AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Can I do anything to help?”
“Nope. I’ve got it.” She pulled a bowl of cut-up fruit out of the refrigerator and a hash brown casserole out of the oven, then scooped a generous helping of both onto a plate and handed it to me.
“Good heavens, Myra. Are you trying to fatten me up?”
“You look like you need meat on your bones,” she said, scooping her own plate. “Isn’t David making sure you eat?”
“It’s not his job. I’m a grown woman, capable of monitoring my own caloric intake,” I teased, giving her a wink as we sat down at the small table.
She held up her hands in surrender. “Point taken but worrying about you is part of my job description. You can’t expect me to give that up just because I live a few hundred miles away.”
“Fair enough.”
She picked up her fork, her mouth puckering with worry. “I hope David wasn’t upset that I asked you to come alone. You know I’m quite fond of him, Ellie, but he gets to see you all the time. I wanted an hour or so with you all to myself.”
“No, he wasn’t upset at all. I just told him that I wanted to talk to you alone about the B&B.” In reality, it had never come up. One of David’s friends had called around seven in the morning to tell him about Allison’s death. She was supposed to have gone running around six with Cheryl. When she didn’t answer her phone or the door, Cheryl peeked in the front windows. She could see Allison lying on the sofa, surrounded by tissues and cold medicine. Frantic, she called 911, and the emergency personnel declared her deceased upon arriving at the scene. The coroner had already declared the death an illness—a sudden onslaught of the flu—and decided an autopsy was unnecessary. Devastated, her friends had all gathered to console one another, David included. And since I would have felt like an outsider in their group, I’d decided to keep my date with Myra. But I didn’t want to tell my stepmother any of that. She worried about me enough.
“I want to hear about your new job,” I said, forcing myself to sound cheerful.
Myra spent the next fifteen minutes telling me about the classes she was teaching, along with some humorous encounters she’d had with students. I was happy to see how animated and excited she was, but something seemed off. I knew people changed—look at David and me—but I still felt sad. Myra had moved on without me.
That was a good thing, right?
“So how’s Claire?” Myra asked with a wide smile. “How was her honeymoon?”
“She’s good.” I paused, unsure what to tell her. “She had a great time.”
Myra’s smile froze, then faded. “What are you keeping from me?”
I gave a half shrug and shoveled hash browns onto my fork. “Myra, it’s nothing.”
She reached over and covered my left hand. “Ellie, something’s worrying you. I’m still your mother. Don’t shut me out.”
Tears filled my eyes. “So much has happened in the last two months. Some days it’s just so overwhelming.”
Myra scooted her chair next to mine and pulled me into a hug. “Oh, Ellie. It’s just so much responsibility for one person to carry. I so wish you could give this up. You have no idea how much I worry about you.” She cradled my head to her shoulder. “Maybe I should come back home.”
I jerked out of her hold, panic racing through my body. “No. Don’t please don’t give this up. This is your dream. I want you to have it.”
Her hand cupped my face, her skin feeling warmer than normal. “But Ellie, you’re my daughter. I want to be there for you.”
“The best thing you can do for me is stay here.” I still thought she was safer here than at home, particularly if Claire was right about the inn. “Myra, are you feeling sick? Your hand is warm.” Any sickness would make her fair game for the Raven Mockers.
Laughing, she pulled her hand free. “I’m fine. I’ve beencooking. It’s made my hands warm.”
“There are things out there killing people who are sick. They rip their hearts out after they terrorize their victims. If you’re sick, I’m not leaving you alone.”
“Oh dear.” She paused, then shook her head. “Ellie. I’m fine. You have enough to worry about without worrying about my welfare. Besides, my door is marked, and the windows are sealed. There’s no need to be concerned.” She offered me a soft smile. “Enough about me. How about you explain your cryptic message about the inn?”
I put down my fork and sighed. “We both know it’s a hopeless cause to try and keep it open. I quit the New Moon, but I’m still struggling to keep the inn going with my other…activities.”
She frowned. “Hasn’t Becky been stepping up?”
“She’s been a huge help, but she can’t work seven days a week like you and I did.” I paused, close to tears. “I think that the best thing would be to close the inn and sell it.”
Myra stared at me for several seconds. “Ellie, I think this is an impetuous decision. You need to wait. The Dare Inn…well, it’s been in your family for over one hundred years.” Her expression softened. “I would hate for you to make a decision you’ll regret.”
“Myra.” I reached across the table and covered her hand with mine, still amazed by how warm her hand was. “Look me in the eye and tell me that you think the inn can be saved.”
