Grant guided the truck down the winding road, doing his best to calm Sugar’s fears and assuage her tears. “Every problem has a solution. We’ll help you figure it out.”
“I’ve got so much work to do over the next two weeks. I can’t handle one more complication. I felt like I was home free after figuring out the fundraising nightmare.”
Grant made the turn for Peggy’s house and saw two fire department vehicles on the sidewalk. Sugar was out of the truck before he stopped, running to the front door.
Drew was on the porch and directed Sugar to the backyard. “Chief Adams, this is Peggy’s daughter,” he said, introducing the man wearing the white helmet.
The sharp odor of burning wires greeted them. She nodded her head as she stared at the scorched area around the electrical box. “Good news is, no real damage beyond what you see here. We broke your back door getting inside, but it can be easily repaired. It looks like a case of overloading the circuits.” Chief Adams patted the side of the house with his gloved hand. “This old house isn’t equipped to handle the load of modern homes.”
Sugar’s face whitened. “I left the heater on this morning.”
The chief gave her a grim nod. “Yes, ma’am. That was a contributing factor. You had several items plugged into a power strip, plus the space heater. The load was too much, and it caused an electrical fire.”
“So, it’s only the outlet upstairs in my room that’s out of commission?”
“Afraid not. That outlet is blackened, but the major damage is in your box. I’ve tagged it, so until you get an electrician in here to repair it, you’re without power.”
“Mom tried to tell me,” she muttered. “I was too busy to listen and thought she was being overly cautious.” Tears fell onto her cheeks. “How could I have been so stupid?”
Grant put an arm around her shoulders. “This is fixable.” He looked at his brother. “Can you give George a call and ask him to get on this right away?”
“Sure thing.” Drew took out his cell and drifted away from the others.
Grant explained George was an electrician and owned his own business. Plus, he was a customer at the bakery, and Drew took care of his dogs. “Let’s get all your perishables out of the cooler and stash them at the bakery for now. Grab whatever you need, and you can stay at my place for as long as you need to.”
The firemen cleared out of the yard and left Grant and Drew to help Sugar. Grant backed his truck into the driveway and started carting out the boxes of candy, butter, and other supplies from the walk-in cooler and freezer. Sugar got to work on boxing up what was in the kitchen refrigerator and freezer.
She left Drew and Grant to load everything and hurried upstairs to pack a bag. Fresh tears erupted when she saw the blackened outlet in her bedroom and smelled the stench of burnt wiring. She put her laptop and tablet in a bag and toted the space heater downstairs.
She helped them finish loading all her supplies and hopped into Grant’s truck. She was quiet on the way to the bakery. He rearranged his supplies and made room for her items on the shelves. “Let’s get what we can delivered tomorrow, and that will make room for more. You can use the kitchen here, but it will have to be at night. I’m slammed this week because of the cookie exchange.”
“I’m sorry. I know this is a pain for you. I’m hoping George can have me back in business soon.” She shook her head in disgust. “I’m also hoping not to tell Mom.”
Grant chuckled. “I wouldn’t count on keeping it a secret. Your mom has way too many friends here, and news like this will spread like wildfire.” He stammered and blew out a breath. “I can’t believe I said that. Sorry, horrible choice of words.”
As she was tagging the unlabeled boxes of fudge for delivery, she broke into a hysterical laugh. Uncontrollable giggles and snorts burst from her mouth. “Sorry,” she squeaked out.
He took the delivery tickets from her and guided Sugar to a chair. She was shaking and still laughing, tears streaming down her face. He brewed her a cup of tea and made her take sips from it.
“I think it’s a stress response.” He held the mug, not trusting her to keep it steady. “You need to take some deep breaths and try to calm down.”
She gave a tiny nod and took another sip before inhaling a long breath. She took several slow breaths, and the shaking subsided. “I’m feeling better, thanks.”
“Good, let’s head over to Mom’s. Dinner’s at her house tonight. Drew and Hope will be there, and we’ll get a plan together for the week.”
Sugar finished her tea and helped Grant with the remaining delivery tickets. They stopped by Grant’s house to retrieve Ginger and Luna and drop off Sugar’s bags. A festive Christmas tree lit up the open living area. He gave her a quick tour and showed her the guest room and all the extra supplies for the bathroom.
She held up her computer bag. “I’m afraid to try my laptop and tablet. They’re probably fried.”
“Don’t plug them in. Just turn them on and see what happens.” She opened the cover and shut her eyes as she pushed the button on the laptop. Both dogs took great interest in their guest and crowded in next to her.
Her shoulders slumped. “No luck, nothing.” She did the same with the tablet. It flickered to life then fizzled. “Looks like I’ll be investing in some new devices.”
Grant frowned. “Are your files saved somewhere?”
She nodded. “Yes, thank goodness. I have everything automatically backed up at my office or with a cloud service. At least I didn’t lose all my work.” I’ll order new ones, and they’ll be here in a couple of days.
Grant loaded the dogs, and they headed to Dottie’s. When they opened the door, the other three dogs and the rich aroma of something cooking in the kitchen welcomed them.
Drew and Hope were in the kitchen with Dottie. “Oh, Sugar, how are you, dear?” asked Dottie, coming around the island to embrace her.
“I’m okay. Embarrassed and irritated with myself, but okay.” Sugar shrugged her shoulders. “As if I didn’t have enough going on, right?”
“I talked to George, and he said he’ll get someone over to the house first thing tomorrow. He said he’s been telling Peggy she needed to address the old wiring and panel, but she’s been limping along with it.” Drew added, “He said it was only a matter of time before it failed like it did today.”
“I’ve got to call Mom. I should do that before someone else calls and tells her,” said Sugar, digging her phone from her pocket.
“There’s a nice quiet niche under the staircase. We only have two couples here tonight, and they’re out. So nobody will bother you there.” Dottie put her arm through Sugar’s and led her to the staircase.
When she returned, Hope was putting together a salad, while Drew and Grant promised Jake a quick game of football before dinner. “I was going to offer Sugar a room here, but starting Thursday, I’m totally booked,” said Dottie.
Grant helped himself to a cookie from the tray on the counter. “She moved some stuff into my guest room. I told her she could stay there as long as she needed. I figured you’d be booked, and I’m not sure how long it will take George to fix the wiring.”
Dottie’s brows arched, and she gave Hope a sly smile. “That was nice of you. I’m sure she’s stressed and worried about the candy orders. I was thinking since my kitchen is inspected and approved like Peggy’s, Sugar could use it to do her candy.”
Grant nodded. “We moved all her supplies to the bakery, but that’s a good idea. She’d be stuck doing it late at night because of my work schedule this week. This way, you two could help her.” He looked at Hope and back at his mother.
“We’d be glad to help her. We’ll see what she says after she’s talked to Peggy. Poor girl. She’s been doing such a good job.” Dottie lifted the lid on one of the pots on the cooktop.
“Let’s go get in that game while the sun is shining,” said Drew. Jake didn’t need any prodding and jumped from his chair. The two brothers followed him and the clamor of dogs outside.
Hope brewed tea while Dottie put a cake in the oven. Sugar came around the corner, her face blotchy. “How’d it go?” asked Dottie.
“She was more than upset at first. At the end of our conversation, she admitted she should have addressed the problem years ago. She’s worried about me and how I’m going to get all the orders done without her kitchen.”
“We were all talking about that very subject. I’d like to offer you my kitchen. It’s available as soon as we’re done with breakfast. Grant’s bakery would be ideal, but with all the extra work this week, that would mean you’d be working in the dead of night.” Dottie waved her hand along the expanse of the island. “It’s got plenty of room, and it’s certified and inspected, like your mom’s. I don’t have a spacious walk-in cooler and freezer like the bakery, so you’d have to go back and forth, but you could work during the daylight hours.”
Sugar’s lips curved into a tiny smile. “That would be wonderful. I can’t thank you enough, Dottie. Not that I wasn’t appreciative of Grant’s offer, but I was dreading working nights.”
Hope smiled and nodded as she slid a cup of tea to Sugar. “As soon as we finish our chores here, we’ll both help you this week. It’ll go faster with the three of us.”
Tears filled Sugar’s eyes. “I don’t know what I would have done without all of you. I’ve missed having…all of this. People that I can count on to help.” She drummed her fingers on the cool granite countertop. “I mean, I have friends; it’s just different. They’re more work related.”
Hope put her hand over Sugar’s. “I know exactly what you mean. The people in this house,” she glanced at Dottie, “and in this town are like a family. They’re willing to help friends or strangers. When you think all is lost, they offer you hope.”
Fighting back tears, Sugar clasped her other hand over Hope’s and squeezed it tight.
The back door opened with the commotion of five dogs and three humans charging into the house. After hanging up their coats and taking off their boots and winter gear, the men and Jake hurried through the kitchen to warm themselves in front of the fire.
“You boys get cleaned up. Dinner’s ready,” shouted Dottie.
Over homemade soup, salad, and bread, Dottie explained their latest idea for candy making activities. Grant nodded his agreement. “That’s a great idea, Mom. Any other week and we could probably swing it at the bakery, but this is the worst timing.”
Sugar grinned at Grant. “I was thinking I could do your deliveries in the morning as well as deliver the candy orders we have boxed to get them out of the way. Then I’ll pick up the supplies we need and come back here and get started on the kitchen work. I’d offer to help in the bakery, but I’m pretty useless when it comes to actual cooking.”
His brow wrinkled. “Delivering would be terrific. We’ll see how well you remember the town. Might want to take a map with you.”
“I can use my phone for directions.” She poked a playful elbow at his ribs.
As they finished the meal, Sugar filled the brothers in on her conversation with her mother. Grant looked at his brother and back at Sugar. “Drew and I were talking and think it’s best if you let George do whatever is necessary to fix it once and for all. You can work here and at the bakery and get your orders done. Don’t be in a hurry to go back until it’s fixed.” Grant began gathering the dishes from the table.
“Right,” said Drew. “Then Peggy won’t have to worry about it in the future.”
Sugar nodded. “I basically told her the same thing on the phone earlier. She wanted to know if George could repair the one outlet, and I vetoed the idea. The house needs to be safe. We don’t need any more problems.”
“How’s she doing with her therapy?” asked Dottie. “I need to find another day to go visit.”
“She said she’s making good progress and gaining some strength. She told her therapist she’s leaving by Christmas Eve.”
Dottie chuckled. “That sounds like Peggy. She’s always been determined.” Dottie stood and made her way to the counter. “I’ve got a chocolate cake for dessert.”
“I’ve gotta run, Mom. I’ve got an early start,” said Grant, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for dinner and all the help.”
“I’ll have cake,” said Jake, picking up his fork and licking it clean.
“None for me, thanks.” Sugar enveloped Dottie in a long hug. “I can’t thank you enough for your kindness. You’ll never know what it means to me.”
“It’s nothing, dear. You’re like part of my family, and I’d do anything to help you. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Dottie patted Sugar on the back.
Grant drove to Peggy’s so Sugar could pick up her Jeep. He got the dogs settled for the evening and gave Sugar a spare key so she could come and go as she needed. “I’m going to hit the hay. I’ll catch up with you in the morning at the bakery.”
Sugar stayed up late and using Grant’s computer, ordered a replacement laptop and tablet. She submitted her supply order for the candy shop and checked her work emails. The fundraiser was still bringing in donations, and the calendars were due to arrive tomorrow. After she created some posts for social media to create buzz about the gala, she turned off the light and went to the guest room.
Once settled under the blankets, she let out a heavy sigh. It had been a long day. The peace she had experienced at the falls and while snowshoeing had been shattered with the frightening news of the fire. She had been running on adrenaline since that moment.
The crushing guilt she had felt from the moment she heard the news eased after talking to her mom. The Fishers had come to her rescue. She had missed so much by staying away from Silver Falls. Instead of the memories she feared, she had discovered what she’d lost. Friends. Family. People who cared.
She was almost asleep when she bolted up off her pillow. “I forgot my smoothie blender.” She grinned, thinking of the ribbing Grant would subject her to if she mentioned it.
Sugar didn’t budge when Grant left the house early Monday morning. The soft light of dawn woke her after six. She wandered into the kitchen, giving the dogs a few ear scratches while she poured herself a cup of the coffee Grant had brewed.
She glanced around the space and saw her power blender on the island and a note beside it. Picked this up at your mom’s this morning when I realized you didn’t bring it with you. I put your veggies and gross milk in the fridge. Enjoy your green goop—Grant.
She brought her hand to her mouth and laughed as she plugged in the blender and collected the makings for a smoothie. It had been a long time since someone, especially a man, did something so thoughtful for her.