Page 13 of The Inn at Evergreen Hollow

There was a certain charm to Evergreen Hollow, she had to admit. Especially this time of year, all the rustic wooden buildings were covered with a frosting of snow, icicles hanging down off of some of the gables, the cobblestone paths cleared off neatly so that the remainder of the snow rose in drifts on either side. Without many cars in town, the snow stayed more pristine, so it didn’t get filthy and slushy the way it quickly did downtown in Boston. The town center of Evergreen Hollow could have been plucked out of a postcard.

Nora tucked her gloved hands into her wool peacoat, trying to ignore the few glances she saw tossed her way here and there. Everyone knew and remembered her, so no one said anything rude to her face, but she felt that she knew what they were thinking. She stood out, like varnish on old wood, and she couldn’t help it. Back home, her outfit would have been elegantly casual, but here it was blatantly overdone. Her clothes looked expensive, her hair too neat, and she knew she was out of place. It made her wonder every day if she should have just holed up in her apartment for the season.

Rob still hadn’t called or texted. She’d given up checking every morning, first thing, to see if he had. There was no point in it, and it just made her feel bad, seeing how easily he’d cut her out of his life.Hehadn’t run back home with his tail tucked between his legs, seeking out some crumb of nostalgia to try and tape his heart back together. He was probably back from his work trip, and she winced as she walked into the Sugar Maple general store, trying not to wonder if Julie was there with him.Thatwasn’t a line of thinking that would make any of it better.

She waved to Leon, the owner, as she walked in. He was behind the counter, a Styrofoam container with a slice oflasagna and a salad in front of him, and he held up a hand in return greeting as Nora walked to the back. There was a shelf with folded scarves on it, in between a counter with baskets of handmade soap and a display of makeup, and Nora looked through them, trying to find something she would like. They were all handmade, soft angora and wool, but most of them were brightly colored. Other than a few jewel-toned items, most of her wardrobe was neutrals, and she winced as she looked past a stack that was entirely oranges and yellows.

“See anything you like?”

Nora jumped as she heard Bethany’s voice behind her, and quickly turned. “Bethany! I thought you’d be at work.”

“I closed up a little early today—no clients scheduled, and I figured any walk-ins can wait until tomorrow. Thought Leon and I could have a late lunch.” She stepped back, appraising Nora. “I’m so glad to see you! I’d heard you were back, but I hadn’t seen you yet. Leon!” She turned, shouting toward where her husband was sitting. “Did you see Nora’s back in town?”

“I waved to her when she came in.” Leon waved again, and Nora couldn’t help but smile. The homeliness of the town grated on her sometimes, but it was impossible not to like Leon and his wife.

“I’m headed over to Meg’s house,” Bethany continued. “Meg Lawrence. You remember her?”

Nora nodded. She remembered vaguely, and she figured that was good enough.

“That’s the other reason I closed up early, other than grabbing a bite with my old man. There’s a planning meeting tonight for the festival. Normally we’d have it at the event center, but the men are still working on getting it fixed up after that storm. Rhonda told you about that, right?”

Nora nodded again. Rhonda had mentioned it—a freak snowstorm that had swept through right after Thanksgiving. Shevaguely remembered her mother leaving her a message, letting her know the inn had mostly been unscathed. She felt a flicker of guilt, remembering how long it had taken her to call back.

But she and Rob had just gotten back from visiting his family for Thanksgiving, and she’d had a pile of work, and…

She quickly shoved down the thought of Rob, and focused on what Bethany was saying.

“Anyway, those repairs should be done soon. They’ve been making great progress. And we need to get started planning! So we’re doing it at Meg’s tonight.” Bethany paused. “Want to come along?”

Nora wasn’t sure if she did, but there wasn’t anything else to do. Caroline had been particularly prickly earlier that day, and she thought that the two of them could still use some space from each other. Hanging around the inn would only invite more criticism—too much time alone in her room, too much time not engaging with the guests, or whatever else Caroline thought that she was doing wrong.

“Sure,” Nora said, snagging a navy-blue angora scarf off of the shelf. “Why not?”

She went up to the counter, handing Leon her credit card as she wound the scarf around her neck and tucked it into the collar of her coat. It was soft and warm, and she thought that it would be nice to have after she went back to Boston. A little reminder of home.

Bethany’s car was parked behind the store, and Nora breathed a sigh of relief as she followed Bethany out. She slipped into the passenger side, not at all surprised when Christmas music flooded the car as soon as Bethany started it up. She didn’t object, watching the town slide by as Bethany drove.

It wasn’t far to Meg’s, which was a gabled two-story brick house with an attic and a porch wrapped around it. There were several other cars out front, and Bethany parked behind a bigtruck, getting a bag of takeout from the grill as Nora slipped out. She followed her up the stairs, dusting her boots off as she stepped inside.

Nora was pretty sure half the women from the town, if not more, were gathered in Meg’s living room. It was a cozy spread—a bowl of spinach dip and crostini sitting on the coffee table side by side with a plate of meat and cheese, and another bowl of what looked like taco dip with tortilla chips next to it. She heard a few of the women exclaim happily when they saw that Bethany had brought takeout, and Nora stood back, shrugging off her coat and hanging it up as Bethany walked past her.

She felt a twist of anxiety in her stomach. Everyone would remember her, and she felt sure that they’d have opinions about her, where she’d been the last several years and what she did, even if they didn’t voice them aloud. All the same, she went into the living room, thankfully spotting an unoccupied armchair that would let her sit on her own and listen while everyone else chatted over appetizers and wine.

“Nora!” Valerie, one of the women she remembered, smiled brightly as Nora walked in. “It’s so good to see you. I heard you were back in town.”

I think everyone has, by now,Nora thought, but she smiled in return, hoping that everyone had the same bright view of her return. “I’m glad to be back. I just thought I’d make the trip for the holidays.”

“Well, we’re certainly glad you’re here.” Meg smiled at her as well, and there was a general murmur of assent around the room, everyone agreeing how glad they were to see her back. Nora hoped it was all genuine.

Bethany returned, an aluminum roasting pan full of takeout white chicken casserole in her hands, and she set it on the table with a spatula and paper plates. “Jonathan said this was the best one yet,” she said, cutting herself a piece and adding somespinach dip to the plate as she sat down. “He added green chiles, said it gave it a little kick.”

Nora’s stomach grumbled, and she got up, going to get a little of the food as well. She was sure that she’d have to get new jeans from the general store if she wasn’t careful—she hadn’t eaten so much rich food for every meal in years—and the thought made her go easy on the casserole. All the food was so good though, and at least she no longer had to worry about picking out a wedding dress in the spring.

The thought didn’t sting quite as much as it had before, and she hoped that meant she was coming to terms with the idea. She’d been excited about planning her own wedding. But surely it would be better, in the future, with a groom who was excited about it too.

Maybe that should go on my checklist,she thought as she sat back down.A fiancé who actually cares about our wedding.

“Who do we have for decorations?” one of the women asked, and Meg raised her hand.

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