Page 83 of Pick Yourself Up
Stan cracked out a laugh. “If not, I’ll shove them back into the garage, so no problem.”
Amber looked into the box and gasped in delight. A large framed picture sat on the top and covered most of the other items in the box. The photo showed five people using ladders to pick apples from a tree. Most of the people were focused on the task, but a young boy peeked around a ladder to wave at the camera.
The clothing told her the photo was probably at least seventy years old, but the quality was crisp, and only a few sections showed much age.
Reverently, she traced her finger over the edge of the wooden frame. “This is perfection. It’s exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to find, showcasing the history of apple farming in Vermont. Are you sure you want to part with this? It’s amazing.”
Stan rocked on his toes and grinned. “I am absolutely sure, especially after seeing your reaction. I don’t think history should be shoved in a box in the garage. If you can give this photo a home and a place to breathe, you’re more than welcome to it. My folks would be pleased.”
“Your folks?” She turned her attention back to the photo and studied the people. The man had enough similarities to Stan to have her looking at the boy again. “Is this you? Are you the boy with the mischief in his eye?”
His laugh filled the room. “I am. Good eye. I was a bit of a handful back then. Always looking for an adventure around every corner.”
Amber smiled. “I don’t imagine much has changed since then.”
He slapped his leg, making Boomer tilt his head. “I like you, young lady. See what else you like in the box, and then tell me what else you’re looking for. I’ll pester my friends into checking their attics for you.”
Amber blinked back the tears gathering. “Thank you, Stan. That means so much.”
He patted her arm gently. “My Troy tells me you’re good people, like everyone else here on the farm. Here in Phail, we have each other’s backs. You’re part of us, now.”
Her heart overflowed.
Stan’s eyes twinkled. “Here in Phail, we don’t fail. I know your inn is going to be another example of how well we don’t fail.”
Amber laughed even as the puzzle pieces clicked in her brain.
Welcome to the No Phailed Apples Inn, the most a-peeling inn in Vermont.
Perfect. It was going to be perfect.
Chapter 23
Lock 'Em Up
Amber knew she hadn’t done things exactly in order, but she didn’t care. She was learning to follow her heart instead of her plans, and her life had never been better.
Living on an apple farm in Vermont hadn’t been part of her childhood dreams, but it should have been.
Her brother, Knox, had seen the vision almost from the first moment they’d received letters from a lawyer stating the five of them had inherited an orchard from a man they’d never known.
She looked around the Apple-y Ever After room. Had their great-uncle Jay ever envisioned this? Had he hoped his brother’s grandchildren would take over the farm? Love it and live on it?
He must have because he’d left it to them.
Her heart ached for him and Fox. Why had the brothers grown apart? Why hadn’t they fixed it?
She understood how easy it was to fall into a rut. She’d stayed working with hotels, not even admitting to herself that her dream was more about an inn-sized building. A place where she could get to know the guests and treat them as individuals, not shadows passing through her days in a blur.
With the No Phailed Apple Inn, she’d get to run the business like a home away from home. A place where she felt safe and happy. A feeling she wanted to extend to her guests.
The Apple-y Ever After room was now complete. Well, aside from a mattress, linens, and towels. And guests.
But that would happen next year. Snow was due to start falling the following day and she would have the rest of the winter to plan for the future.
A future which would include not only this inn but the man she loved.
She could hear Fox’s voice in her head. You figured it out, Amber. Always knew you would.
