1
The big house looked a little dark and sad tonight.
It fit her mood.
It wouldn’t stay that way for long, though. Soon it was going to be filled with tons of people talking, laughing, loving, and celebrating.
But it was quiet right now. Tonight, Susannah Westbrook was the lone occupant of Magnolia on the Sound – her soon-to-be-open bed and breakfast – and she was the furthest she’d been in a long time to laughing, loving, and celebrating.
It didn’t have to be this way…
And yet…it was.
A soft sigh escaped as she stood on the gravel driveway and marveled at the plantation-style home as she pushed her sad thoughts aside. The house represented hope to her. After what seemed like a lifetime of struggling – surviving a bad marriage, raising two kids on her own – she was finally feeling like her luck was changing. For years she had envisioned taking the house and turning it into something magnificent. It had been in her family for generations and now it was hers.
It was both exciting and bittersweet.
Her grandfather left it to her when he passed away a year ago and it had taken almost the entire year to make repairs from Hurricane Amelia as well as the renovations that would turn it from a family home into a B&B. It had been a labor of love and it was worth all the blood, sweat, and tears she put into it.
This was her dream – taking the old house and turning it into something magnificent; she wanted it to be the kind of place that showcased and celebrated a century of life and love in the South. For years she envisioned redecorating and making upgrades that would make it a showplace for anyone who walked through the massive double doors. Susannah had done her research and kept much of the historical feel to the home – including the family Bible and photos that showed not only Magnolia Sound when it was first founded, but also the family who first settled here. Walking around the house, anyone would feel the connection – the love – for the small coastal town. And when she opened the doors to her first guests next week, she couldn’t wait to share all of that information and history with them.
She took one step toward the house when a light went on inside. Gasping, she froze. No one was supposed to be here. None of the lights were on timers and she had foolishly forgotten to turn any on before she’d left for her date earlier. Now what was she supposed to do?
Pulling her phone from her purse, she immediately pulled up her daughter Mallory’s number. Because Mallory and her fiancé lived next door, Susannah hoped they would come over and check out what was going on inside the house with her.
The front door opened and the sound of a phone ringing wasn’t just happening on the other end of the phone; it was happening…out on the front porch?
“Mallory?” she called out.
The front door opened farther and her daughter stepped out onto the porch as a light came on above her. “Hey, Mom! You’re home early!”
Susannah practically sagged against her car. Pressing a hand over her heart, she forced herself to move and go up the front steps to greet Mallory. “What on earth are you doing here? You scared at least ten years off of my life when I saw a light go on inside.”
Hugging her, Mallory laughed softly. “Sorry. I was going to bake some cookies to bring into the shop tomorrow, but I was low on ingredients.”
“So you were raiding my pantry?”
“Guilty as charged,” Mallory replied sheepishly. Arm in arm, they walked into the house. Closing the door behind her, Mallory looked at her mother and smiled broadly. “So? How was your night? Did you and Colton do anything exciting?”
“Oh, um…just dinner,” she said, walking straight toward the kitchen.
“And…?” Mallory asked expectantly, almost as if she knew what had happened tonight.
Rather than answer right away, Susannah busied herself by putting a kettle on the stove to make some hot tea. She pulled two mugs down from the cabinets and tried to figure out a way to change the subject.
“Mom? Is everything all right?”
The last thing she wanted was to break down in front of her daughter, but it seemed like the events of the night were ready to catch up with her.
Bracing both hands on the cool granite countertop, Susannah hung her head as the first tears began to fall. “No,” she sobbed. “Everything is all wrong.”
In the blink of an eye, Mallory’s arms were around her, embracing her. She didn’t ask any questions. She simply held on as Susannah cried.
They stood there until the kettle began to whistle and Mallory reached out to turn it off before leading them over to the kitchen table to sit. Once Susannah was settled, Mallory went to make their tea and neither spoke until they each had a mug in front of them.
“I’m sorry I fell apart like that,” Susannah began quietly, reaching for a napkin to wipe her face. “I didn’t think it was going to hit me so hard.”
For a moment, Mallory was silent, as if carefully considering her words. “What happened?”
Letting out a shuddery breath, she said, “Colton proposed tonight.”
“Oh my goodness! That’s amazing!”
“I turned him down.”
“Oh…um…why? I thought you guys were…you know…”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Susannah said wearily. “Let’s just say it’s all for the best.”
“Mom, I can’t possibly say that while you’re sitting here crying. How can it be for the best?”
“Just trust me, Mal, okay?” Resting her head in her hands, she wished they were discussing anything but this.
After several minutes, Mallory asked, “So then…that’s it? You and Colton are through?”
She nodded.
It was another few minutes before Mallory said anything. “I get that you don’t want to talk about this right now, but I also don’t want you to be alone tonight. I’m going to stay and we can just sit and watch some TV or bake or you can go up to bed and I’ll stay in one of the guest rooms and leave you be.”
“Mal…”
Reaching across the table, Mallory placed one hand on top of hers. “I’m not leaving.”
Emotion clogged her throat and all she could do was nod. Mallory pulled out her phone and stood, likely to call her fiancé to let him know where she was and what was going on. When she left the room to talk, Susannah was glad for the respite. She didn’t let out an easy breath until Mallory’s voice was barely audible.
Colton Hale had proposed to her.
And she had no idea it was coming.
None.
She was clueless when it came to relationships – always had been. Her ex-husband was her high-school sweetheart and they had gotten married right out of school because she was pregnant. When he left her, she put all of her time and energy into surviving and taking care of her children. Sam and Mallory were her entire world and she never even thought about dating until they were in college.
And boy had things changed in the dating world in those twenty years!
Still, Susannah hadn’t found dating a necessity and she certainly never found someone who really piqued her interest.
Until Colton.
They had been dating for almost nine months now and even though she knew she was in love with him, there was no way she would even consider marrying him.