Page 23 of The Inn at Evergreen Hollow

She felt an unexpected flush of pride at that, and she returned the smile, reaching for her bag. She’d thought of helping out as a way to fit in a little better while she was here, while also keeping her hands and mind busy, but she found that she liked the idea of Evergreen Hollow’s residents being glad that she was a part of it. She wouldn’t have thought she’d findmuch satisfaction in planning a small-town festival, but it was becoming more rewarding than she’d imagined.

I should stop in and say hello to Bethany too,she thought as she stepped out of the store, tucking the paper bag into her tote. The Pets First pet store and grooming salon that Bethany ran was on the way to theGazette—most things were on the way to one another here, as small as the town was, truthfully, but she thought that Bethany might like to see the photos she had as well. Besides, while Nora couldn’t imagine ever actually having time for a pet of her own, she liked stopping in and seeing the cats and dogs there.

Bethany was clipping a small Pomeranian’s nails when Nora walked in, and she glanced up quickly, smiling at Nora before returning to her task. “What are you doing today?”

“Oh, just a few errands, and then I’m going to take Sabrina some examples of what I ordered for the festival decorations.” Nora leaned up against the counter on the other side of the space where Bethany was working. “I can show you if you like, once you have a break.”

“You might be here for a while. I have a pretty full morning. Actually—oh, wait! There she is. You won’t need to go to theGazetteafter all.”

Bethany waved as Nora turned, seeing Sabrina walk in the front door. She was holding a white poodle, her attention fully on the squirming dog in her arms.

“I’m here for Pookie’s appointment!” she announced, walking past Nora and up to the counter. “I’m a little early, so I’ll wait.”

“I should be done with Taffy here in just a minute.” Bethany swiftly finished the back paw she was holding, reaching for the left front as the Pomeranian let out a small but slightly menacing growl.

“Actually, while you’re waiting…” Nora reached into her purse for the manila envelope. “I was coming by theGazetteanyway. I wanted to show you the decoration materials I ordered. They should be here fairly quickly.”

“I don’t see the point in you sharing what you’ve chosen, since you’re clearly taking over all the planning anyway.” Sabrina’s voice cut through the air between them, as stiff as her posture. She held the dog closer to her, her nose tipping up as she looked at Nora through her cat’s eye glasses.

Nora could feel the air between them thicken. Bethany glanced between them awkwardly, clearly at a loss for what to say, and even the grumbling Pomeranian had quieted down. No one in the room seemed to know quite how to respond.

Carefully, Nora slipped the folder back into her tote bag. “I’m just lending a hand,” she said carefully. “I want the festival to be successful—it’s so important to everyone, my mother and best friend included. I thought my experience might be useful. Everyone seemed happy to have my help.”

“Well.” Sabrina sniffed. “I could have made it successful on my own too.” Her lips thinned, her irritation clearly rising.

Nora let out a slow breath, opening her mouth to reassure Sabrina that she wanted her feedback, that it was valuable. But before she could say a word, Sabrina turned on her heel, storming out of the salon.

On the other side of the counter, Bethany let out a sigh. “Don’t take it to heart,” she said quietly. “Sabrina can be very passionate about things she’s set her mind to. And—oh, I don’t know, maybe she was more attached to her role in the festival than we realized. We were trying to lighten up her workload, but…” Bethany set the nail clippers down, rolling her shoulders to ease some of the tension. “It does seem to have backfired a little.”

Nora nodded. Sabrina had left Pookie waiting for the appointment, and the small dog was sitting patiently on the grooming table where she had set her down, head turning back and forth between the two women. The dog seemed very sweet, and she couldn’t help thinking how at odds that was with her owner’s cool demeanor. Nora wasn’t sure she understood it.

It was clear that Sabrina hadn’t really had the time to devote to the planning. TheGazettewas her baby, that was plain enough, and she had her hands full running it. Nora couldn’t see why having some help was a bad thing. She certainly had enough people to delegate to when she planned an event in Boston. Just decorations alone would require at least one other person to help her.

But it wasn’t her job to manage anyone else’s emotions—just the part of the festival that she’d been asked to handle. Nora reached out resignedly, scratching the poodle once between the ears before bidding Bethany goodbye, with plans to pick up lunch from Rockridge Grill before going back to the inn.

She would just keep doing what she was doing, she decided. And she would keep making the effort to include Sabrina, even if the woman was prickly as a cactus.

It would be on Sabrina, then, to warm up to her.

Or not.

It was nearly five when Aiden finished repairing the last of Jonathan Keller’s stairs on the front porch of his home—another victim of the surprise Thanksgiving storm. Blake was working on adding the last coat of paint to the boards of the porch that they’d refinished while they were at it, complete with a weatherproof varnish.

Jonathan emerged from the other side of the house, dusting off his hands on his jeans. He had a small greenhouse in the back, and he’d been working in there on his day off while Blake and Aiden tackled the front porch. “Thanks for the great work,” he said, surveying the results in front of him. “I’m handy in the kitchen, but house repairs are beyond me.”

“My pleasure.” Aiden straightened, setting his hammer down in his toolbox. “Just keep those venison burgers on the menu at the grill, and I won’t have a complaint in the world.”

“I second that.” Blake rolled the last of the varnish over the porch, and Jonathan chuckled.

“I’ll certainly keep that in mind. And speaking of food…” He nodded to the house. “I have some to-go bags in there for you that I brought back this afternoon, when I stopped in at the grill to check on things. Dinner is the least I can do, when you’ve gotten this handled so quickly.”

“I certainly appreciate it.” Aiden gave him an appreciative nod, starting to pack up as he and Blake waited for Jonathan to come back out with the food. His eyes widened when the other man returned with two large bags, one for him and one for Blake. “There’s more than just a burger in there.”

“Ah, I might’ve thrown in some lasagna and maybe a little of the apple pie we were serving. Just in case.” Jonathan shrugged. “Can never go wrong with extra leftovers, hm?”

“Not at all,” Aiden assured him. “I appreciate it.”

Blake nodded, echoing the sentiment. “We both do.”

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