On Wednesday nights, while most of the chapel parishioners attended a worship service in the sanctuary, Alice met in the basement with the ANGELs, a girls’ club that Alice had started years ago. The group’s real name, hidden within the acronym, was kept strictly secret. Only the ANGELs and Alice knew exactly what those letters stood for, but they were always quick to point out that it didn’t have anything to do with being excessively good or saintly or even angelic, although they did encourage each other toward loving God and performing good deeds.
The girls loved getting together with Alice and always had a good time doing various projects in the chapel’s assembly room. The fruits of their youthful energy and enthusiasm were always bestowed upon whomever the ANGELs determined to be the most appreciative recipient, but the actual giving was always done anonymously—and that, the ANGELs all agreed, is what made it so much fun.
“Hey, Miss Howard, are you really going to turn the Grace Chapel house into a hotel?” asked Ashley Moore as she pressed another fabric piece onto her cardboard box. Their current project was creating “treasure” boxes that they would decorate tonight and then fill with cookies the following week.
Alice handed a bottle of glue to Sarah Roberts as she considered her answer. “Well, it’s not actually going to be a hotel, Ashley. If everything works out, it’ll be just a very small inn—a bed and breakfast.”
“Cool,” said Sarah. “My mom said we need something like that in Acorn Hill.”
Alice smiled. It was always such a relief when she heard someone say anything positive about the possibility of developing an inn. It had been more than a week since the word had “leaked” out, and most of the town seemed either somewhat reserved or totally opposed to their business plan. But Alice suspected this was most likely because they were misinformed. And this, she figured, had to do with folks like Lloyd Tynan and, of course, her own aunt.
Jane and Louise’s plans to work on these two had been put slightly on hold when Louise suddenly decided to return to Philadelphia the week before. She felt it was time to get her affairs in order so that she could complete her transition to Acorn Hill. It took her most of a week to finish up her business and pack up her things, but because of her superior organizational skills, all this turned out to be a relatively easy accomplishment.
In the meantime, Jane had decided it might benefit their cause to write an accurate press release that would help set the town straight on their proposed inn. That piece had appeared in the Acorn Nutshell just today, along with a grainy photo of the three sisters standing on the front porch. Louise, just back from Philadelphia, had seen the article and had complained that the shot made her look heavy, but Alice thought it wasn’t too bad. At least, they were all smiling. Carlene Moss, the Nutshell’s photographer/reporter/editor/marketer, had even offered to write a story when some of the renovations were actually begun.
“It’ll be interesting for the town to follow the progress of the inn,” she had said. Fortunately Carlene was one of the few who actually supported growth and development in their small municipality. “As long as it’s thoughtful and well planned,” she added quickly, as if they might want to quote her. But the sisters had assured Carlene they were in perfect agreement on this. They had no intention of creating an inn if it couldn’t be something the whole town would be proud of.
Alice opened another box of sequins and poured them out onto the craft table. The ANGELs oohed and aahed as they picked out their favorite colors and continued with their gluing.
“My dad said that one of your sisters is going to start giving piano lessons,” said Jenny Snyder as she glued a silver button onto the lid of her ornate box. “I’ve always wished I could learn to play.”
“Yes, that’s my older sister,” said Alice. “Her name is Mrs. Smith, and she’s a very accomplished pianist. She’s taught piano for years. You should look into it before she gets a waiting list.”
“I want to learn to play too,” said Ashley.
“Me too,” added Sarah quickly.
Alice laughed as other girls chimed in. It seemed that all the ANGELs wanted to learn piano. “Well, if you’re serious, you girls better talk to your parents and get yourselves signed up.” Soon all the ANGELs were discussing what they would do when they became famous concert pianists.
Alice smiled to herself as she went to the kitchen to put out their snack of Jane’s homemade snickerdoodles and fruit punch. Despite the negativity running amuck in Acorn Hill right now, she had known she could count on her ANGELs to lift her spirits tonight. Once again, she thanked God for these girls and she prayed that she would continue to be a worthy leader to them.
“Next week, I’ve invited my sister, Ms. Howard, to join us,” she announced toward the end of their meeting. “She’s an excellent chef who used to cook for one of San Francisco’s finest restaurants—”
“San Francisco, California?” asked Ashley, obviously impressed.
“That’s right. She made these cookies tonight, but next week she’ll teach us how to make some very special cookies.”
“Do we get to eat any of them?” asked Jenny.
“Of course.” Alice laughed. “You know our rule.”
“Don’t muzzle the ox as he treads the grain,” quoted Sarah with a quick smile.
Finally Alice checked them on last week’s memory verse from Scripture. They all had it nearly word perfect, and she rewarded each of them with a silver angel pencil. Alice had discovered several catalogs over the years from which she’d been able to order lots of inexpensive “angel” treats. Father had offered to have the chapel cover this expense, but Alice had always refused. She didn’t mind purchasing these items, because it made it seem more like these were “her girls.” Even years down the line it wasn’t surprising for a young woman to stop Alice on the street and say, “Hey, remember me, Miss Howard? I used to be an ANGEL.”
As much as Alice loved her ANGELs, she was eager to get back home tonight. Louise had only returned from Philadelphia late this afternoon and the three sisters barely had time to catch up. So as soon as the last girl said good night, Alice grabbed her jacket and headed for home.
To her surprise, Aunt Ethel was sitting in the kitchen having tea with Jane and Louise. Aunt Ethel had been keeping something of a low profile during the past week, although Jane had been trying to reach out to her. Perhaps she had made some progress after all.
“Hello, Alice,” said Aunt Ethel. “I noticed that Louise was back and thought I should pop in and pay my respects.”
“Yes,” said Louise. “We’ve just been catching up.”
“Would you like a piece of cheesecake, Alice?” offered Jane.
“Maybe just a small one—”
“A small one?” Aunt Ethel made a face. “How can you only have a small one? Do you know anyone who makes better cherry cheesecake than our own Jane?”
Alice smiled. “No, but that’s just the problem. With Jane cooking all this tempting food I’m sure I won’t be able to fit into my uniform before long.”
“Speaking of your uniform,” said Louise, “did you see about cutting back your hours yet?”
“I talked to my administrator yesterday, but I have to admit I’m still not too sure about this idea.”
“But you said yourself that you’re afraid you’ve been getting too busy lately,” reminded Louise.
“And with the ANGELs and the church board and now the inn,” added Jane, “we don’t want you collapsing on us.”
Alice nodded. “Yes, I’m sure you’re probably right. It’s just that not too much is happening with the inn yet.”
“Well, that’s all about to change,” announced Louise. “I have an appointment with the city tomorrow and—”
“Oh!” said Jane. “I completely forgot to tell you. Fred called this afternoon and said that a new contractor has just moved into town. He was picking up some supplies at the hardware store, and he and Fred got talking. Fred said it sounds like he knows everything there is to know about renovating historic homes.” Jane jumped up and went over to the notepad by the telephone. “Let’s see … his name is Jim Sharp, and he and Fred plan to come by tomorrow afternoon to have a look around.”
“Perfect,” said Louise. “We can get the wheels rolling right away.”
“What about getting approval from the city?” asked Aunt Ethel.
“We’re only talking about renovations right now,” said Jane. “While I’m sure we’ll need some building permits, I can’t imagine why the city wouldn’t let us fix up our own home.”
“Well, I suppose you’re right.” Aunt Ethel set down her teacup.
“Is that okay with you, Alice?” asked Jane. “I didn’t mean to jump the gun, but it seemed so providential that this contractor should move to town just when we were about to—”
“Maybe it’s an answer to your prayers, Alice,” said Louise. “You have been keeping up your end in that department, haven’t you, dear?”
“Of course.” Alice frowned. “I just wish I could be here tomorrow to meet him.”
“Can you get off work at two?”
Alice shook her head. “I don’t see how. We’re a little shorthanded as it is right now.”
“Okay then, how about if Louise and I check him out, and if we think he seems all right, then we can arrange for you to meet him later. How’s that?”
Alice nodded. “That sounds fine.”
“Well, I just hope you girls don’t go and get the cart before the horse,” warned Aunt Ethel. “No sense putting good money into this decrepit old place if you can’t get it back again someday. Bad stewardship, if you ask me. Like pouring water down a rat hole.”
Alice studied Aunt Ethel for a moment. She really didn’t want to hurt the older woman’s feelings, but at the same time she felt she needed to make a strong point here. “Aunt Ethel,” she began carefully. “I can understand why you don’t feel any special emotional attachment to our house, but—”
“Oh, that’s not it, dear. Your father, my beloved brother, made this his home for years. Of course, I have feelings for it.”
“That’s good,” Alice continued. “So maybe you can understand a little bit of what we feel. You need to consider that this house was also our mother’s family home. The Berry family built this house in the 1890s, and because of that connection, it probably has even more meaning to us. You see it was our actual blood relatives—on our mother’s side—who built and first loved this house.” She glanced at her sisters. “I guess I can’t speak for Jane and Louise, but this place is very special to me.”
Louise nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“Count me in too,” added Jane.
“So you see,” said Alice, “renovating our home doesn’t feel like a waste of money to us.” She shook her head vehemently. “Naturally, we hope that we’ll be able move along and that the city will grant us permission to create a nice little inn here, but we’ll just have to take it one day at time.”
“Bravo!” said Jane.
“Here, here!” added Louise.
“Well.” Aunt Ethel stood up. “Thank you for the tea and cheesecake, Jane. It’s getting late. I should be turning in.”
“Goodnight, Aunt Ethel,” they called after her.
The next afternoon, at two o’clock, Alice said a special prayer for Jane and Louise as she replaced old Mrs. Anderson’s IV fluid. The elderly woman was sleeping soundly now, a result of her pain medication. She had tripped over a hose in her front yard and broken her hip just a few days ago. A broken hip was bad news for anyone, but particularly troublesome to someone in Mrs. Anderson’s age bracket. It seemed that more often than not, an elderly person rarely made it out of hospital care after suffering this particular injury. She hoped that dear Mrs. Anderson would fare better. So as soon as she finished praying for her sisters, she gently laid her hand on Mrs. Anderson’s arm and prayed for the little white-haired woman. “Dear heavenly Father, please help Mrs. Anderson to heal quickly and completely. Please protect her from any further complications. And as she’s healing, I pray that You would comfort and encourage her, and remind her of how much You love her. Amen.”
Alice felt more tired than usual when she parked her car in the driveway by the carriage house. Maybe her sisters were right, maybe she should seriously consider cutting back her hours now. Many nurses began looking into retirement at her age, but Alice had envisioned herself continuing full-time nursing for at least another decade. Had she been unrealistic? She headed up the walk and then stopped and looked up. She noticed that the leaves were turning color now. Their maple tree had various shades of gold and orange and russet illuminated by the late afternoon sun. This colorful sight alone was enough to invigorate her.
“Alice!” called Jane from the porch. “Good news.”
Alice hurried up the steps. “Oh, Jane, did you see the fall colors starting to come on?”
Jane nodded. “Yes, isn’t it glorious! Father always loved this time of year. It makes me want to get out my easel.”
“You should do that, Jane.”
“Is that Alice?” called Louise from the doorway.
“Yes, we’re coming inside now,” yelled Jane as she nearly pulled Alice into the house.
“Did you tell her?” asked Louise.
“Not yet.” Jane led Alice into the parlor before she made her sit down in the overstuffed green chair. Alice glanced around the slightly shabby room with surprise. She hadn’t actually sat down in here in ages.
“What?” demanded Alice. “What is going on?”
“The contractor,” declared Louise dramatically. “It’s amazing—as if he’s been sent by God.”
Alice blinked. “By God?”
Louise laughed. “Well, that’s probably a bit presumptuous. But this man knows absolutely everything about old houses. Goodness, you should’ve heard him explaining this and that to Fred and us.”
“But here’s what’s even better,” said Jane. “He really needs work right now, so he’s willing to give us a good deal.”
“What did Fred say?” asked Alice.
“Fred seems to think Jim’s pretty good. He asked him a lot of tough questions and didn’t stump the man once.”
“So when do I meet him?” Alice asked.
“He was going home to prepare a bid that he’ll submit to us,” said Jane. “Jim promised to get right on it and he’s even going to check with the city about permits and find out about Acorn Hill’s restrictions for historic preservation.”
“Then he’ll be back here with everything by Saturday morning,” said Louise.
“Wow.” Alice shook her head.
“If we agree to his terms, he can start work on Monday.”
“Wow again.”
“That’s not all,” said Louise. “I met with Lloyd Tynan today, and he seems to be a perfectly reasonable person.” She fingered her strand of pearls. “He helped me to get some forms for permits and, well, all sorts of things. He actually seems to know more about this town than anyone.”
Alice grew hopeful. “Did it seem like he was softening up some? I mean in regard to the inn?”
Louise nodded. “I’m guessing that it’s only a matter of time before he comes completely around.”
Jane’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “He’d better not come around too much, Louise. Aunt Ethel might get jealous.”
“That’s true,” said Alice. “You don’t want to forget that he and Aunt Ethel have been, well, you know, dating.”
Louise chuckled. “Oh, I know that. It’s not as if I’m interested in the man on a personal level. But, certainly there’s nothing wrong with enjoying one another’s company while we work out our business and zoning issues with the city.”
“I guess not.” Alice still wasn’t entirely sure. “But I wouldn’t want to see Aunt Ethel hurt.”
Louise patted her on the hand. “Nor would I, dear.”
“Speaking of Aunt Ethel,” said Jane, “I think we made some serious progress today. I invited her in for some butternut squash soup and I actually believe she’s starting to warm up to the idea of an inn. I started telling her about all the social opportunities the inn might provide, an occasional dinner or tea, small piano concerts, private parties and receptions. I’ve even suggested that there might be some sort of role for her to play in all this.”
“You didn’t?” said Louise.
“Well, you never know,” said Jane. “I’m sure we could think of something to keep her busy and out of trouble. Good grief, you know she’ll be popping in and out of here anyway once things get going. We might as well plan ahead and try to put her to some good use.”
“Just as long as she doesn’t try to take over,” said Louise.
Alice tried to let all this new information sink into her brain. It seemed that they had suddenly been moved into the fast lane. Just considering the changes that might be coming their way made her feel tired all over again. She sighed. “Well, I think I’ll give my notice to go part time tomorrow.”
“Oh, good for you!” said Jane.
“Yes,” agreed Louise. “We’re going to need your level head around this place. Once renovation begins, there will be lots of decisions to make.”
“Oh yeah,” said Jane. “I told Jim that we all wanted to pitch in as much as possible. That will save us some money as well as make things go faster.”
Louise looked slightly stunned. “You mean pitch in as in wielding a hammer or a paint roller?”
Jane nodded. “That too much for you, Louise?”
Louise’s face puckered with distaste. “Well, I’ve just never …”
“There’s a first time for everything, sis.” Jane grinned mischievously.
Louise peered down at her long-fingered pianist hands and just shook her head. “I’m not so sure about this … I suppose I might give it a try …” Still, she did not seem the least bit convinced.
“I wouldn’t mind helping out when I’m not at work,” offered Alice. “I painted my bedroom a few years ago and I thought it was rather fun. Although I must admit that I’m not terribly fast.”
“But you did a good job,” said Jane.
Louise blinked. “You actually painted that room all by yourself?”
Alice nodded. “I’m sure there will be some ways you can help out too, Louise.”
Louise still didn’t look too confident, but she did promise to give it her best attempt. Then holding up her hand, she repeated their three musketeers’ slogan. “All for one and one for all.”
Despite her weariness, Alice had to smile. Seeing the three of them united in a cause like this would have so pleased their father. Maybe he was cheering with them right now.