Chapter 3

“Whoa,” Brad said and kissed my cheek. “You sure ticked him off. I’d ask what that was about, but I think everyone in the vicinity heard the exchange.”

Aspen turned away from Brad in an apparent state of disapproval. I swear he was more human than animal. “How long have you been standing there?” I asked him as I watched Ivan stalk over toward Roman. The two men exchanged a few words; Ivan nodded, showed Roman his phone, then left with a look toward me that sent shivers down my spine. Had he recorded our conversation? My mind sputtered to remember everything I’d said, confident I had said nothing he could use against me. I hoped, anyway.

When I turned back to Brad, he’d settled comfortably in a chair, waving the server toward him as he watched the game. “The Seahawks are going to have a fantastic team this year,” he said. “Just wait and see.”

“I can hardly wait,” I grumbled. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked with a frown. He held out a hand to me. “If you’re mad because I’m late, you know these things happen.”

“Pretty much every time.”

“Andie Rose, that’s not fair.” He sighed, stole a glance at the television screen, then turned his attention back to me. Kind of. “You know I don’t control the timing of filings and contracts.”

I exhaled and looked over to see Roman finishing a can of Coke before I looked back at Brad. “Ivan just threatened me, and you’re acting like it was nothing.” 

He offered a small smile. “Andie Rose, those things happen in the workplace. Because the inn is a small business, that doesn’t make you immune. It’ll blow over.”

I wasn’t sure which disagreed with me more, the “small business” statement like this was some silly hobby or the one about it “blowing over.” Like it was a squabble over a scheduling conflict. I stewed for a minute before deciding that, given the circumstances, I was probably being overly sensitive. Brad had a sense of business, which is why he was so successful at his firm. 

“I sure hope you’re right,” I said, seeing him steal another glance at the television. “If you want to watch the game, let’s go back to the inn. That way, I can work while you watch.” I had some preparation to do for Ivan’s impending departure. Like, look for the dog biscuit recipe before he came back in the morning—if he came back. I had no doubt he would shred it before giving it to me.

Brad’s gaze lingered on the television until the play ended before turning back toward me, waving his hand as if dismissing the TV. “Sorry. It’s been a stressful day. Zoning out to a game is what I do. You already know that. But no more game.” He stroked the back of my hand with his thumb. “I’m here with you, so let’s do us.”

The server brought over a bottle of Miller Lite and set it, along with a napkin, in front of him. After I declined the offer of another soda, she breezed away. 

Yes, let’s. Getting straight to it, I said, “Not that I’m unhappy you’re here, but what was so urgent that you had to see me this evening?” In anticipation, I held my breath and caught my lower lip between my teeth. My evening could potentially go from bad to worse. Or not.

He stared into my eyes, a small smile in place. “You have the most gorgeous, unusual blue eyes. Maybe it’s because of the contrast to your red hair. Which looks nice tonight, by the way.”

I narrowed an eye. “Brad, it’s in a ponytail. And I’m sure you didn’t come to talk about my eye and hair color.” His apparent nervousness was disconcerting and made me even more sure he’d come to break up. When he looked down for a lengthy moment, I finally said, “Brad?”

He reached into his suit jacket pocket, his hand still for a moment, before pulling something out, hiding it in his hand. He slid out of his chair and onto his knee. My breath caught, my cheeks burned, and I thought I might faint. Surely, he wasn’t —

“Andie Rose Kaczmarek,” he said as he lifted his hand, a gold band pinched between his forefinger and thumb. “Will you marry me?” 

My hands flew to my burning cheeks. As much as I wanted to say something to Brad, unlike Aspen, who let out a whine and tucked his nose beneath his folded paws, sound refused to come out of my mouth. Not even a gasp. My night had just gone from bad to completely unexpected. And I wasn’t sure which surprised me more, the proposal or the size of the diamond.

“Andie Rose?” he asked, shifting his weight on his knee. The confident look in his eye a moment ago turned to one of discomfort. “Andie?” he asked again when I still couldn’t utter a peep.

“Uh—well—um—” Thank goodness the people from the table next to us left so as not to witness this awkward exchange. The server had yet to clear the table, so I snatched the corkscrew lying next to the empty bottle of wine and nervously clutched it in my hand, seeking comfort like a toddler with a stuffed animal. A proposal was the opposite of what I’d expected. 

Saying nothing, I laid it back down, took the ring between my fingers, and held my hand out to help Brad get back up. 

“That wasn’t the least bit embarrassing,” Brad mumbled once on his feet. He looked around, straightened his tie that he had yet to remove, and sat back down. 

I finally found my voice, though shaky by the unexpected turn of events. “I thought you were coming to break up with me, so imagine my surprise when that wasn’t the case. Quite the opposite.” 

He jerked his head back. “Break up? Why would I break up with you?”

“It’s not like we spend much time together, Brad. You have your job, I have mine, both in different cities…”

He frowned. “I don’t understand. I thought we were good. You wouldn’t have to work anymore. My sister loves it that her husband brings in the dough so she can stay home with the kids. You could do whatever makes you happy and focus on starting a family.”

Just when I thought I couldn’t be more surprised, his words stunned me, feeling like a refrigerator landed on my chest. “Brad, the inn is what I love. It’s been in my family for decades. And kids? We’ve never mentioned kids before. I’m not even sure I want children. Also, you know I’m planning to get my life coaching business set up here from my office. And what do you mean you thought things were good? You’re the one who said things needed to change.”

“But Andie,” he said, getting excited, “getting married does change things. And you can do your life coaching gig from anywhere. You wouldn’t even have to do it anymore at all. Think of the possibilities.”

I exhaled and sighed. “But, Brad, those things are what I like. They are my possibilities. I love running the inn. I’ve found a great AA meeting in town where we laugh and have fun. I love helping others be the best they can be by coaching them.” I tossed my hands up in the air. “This life I have in this town is what I want. And I’m assuming you won’t move here.”

“You know I can’t. My job is in the city.”

“And my job is here. Mine’s not any less important than yours.”

“Honey,” he said, as if soothing a child. “Be reasonable here. I make more than enough money to support us. Substantially. And are you really cut out to deal with the employee conflicts you had just a half hour ago without drinking over it?”

My jaw dropped. “Excuse me? I’m not newly sober, Brad. I have a solid foundation.”

“But you hated that conflict. Admit it. You wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.” 

No, the altercation with Ivan hadn’t been enjoyable. But I loved my life here and the friends I made. I couldn’t imagine a single thing missing. And I still hadn’t seen the infamous ghost. 

“Tell you what,” he said, setting the ring firmly in the palm of my hand and folding my fingers around it. The diamond cut into my palm. “Take some time to think about it. You don’t have to decide tonight. When I got here, things were pretty tense with that guy. Go home, unwind, think about it, and get back to me.”

“You’re not coming to the inn?” 

He shook his head. “I have to get back home. I have an early morning meeting.” 

He stood, held out his arms, and I stepped into them, my fist still clutching the ring with the monstrous diamond. “You’re right. I need some time to think about it,” I whispered into his hair. 

“Of course you do, honey. And that’s okay. But I didn’t want to wait another day before asking. No regrets, you know?”

I pulled back and looked into his eyes. “Why?”

He frowned. “Why, what?”

“Why was it so important to ask me tonight and then rush back to the city?”

He cocked his head to the side. “I told you why. I didn’t want to wait another day.”

“But why, Brad?” Something made me uncomfortable. And I was never uncomfortable with Brad. That’s one thing my cousin Babs always accused me of—sticking with him because it was comfortable. “Why do you want to get married?”

He smoothed his hand over my hair and let my ponytail run through his fingers. “It makes sense, babe. It’s the next logical step. We belong together. I want to take part when the guys at work talk about their families. Be part of it. You know?”

“So you proposed to fit in with the guys.” The insult slammed me right between the eyes. “Brad—”

“I’m tired of never seeing you, Andie Rose. If you lived with me, we could have dinner every night and—”

It hadn’t escaped me that he said if you lived with me, not if we lived together, and it felt like I was suffocating. “You’re rarely home by dinner.”

“Because I have nothing to get home for. If you were there—well, Andie Rose, promise me you’ll at least think about it. And remember the argument with the guy tonight? You’d never have to deal with that kind of thing again.” He pulled me into his arms again. 

“I promise I’ll think about it.” But I already knew I would never leave Spirit Lake unless it was in a body bag. I love it here. And I wouldn’t give up on my dreams so that Brad fit in with the guys. 

****

I watched Brad’s car disappear and then stood in the chilly night air. I slouched against the brick exterior of the pub, and Aspen leaned against my leg. Sister Alice from St. Michael’s strolled past Sweet Temptations Bakery across the street. She looked up, and I waved at her. 

“Good evening, Andie Rose.” she called over to me. “Lovely evening, eh?”

“Sure is,” I called back as, thankfully, she continued her stroll without crossing the street to me. Sister Alice was one of my favorite people, but I had a lot to process right now—alone. I thought of her greeting—I wouldn’t call the evening’s events lovely, but everything else was. And that’s what I chose to focus on. As I’d coached my clients, it was all about perspective. 

As I closed my eyes and deeply inhaled the scent of fallen leaves, pine, and pumpkin—every business and home in Spirit Lake bakes pumpkin-something-or-other, so the scent wafted throughout the entire town—it solidified my decision. I was staying put, all right. I lingered a bit longer, watching the townsfolk strolling in the near-perfect evening air. Some of them I’d met before, and we exchanged greetings, but many I didn’t know—including the couple who had just witnessed my exchange with Ivan inside the pub; they passed by without noticing me, sharing the one thing I feared Brad and I lacked—love. Just a tiny important piece of the equation. I sighed. 

We walked farther down Spirit Lane, which was lined with fully decked-out businesses with pumpkins, bundled corn stalks, gourds of every shape, size, and color imaginable, orange and yellow lights, fall garlands, scarecrows, you name it. It surpassed even my expectations. Ghosts of all kinds hung from doorways, streetlamp posts, tree branches, and everywhere else one could hang something. Businesses pulled out all stops and spent extravagantly hoping to win the decorating contest at the end of the week-long Harvest Festival. 

I walked with Aspen down the block past the darkened windows of Spirit Vineyard Protestant Church and the decorated windows of Lakeview Pharmacy and Hallowed Grounds Coffee before turning back toward the car. As I passed an alley and glanced into the seemingly endless darkness, gooseflesh covered my arms as I spotted what looked like a moving shadow. I shook my head and continued forward. You’ve got yourself all wigged out, girl.

By the time we returned to the inn, the work stress was long gone. I could deal with Ivan in the morning. Tonight, I was going to settle in my room with my journal, Aspen by my side. Jade had left for the night, and the front desk was beautifully quiet. Yet it looked alive with the orange lights circling the desk, the pumpkins placed throughout the inn, and, my favorite, enough sunflowers and daisies to stock the shelves of the floral shop in town. 

I looked through the bank of dining-room windows that lined the wall facing the lake. The stars speckled the sky, and the moon hung, suspended. Even a bat or two zipped beneath the trees, snatching the remaining mosquitoes. The view was stunning. A few people were still enjoying the bonfire, green and black plaid blankets supplied by the inn covering their laps as they held roasting sticks with marshmallows over the flame. I smiled. 

“Come on, my good boy,” I said to Aspen. “Let’s grab you a biscuit to take upstairs for a bedtime treat. I have a feeling it’s going to be an early, stressful morning.”

Aspen followed me into the kitchen, dark save for the light over the giant ovens, which emitted just enough light to see without having to turn on the overhead lights. As I walked over to the large jar that held the dog biscuits, Aspen let out a low growl in the doorway. I startled. 

“Aspen? What’s wrong, boy?” I wasn’t sure he’d ever growled. Ivan be damned, I motioned Aspen toward me and kneeled beside him, looking into his eyes. “What’s wrong, boy? We have to hurry. I don’t want to chance Ivan popping in and finding us in the kitchen.” Aspen stared at something past me, panting and unsettled. I followed his gaze behind me and gasped. Ivan wouldn’t be catching me here in his kitchen ever again. He was dead.