

He gave her a warning look. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re showing me that notebook, Red.”

“Relax, I’ll show it to you.”

Riley muttered something under his breath as he made his way to the door. With a last glance at the pictures on the wall, Susan followed.

6

The Brick was crowded and they had to wait for a table. The smell of hot baked pizza had Susan’s stomach growling in anticipation. As she scanned the restaurant, she spotted Shauna at a table, laughing with a group of girls who all seemed close in age. Good, she’d get a chance to talk to her about checking over some of the furniture left behind at the house. Shauna spotted them and, after looking at the two of them with narrowed eyes as if trying to decide how she felt about seeing them together, gave a little wave.

Once they were seated and had ordered a pizza and a pitcher of beer, Riley put his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his folded hands. Giving a quick nod to the bag Susan had tucked into the corner of the booth, he said, “Shall we get started, Miss Taylor?”

“So formal. I guess you’re not in the mood for small talk?”

“Let’s get this over with and then see if we can’t enjoy the rest of the evening.”

“Okay, fair enough.” Reaching for her bag, she pulled out the notebook and laid it on the table, hands protectively on top. She wanted to ease into it. “Now, some of what’s in here is vague, just ideas, concepts, that would come to me and I’d jot down. Some of it is a little more concrete with sketches, color and fabric swatches, maybe the name of a website or two.” She snuck a peek to judge his reaction, but was met with a steady gaze and an impassive expression.

“Hmmm, let’s see, where should I start?” She was talking to herself more than to Riley, but he answered her.

“Start at the beginning and go through to the end. I seem to remember saying I want to see the entire notebook.”

“Yes, I guess you did say that, didn’t you?” With a deep, fortifying breath, she began.

“The first thing is a sketch I did for the addition I mentioned. I really think it would be a good idea to have some distance from the guests, as I said before, and it seems to me like there would be plenty of room to build on behind the kitchen. Now, I don’t claim to have your skills when it comes to drawing up plans, but you should be able to get the general idea.”

Riley glanced at the paper but didn’t say anything. Susan flipped a couple of pages showing Riley more on the addition. “Here’s the stuff I jotted down about the event center in the barn. We’ve already talked about a lot of this.” She turned the page again and added, “This is the idea I had for the bar.”

Riley put his hand over hers when she made to flip the page again and looked more closely at the sketch and notes she had jotted down regarding the bar. He pulled his small notepad from his pocket and wrote something quickly before nodding, indicating she should move on. Susan flipped through pages showing ideas for the attic rooms, beach, dock, gazebo, fire pit, chicken coop, and storage shed. There were photos of detailed porch railings, an ornate doorknob, shutters, and even a mailbox.

Susan skipped over a few blank pages and took a break for a slice of pizza before opening further back in the notebook. “That was my outside section. Back here I have ideas for inside.” She showed him paint strips, fabric swatches, and china patterns. She had cited several websites on the pages with notes next to them. She had sketched built-in shelves surrounding the stone fireplace. There were several pages devoted to trim work, crown molding, stair railings, and newel posts as well as kitchen cabinets and appliances.

When she paused and looked up at him, Riley asked, “Those pages you skipped over? You’re sure they were blank?”

“Yes, McCabe, they were blank.”

“So is that everything?” He reached for the notebook but she slapped her hand down on it.

She hesitated just a moment then said, “Well, there’s just one more thing, I haven’t even gotten it in here yet, but I was wondering about adding fireplaces to some of the bedrooms.”

“Gas fireplaces I hope?”

“I was thinking the real thing. I know it would be a lot of work and they’re messy, but they’re so romantic.”

She watched as Riley closed his eyes in what seemed to her to be an especially long blink, before beginning. “First, you have some very good ideas.” She brightened and sat a little higher in the booth. “But, there are some things I really think you should forget about. Just wait,” he cautioned when she started to speak. “Next, we need to discuss your planned opening date. If you’re sticking with the time frame we talked about when you first approached me with all this, you’re going to have to forget about most of your new ideas. Otherwise, you’ll have to push that date back.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Susan snuck in before Riley could continue.

“And I need to ask, when did you do all this?” He sounded totally perplexed and was shaking his head.

“I don’t sleep much.”

“Apparently not. You know, Susan, this is a long process. I understand the excitement that comes with undertaking a project like this and I understand how it can be tempting to try to make everything perfect, but you need to realize that scaling back on, or at least postponing, some of these ideas is going to be necessary. If you try to do all of this,” he waved a hand toward the notebook, “you’re going to have to wait a long time until you’ll feel like it’s done.”

“Okay.”

“Now, some of your ideas, if you really want to go through with them, should be done at the outset. The attic rooms, for example, would be difficult to do later. Not that it can’t be done, but it would be an inconvenience having construction going on in the house when you have guests.”

Susan nodded in agreement and Riley continued. “Personally, I think the event center could wait. It’s away from the house, construction there wouldn’t be such a problem sometime down the road. But, if you’re set on having it ready for Sam and Jake’s wedding then I’ll figure out a way to get it done.”

Susan felt happier by the moment and silently toasted herself with her glass of beer. Things were going better than she had expected. Riley hadn’t ripped the notebook to shreds and he was actually complimenting her on some of her ideas.

“By the way, do Sam and Jake know they’re having their wedding reception there? I meant to ask you why you avoided the subject of the event center with Sam the other day.”

“Um, not exactly. Or, just no, I guess. I haven’t brought it up with Sam yet. She’s got some things she still needs to work through. We’re going back to Chicago soon and after she puts some of her past behind her once and for all, I’ll ease her into it.”

Riley’s attitude changed at the mention of Sam’s past and he looked concerned as he asked, “Is she okay? I thought things were going well for her. Once that nut job was caught last summer and after she and Jake got engaged, she seemed to be a different person. When I first met her she had so much sadness inside her and was so closed off to everyone around her, but that seems to have all changed.”

“You’re pretty perceptive, McCabe.” Susan gave Riley an approving nod. “She is so much better. If you had known her a year ago, you wouldn’t believe it’s the same person. Losing Danny and then Granddad and dealing with everything that came about after his death was almost more than she could bear. But, I think that now, with the wedding plans facing her and realizing that she really is moving on, things have been a little difficult. I’m confident going back to Chicago is what she needs and that she’ll come back here ready to tackle the wedding planning. That’s when I’ll tell her my plans.” Susan grinned smugly.

“Well, you have to know, I guess. Now, moving on. About the addition. I think that needs to wait. Hear me out,” he said as she jumped to interrupt. “I’m not saying you should never do it. I think having a separate space for yourself is a very good idea. Maybe a sanity-saving idea. But an addition like you’re talking about will be a big expense and will take a lot of time and manpower. Hold off a year and see how business is going, then make your decision. Building off the kitchen won’t be too disruptive, work won’t even be visible from the front of the house.”

Susan was quiet, her mind working as she chewed on her lip and frowned. “I suppose you’re right. I know I need to watch my budget, I sometimes forget about that part. But if everything goes well business-wise, maybe I can do it down the road.” She forced a smile.

“What I can do is turn that weird extra room off the kitchen into a bathroom. I know you were planning on storage there but once I get the cellar waterproofed, I think you’ll be fine using that for most of your storage. Then, with the bathroom and assuming you take the main floor bedroom for yourself, you’ll still have some privacy.”

“Oh, that’s perfect! I hadn’t thought of that. See, I knew there was a reason I hired you.”

Riley chuckled. She was like no other woman he had ever known. She wore her emotions very close to the surface. Whether she was angry, frustrated, or pleased about something was never in question. He sensed someone would never be on the receiving end of the silent treatment from her. He had known plenty of women, some he was related to, who would get upset or angry but never give a clue as to why. As if he was supposed to read their minds? With Susan, he figured, there would be some spirited discussion, some yelling, then it would be over and they would make up and move on.

Riley drew in a quick breath and blinked hard. How had his thoughts moved so seamlessly to picturing he and Susan arguing and making up? He stared at her trying to figure out what she had done to put such ridiculous thoughts in his head. It had to be her fault, he reasoned. She said something, did something, that had him imagining a life with her. His eyes bored into her searching for some way to place blame until she cleared her throat.

“Hey, McCabe, are you listening to me?”

“Huh?” It seemed to be all he could manage.

“I said, are you listening to me? I asked you what other plans of mine you’re going to nix.”

“Oh, um…” He struggled to remember what he had been telling her. Fireplaces, that was it. They were going to have a fireplace in their bedroom. No! Damn, he needed to get away. “I’ll be right back,” he mumbled and dashed from the booth to the men’s room.

Susan stared after him wondering what had just happened. Before she had a chance to think too hard on it, Shauna sat down in Riley’s just-vacated spot.

“What’s with my brother? He almost sprinted across the room. I hope he’s not already so impossible to work with that you slipped him something in his beer.”

Laughing, Susan answered, “No, I did not do that. Although, it’s a good idea. I’ll hang on to that one in case I need it later. I don’t really know what got into him. We were talking about plans for the inn and all of a sudden he just kind of spaced out. Weird, really.”

“Well, my brothers can be weird.”

Changing tracks, Susan said, “I’m glad you stopped by, I want to ask you something.”

“Shoot.”

“Riley tells me you’re into antiques, that you know what’s what, and whether something may be valuable.”

“I love antiques. I can’t claim to know everything, but I’ve studied up on some things. Why?”

“Quite a bit of furniture, some knick-knacks, some other things were left behind at the farmhouse. I wouldn’t know an antique table from one in Ikea’s clearance bin. I was wondering if you’d be willing to come take a look, see if you think any of it is worth holding on to.”

Shauna’s face lit up. “I’d love to! Tomorrow?”

“Wow, really? You could come that soon?”

“Sure, I can’t wait to see what you have.”

“I can’t promise there’s anything of value but, like I said, I really don’t know so you’d be doing me a big favor. I’m curious about the history of the house and about how far back some of the things might date. Oh, and I found a journal today from someone who lived there, I assume, and graduated from high school in 1949. It made me even more curious. I was telling Riley I wish I’d have some pictures of what it used to look like.”

“You should talk to Frank. He did some research a few years back for Misty Lake’s anniversary celebration. He found some old photos. I don’t know if he has any of your place, but it’d be worth asking him.”

“I’ll do that,” Susan answered as Riley reappeared. He seemed himself again and chatted for a few minutes with Shauna before she left with her friends.

Once they were alone again he picked up as if nothing had happened. “The last big thing I wanted to discuss with you is your idea for fireplaces. I know wood-burning sounds cozy and romantic and everything, but I really hope you’ll listen to me when I tell you you’re far better off with gas.”

Riley hoped he sounded normal, he thought he did, but after what happened a few minutes ago, he wasn’t sure of anything. He’d had to splash cold water on his face and give himself a serious talking to about his crazy fantasy, or whatever it had been, before he’d dared come back to the table. He had even considered he may be drunk, but then realized he’d only had one glass of beer so couldn’t blame the alcohol. In the end, he’d decided with he and Susan spending so much time together, talking house, even coming across the old journal and imagining what life must have been like, it was only natural his mind had wandered a little. No big deal. It wouldn’t happen again.

“Are you saying it wouldn’t be possible to build wood-burning fireplaces or that you just don’t want to?”