Sweet Tomorrows

  “Emily.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to find Katie standing there.

  “Congratulations,” I said, giving her a genuine smile. “Oh Katie, it was a beautiful ceremony.”

  “I’m so glad you could make it,” she whispered. “Having you here is perfect; we both owe you so much.”

  While I appreciated her kind words, they weren’t necessary. “Shouldn’t you be with James?” Where she was always meant to be.

  “Probably. No worries, though. We’ll have the rest of our lives together. I wanted to thank you again.”

  “You have, several times already.”

  Katie slipped into the pew next to me and sat. “I don’t think you know how much it means to James and me that you would share this day with us.”

  As if hearing his name the chapel door opened and James walked in. “I thought I’d find you in here,” he said and came to stand behind his wife. He set his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward to kiss her neck. “It’s good to see you, Emily. You’re doing well?”

  “Yes, thanks, very well.” I didn’t mention that I’d moved out of Seattle and was teaching school in Cedar Cove. I stood, thinking it was time I left. “It was a beautiful ceremony. You two are perfect together.”

  James looked at his bride, his eyes full of love.

  Katie pressed her hand over James’s. “If I had one wish for this day it would be for you,” she said.

  “Me?”

  “That you would find the love you deserve with a man who will appreciate you and cherish you the way James does me.”

  “That’s a tall order,” I said, wishing the same thing for myself. “I see how James looks at you.”

  “That man is out there, Em,” James said. “And he’s going to be lost until he finds you, the same way I was until Katie came back into my life.” Then realizing what he’d said, he sent me an apologetic look.

  Em. He’d never called me Em before. The only one who ever had was Nick.

  “James is right. That special man is waiting for you,” Katie added.

  I smiled, my heart in turmoil but grateful for their reassurances. We hugged, and I left feeling a thousand times better than I thought I would. Nick was right. I needed to attend this wedding. It helped me realize that while it’d been a painful episode in my life, I’d done the right thing.

  For them.

  For me.

  The return drive to Cedar Cove seemed to take hours. The weekend traffic was heavy. It would be another two and a half months before my agreement with Nick was up. Surprisingly, my head and my heart were in a good place.

  —

  I was fairly confident Nick loved me. James had assured me there was a man who would love me. If I hadn’t known better I would swear James had found out about Nick. While I remembered the pain, I also remembered the love that radiated from him, too. The love that I’d rejected.

  Once back at the inn, I found Jo Marie sitting on the porch with Rover at her side. She managed a welcoming smile when she saw me. “How was the wedding?”

  “Unbelievable. Katie was a beautiful bride and the wedding couldn’t have been more perfect.”

  “Are you glad you went?”

  It surprised me to realize I was. “Yes.”

  “I hope you don’t mind. I found the invitation in the trash and took it back to your room just in case you changed your mind.”

  “You did that?” I knew I’d tossed it. “Actually, I’m grateful.” Attending the wedding had been a healing experience for me. I’d more or less played the role of the martyr when I’d split with James. I felt better than I had in weeks, my heart was lighter, my head clearer.

  “You know Katie and Coco stayed at the inn when they were in town for the class reunion.”

  I sat down next to Jo Marie, convinced she was about to press the point of the inn’s healing powers. “I know Katie’s story. She and James were high school sweethearts.”

  “He wanted nothing to do with her.”

  I’d attended the reunion with James and he hadn’t mentioned Katie once. Long before he’d told me that he’d had his heart broken but hadn’t shared the details. The instant I saw him with Katie, I knew she was the one.

  “Katie isn’t the only one.”

  I frowned, not understanding.

  “Coco stayed here, too,” Jo Marie reminded me.

  “Hudson was part of the reunion?”

  “Same class,” Jo Marie reiterated. “They hooked up after the reunion.”

  “They are the sweetest couple.” I’d enjoyed seeing them together, amazed at how different they were and yet how much in love they seemed to be.

  Jo Marie smiled. “Aren’t those two the most unlikely couple? Hudson is deeply involved in medical research and is oblivious to just about everything and everyone except Coco. He had a huge crush on her in high school.”

  “They’re pregnant.”

  Jo Marie’s smile grew bigger. “I’m not surprised.”

  Leaning back in the chair, I looked out over the cove. Gazing at the blue-green water, the snowcapped mountains, and the blue sky never failed to stir me. The inn, according to Jo Marie, had worked its magic on Katie and Coco. I’d more or less discounted Jo Marie’s claims, but for the first time I sincerely prayed there was a bit of that miracle power left over for me.

  The weeks crawled by and there was no word from Mark. I did my best to let go and let God. I’d promised Mark I’d get back into life when he left, and I had. Dana and I religiously attended spin class. She’d biked all the way to Paris and was now heading back. I figured our paths would cross somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic, as I was weeks behind her.

  My book club had a stimulating debate over the latest read, a mystery by one of our favorites, Mary Higgins Clark. It boggled my mind how my friends could form such opposing opinions reading the same book. I enjoyed hosting the event and my friends enjoyed my homemade cookies.

  Now that it was October, the weather had turned cool and the inn wasn’t as heavily booked. This gave me time to make minor decorating changes in the rooms. Each room had a guestbook, and those who stayed often left me written messages, which I seldom had time to read.

  This last month I’d taken part of each afternoon to scan through the books, making notes of the entries. I discovered there were far more incidents of changed lives and small miracles than I’d ever realized. The notes touched me.

  I’d read that those who opened bed-and-breakfast inns rarely lasted more than three years because of the heavy toll on their personal lives. It had been three years for me. The physical demands on me were heavy. As the sole proprietor, I did all the cleaning and cooking, booking, and paperwork. When I needed a break I hired a high school girl, but those times were rare as I struggled to show a profit.

  I understood why other owners quit after three years. Of course, there were exceptions. Bob and Peggy’s Thyme and Tide was a good example. This summer, my busiest season, I was fortunate enough to have Emily. She’d come to stay at just the right time. Without her, I don’t know what I would have done while Mark had been so desperately ill.

  She was moving into that apartment this weekend and I hated to see her go. We’d become close over the last few months. She told me what she and Nick had decided—four months—I think she regretted that now. I had faith everything would work out for them. In fact, I counted on it, believing as I did in the healing powers of the inn.

  On Saturday morning, I came out of my office and found Emily in the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She’d returned to the inn late after sorting through the items in her storage unit. It didn’t look like she’d gotten more than a few hours sleep.

  I reached for a mug and poured myself a cup and joined her at the small table in the kitchen. I’d already fed my guests and they’d left for the day.

  “Mornin’,” I said. “It’s moving day.”

  “Yeah,” she said with a groan. “I hate moving. I’d like to know when I accumula
ted so much stuff?”

  “I know,” I commiserated. “I felt the same way when I packed up my condo in Seattle.” By the time I’d sorted through everything, made various piles, I was too tired to move.

  I knew going through her storage unit had been just as much a challenge for Emily. “Are you taking Monday as a personal day?” I asked, knowing she could probably use it after spending the weekend moving.

  “No, I might need it later. I’ll manage.”

  “I can help, you know,” I offered. My goodness, I owed her for all the help she’d given me while Mark had been hospitalized.

  “I got this. Don’t worry. Besides, didn’t you say something about former guests dropping by this afternoon?”

  “You heard right; the Porters are on their way.”

  Of all the guests I’d had stay over the last three years, Maggie and Roy had been two of my favorites. They’d contacted me about a month ago and said they would be in the Seattle area for a family wedding and wanted to know if it would be convenient to stop by. I’d been looking forward to their visit and was sad that Mark wasn’t here to see them. Mark had played a key role in the weekend the young couple had stayed at the inn.

  “They didn’t give me a specific time, but Maggie said it would be in the afternoon, so I’ve got the morning if you need me.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but my brother and two of his friends are giving me a hand.”

  I sipped my coffee. “Just let me know if you change your mind.” I leaned back and smiled, wrapped up in thoughts of when Maggie and Roy had stayed at the inn.

  “What’s that smile about?” Emily asked.

  “The Porters.”

  After all these months, Emily knew me well. “Are the Porters more unhappy guests who found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?”

  I ignored her teasing. “I’m anxious to see the baby, little Grace,” I said, my arms eager to hold this bundle of pure happiness. Thus far, all I’d seen were photos. She’d be over a year old now and would probably squirm out of my arms. The last note I got from Maggie said Grace is walking.

  “Their first child, right?” Emily asked, her mouth tightening. “The wife couldn’t get pregnant and then one night at the inn and voilà, after years of struggling with infertility and they’re able to have a family.”

  “As a matter of fact, Grace is their third child.” I enjoyed being a spoiler. “This was an unplanned baby and Maggie discovered she was pregnant while she was at the inn.”

  “Oh.”

  A swath of emotion tightened my heart. “I’m just sorry Mark isn’t here to see them. He gave them a cradle he’d been working on for some time.”

  “Gave it to them?”

  “It was a beautiful piece of artwork. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a more elaborate one.” Mark had carved a forest scene into the head, complete with trees and animals, that was beautifully handcrafted. Only after Mark left to find Ibrahim did I realize he’d built that cradle for us, and for the unborn child he hoped we’d have one day together.

  When he accepted that he wasn’t likely to survive the mission, he’d given the cradle away. I don’t think anyone was more stunned than Maggie and Roy. It was a magnificent gift. At the time, I’d been shocked myself.

  The Porters’ story was one I would long remember. The pregnancy had been a surprise, and the kicker was that Maggie didn’t know if Roy was the father. A few weeks before they arrived at the inn—the stay had been a gift from one of their parents—Maggie discovered that Roy was involved in an emotional affair with a girl he once knew in high school.

  I identified with that, seeing how attached Mark was to the military and the Middle East. I’d once accused them of being his mistress.

  When Maggie learned the reason Roy was getting home later and later every night, she was devastated. In her pain she drove off and nearly got into a car accident. She went into a bar to have a drink to settle her nerves and ended up having a one-night stand. That night could have resulted in the pregnancy.

  “I can’t believe Mark would give that cradle away, just like that,” Emily said, giving me a strange look.

  “He had his reasons,” I murmured, surprised that I’d been so caught up in the memories that I hadn’t realized the path my thoughts had led me down.

  “You okay?” Emily asked. “You’ve got this far-off look in your eyes.”

  I tried to laugh. “It was the weekend the Porters were at the inn when I realized I’d fallen in love with Mark,” I murmured, again looking into my coffee. The dark liquid showed my reflection, and I looked away when I saw the pain and doubt in my eyes. I tried hard not to obsess about Mark returning to the Middle East. As hard as I wanted to put the danger he was in out of my mind, it didn’t work. I prayed for his safety and asked God to send him back to me.

  “You’ve got that look again,” Emily said.

  I shook my head, dispelling my musings. “I wish you were here to meet the Porters. I know you’d like them. They’re a wonderful couple.”

  “Perhaps another time.”

  “Did I mention that Mark was key to them getting back together?”

  Emily looked confused and I didn’t blame her. My thoughts were all over the place, bouncing from one to another.

  “They split?” she asked.

  “Almost.” It wouldn’t be right to tell the Porters’ story. As far as I knew, it was only Mark and I who were aware of what had taken place that weekend.

  “Apparently he had a change of heart, then?”

  “He did, thanks to Mark.”

  I remember how devastated Maggie had been when Roy decided he wanted a divorce. Right away she’d packed her suitcase, left Roy a note, and headed back to Yakima alone. Hurt and angry, Roy had paced my yard close to where Mark was working. In his own easygoing way, Mark mentioned that it was probably a good idea, seeing what a terrible mother Maggie was. I hadn’t meant to listen in on the conversation. Just remembering the subtle way Mark had forced Roy to look at the facts was a work of conversational art. It was a side of him that I’d never seen. While I hadn’t been able to realize it until later, it was at that moment that I’d fallen in love with Mark.

  When Roy recognized he was about to lose his wife and family, he’d chased after Maggie. He found her on a bus that was heading to the airport. He stopped the bus and told Maggie he loved her and that they’d work everything out.

  What he’d said to her in that moment, the words that had convinced her not all was lost, were as simple as they were profound. He said it didn’t matter if he was the father of this child, because he knew who the mother was.

  “From the way you’re acting, the couple must have quite a story,” Emily said.

  “They do.”

  “You aren’t going to tell me?”

  “Nope, because you’ll think I’m hitting you over the head with another tale of healing. I know you’re skeptical and I can’t say that I blame you. You’re having trouble believing, and that’s fine, because sooner or later you’re going to have your own story.”

  “I don’t mean to be negative,” Emily told me. “I believe all the stories you’ve told me about the guests you’ve had through the years. I’d like to believe it’s possible for me, too.”

  Reaching across the table, I gripped hold of her hand. “It’s never too late, Emily.”

  “With Mark deep in a terrorist-held territory, how can you be sure you’ll get your own happy ending?” she asked.

  Her question hit its mark. “I’m not.” My faith was strong, but over the last few days it’d faltered, as I was assailed by multiple fears. In my weakness I’d asked God for a sign. I needed something tangible to see me through the next few weeks.

  Once Emily and I finished our coffee, I helped her haul the suitcases and the few boxes that she’d packed from her room out to her car. Her brother and two of his friends had loaded up the trailer from the storage unit Emily had rented in Seattle. She’d gotten a text that said they were on
their way to Cedar Cove.

  It was time for her to go and meet them at the apartment she’d rented.

  “It’s going to be lonely here without you,” I said, and I meant it. I was going to miss her companionship, especially now that Mark was away, too.

  We hugged and I stood in the driveway as she took off.

  Seeing what a beautiful fall day it was, I took Rover for a lengthy walk and later ate a quiet lunch. No sooner had I finished cleaning the kitchen after baking cookies when I heard a car outside the inn. Glancing out the window, I saw a vehicle hauling a trailer come down the driveway. It was an SUV. At first I didn’t recognize the couple in the front seat. Then a wide smile broke out across my face.

  Roy and Maggie Porter.

  No sooner had the vehicle stopped when the back passenger door flew open and a little boy jumped out. Another boy called from inside, “Are we here yet?”

  Maggie climbed out while Roy came around to the back and got the baby from the car seat.

  The boys were already chasing after Rover, who barked excitedly at the children. One of the boys had a Frisbee, which he threw. Rover took after it like a rocket.

  “Boys,” Maggie called, “behave yourselves, we’re only staying a few minutes.”

  Roy held his baby girl in his arms and met me.

  “So this is Grace,” I said, grinning at the blond-headed, blue-eyed baby girl.

  “Grace, this is Jo Marie,” Maggie said, and took her daughter from her husband’s arms.

  “You can stay for a visit, can’t you?” I asked. I’d baked cookies, hoping to convince them to stay for more than a few minutes.

  Maggie looked to her husband. “Up to you,” she said.

  “Then sure, the boys could run off some of that energy before we head back to Yakima.”

  “We were at my cousin’s wedding earlier,” Maggie explained. “The kids have had their limit of sitting still and being quiet. This will give them a chance to play for a bit.”

  “Anyone here who could help me unload the cradle?” Roy asked.

  “The cradle?” I repeated. “You brought the cradle?”

  Maggie nodded. “If you remember, Mark gave it to us. I loved having it, but I had the strongest feeling that it was never meant for Roy and me. I think he meant it for the two of you.”