Celebrate in Good Hope (Good Hope #22)

Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Marigold arrived at the cabin on Friday with her three children. With Boone busy at the Y, Roe decided the timing of the visit couldn’t have worked out better.

Yesterday, Boone’s doctor had given him the okay to start a list of specific strengthening and cardio exercises. Boone wasted no time in setting up a session with a trainer. He’d left the house in high spirits that morning.

Of course, it didn’t really matter that he wasn’t there. Even if he had been home, there would have been plenty of space for him to escape any noise.

“You’re right,” Marigold said after Roe finished the tour. “This place is unlike any cabin I’ve seen. Thanks for showing me around.”

“Mommy, what can we do?” Dressed all in pink, Faith looked like a petite fairy princess with her mass of blond curly hair and elfin features.

Hope reminded Roe of Cade with her silky dark hair, dove-gray eyes and penetrating gaze.

Before seeing the girls, Roe had wondered if the twins were identical, but one look answered that question .

Caleb, the only boy in the threesome, had golden-brown hair and happy eyes. Unlike Faith, who chattered constantly, and Hope, who watched and analyzed, Caleb fell somewhere in between.

Marigold glanced pointedly at the half-finished puzzle the children had been putting together while Roe showed her the cabin. “Start by finishing the puzzle. Then you can look in the bag I brought and decide what to play with next. Sound good?”

The threesome nodded and immediately reached for puzzle pieces.

“I can’t imagine how difficult it was for you to move back to Good Hope and start over.” Roe took a seat across from Marigold at the table. “You’d built such a successful career in Chicago.”

Roe understood, or at least thought she did. She’d begun building a reputation for herself in Minneapolis, only to have to leave her friends and colleagues and start over somewhere new.

“It was hard leaving my clients. Initially, I wasn’t sure where I’d land. I came to Good Hope to regroup and ended up staying.” Marigold’s blue eyes grew soft with memories. “I started my salon, which was supposed to be only temporary, until I could get on my feet and decide where to settle. Cade and I got together, and the rest is history.”

During the house tour, Marigold had mentioned that the owner of the high-end salon where she’d worked in Chicago, someone whom she’d considered a mentor and a friend, had been dealing with some issues in his personal life. Those troubles had spilled over into his interactions with clients, and his clients had begun to request Marigold. That had led to him accusing Marigold of poaching his clients, and then he’d fired her.

“I’m happy it worked out for you.” Roe hoped one day she’d be able to look back and say that being downsized had led to a happy ending she couldn’t have foreseen at the time. “It’s nice that you and your sisters are together in the same community.”

“At one time, just Ami was here. Then Prim moved back. Then me.” Marigold smile. “Fin was the last holdout. When she returned to stay, my dad was over the moon having all of us here.”

“She lived in LA, right?” Roe kept her tone casual and offhand.

“Yes, and for a number of years, she loved it.”

“Was she an actress there? Did she do any movies?”

Marigold blinked, then laughed. “No. Whatever gave you that idea?”

“The fact that she’s playing Gladys in Spotlight . I figured Gladys wouldn’t give the starring role to just anyone. When I heard Fin had lived in LA, I thought maybe she had professional experience.”

“Fin acted in a number of stage productions while we were growing up, but no, nothing professional. Gladys has always hoped my sister would step into her shoes once she retires.”

“What would that mean exactly?”

“Perform in most productions put on by the community theater.”

“Sounds to me like that would be a lot. Would she have time? I mean, between handling the PR for the town and raising three boys, it seems like she already has a pretty full plate.”

“One of her current responsibilities would have to go,” Marigold agreed. “I’ll give you a hint—it wouldn’t be the family.”

That brought up all sorts of questions, but Marigold spoke again before Roe had a chance to ask.

“I’ve rattled on so much that I haven’t given you a chance to tell me about you.” Marigold took a sip of hot apple cider and smiled expectantly.

“There isn’t much to tell. With my dad in the Air Force, we moved constantly. Now, with my brothers scattered across the country and my parents in Germany, there really is no place I’d call home.”

“Was there any town where you lived that you liked more than the others? ”

Roe thought for a moment, then shook her head. “As much as I enjoyed something about everywhere we lived, none of those towns felt like home.”

“Maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for here,” Marigold suggested.

Roe smiled noncommittally. “Maybe. What I do know is that I’m going to enjoy every minute of my time here. Christmas is my favorite time of the year.”

From the corner of her eye, Roe saw Caleb snap the last puzzle piece into place. She wasn’t sure what to think when the threesome smiled and shook hands with one another, saying, “Good job.”

It was obviously something their parents had taught them to do when finishing a project that they’d worked on together.

Faith swiveled in her seat to face her mother. “What can we do now?”

The other two stared expectantly.

Marigold hefted the bag sitting at her feet onto the table and looked inside. As she rattled off the items in the bag the size of Texas, Roe saw by the fatigue etched on the kids’ faces that even Santa Claus would be a hard sell at this point in the afternoon.

Marigold had mentioned that the children, who no longer took naps, had chosen this morning to get up at the crack of dawn, for some unknown reason.

It would take something pretty special to keep their spirits high.

“There’s a pop-up tent in the garage.” Roe had stumbled across the tent just that morning. “We could set it up and make stars and a moon to hang from the ceiling.”

The children looked at one another.

“Yes.” Faith began doing a happy dance.

Hope offered a shy smile.

“I like camping,” Caleb told her. “I’ve never camped in the snow. ”

Roe realized she should have been clearer. “We’ll set it up in the great room. That will be fun, too, right?”

Caleb thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Are you sure you want to go to all the work of dragging it out?” Marigold spoke in a low tone, for Roe’s ears only.

“It won’t take much. We’ll move a few pieces of furniture out of the way and pop it up.” Roe thought of the art supplies she’d bought when she and Boone had picked up the tree ornaments. Though she wasn’t sure when she’d have time to work on an art project, these items had been marked down seventy-five percent, and she’d been unable to resist adding them to the cart. “I have poster board, glow-in-the-dark paint for the moon and stars, and I think I saw some fishing line in the garage.”

“Well, then, what are we waiting for?” Marigold turned to her children. “Ms. Carson and I will get the tent from the garage. I need you to clear off the table. Put the puzzle pieces carefully in the box. Make sure you get them all. We don’t want to leave any pieces behind.”

Marigold’s gaze swept the threesome. “We won’t start painting until the table is clear.”

The table was clear by the time they brought in the tent. Setup, as Roe had anticipated, was a breeze. With three older brothers and a father in love with the great outdoors, camping had been as much a part of her childhood as moving.

She discovered that, thankfully, just like riding a bike, there were some skills you never forgot.

After spreading papers to protect the tabletop, Roe and Marigold cut out a moon and six stars to paint. When each child called dibs on the moon, Roe made an executive decision.

“Your mom and I will each paint one moon. You will each get to paint two stars. How does that sound?”

Faith’s brows pulled together. “But there is only one moon.”

“I’ve only seen one,” Caleb agreed.

Hope nodded .

“Well, in our tent, there will be two moons,” Roe spoke matter-of-factly as she handed Marigold the utility knife and a leftover piece of poster board.

Roe’s red, silver and blue paints appeared to offer enough variety for the children.

“Red seems to be the color of choice for the stars,” Marigold commented in a low tone several minutes later. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a red star.”

Roe pointed to the blue moon Marigold was painting. “The same could be said for your blue moon.”

Marigold chuckled. “Thank you for making this so fun for them. I’m sure they’ll be talking about this for weeks.”

“I love being around children,” Roe admitted. “And yours are absolutely adorable.”

“Thank you. I have to say the tent idea was ingenious,” Marigold commented, sipping the cider that had grown cold and been reheated. “Cade and I will have to try it at home.”

“Just don’t forget the moons and stars,” Roe teased.

“I don’t think they’ll let me forget them.” Marigold laughed. “We were late putting up a tree this year, and they asked every day when we were going to get one.”

Roe shifted her gaze to her tree. “Boone and I had fun decorating our tree. We made an evening of it, eating pizza and drinking beer.”

Roe knew the memory of that evening would stay with her long after she’d left Good Hope. Not only the fun, but the kiss they’d shared would go with her wherever she ended up.

Bringing fingers to her tingling lips, Roe wondered how something that had lasted only a few seconds could hold such power. Imagine if they had made love…

“I love your ornaments.”

Jerking back her attention to the here and now, Roe saw Marigold’s gaze was on Boone’s Starry Night ornament .

Marigold grinned. “Then again, I’m a sucker for anything van Gogh.”

“We have different tastes, as you can see, but I think the variety works.”

“That star at the top has both an old-fashioned and a modern feel.”

Roe smiled at the multicolored faux stained-glass star sitting atop the tree. “It was a compromise.”

“Really?” Interest sparked in Marigold’s blue depths. “Tell me more.”

“I don’t know how interesting this story is.” Roe chuckled. “I wanted an angel. Boone wanted this ugly, light-up reindeer. When we came across this star in the Christmas stuff we’d purchased, we both agreed it would be perfect. The star and reindeer were forgotten.”

Marigold clasped her hands together. “I do so love a happy ending.”

Roe considered. “If I decorate a tree next year, I may try the homemade route.”

“Have you made ornaments before?”

“No, but seeing your sister’s tree got me thinking.” Roe took a sip of cider. “I loved the sweetmeat nets and the other with the little envelopes.”

“Fin will be so happy to hear that her trees inspired you.” After casting a quick glance at her children still intently painting their stars, Marigold refocused on Roe. “I’m curious. What message did you get? The ones we get every year are always right on target.”

Roe thought back. “Boone and I each took an envelope off the tree right before we left. Gladys and Ruby were right there and insisted.”

“What did your notes say?”

“I don’t know.” Roe gave an embarrassed laugh. “Boone handed me his, and I slipped both envelopes into my purse. Until this moment, I’d forgotten all about them.”

The sound of children’s laughter spilled from Marigold’s phone. Looking down, Marigold silenced it with one flick of her finger.

Roe chuckled. “What is that?”

Marigold expelled a heavy breath and rose. “A reminder that this pleasant interlude is about to come to an end.”

“I wish you could stay longer.” Roe also rose. “This has been fun.”

“It really has. I hate leaving so soon, but my dad and Lynn are having everyone over this evening for dinner.” Marigold smiled at her children. “C’mon, troops. We’re going to Nana and Papa’s house tonight. Daddy is probably home right now, waiting for us.”

“I want to hang my stars first.” Hope’s chin jutted out in a stubborn tilt, the boldness of the refusal surprising both Roe and her mother.

“The paint will take at least an hour to dry.” Roe offered the girl an apologetic smile.

“We could wait.” Caleb’s hopeful look tugged at Roe’s heartstrings.

“I’m afraid not, bud.” Marigold began gathering up their things. “We need to get home.”

Sporting a mutinous expression, Faith opened her mouth, but Marigold gently pulled the child close. “I know you’re disappointed. I wanted to see my moon hanging in the tent, too.”

“I have a solution.”

Every eye turned to Roe. “What if I hang the moons and stars once they’re dry and take pictures? I’ll send the pics to your mommy. That way, you can show your daddy and your grandparents tonight. Then, when I see your mommy next, I’ll give her the stars and the moon so you can hang them in your house wherever you want. ”

“I want mine in my room,” Faith told her mother.

“Me, too,” Hope said.

“Me, three,” Caleb echoed.

“Thank you,” Marigold whispered, giving Roe a quick hug when they reached the door. “For everything.”

“Look for those pics in the next hour or so.”

In less than two hours, Roe had the art supplies put away, the stars and moons hung and photographs sent to Marigold. She supposed she could have taken down the tent after she’d taken pics, but she liked looking at it. Besides, what was the hurry?

She’d just settled down with a glass of wine and a book when she heard the garage door open.

Moments later, Boone strolled into the room, coming to an abrupt halt at the sight of the tent. “What’s that?”

“A tent.”

“Okay.” Appearing inordinately cheerful, Boone gestured to her glass. “Got any more of that?”

She smiled and pointed to the bottle sitting on the counter.

Crossing the room, Boone grabbed a glass, splashed in some red and then returned to sit by Roe.

Roe shifted her body toward him. “How was your training session?”

“It was good.” He took a long drink. “Trent, the guy I’ll be dealing with, is all over the entire fitness program. He’s great. I gave him the doctor’s parameters, and he set me up with a program.”

Roe pointed her wineglass at him. “You went through a workout today.”

He grinned. “How can you tell?”

“You seem happy.”

“It felt good.” Setting down his glass, he leaned toward her, his dark eyes snapping with excitement. “I missed working out. I didn’t realize how much.”

“It’s like reclaiming your life. ”

“You understand.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” She took another sip of wine. “It’s how I feel simply being back in a theater. Even if it is just as a volunteer.”

“We’re both lucky.”

She arched a brow. “How do you figure?”

“We won’t be kept down. You and I, we fight for the lives we want.”

“I like your attitude, Mr. Boone.” When her eyes locked with his, Roe couldn’t look away. “Did I tell you Marigold and her kids came over today?”

“Is that why there’s a tent in our living room?”

“You’re firing on all cylinders.”

He laughed at the old-fashioned saying. “Seriously, what’s with the tent?”

“When I saw it in the garage, I thought it’d be fun for the kids to play in.”

“Did they enjoy it?”

“They really didn’t get the chance to play in it.” Roe wished they’d had more time. But the children had gotten the chance to paint, so that was something. “They were too busy.”

“Doing what?”

“It’ll be easier if I show you, but first, I have a suggestion.” She smiled, hoping what she was about to say wouldn’t sound too lame. “I thought you and I might have some fun with the tent.”

Interest sparked in his dark depths. “What kind of fun?”

“First, have you eaten dinner?”

He shook his head.

Roe forced a light tone. “Interested in a picnic?”

“Ah, I hate to tell you, but it’s snowing outside.” He grinned. “And it’s cold.”

“I was thinking of an indoor picnic. You know, spread a blanket and eat in the tent. Then, for dessert, toast s’mores over the fire. ”

He remained silent for so long that heat crept up Roe’s neck. Her plan had sounded even more lame when spoken aloud.

“Forget it.” She waved an airy hand. “I?—”

Further dismissal of her suggestion stopped short when his warm hand captured hers.

“I don’t want to forget it.” Those dreamy dark eyes never left her face. “It sounds like the perfect end to what is turning out to be a perfect day.”

He stood then and reached for her, pulling her to her feet when she gave him her hand. “Just tell me we have food already in the house for our picnic. I don’t want to go back out tonight.”

For the first time, she noticed he wasn’t moving as quickly as he had that morning. “The workout kicked your butt.”

“It’ll take work to get back in shape.”

“Just take it easy.” Worry filled Roe’s voice. “Promise me you won’t push too fast and backslide.”

His steady gaze shot tingles down her spine. “I promise.”

Once they were in the kitchen, Roe opened the refrigerator. Standing side by side, they studied the shelves. Though the large unit could hold a considerable amount of food, the fridge was barely a quarter full.

“There’s salami and cheese.” She turned and found him so close that her lips nearly brushed his cheek. Their gazes locked for several long seconds before she returned her gaze to the inside of the fridge. “I can also cut up a couple of apples.”

“Sounds good.” His sexy, husky rumble had her stomach doing flip-flops. “I believe there are crackers in the cupboard. They’ll go well with the meat and cheese.”

“Is that enough food for you? I mean, you probably burned a lot of calories today.”

“It’s enough food,” he assured her. “I need to leave room for s’mores.”