By the New Year, Aunt Ethel had finally managed to completely squelch Florence and Clara’s rumor. Alice suspected it took a great deal of effort on her aunt’s part, because she knew how gossip could fly through their small town. She had already heard, through Hope, that people were talking about the three sisters’ methods of funding their home improvements.
It required someone as well connected and socially active as Aunt Ethel to put a real stop to something like that. Fortunately it seemed that she had succeeded. The downside was that most of the town was now fully aware of the Howard sisters’ financial situation, including how Louise’s deceased husband Eliot had been such a savvy investor.
“I hear that Louise’s husband made a killing in the stock market before he died,” said Hope as she set a piece of blackberry pie in front of Alice. She winked. “Now, who would’ve dreamed that Louise had actually been married to the Wolf of Wall Street?”
Alice thought about Eliot’s thoughtful and modest personality and just shook her head. “Oh, I wouldn’t describe him like that, Hope. Honestly, he was just a nice, quiet man who had fairly good sense when it came to investments.”
Hope leaned forward with interest. “So is Louise really a millionaire?”
Alice blinked. “No, not at all.”
Hope frowned. “Shoot, I thought it’d be fun to have a real millionaire in town.” She glanced around the Coffee Shop. “Everyone says that Hank McPheeter is pretty wealthy, maybe even a millionaire, but I have my doubts.”
“Why’s that?”
“First off, you should see how he tips.” Hope shook her head dismally.
“Maybe that’s why he’s so well off.”
“Guess I’d rather be poor and generous than rich and stingy.”
Alice grinned. “I’m with you there.”
“So what’s going on with the inn these days?”
“Not too much at the moment. Our contractor hasn’t come back from the West Coast yet.”
“Hmm. That Jim … I can’t quite figure him out.”
“How’s that?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Hope shrugged. “I just don’t get the feeling that he really likes it here that much.”
“What makes you think that? I’ve only heard him say positive things about Acorn Hill.”
“I guess it’s just the way he comes across sometimes. Sort of disconnected, you know, like he won’t be sticking around for long. I’ve kind of gotten a sense about these things over the years. I can usually guess which of the newcomers is going to stay.”
By the end of the week, Alice wondered if perhaps Hope was right. It was the second week of January, and Jim still hadn’t returned from his holiday trip. Jane and Louise were both getting a little worried.
“Do you think he’s okay?” asked Louise over dinner one night.
“I wonder if there’s someone we should contact,” said Jane. “Perhaps we should try to call his son.”
“Do you know his son’s number?” asked Alice.
“No, but his last name is probably Sharp like his dad’s. I could call information and ask.”
“I’m sure glad that I didn’t pay him any more advance yet,” said Louise with a frown. “Then I’d really be worried.”
“What if he’s sick or has been hurt?” asked Jane. “Wouldn’t you be worried then?”
“Well, of course.” Louise set down her knife.
“I really wanted to work on the foyer,” said Jane. “I feel pretty stuck without Jim’s help.”
“And the plumbing on the second floor is still at a complete halt,” said Alice.
“Oh, he’ll probably be back any day now,” said Louise. “Let’s not worry about it, girls.”
“Yes,” agreed Alice. “It would be better to just pray.”
That night before Alice went to bed, she did remember Jim Sharp in her prayers. “Dear heavenly Father,” she prayed, “I ask that You protect Jim and keep him safe. I also ask that You help him to see that You have all the answers for his life’s questions. Show him how much You love him, and please …” she wondered if this part was selfish, but continnued anyway, “please help him to hurry back to Acorn Hill so that he can finish the inn on time. Amen.”
In less than a week, Jim was back on the job. He explained to the three of them that his son’s family had all suffered a bad bout of the flu right after Christmas. “And after I helped them to get better, I ended up coming down with it myself.”
“Well, we’re just relieved that you’re okay,” said Jane as she handed him a mug of hot coffee.
“And glad that you’re back to complete our inn,” said Louise.
“Do you have any idea when we’ll be up and running?” asked Alice as she reached for her coat. She was already a bit late for work, but she wanted to hear what was going on before leaving.
“Yes,” said Jane. “We’d like to be able to announce an opening date for the inn. I’m creating a website, and Louise is having brochures made.”
Jim’s brow creased as he considered this. “Well, we’re closing in on the end of the interior projects. Then we’ve got the fire escape and meeting the safety codes for the inn. I expect we’ll wrap that up by mid-February.”
“And pass our final inspections?” asked Louise.
He nodded. “Yep.”
“That means we could actually open around Valentine’s Day,” said Louise happily. “Maybe we could offer some sort of introductory offer for a romantic getaway.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea,” said Jane. “I could bake special desserts and do flowers and—”
“But what about the roof?” asked Alice. “Will that be done by then?”
“No way,” said Jim. “I can’t even start that up until March.” He looked at the date on his watch. “That reminds me, ladies, it’s time to order up that slate now. It takes about six weeks to deliver.”
“So, does that mean you’ll be working on the roof after the inn is running?” asked Alice. “That doesn’t sound too safe for the guests.”
He waved his hand. “Oh, don’t worry about that. There are ways to do these things without upsetting your guests.”
Alice wasn’t so sure, but she decided not to fret about this as she hurried off to the hospital. More and more, her motto was becoming to pray about everything and worry about nothing. She felt that she had been getting better at it. Father would be proud.
By the end of the week, the foyer wallpaper had been hung, and all three sisters agreed that the pale gold and ivory stripes looked absolutely perfect.
“I feel a little guilty about monopolizing Jim’s time these past couple days,” admitted Jane. “But I just felt that we needed to get this done.”
“I agree wholeheartedly,” said Louise. “I’ve gotten so weary of explaining to everyone that we haven’t had a chance to finish it yet. And, of course, it’s the first thing people see when they come inside.”
“Oh, it’s such a welcoming sight,” said Alice. “I’m glad that you did it.”
“Jim did get all the fire alarms up, and he promised that he’ll start on the second-floor bathrooms first thing next week,” said Jane.
“And he’s ordered the slate now,” said Louise. “So everything is right on track for our opening date.”
“Just think,” said Alice. “We could have real guests in just a month’s time.”
“Not a moment too soon either,” said Louise. “We are really going to need that income before long. Jim’s final check pretty much cleared out our bank account.”
“But that will cover absolutely everything left, right?” asked Alice with a wave of concern.
“Yes.” Louise sighed. “Mostly it’s for the slate. Jim has guaranteed that everything will be completely finished.”
“Oh, I can’t wait,” said Jane. “I think I’ll work on my website tonight. I want to get it up and running and see if we can’t get some guests lined up for the latter half of February.”
“Are you certain that you really want to book guests before we’re absolutely sure?” asked Alice. “I mean we can’t open our doors without those inspections and—”
“Don’t worry, Alice. Jim says it’s a piece of cake,” Louise assured her.
“Besides, it’s a whole month away still,” Jane waved her hands at the freshly papered walls. “And just look at this, Alice. Doesn’t it make you feel like we’re almost there?”
Alice smiled. “Yes, it’s very encouraging!”
During the weekend, the three of them worked together on the Garden Room. Jane had completed faux painting the walls in soothing shades of pale green and then added a couple of delicate floral borders above the cherry wood wainscoting and at the ceiling. The sisters had decided to leave their mother’s original rosewood bedroom furniture in this bedroom.
“It looks perfect in here,” said Alice after they had put everything back into place.
“Yes,” agreed Louise. “It goes so well with the wainscoting, plus it really stands out nicely against those pale greens. I do love green, Jane. I’m so glad you decided to go with that in here.”
“And it does feel peaceful, doesn’t it?” asked Jane.
“Definitely,” said Alice. “I feel as if I’m in a garden.”
Jane laughed. “It actually makes me want to go find my spade and get my hands dirty. I can’t wait to start working up the old garden this spring.”
As if to torture Jane, the weather had turned cold and brutal with nearly a foot of snow by Monday. Schools were closed, and the already slow pace in Acorn Hill ground nearly to a halt. Still, people were happy and cheerful as they shoveled their walks and greeted their neighbors.
“Haven’t seen s-snow like this since b-back in the eighties,” called Pastor Ley as he shoveled the sidewalk in front of the chapel.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Alice called back as she scraped the snow off her car’s windshield. She paused to look at the town now draped in a blanket of pristine white. The houses looked so quaint and cozy, and the street lamps wore white caps on their heads.
He nodded as he walked over and started to give a hand helping her to clear off her car. “S-snow’s kind of like God’s m-mercy, don’t you think? M-makes everything look all clean and white.”
Alice laughed. “But thank goodness, God’s mercy doesn’t melt away.”
There were more casualties than usual at the hospital that day, mostly resulting from the weather. A sledding accident yielded a broken collarbone, and a slipping mishap left Viola Reed with a badly sprained ankle.
“How are you feeling, Viola?” asked Alice as she popped into the emergency room to check on her friend.
Viola groaned. “Just wishing these pain pills would kick in.”
“Do you need a ride home later today?”
“Thanks, I already asked Donna to close up the shop and come get me. I told her to load me up a box of the newest books to take home with me—might as well catch up on my reading while I’m down.”
“You be sure to call if you need any help,” said Alice. “And keep that foot iced and elevated.”
“Thanks.”
Later in the day, a couple whose car had slid off a Potterston road and smacked into a tree came in. They had just been passing through town and fortunately suffered only minor injuries. But the local hotel was full, and now they had no place to stay. Someone in the ER had told them about Alice’s bed and breakfast and the husband, Thomas Redding, sought out Alice during the only break she’d been able to get all day.
She set down her tea. “Yes, I heard about your wreck. Too bad.”
“Our car’s not looking too great, but it could’ve been much worse.” He rubbed a bandage along his chin. “Seems the hotel in town is full, and I wondered if you might possibly have a room available in your inn tonight. I heard that Acorn Hill’s not far away.”
She smiled. “I’m sorry, but our inn’s not open for business just yet. We’re still in the renovation stage.”
He frowned. “Our car’s getting worked on right now, they’re just going to patch it up enough to make it home to New York, but it won’t be ready until tomorrow afternoon. Do you have any idea where we could stay around here?”
Alice thought for a moment. “Actually, you could probably stay with us, but we couldn’t allow you to pay for a room since we’re not even licensed yet. Unfortunately the bathrooms on the guest floor aren’t finished yet, but there is one downstairs. Are you and your wife able to climb steps?”
He nodded. “April only suffered a broken wrist and some bruising.”
“Has she been released from the hospital yet?”
“The doctor plans to check her again. I heard that it would take a couple more hours still. I guess things got busy here today.”
“The weather helped out.” She glanced at her watch. “My shift ends at five. If you and your wife would like, I could give you a ride then.”
He smiled. “Thank you, we really appreciate it.”
So Alice called home and explained about the unexpected guests. “I told him that we couldn’t accept money since we’re not officially open.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” said Jane. “It’ll be fun just to pretend that we’re running an inn tonight. I’ll ask Louise to get their room ready. Tell them that they’re welcome to stay for dinner. I’ll even whip up something special.”
The Reddings appeared to be quite impressed with Grace Chapel Inn. Louise gave them the full tour while Alice changed out of her uniform and Jane put the finishing touches on dinner.
“I feel like we’ve really discovered something special,” said April at dinner. “I hope we can come back and stay when you’re officially open and we’re not in such bad shape.”
“Yes, it’s an unfortunate way to get acquainted with our little town,” said Louise. “We’re not at our best just now.”
“Everyone has been so helpful and friendly,” said Thomas. “It almost makes me wish we lived in a place like this.”
“Yes.” April nodded. “So quiet and peaceful—nothing like where we live in New York.”
“What room are you staying in tonight?” asked Alice.
“The Garden Room,” said April. “Louise explained that it was your mother’s room. It’s simply lovely.”
“I thought they would be comfortable in there,” said Louise.
Alice thought it seemed fitting that their first guests were nonpaying customers, strangers who’d experienced misfortune and simply needed a shelter for the night. Father would definitely approve.
The Reddings’ car was finished as promised the following day, and April and Thomas assured everyone that they would be coming back to Acorn Hill when the inn was opened.
“I told April about our Valentine’s Day special,” Louise told Alice at dinner. “And she said she might even surprise her husband by booking it. Apparently it’s also their twenty-second wedding anniversary next month.”
“They might actually become our first paying customers,” said Jane happily.
“And to think it was the snow that brought them to us,” said Alice. “Sort of like Mother and Father.”
“How’s that?” asked Jane.
“Don’t you remember the story of how Father’s car got stuck in the snow, right out there in front of the house,” said Alice. “Turned into a real blizzard, and he was stuck here for several days.”
“Good thing,” said Jane with a grin. “Gave him plenty of time to fall in love with Mother. So maybe the snow’s a good sign for our bed and breakfast too.”
“Yes, it seems Grace Chapel Inn has a promising future,” said Alice.
“There’s only one little problem,” said Louise in a quiet but serious voice.
“What’s that?” asked Alice as she reached for the butter.
“Well,” Louise glanced uncomfortably at Jane. “Jim hasn’t come to work on the house during the past two days.”
“At first we thought it was just the weather,” said Jane quickly. “I mean the town was such a complete mess yesterday, and then we were sort of distracted with our unexpected guests. But it suddenly hit both of us this afternoon that we haven’t seen Jim since last Friday.”
“He may be still getting over the flu,” said Louise hopefully.
“You’d think he’d have called or something,” added Jane.
“Do you suppose he’s too sick to call?” asked Alice. “Or perhaps he’s slipped and injured himself. We’ve had so many injuries related to the snow and ice during these past two days.”
“Oh dear, I hope he’s okay,” said Jane.
“Doesn’t he have a phone?” asked Alice. “Can’t you call him?”
“We don’t have a number.”
“Oh.” Alice frowned. “Do you know where he lives?”
Louise shook her head. “We’ve never had any reason to ask him that.”
“Maybe Fred knows,” said Alice. “They seem to be pretty good friends. I’ll call him after dinner.”
Alice tried not to worry as she finished her meal. Then she waited until seven to dial up the Humberts’ number. Fred told her that Jim lived in the little apartment above the Woods’ garage.
“He doesn’t have a phone,” Fred explained. “I know because I stopped by Time for Tea just last week and asked Wilhelm Wood if he knew anything about Jim. I hadn’t seen Jim since before Christmas. I must say I’m sure relieved to hear that he’s back in town though.”
Alice didn’t ask why Fred felt so relieved, but she did dispense this information to her sisters.
“Isn’t that out on Village Road?” asked Jane. “Didn’t Wilhelm Wood used to live there with his parents?”
“Actually Wilhelm still lives there with his mom,” said Alice. “Just the two of them. His dad died a few years back. Their home is just a ways up from the Methodist church. It’s a white colonial house with green shutters.”
Jane slipped the last plate into the new stainless steel dishwasher and then wiped her hands. “Well, I plan to drive over there first thing tomorrow morning and check on Jim.”
“I’ll come with you,” offered Louise.
“I hope he’s all right,” said Alice as she hung a pot back on the rack. She had a bad feeling about this.