Graham liked the idea that Rennie would be in town for a bit but quickly remembered she had plans after the holiday with her boyfriend, which meant he would be around as well. He pushed those thoughts aside because despite everything, he was going to put himself out there and find someone to spend time with. No more dwelling.
FIFTEEN
Falling snow would’ve been the only thing to make Rennie’s morning at the Driftwood Inn seem more magical. When she rose, she stepped out onto her small balcony and inhaled the salt air. A fine mist, coupled with fog, had settled over the harbor, and out in the distance, she could hear the warning horns from harbor patrol, reminding boaters the water was unsafe.
Rennie dressed, put on light makeup, and pulled her hair into a ponytail before she made her way downstairs. Christmas music played overhead, and she found herself singing along to Burl Ives as he told the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It was funny to think about how refreshed she felt after being away from the city for one day, even with the looming civil suit against Graham. Everything she knew about the law told her that if the lawsuit made it to a judge, it would be years. Rennie would do anything she could to help Graham out of his current dilemma, and that included calling the man she used for her cases, private investigator Walter Shuff. She and Walter had worked together for a couple of years, and he always yielded valuable information for her. This time, it wouldn’t be a spouse Walter had to look into, but a family whose teenage daughter drove drunk, crashed her car, and, as a result, was paralyzed.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw that the lobby looked like the North Pole. Santa walked in with a red sack slung over his shoulder, and a parade of children all dressed in their cutest holiday outfits followed behind. Rennie suspected that if she looked out the window, there would be a sleigh and reindeer in front of the inn, because her Brooklyn didn’t do anything half-assed.
As tempted as she was to follow Santa, she veered toward the dining room and ran into Simone. “Oh, good morning, Rennie. I didn’t know you were here.”
The women hugged. Rennie breathed Simone in, smelling the cinnamon, apple pie, and warmth that Simone carried with her. “I decided to come up and spend Christmas here.”
Simone squeezed Rennie’s bicep. “I bet Brooklyn is happy you’re here. I know Brystol will be. Go on into the kitchen, and I’ll make something for you.”
“Thank you, but I think I’m okay with coffee. I sort of want to check out what’s going on in the ballroom.”
Simone’s eyes went wide. “Oh, you should. Brooklyn is so ecstatic about the turnout. There are so many kids from here and the neighboring towns. I swear I made two thousand sugar cookies.”
“You’re so good to them, Simi.”
“They’re my family. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them,” Simone said with a wink as she disappeared into the kitchen.
Rennie poured herself a cup of coffee and picked up a doughnut off the tray and made her way into the ballroom. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Inside, the ballroom was a winter wonderland. Garland with white lights and red ribbon covered every window casing. Every chair had bows made from tulle, and each table had a wreath centerpiece with votive candles, lit and shimmering. There was a large tree in the corner, decorated elegantly with wrapped presents underneath, and beside it sat a throne with red velvet cushions. At the other end of the room, families stood in line as they waited to have their portraits taken in front of the picturesque backdrop. Rennie was in awe of her friend’s talent.
“Morning, Ren.” Bowie came toward her and kissed her on the cheek. “Brooklyn is over there, in the corner, if you’re looking for her.”
“Thanks. This place looks amazing.”
“It’s all Brooklyn,” Bowie told her as he looked in the direction of his fiancée. “She’s the visionary. I just do what I’m told.”
“You do more than that, Bowie. You love her, and that’s all she’s ever wanted.”
“Me too.” Bowie exited the room. Rennie stood there for another moment, absorbing the magic, before she made her way through the crowds of people. She reached Brooklyn, and before the two hugged, Rennie set her coffee down, knowing she would likely spill once she and Brooklyn were together.
They hugged tightly and rocked back and forth a bit. When they parted, Rennie said, “B, I can’t believe you did this. I’ve seen most of the houses you’ve redone, but this by far is your masterpiece.”
Brooklyn had a delighted look on her face. “I think this project has been my favorite so far.”
“I can see why. You’ve brought the North Pole to Cape Harbor. Not only are the kids excited, but the parents look very happy. Heck, I even want to join in the fun.”
Brooklyn pointed over Rennie’s shoulder. She turned and followed to find her niece sitting at a table with both sets of her grandparents. “You can sit with them if you’d like.”
Under normal circumstances, Rennie would gladly sit with Brooklyn’s family, but Rennie wasn’t feeling herself. She was worried about Graham and Grady, even though Grady was in the best place he could be at the moment, and she felt a strong disconnect with Theo . . . her thoughts went to him immediately.
“What’s wrong, Ren?”
She shook her head slightly. “I may have forgotten to tell Theo I came here.” Rennie felt about two feet tall. A sense of guilt washed over her. As of late, she was insensitive toward Theo and absentminded when it came to him. “Fu—” She covered her mouth to keep the slur trapped inside.
Brooklyn took Rennie by the arm and pulled her toward the back of the ballroom, through the glass door, and out onto the covered balcony, away from the party. “Spill.”
“I don’t know, B. Things are off between us. It’s like when you’re on the highway, and you see a sign for the town you want to go to, but you stay on until the next exit—I feel like Theo got off on the first exit, and I kept driving. We’re not on the same page for anything, which is stupid because nothing has changed between us, except I haven’t seen him since before he went to Japan.” Rennie sighed heavily. “I just think we are both overworked, and everything will be fine once we go on vacation after Christmas.”
“Isn’t he spending Christmas with you? Honestly, Ren, when you called and said you were coming, I thought something had happened between you because I didn’t expect to see you until Christmas morning. I know it’s only a couple days away, and I love you dearly, but why aren’t you with Theo?”
Rennie stared at her friend, hoping the answer would appear on her face. It didn’t, and Rennie had no idea what to say other than “I don’t know. I need to go call him.”
Back in her room, Rennie threw on her oversize sweatshirt, picked up her phone, and went out to sit on her balcony. She pulled her legs to her chest and dialed Theo’s number. Her call went right to voice mail. She tried again, only to get the same result. By the third call, she opened her mouth to leave a message but thought better of it. They needed to talk. He would see her missed calls and call her back, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Her thoughts drifted over the past month, and she tried to pinpoint when her relationship with Theo slipped. It could’ve been Thanksgiving, when he hadn’t called. Not that she would’ve noticed, because she was busy with Graham and Grady’s situation. It seemed everything was fine before then, but why the change in her? Admittedly, it wasn’t because she had spent an uncomfortable weekend at the hospital with her friend, regardless of their past. Something bugged her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.