“I’ll go see if I can give them a hand.”
She watched him walk across the yard, amazed at the difference not even two months could make. Way back when Katie was a little girl, Rose’s husband, Earle, had gone on a sledding trip with Andy, who was his best friend. There was drinking and Andy talked two women into joining them in their motel room. Earle had broken his wedding vows. Blaming Andy had helped her forgive her husband enough to rebuild their marriage into the long and happy one it was until he passed away.
After more years than she cared to remember now of her not speaking to Andy, Mitch and Josh had hired him to do some odd jobs around the lodge. She didn’t care if he’d been a friend of their dad’s and was Drew Miller’s father. She was mad as hell. But having the situation shoved into her lap had caused her to give some thought to it and she’d finally forgiven him. Sometimes it was still strange, the way he was so at home at the lodge, but she was slowly getting more comfortable having him around.
Leaving the men to the canopy, she made a slow, careful tour of the house, making sure everything was ready for tomorrow. They might be family, but Rose took a great deal of pride in the place and she wanted it to look its best for the wedding.
Suddenly feeling a little weepy, she sat down on the staircase and ran her hand over a tread worn smooth by generations of Kowalski feet.
She knew it was selfish, but she hoped the kids didn’t sell the Northern Star. She wouldn’t tell them that. They all had their own lives to lead and maybe they didn’t want to be saddled with it anymore. And Josh deserved the chance to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, even if it meant she’d lose this place.
Logically, it made sense to sell it. Mitch and Paige wanted a house of their own. Ryan owned a beautiful house and a successful business in Brookline. Even if whatever was going on between him and Lauren bloomed into something, he wasn’t coming back to Whitford to play innkeeper. Sean was settled with Emma in New Hampshire, and Liz was in New Mexico. And Josh...she’d just about given up on Josh seeing that what he really wanted was right in front of him, because he was so blinded by what he thought he wanted. Katie was doing her own thing and wouldn’t care if Rose retired and moved into a little apartment over Main Street.
She was tired. And it didn’t seem that she was going to get to hear the thunder of little feet overhead again, so maybe it was time to start letting go of the Northern Star.
After the wedding.
*
By Thursday night Lauren had to admit, although only to herself, that she was disappointed she hadn’t seen Ryan since they’d had lunch on Saturday.
It had been a bit of a letdown when she’d pulled into the driveway on Monday to pick up Nick and Ryan’s truck hadn’t been there. Nick had told her that Ryan had to go back to Mass for work stuff until probably Wednesday morning. Then on Wednesday, he must have been busy doing something, because she didn’t see him then, either. It didn’t look like she’d see him again until Paige’s wedding.
“Is there something wrong with that wine?” Katie asked, jerking her out of her thoughts.
“No, why?”
“Because you’re scowling at it.”
“Oh. Just lost in thought, I guess.” And because she knew the question was coming, she went ahead and made up a fake answer. “Nick’s going on a camping trip with his dad this weekend and I’m trying to remember if I packed his wool socks.”
Katie waved her hand. “Wool socks are for tomorrow. Tonight is for fun.”
On such short notice, and with Mitch taking Paige off to New Hampshire to meet his family on the only free weekend, they weren’t able to throw a proper bachelorette party for her. But they’d all gathered at Hailey’s for an impromptu Thursday-night potluck dinner, with wine.
It would have been nice to wait until Mitch’s female relatives could be there, but their Friday arrival and the Saturday wedding didn’t leave enough time. They’d just have to party all over again at the reception.
Paige was currently sitting in Hailey’s rocking chair, which had been thoroughly toilet-papered in lieu of white streamers. Whitford didn’t have a party store and Hailey had forgotten to stop at one when she’d gone into the city to buy gifts.
“Oh, my God, Fran,” Paige said, while Hailey almost doubled over laughing beside her.
Lauren could see why when Paige held up the present. Fran had knit her a short, spaghetti-strapped nightie...out of a nice, sturdy wool. It was the most bizarre thing she’d ever seen.
“Hey, you didn’t leave me enough time to knit the matching peignoir,” Fran said. “But that’ll keep the important bits warm while still looking sexy. Maine-style.”