Back Home Again (17 page)

“Really?” Louise looked hopeful. “When could you have possibly had time to work on that?”

Jane smiled. “I wasn’t going to mention it, but there are those nights when I can’t get to sleep, so I sneak down there and putter around. I’m surprised I haven’t disturbed you.”

Alice chuckled. “I thought I heard something one night, and I meant to put out some mousetraps the next morning.”

“You’d need quite large ones,” said Jane.

“So when do we get to see your new creation?” asked Louise.

“Not until every single thing is in place.”

“It is just like Christmas!” exclaimed Alice.

“What do you mean?” asked Louise.

“All these new rooms and renovations. Isn’t it fun? Each time something gets done feels just like opening up a new package.” Alice glanced around the finished dining room. “Like this room. I just love it so much. And your kitchen too, Jane. Honestly, if the other rooms only turn out half this nice I’ll be completely happy.”

Chapter Twenty-One

G
race Chapel Inn seemed to turn a corner just before Christmas. To start with, as promised, Alice donned her coveralls and rolled up her sleeves and helped Jane attack the living room.

“I gave Louise enough errands to keep her out of the house for most of the day,” confessed Jane as she masked off the wood trim. “I don’t want her to see this room until the painting is completely done.”

“What exactly do you have in mind?” asked Alice as she studied the cans of various colors of paint on the drop cloth.

“Remember when you asked me about faux painting? Well, we’re going to do a faux finish in here.” Jane was already opening the cans. “And we need to work quickly, Alice.”

“Aye-aye, sir,” said Alice with a mock salute.

Jane stood up and smiled. “That’s just the attitude I’m looking for today. I need someone who can take orders and not ask a bunch of questions.”

“At your service.”

As she was instructed, Alice started rolling a pale
golden color onto the upper walls. Jane had already decided that the wainscoting, which had always been painted in that room, should simply remain painted, and she had covered it with a nice creamy white a few weeks ago. “Don’t worry about getting that gold on evenly,” she said. “Just smear it around diagonally. I’ll follow you with the next step.”

So Alice did her best to smear the paint around, but she couldn’t help being concerned that it didn’t look very nice. Still, she kept her mouth shut and did as Jane instructed. She was so focused that she barely noticed Jane following behind her with a scrunched up rag and pan of paint. Finally, Alice completed the longest wall and turned to see how it looked.

“Oh my!” Alice looked at Jane’s half of the wall and shook her head. “That is amazing, Jane. It looks beautiful, almost like marble or some sort of stone.”

Jane paused to grin and push a stray strand of dark hair from her eyes. “Thanks. Now, back to work.”

By one o’clock, they had finished the faux painting, and the living room glowed with color and warmth and elegance. “Oh, Jane!” Alice exclaimed. “I never dreamed it would be so pretty. How did you know?”

Jane winked and paused to add a finishing stroke with her wadded up cloth. “I’m the artist, remember?”

“No arguing with you there.”

“So, how about if you start cleaning up, and I’ll go see if Jim can help me move a few pieces of furniture in here. Wouldn’t it be fun to have some things in place before Louise gets back? She was totally unconvinced that I was going to pull off this room.”

Alice was already peeling masking tape and paper from the wainscoting. “She’ll be convinced now.” She paused to look at it once more. “You know what else, Jane? It looks really lovely with the dining room color right next door. The gold and the green seem complimentary. Did you plan that too?”

“Of course.” Jane dropped her messy cloth into the garbage can. “I tried to pick out all the downstairs colors to go with each other. I hate it when you walk from one room to the next and it feels like you’ve entered an entirely different house.”

Alice nodded. “Yes, that makes sense.” Of course, Alice knew she never would have thought of such a thing herself, but she was glad that Jane had that vision.

It took Alice nearly an hour to clean and clear the living room of the paint debris. By then, Jane and Jim were carrying in some large pieces of furniture from the basement and attic.

“How about if I fix us a little lunch,” suggested Alice as she watched Jane deciding on where to place the
marble-topped table. “Since it’s obvious that I’ll be of little use in here.”

“Sounds good,” said Jane. “You in, Jim?”

“Never turn down free food,” he said as he carefully edged the table next to the bay window. “Is that where you want it, Jane?”

“Perfect.”

So Alice went into Jane’s cheerful kitchen and poked around the refrigerator until she found some leftover mushroom soup and some sandwich meat. She knew her lunch didn’t look as festive as something Jane would put together, but Jane and Jim seemed thankful just the same.

“What are your plans for Christmas?” Alice asked Jim.

“I thought I’d go visit my son,” said Jim as he scraped his spoon across his bowl.

“I didn’t know you have a son,” said Alice.

“He has a daughter too,” said Jane. “They live in Washington State.”

Jim grinned. “Sounds like you’ve been paying attention to all my chitchat, Jane.”

“I also remember that you have several grandchildren. The daughter has a new baby, and the son has two or three kids.”

“Two.” Jim nodded. “Two girls.”

“Well, that’s nice,” said Alice. “You’re a grandpa.”

“Yep. My son and his wife have been begging me to
come see them in their new home. And I haven’t even seen my daughter’s baby yet.”

“Now, I know about your kids, Jim,” began Jane. “But you’ve never mentioned a wife. What’s the story there?”

He frowned. “Divorce.”

Jane nodded as she picked up the empty plates. “I know how that goes. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“Thanks.”

“Well, you two can feel free to get back to whatever you were doing,” said Alice. “I’ll clean up in here.”

“Great.” Jane set down the plates in the sink. “Louise might be home any minute now.”

Alice puttered around in the kitchen. She really liked how warm and cheerful it felt in there now. It was so much nicer than before. She wondered why it had never occurred to her to paint the cabinets such a nice bright color.
That’s just me
, she thought as she rinsed out a soup bowl.

“Hello?” called Louise from the front foyer.

Alice dried off her hands and hurried out to see her older sister’s reaction. You could never be certain with Louise.

“Oh my!” Louise’s hand flew to her mouth as she walked into the living room. She stood in the center and turned around and just looked with wide eyes. Alice couldn’t tell if she was pleased or horrified. “Oh my!” she said again.

Alice looked around the room and smiled. She thought it looked perfectly lovely. The sofa and overstuffed chair reupholstered in burgundy fabric looked elegant with several new pillows in place, as well as a beautiful knitted throw in shades of burgundy, cream and gold. Their mother’s antique rocker looked at home in the corner, and Jane had even taken time to place a potted fern on the marble-topped table by the window. Well, Alice thought the room looked absolutely sensational.

“It’s perfect,” breathed Louise as she finally peeled off her gloves.

“Really?” Jane went over and threw her arms around Louise. “You honestly think so? I have a few more pieces to put into place and some things for the wall and—”

Louise nodded and just mutely turned around again. “
Honestly
. It is heavenly, Jane. How did you know how to do this?”

“Remember, she’s an artist,” said Alice, winking at Jane.

“I haven’t got it all together yet,” said Jane, “but I think you can get the effect I’m going for.”

“We get it, Jane,” Alice assured her.

“Alice was right,” said Louise happily. “It is like Christmas. Now, if someone will help me to unload the car.”

“Let me,” offered Alice. “I think Jane is more useful in here.”

As it turned out, even Aunt Ethel loved the living room. When Jane took the time to add a few Christmas touches, like the trio of alabaster angels that had belonged to their mother, lots of creamy white candles in brass candlestick holders, and with plenty of evergreen boughs, holly and pine cones along the big oak mantle, the room looked festive and ready for the holidays.

Then the following week, Alice came home to discover that Father’s study, now called “The Daniel Howard Library,” was wallpapered with a friendly tweed in mossy shades of green and brown.

“That wallpaper looks so nice next to the mahogany woodwork,” said Alice when her two sisters showed her the room. “It makes the rich color of the wood literally gleam in contrast.”

“That’s thanks to Louise,” said Jane. “She spent the last two days cleaning and oiling the bookshelves. She’s even been rearranging the books.”

“Just putting them in a more orderly fashion,” explained Louise. “So we can find titles more easily.”

“Where did this area rug come from?” asked Alice as she admired the Oriental rug in shades of rust and gold and black.

“Don’t you remember?” asked Louise. “It used to be in Mother and Father’s bedroom.”

“Oh yes. It always seemed a bit dark for a bedroom, but I like it in here.” Alice pointed to the pair of russet colored chairs across from the desk. “And those are from the bedroom too?”

“Yes,” admitted Jane. “They were like new. I don’t think Father ever sat on them once. Don’t they go well in here?”

Alice nodded. “You are a whiz, Jane.”

“Louise sewed the cushion covers,” said Jane.

Alice picked up one of the decorative pillows. It was a geometric design tapestry of earthy greens and gold. “What beautiful fabric.”

“Jane found that at Sylvia’s Buttons,” said Louise. “At first I thought it looked too contemporary, but I like it now.”

Alice looked around the room in satisfaction, her eyes settling on the big mahogany desk where her father’s old black leather Bible and dated globe still sat. “I think Father would like it in here.”

“Really?” Jane looked hopeful. “I tried to keep him in mind. I didn’t want to do anything with this room that felt unlike him.”

“You did a great job.” Alice sighed, feeling slightly left out. “I just wish I could’ve been more help.”

“You’ve been wonderful help,” said Jane. “Your encouragement and diplomatic skills. Really, we never would’ve gotten this far without you.”

Alice forced a smile to her lips. Maybe it wasn’t just a feeling of being left out. Maybe it was simply the fresh reminder that Father was gone. His study was no longer the same. He was not coming back, but then what did she expect? She absently gazed at the blank wall directly behind his desk and then pointed to it. “What do you plan to do with that, Jane?”

Jane frowned. “I’m not sure. I agree with you that it needs something.”

“I have an idea,” said Alice suddenly.

“Really?” Louise looked skeptical.

“Yes. I saw something like it at the hospital once. Old Henry Tyler had suffered a pretty bad heart attack and his daughter, I think her name is Lucy, brought in this large framed picture. It was a sepia-toned photo of old Henry as a boy, going fishing. It was about this big.” Alice held her hands about two feet apart. “I asked Lucy about it, and she said it was an old snapshot that she’d gotten blown up at a professional photocopy shop. They had some really nice machine, not like our copier at the hospital, but the good kind that they use for photography. Anyway, I have some old snapshots of Father when he was a boy, and also during his days at seminary, as well as a few from when he and Mother first met. Suppose we picked some of those and had them blown up and nicely framed and—”

“Alice!” exclaimed Jane. “You are a genius! That is an absolutely brilliant idea.”

Alice beamed.

“I know just the place to have it done,” said Louise. “There’s a shop in Philadelphia that a friend of mine runs. I’ll have them sent out and back in no time.”

“See,” said Alice. “It’s still just like Christmas.”

In the next two weeks, the parlor was completed, with the ivy and violet wallpaper hung to Louise’s satisfaction, and all the furnishings in place, including Louise’s baby grand piano. Not only that, but the cookies also got baked. They were not as spectacular as Jane would have liked but were temptingly tasty just the same. Then, with less than a week before Christmas, a tall fir tree was put up in the parlor, complete with twinkling lights and some handblown antique ornaments. By Christmas Eve, the three sisters were finally ready for their sing-along—
and
a long winter’s nap.

Chapter Twenty-Two

C
ynthia is here!” Louise sang out as she rushed through the foyer to answer the doorbell. “Come and say hello to my one and only daughter.”

Alice set down a heaping platter of Christmas cookies on the dining room table and then hurried out to greet her niece. “Welcome home!” she said as she hugged Cynthia and helped her with her coat. “Did you have a good trip?”

“The traffic was awful until I got to Acorn Hill.” Cynthia looked around the foyer and frowned. “Hey, I thought you guys were fixing this place up.”

Louise laughed. “Don’t judge a house by its foyer. We’re still a work in progress. Come and see the living room and dining room and say hello to Jane. Then we’ll give you the full tour.”

“Oh my,” said Cynthia as they walked into the candlelit living room. “This is
really
beautiful.” She walked around the room in wonder.

“It’s mostly Jane’s doing,” said Louise. “Although we all
helped out a little. I even sanded the woodwork a bit myself before Jane painted it.”

“It feels almost celestial in here,” Cynthia finally said after she had examined everything. “What a totally amazing transformation. I can hardly believe this is the same house.”

“We considered putting the Christmas tree in here,” said Louise, “but decided to stay with family tradition and have it in the parlor.”

“I like it this way,” admitted Alice. “With all the candles and the greenery on top of the mantle, I think this room is lovely without a tree.”

“Now come see the dining room,” said Louise, her eyes sparkling like a little girl. “It’s lovely too.”

“Wow,” said Cynthia as they went into the dining room. “Everything looks so different from the last time I was here.” She shook her head in amazement. “Everything feels so much lighter and brighter—I absolutely love it! I may never want to go home.”

“Hello,” called Jane as she pushed open the swinging doors from the kitchen. “How are you, Cynthia?”

“Worn out,” she said as she hugged Jane. “You look really good, Aunt Jane. I love that dress.”

Jane set down a tray of cheese and crackers and then held out the full skirt of her burgundy velveteen dress. “I
got this in a retro shop in San Francisco a few years ago. Almost forgot I had it.”

“Goodness, Jane, does that mean it’s actually been
used
?” asked Louise in a horrified voice.

Jane grinned. “Yep. That’s what makes it so special.”

“There are a couple shops like that in Boston,” said Cynthia. “I couldn’t work up the nerve to go, but maybe I will now.”

“You would wear
used
clothing?” Louise looked aghast.

Cynthia laughed. “Come on, Mom, get with the program.”

“Speaking of program, we better continue our tour,” Alice said, “before our other guests begin arriving.”

“Yes,” agreed Louise, “but Cynthia should take a peek at Aunt Jane’s kitchen first.”

“It’s a little messy at the moment,” said Jane as she led them into it. “I’ve been a baking maniac today.”

“Oh, Aunt Jane, it’s adorable. I love these bright colors, and this floor is very cool. What fun! It actually makes me want to cook.”

“Now, that’d be something,” said Louise. “Considering you barely know how to make toast.”

“Maybe Jane should give Cynthia some lessons while she’s here,” suggested Alice.

“I’m afraid Aunt Jane would pull her hair out,” confessed
Cynthia. “I’m really pretty hopeless in the kitchen. Although I do peel a mean potato.”

“All right,” said Louise. “Let’s keep this tour moving. You have to see the library and parlor now, Cynthia.”

Cynthia paused to read the sign on the door to the library. “The Daniel Howard Library.” She pushed open the heavy paneled door and went in. “This is really nice. It makes me want to curl up and read a good book.”

“That’s just the look we were going for.”

Next they went to the parlor. “This is my favorite room,” said Louise proudly. “Don’t you love this wallpaper?”

Cynthia nodded. “Yes, it feels like your style, Mom. Your beautiful piano looks completely at home in here.” She paused by the Christmas tree. “What a lovely tree. Hey, I recognize that little angel playing the flute.”

Louise laughed. “Yes, we’ve all contributed from our own collections.”

Alice glanced around the parlor. The wallpaper really did look perfect in this room. Quaint and old-fashioned, but still light and cheerful. Much better than the old dark print that used to adorn the walls. “Now, let’s help Cynthia get her bags up to the Sunset Room.”

“Sunset Room?” Cynthia looked puzzled.

“Yes, dear, we named the guest rooms.” Louise picked up the smaller overnight bag, and Alice got the larger one.

“Better hurry up, Jane,” called Alice from the foyer. “We’re heading up to see your special room now.”

“Not without me,” yelled Jane as she hurried toward the staircase. “Remember what I said.”

Alice turned to Cynthia. “Jane has been so secretive. She wouldn’t even let Louise or me see this room yet.”

“That’s because I only finished it this afternoon.”

“It’s the first guest room that’s ready for visitors,” said Louise.

“Right this way, girls.” Jane led them up the stairs and down the hallway, before she opened the door with much aplomb. “Welcome to the Sunset Room.”

“Oh, Jane,” gushed Cynthia. “This is fabulous.”

Alice looked around the spacious bedroom in wonder. What used to be an old set of worn bedroom furniture now had a creamy antiqued finish and looked elegant and comfortable. The walls were faux painted in terra cotta tones, giving it a warm, cozy feel. Some nicely matted and framed prints adorned the walls as if they had hung there forever. “How do you do this, Jane?” gushed Alice. “Honestly, it looks like a page out of
Beautiful Home
magazine.”

“Don’t you
love
this fabric?” said Jane as she happily plumped a blue, gold and terra cotta tapestry pillow. “Sylvia special-ordered it for me. It’s kind of old-fashioned, but the colors feel contemporary.”

“The whole room has such a warm and welcoming feel, Aunt Jane,” said Cynthia. “I really feel honored to be the first person to use it.”

“Well, don’t feel too honored,” said Jane. “Unfortunately the bathrooms on this floor aren’t operable yet. You’ll need to trek either upstairs or down to use the facilities, but you look like you’re in pretty good shape to me.”

“I don’t mind a bit,” said Cynthia. “Just using this pretty room makes me feel special. I can handle the stairs just fine.”

“Goodness,” said Louise with a worried frown. “I don’t know if my guest room will be able to hold its own against this one.”

“Maybe we should ask Jane to help us with our rooms,” said Alice.

Louise nodded. “Perhaps you’re right. She just seems to be getting better and better at this decorating business.”

Jane laughed. “It’s so much fun. Honestly, it’s almost as rewarding as cooking. Although I have a feeling that once we’re done, I may be tired of it. But you never know. I might have to take up decorating as a part-time job if the inn doesn’t bring in enough business.”

“I think I hear someone at the door,” said Alice. “You three take your time up here and I’ll let them in.”

Since it was still a bit early, Alice suspected it was Aunt Ethel. Naturally, she was right. “Come right in, Auntie,” she said with a big smile. “Merry Christmas!”

“Thank you, dear.” Aunt Ethel peered over Alice’s shoulder. “Is that Cynthia’s car I see parked out front?”

Alice nodded. “They’re upstairs admiring Jane’s guest room.”

“Oh, I must see it! That Jane,” Aunt Ethel handed Alice her coat. “She’s really got an artist’s eye.”

Alice chuckled to herself as she hung up her aunt’s coat. It wasn’t long ago that Aunt Ethel had insulted Jane over her choice of colors in the kitchen.
Just like the weather
, thought Alice as she went to put on another Christmas CD and check on the refreshment table.

Soon, Fred and Vera arrived with both their daughters in tow. Next came Hope, then Lloyd Tynan along with Pastor Ley and his wife Patsy. Alice had also invited members of the church board to come tonight, hoping that it might help allay some of their fears about their soon-to-be inn, but she really didn’t expect that Florence Simpson and her husband Ronald would show up. She hoped her face didn’t register too much surprise when she opened the door to see them on the porch.

“Florence,” she said with a nervous smile. “And Ronald. Welcome to our home. Come in, come in.”

Florence looked skeptically around the drab looking foyer. “I thought you were doing a renovation here.” She handed Alice her heavy fur coat. Alice tried not to wince as she slipped the coat onto a sturdy hanger. She had never liked the feeling of animal fur, and tried to dispel the image of all the critters that had given up their luxurious pelts.

“The foyer won’t be finished until after Christmas,” she explained as she took Ronald’s wool coat.

“Well, Alice,” said Ronald. “Contrary to popular opinion, I happen to like what you’ve done with the exterior of your house.”

“You do?” Alice glanced at Florence just in time to see her scowl.

He nodded. “I never thought that great big peach house looked appropriate next to the church. It almost seemed to upstage it, in my opinion.”

Florence sniffed. “Well, it seemed like a part of Acorn Hill’s history to me.”

Alice thought it was time to change the subject. “Why don’t you come and see the living room,” she said quickly. “Jane is our decorator, and we all think she’s done a pretty nice job.”

She led them into the golden living area where a number of guests were mingling and admiring the renovations. “There are lots of goodies in the dining room,” Alice
assured the Simpsons. “Feel free to look around and see what we’ve done. We’re still in progress, but I’m sure you’ll see that we’ve—”

“I simply adore what Jane’s done in the kitchen,” said Hope as she grabbed Alice’s arm. “I wish she could give the Coffee Shop a makeover like this.”

Relieved at the interruption, Alice asked Hope if she had seen the library yet and then happily took her and several others to tour the other part of the downstairs as more guests arrived and were greeted by Jane and Louise.

Soon it was time for the sing-along, and Louise began directing everyone toward the parlor. “Time for caroling,” she called merrily.

Alice had retreated to the kitchen for a brief respite from conversations. She was never at her best at parties and large social gatherings. Besides that, she knew that Jane would appreciate a bit of help cleaning up after her whirlwind day of cooking and baking for the party. She was just wiping down a counter when she overheard quiet voices in the dining room.

“Can you imagine that Pastor Daniel was able to tuck away this much money?” It was Florence Simpson talking in a hushed conspiring tone.

“It seems highly unlikely,” said another voice that Alice immediately recognized as Clara Horn’s—one of Grace
Chapel’s most notorious gossips. Apparently Aunt Ethel had invited her friend Clara here tonight, a nice gesture since Clara was a recent widow and had no close family nearby. Alice was about to step through the swinging doors and make her presence known to the two women, but then paused for a moment. She knew she was eavesdropping, but somehow she just couldn’t help herself.

“Well, it’s obvious that his daughters are pouring a lot of hard-earned money into this showy remodeling project,” said Florence. “I’m sure that Alice couldn’t have saved up very much on her nurse’s wages, and Jane just worked in a restaurant and couldn’t have much cash set aside.”

“I believe Louise and her husband made their living giving piano lessons,” added Clara. “There’s not much money in that. Yes, it does seem a bit strange that the Howard household should suddenly find themselves so well-heeled.”

“I just read about a TV evangelist who embezzled millions from his ministry,” said Florence. “Do you suppose that Pastor Daniel could’ve done something like that? You know how the church has always struggled to make ends meet. Could he have possibly been siphoning money off?”

Alice couldn’t remember many times in her life when she had actually felt enraged enough to physically harm someone, but she believed she was coming mighty close
right now. She put her hand on the door, ready to shove it open and make a dramatic appearance, but then she stopped herself.

“Pastor Daniel always
seemed
like a good man to me,” said Clara with a trace of doubt in her voice. “But then you just never know about folks. The Bible speaks of wolves in sheep’s clothing. And it does seem that his daughters are throwing a lot of money around making this place into some kind of fancy showplace. Regardless of where it came from, money like this would be much better spent helping out poor missionaries or even the church itself. I’ve heard Fred Humbert saying that the church roof is in bad need of replacement.”

“I think something smells fishy,” said Florence. “I plan to get to the bottom of it. Might even have to call an emergency board meeting.”

Now Alice knew that she was far too angry to actually confront these two women without losing her temper. She had long ago learned from her father about the danger of approaching someone while still infuriated. He always gave himself a “cool down time” when something flared up amongst the congregation that got his dander up.