Page 77 of Pick Yourself Up
It wasn’t long before Gray was offering to pick up a meal for everyone from the No Fail Diner and promising to see them soon.
Without pausing, he called Ginny with an order for them.
When he hung up, she smiled. “It would have taken me twice this long to work up the courage to make the first call.”
He leaned over to kiss her softly. “We all have our strengths. Yours are many and varied, just not cold-calling people you barely know.”
“You know me so well.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Inside and out. Now, let’s find you some treasures.”
Gray held Amber’s hand as the trees thinned, and they approached the Midnight Lake clearing. The hike had been fun, and the path was easy to follow. Boomer had enjoyed the fresh scents and bounding through the trees, although he never ranged out of sight or far from Amber’s side. Now he bounded over to walk next to her.
Autumn was in full swing, and the scenery was unlike anything Gray had seen anywhere in the world. Amber had already taken dozens of photos. “Do you think the autumn leaves are so pretty in Vermont to make up for the fact that winter is coming?”
Amber laughed. “Maybe. If that’s true, it’s a good trade.”
Despite the laugh, Gray felt Amber’s tension rise. They were approaching people she didn’t know very well and asking for a favor. She didn’t realize people liked her exactly as is. She was an amazing person, and she knew that once they got through the initial few minutes, it would be easier on her.
The huge lodge was even bigger than Amber’s Inn. There was evidence of renovations in progress, with scaffolding along one edge of the back wall. Aisling waved down at them. “Hi guys. Tansy and Sam are out front. I’ll meet you there in a few.”
The view as they rounded the lodge had them both stopping with a gasp. Midnight Lake spread out before of them, surrounded by trees of all shades and colors. It was even better than what they’d seen so far.
Amber’s voice was hushed with awe. “This may be the prettiest view I’ve ever seen.”
He had to agree. Several docks reached into the lake, canoes, and kayaks ready to go. Chairs and benches were scattered to enjoy the view on the ground and on the huge deck. It was beautiful and inviting.
Sam waved them up to the deck. “It’s even prettier from up here. Come on up.”
Tansy smiled. “Welcome.”
He knew the tiny woman was a brilliant scientist and inventor, but she had no airs about her. Her quiet, gentle manner reminded him of Amber.
They’d met the remainder of the group during the apple picking party, but Sam went through the names, probably in case they’d forgotten or were nervous. Between former FBI agents, a firefighter and arson investigator, an artist, and another scientist, it was an eclectic group of smart people.
Another German shepherd bounced up from where he’d been sprawled on the deck. He woofed a greeting, and Boomer checked in with Amber. She smiled. “It’s okay Boomer. Friend. Friends. They’re all friends.”
Boomer moved to greet the other shepherd and then two labs and a husky-German shepherd mix that loped up the deck stairs to join the party.
Joe opened the door to the lodge and the huge Moose lumbered out. He and Boomer were already friends since Lia had come to the farm to check on them.
Watching the dogs get to know and accept each other was fun and he could feel Amber’s tension ease away as Boomer made friends.
Gray slung the pack he’d carried onto the table. Tansy had invented a non-plastic hot box. There were always a few on hand at the diner for when someone from the Lake would pick up dinner for them all. It was an ingenious box with various-sized compartments for different types of meals.
With a quick look at Lia, they arranged the seating so that the doctor was on one side of Amber and Gray on the other, with Tansy on his other side.
Sure enough, conversation was easy as they ate their meal. At one point, he leaned down to whisper in Amber’s ear. “You doing okay?”
She nodded, her wide smile genuine. “Very. Thanks.”
He kissed her cheek. “Good.”
Tansy leaned forward. “I’m excited to hear more about what you’re doing with your inn. I love the idea of reusing old equipment as decor.”
Sam laughed. “You’ve made a friend for life just by using the word reuse. Tansy’s a huge fan of reducing our human footprint on the world.”
Tansy smiled and shrugged. “It’s important.”
