This part of the inn was private. Family and staff only. The mudroom was sandwiched between the inn’s kitchen on the right and the family quarters on the left. The room was also an emergency exit, though thankfully they’d never needed to use it. At least not in her lifetime.
“Hot cocoa before dinner?” She tucked her gloves and scarf into a basket on the shelving unit below the hooks and grabbed slippers from another basket.
“That would be great. I took chicken out for supper. I’m not sure it’s enough for two people though. I wasn’t expecting you today.”
“We’ll figure out something. I know I’m early.” She turned to look at Owen. Wow. The man was ripped. She’d watched his muscles bunch and move while he chopped and carried wood, but up close? Wow! Her fingers itched to reach out and discover if they were as solid as they seemed. She cleared her dry throat. How could she be dry-mouthed and virtually drooling at the same time?
She shook her head to erase a delicious fantasy of her and Owen. She wasn’t looking for a hot guy; she had her heart set on a man of character. Reliable, hardworking, funny.
“I’ll just check in at the desk and see if our guests need anything,” she blurted and forced herself to walk away from him. Each step was agony, as if an invisible rubber band was pulling her back to his side.Not good. Ten minutes in his company and she was already unbalanced. What was with this weird attraction? Men did not have this effect on her.
She walked through the short hallway, pausing to look at the myriad of family photos hanging there. So many memories. She winced at her grade nine school photo. The braces, the hideous purple hair with the shaved sides and center spiked up. What had she been thinking? A few steps further along and she passed through the old-fashioned swinging doors into the office.
Cinnamon, cranberry, pine, and vanilla scents surrounded her as she neared the front desk. Her grandmother’s secret potpourri recipe for the holidays. They made it every year. At least she had helped until she moved away. Now Christmas was a rushed trip in and out, lasting only days. The decorating and baking were usually completed before she arrived.
Not this year! This year she was going to bake, and she’d find something to decorate if it meant tying ribbons around Owen’s waist. Now why did that sound so enticing?
Two couples sat at the puzzle table in the public space across from the desk, patiently putting pieces in.
“Hi,” she greeted them, coming from behind the desk. “I’m Rill, Ophelia’s niece. I’m hosting you while she’s away.”
After brief introductions, she informed them that the roads would probably be impassable later and that they’d be stuck at the inn for a few days. “I’ll find something for dinner, and you can eat here until the storm clears. Give Owen and me an hour to rustle up some food. We’ll call you when it’s ready.” She’d have to check Auntie O’s notes to see what was done about fees for meals while snowbound. It didn’t seem right to charge them, but at the same time, food wasn’t free. However, that was a problem for later. Right now, they needed to feed the guests.
Thank heaven she was a decent cook because their breakfast chef was long gone home. With only her, Owen, and four guests to feed, she’d manage just fine.
“Hey, Owen,” she said as she entered the kitchen. “I’m thinking chicken, broccoli, cheese quiche for supper. It’s quick and easy.”
“Great idea. Will two chicken breasts be enough?”
His eager smile warmed her to her toes. “Two will be great.”
He slid a steamy mug of cocoa in front of her.
“Thanks, it smells divine.” She took a few appreciative sips before turning to dinner preparations. Working from memory, she gathered the ingredients for her mom’s pie crust. “Can you cook and chop the chicken?” She wanted to ask if he had any culinary skills, but kept the question to herself. She’d find out soon enough.
“Sure thing, boss. I’m a decent cook. I’d never survive a reality cooking show, but I’m good enough to feed myself.” He put a frying pan on to preheat and started cutting the chicken into small cubes. “How does it feel to be home? You do think of Sleigh Bells Inn and Snowy Hollow as home, don’t you? I know you don’t come back often.”
The guilt his questions caused slammed into her stomach like a fist. “I don’t come home as much as I’d like, but yes, the inn is home.” She sighed thinking of the job she’d probably lost.
“That’s a heavy sigh. Pie crust isn’t that hard, is it?”
She chuckled at his lame joke. “It’s not the crust. It’s just that...never mind.”
“Come on, don’t shut me down already. I’d like to get to know you better. We’re going to be working together for a couple months. We might as well be friends.”
She’d like to get to know the new, adult, Owen as well. There was no sense in hiding her problem. “It’s just that, I probably lost my job by coming home this year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to help Auntie O. She’s done so much for me over the years. She’s been like a mother to me. I take that seriously.”
“I hear a but in there.” He tossed the chopped chicken into the hot pan. The sizzle filled the empty air between them.
“I love my job. I’m an executive assistant. I’ve only been there a couple months. My boss is demanding. She inspires me to work hard and accomplish more than I’ve ever done before. Every day is a challenge. I’m even taking some fashion design classes online. But I don’t think she’ll forgive me for leaving without notice.”
“You think she’ll fire you? Who would fire someone for having a family emergency?”
“Fern isn’t exactly my family,” she said dryly.
“No, but Ophelia is, and she needed you. Wouldn’t you have time off at Christmas anyway? I mean, how busy is the fashion world during the holidays?” His tone was both curious and faintly disapproving.
“I was schedule to be off from the twenty-third to the twenty-eighth. But now I’ll be off indefinitely. Who knows how long Auntie O will be gone? She said at least two months. There’s no way they’ll hold my job. I’m still within the six-month probationary period.”
