Page 34 of Lakehouse Mistletoe
Rebecca knelt beside Helen and pressed a cup of hot tea into her hand. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
Helen nodded and took a sip.
“Helen, you should have told us that Sykes was giving off weird vibes. We would never want you in danger.” Kacey placed a throw across Helen’s shoulders.
Helen sighed. “You are right. I should have said something. I just didn’t want either of you to think I couldn’t handle my job. I should have listened to my instincts. I knew something was off with Sykes. I thought he was just a pervert. I had no idea he was a loan shark that Carl owed money to.”
Rebecca squeezed her hand. “We would never think you couldn’t handle your job. You’ve been an absolute godsend.”
Kacey nodded her head. “That’s right. You will always have a home here. And we always want you to feel safe in your own home.”
Helen smiled at her friends. “Thank you both. That means the world to me.”
Oliver stepped into the room and cleared his throat. “Kacey, Rebecca. The police want to talk to you both since you are the owners of the bed and breakfast.”
They both nodded and walked outside.
Oliver sat on the edge of the coffee table and placed his elbows on his knees. “How are you doing?”
Helen smiled. “Much better. I think I’ve stopped shaking. I think the adrenaline has worn off.” She set her cup down and looked at Oliver. “I can’t thank you enough for coming by this morning. I don’t know what I would have done if he had come to while I was alone.”
Oliver grinned. “You would have hit him again.”
She gave him a worried look. “Did I cause any permanent damage when I hit him?”
Oliver chuckled. “No. He was angry when the cops handcuffed him to the stretcher. They are going to arrest him once he’s checked out at the hospital. The cops know it was self defense. The feds have been looking for a reason to arrest him for a while. Now they have more than enough to get a search warrant to gather evidence that will put him behind bars for good.”
Helen’s shoulders slumped. “Good. I hope he can’t ever hurt anyone again.” She shook her head. “You know, Sykes told me that Carl told him to come to me to pay off the debt Carl owed.” She shook her head. “Can you imagine saying such a thing? All this has made me so relieved I got a divorce from that man.”
Oliver grinned. “Me too. Look, Helen, I know we haven’t known each other for very long and you are just getting out of a long term marriage …”
Helen’s heart skipped a beat.
“But when you are ready, I would love to take you out for dinner.” Oliver held her gaze.
She grinned. “I think I would like that. But first I need to get through the holidays.”
His face broke out into a wide smile. “Great! Now, as far as Christmas goes … I’ve talked to Rebecca and Kacey, and they want you to take some time off. I can help them make Christmas dinner tomorrow while you take some time for yourself.”
Helen stood up and shook her head. “Absolutely not. I’m not going to let Carl ruin my Christmas. This Christmas will set the tone for the future, and I intend to see it through and set the future in motion.”
Oliver opened his mouth to argue but she held up her hand. “No discussion.” She shrugged off the throw from around her shoulders and headed to the kitchen.
After all, Christmas must be celebrated.
Chapter 31
That night the house was quiet. Rebecca and Kacey had stayed with her the whole day, helping her prep for the guests who had arrived after seven that night as well as helping with Christmas dinner prep.
Both women had finally gone home around nine and the guests were all snuggled in their beds after a long day of travel.
Helen was finally alone with a cup of tea, lounging by the fireplace.
The snow had finally stopped but had no intention of melting. For the next few days the temps would remain below freezing.
Headlights came up the driveway, and a car stopped in front of the house. Helen leaned forward to get a better view of the vehicle but didn’t recognize it. She headed to the front door with her cell phone in her apron pocket and a knife in the other. Just in case.
There was a brief knock on the door, and she answered it.
