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Sheila Wilder stood on the front porch, with a basket in her hand, and—my head tilted to the side—my suitcase?
I pulled the door open, blinking at the sunlight. I stepped aside to let her in. “Good morning, Mrs. Wilder,” I said.
“Oh honey, call me Sheila.” She bustled in, dragging my suitcase behind her. “I stopped and got this for you while I was running some errands this morning.”
I thought about all the cosmetic items I’d left out on the bathroom counter and the few things hung in the closet. “Thank you,” I told her. “You really didn’t need to do that.”
She waved that off. “I was driving right past. And Amanda took care of most of it. She had some housekeeping staff help her with her favorite guests,” she said with a kind smile.
My cheeks heated. “Were the alarms still going off?”
“They cut the wires, but it sounds like they’ll have to do some work the next few days to figure out what’s going on.”
Disappointment sat like a rock. “If you know of any hotels in town, or Redmond, I’d take some recommendations.”
Her eyes widened. “Nonsense. You can stay here as long as you like. Besides, the closer we get to the fall festival, the harder it’ll be to find a place to stay.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that,” I protested immediately.
“Why not?”
I blinked. “I…”
But I came up blank. The location couldn’t be beat. Any closer and I’d have to camp in the front yard, and that wasn’t happening.
It was definitely a better space than any hotel room I’d find. In that I actually had space to work. A place to sit and relax that wasn’t the bed.
But it still felt like I was doing something wrong. Crossing some invisible boundary meant to keep me sane.
Beeecause I almost boinked your son less than an hour after meeting him didn’t seem like a great answer. Besides, it wasn’t like I was staying in Cameron’s house.
Just as my mind wandered, wondering what his house might look like, she interrupted.
“Exactly,” she said. Sheila set the basket down on the kitchen table, pulling items out like she was Mary friggin Poppins with her endless bag of goodies. “I hope I didn’t wake you, but I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed. Creamer, if you like that with your coffee. Some oatmeal, fruit, I made these blueberry muffins this morning, so they’re still fresh, and some new shampoo and conditioner for the shower because that crap my son uses makes my hair feel like a brillo pad. A dish of lasagna from dinner last night, so if you don’t feel like going out, you can just heat it up.” She tapped the aluminum foil covering the dish. “Wrote some instructions right on top here. You could microwave it, but personally I think that’s a crime against leftovers to warm it that way.”
Scrawled on the top of the silver lining was swooping cursive.
325 for 20 minutes, heat until cheese is bubbling, then enjoy!
Next to her cell phone number was a little heart.
“Who are you?” I breathed. My head was spinning. “Who does this for people they don’t know?”
I hadn’t really meant to ask it out loud, but honest to God, I didn’t think people like this existed unless they were being paid to be so hospitable.
Sheila’s face softened, her hand still resting on the basket handle.
“I do,” she said simply. Then she studied my face like she wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure if she should. “Our home has always been open to anyone who needs a place to feel safe and loved,” she said. “Sometimes our kids needed that feeling, even after they’ve left home. Sometimes it’s their friends. Or their partners. A neighbor going through a hard time.” She smiled. Not a big toothy smile, but something small and genuine that pulled on a crank in my chest, tightening the space between my ribs. “Everyone needs a place like that from time to time, Ivy. I like knowing we can give that to people, no matter who they are or what they’ve been through.”
To my absolute horror, the bridge of my nose tickled. Pressure built behind my eyes.
I clenched my teeth and tamped down whatever icky, horrible feeling was sliding up my throat.
“It’s a lovely place,” I told her. “But I insist on paying you whatever I’d pay the hotel.”
She laughed. “Honey, I’d like to see you try.”
My brows lowered. “I insist. It’s only fair.”
