AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"All right then," Ariel replied, attempting to conceal her concern. "Holler if you want a snack, okay?"
"Thanks, Mom." With a weak smile, Katie turned and left the room, leaving Ariel to ponder her strange behavior. She heard Katie’s footsteps on the stairs. Ariel couldn't shake the nagging feeling that her daughter was hiding something. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on her research, but her mind kept drifting back to Katie's unusual demeanor.
"Stay focused, Ariel," she admonished herself, forcing her thoughts back to the task at hand. "One mystery at a time."
But even as she returned to Dale Swanson's profile, analyzing every detail for potential leads, Ariel couldn't help but feel that her life had suddenly become a series of unanswered questions and hidden truths. She still hadn’t reached out to her father, despite saying she would. That was a hurdle. What if he did say yes—and she had to deal with her own past to forge a new relationship with him? As much as she yearned to find answers, she knew that some mysteries might remain forever locked away in the shadows of Endless Harbor and beyond.
And here she was, looking for redemption for Miles in his past. So many ghosts.
You wanted to live in a Victorian, she thought dryly.
Though the anticipation buzzed beneath her skin, Ariel knew she needed to be patient, to gather more information before reaching out. It was a step, and she had made a breakthrough. That was enough for today.
"Okay," she whispered, bookmarking Dale's profile for later. "One mystery at a time."
Ariel's thoughts circled back to Katie as she stared at the screen, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. She recalled the glimpses of her daughter's late-night conversations with a boy whose name she couldn't quite remember. Her curiosity piqued, Ariel decided to shift her focus from Dale Swanson and investigate this mysterious online friend.
"Let's see who this guy is," she murmured, typing his name—Ethan Greene—into the search bar. The first few results revealed a student of a prestigious school on the West Coast, far away from the small coastal town of Endless Harbor. A sense of unease settled in her chest as she continued scrolling through the search results, wondering what could possibly connect two young people living thousands of miles apart.
"Katie... what are you getting yourself into?" Ariel whispered, her concern growing with each click of the mouse.
She found herself on the school's website, browsing through pages of information about its prestigious reputation and rigorous academic standards. A photo gallery showcased smiling students engaged in various extracurricular activities, and Ariel felt a pang of envy for these seemingly perfect teenagers. What was it like to grow up in such a vastly different environment than the one she had known?
Determined, Ariel decided to delve deeper into the boy's social media presence. Scrolling through his posts and photos, she tried to piece together a better understanding of him - his interests, his friends, and most importantly, his intentions toward her daughter. A sudden gust of wind rattled the window panes, shaking Ariel from her reverie. She knew she couldn't ignore her concerns, but she also couldn't confront Katie without more information. Actually, she couldn’t ask at all—Katie would know she had snooped and seen the chats.
As Ariel sat back in her chair, a sense of unease lingered in the air around her. She had uncovered pieces of a puzzle that seemed to stretch across the country, but there were still so many unanswered questions. What was the true nature of Katie's connection with this boy from California? Ariel’s thoughts were consumed by unresolved questions—about Dale Swanson, Ethan Greene, and what these connections might mean for their lives in Endless Harbor. With a deep breath, she closed the laptop and resolved to continue her investigation tomorrow.
And as the snow continued to fall, blanketing Endless Harbor in its cold embrace, Ariel Hawthorne sat in the quiet solitude of her home, her mind a whirlwind of worries—their resolution still uncertain.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ariel might not be the best at quelling the doubts and worries that were rearing their ugly heads as she juggled relationships with the people around her, but she was an expert at attending to the guests at Leeside and ensuring everything ran like clockwork. Her years of experience as a professionally-trained chef, coupled with her long career in corporate food service prior to getting ousted by unscrupulous new owners had honed her ability to multitask, and she now effortlessly transitioned from adding ice under the fresh fruit bowls in the restaurant to fluffing pillows in the guest rooms.
"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson," Ariel called out cheerfully as she entered the dining room with a tray of freshly baked croissants. The older couple beamed at her, their faces creased with lines of genuine happiness.
"Morning, Ariel," replied Mrs. Thompson. "These smell divine."
"Thank you," Ariel said, setting the tray on their table. "You get first pick. Careful, they’re warm. Strawberry and brie on the left, ham and herbed goat cheese on the right. I hope you enjoy them."
The couple selected one of each, and Ariel moved to put the rest in a basket on the buffet table. As she bustled about, her thoughts wandered briefly to Miles and her plans for his Christmas surprise, and that brought a flutter of excitement to her chest. She had woken up to an epiphany about what to do about Dale, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Excuse me, Miss Hawthorne?" A voice pulled her back to the present moment. A middle-aged woman with an air of mild panic approached her from the hallway between the B&B and café, wringing her hands together. Ariel recognized her as the solo guest in the downstairs blue paisley wallpaper room, right next to Ariel’s office.
"I'm so sorry to bother you, but there's quite a significant leak in our bathroom. The water is spreading fast, and I'm afraid it might damage your beautiful house."
Ariel's eyes widened in alarm, her mind racing to find a solution. She knew she had to act quickly; the old piping in the house was delicate and prone to issues. She took a deep breath and addressed the woman with calm reassurance.
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention," she said, her tone steady despite the turmoil churning inside her. "I'll handle it right away. Please enjoy some breakfast, and I'll make sure the problem is resolved as soon as possible."
As the guest wandered toward the buffet table, Ariel moved swiftly into action. There was no time to waste; she needed to assess the situation, contact a plumber, and ensure that Leeside continued to run smoothly in the meantime. As she approached the room, her thoughts turned to the leaky radiator in the restaurant, and a sense of foreboding washed over her. The old piping in the house had been cause for concern before, but she had hoped that it would hold out just a little longer.
Upon opening the door to the bathroom, Ariel found herself confronted by a chaotic scene. Water gushed from a burst pipe, pooling around the base of the sink and creeping toward the plush bath mats. Way faster than the radiator leak. No way would Darcy’s magic putty work here.
Ariel's heart raced as she took stock of the situation, her mind a whirlwind. Her fingers danced across her phone screen, calling up the number of a reliable plumber she had used in the past. Simultaneously, she scanned the room, assessing the damage and formulating a plan of action. She knew that time was of the essence, and with every passing moment, the damage grew.
"Randy's Plumbing, how may I help you?" The voice on the other end of the line was a balm to Ariel's fraying nerves.
"Randy, it's Ariel from Leeside B&B," she said, forcing a calm tone into her voice. "I have a burst pipe in one of my guest rooms, and I need someone here as soon as possible."
