Longing for Home (14 page)

Yes, he did.

Alex didn’t want to analyze that too closely, either.

Chapter Fifteen

K
ate tucked a lightweight blanket over Tori’s shoulders and backed out of the room. After a morning of chasing Mulligan and Lady through the garden, followed by a lesson in wrapping silverware from Missy at the café, the little girl had barely been able to keep her eyes open while Kate read a chapter out of
The Secret Garden
.

Downstairs, she heard the opening notes of one of Beethoven’s sonatas in the gathering room. Zoey must have arrived to practice before the afternoon tea officially began.

Ducking into her bedroom, Kate replaced her jeans shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops for a plaid sundress and dainty flats.

Abby had warned her that while most activities at the inn were the informal, “come as you are” type, she had discovered that women embraced the idea of a traditional high tea and came dressed for the part.

Pausing in front of the mirror, Kate tugged a straw cloche over her curls. A touch of mascara, a swipe of ginger-colored lip gloss and she was ready to greet the guests.

From her vantage point on the third floor, Kate spotted Logan playing with Zach and Tim Davis at the edge of the water. The teenagers, brothers who attended the youth group at Church of the Pines, had offered to take the boy under their wing for the day.

After checking on Tori one more time, she bounded down the stairs and met Emma coming out of the kitchen. Her friend had also dressed for the occasion in a filmy lavender dress, strappy sandals and a strand of matched pearls.

“Did Tori finally fall asleep?”

Kate nodded. “I think she’ll be out for the rest of the afternoon.”

“The tables are all set and I put the centerpieces out.” Emma linked her arm through Kate’s as they walked toward the gathering room. “What else would you like me to do?”

“Pray.”

Emma laughed. “I haven’t stopped doing that since you called yesterday and told me about Logan and Tori.”

“Tori had a rough night,” Kate said in a low voice. “She woke up a lot, crying and calling out for her mother.”

Kate was sure that Alex would have heard the commotion, but he hadn’t said a word about it at breakfast that morning.

Tori had warmed up to her surroundings as the day progressed, smiling as she watched the dogs romp in the yard and even helping Kate with the tea preparations by dipping violets into superfine sugar to decorate the tops of the petit fours.

“What about Logan?”

“Adjusting a little better than his sister,” Kate told her. “Tim and Zach have been great with him today. The three of them helped Jeremy and Cody with the tree fort and now they’re catching crayfish.”

Emma gave her a knowing look. “And Alex?”

“I’m not sure. He was busy checking in the new guests and over the past few hours he’s been holed up in his office.”

But then again, maybe there was her answer!

True to his word, though, Alex had brought Kate and the children up to Abby’s suite of rooms when they returned to the inn after lunch.

“There’s a bed,” Kate had heard Logan whisper to his sister, breaking her heart all over again.

What sort of environment had the children called home?

Kate had seen Alex’s lips tighten and wondered if he’d been thinking the same thing. Or maybe he was having second thoughts about inviting two bedraggled kids and their equally bedraggled foster mother into his well-ordered life.

“He probably took refuge in his office to avoid all the ladies in hats.” Emma chuckled. “Most men—including Jake—sure would!”

Zoey switched from the soothing classical piece to a lively folk tune when they entered the room. After finishing the song, she rose to her feet and dipped an exaggerated curtsy.

Kate and Emma clapped their hands and Zoey grinned.

“I think that song goes well with tea and crumpets, don’t you?”

Kate grinned back, feeling some of the tension in her shoulders ease.

The next half-hour before the guests arrived left little time for conversation. Kate zipped back and forth between the sitting room and the kitchen with trays of dainty sandwiches and bite-size desserts while Emma brewed the tea.

Zoey continued to play quietly in the background as the women began to file into the room and search the tables for their individual place settings.

After serving each table, Kate dashed upstairs to check on Tori while the women settled in.

She peeked through the crack in the door. Tori was sound asleep, one hand clutching the blanket as if it were the one familiar thing that she could hold on to.

Kate wanted to keep her forever even though she knew it was only a matter of time before the children were either placed in a permanent foster home or with a family member.

Grace had called earlier in the afternoon with an update. She had traced an old address and discovered that the children’s aunt, a Jenna Gardner, resided in the Twin Cities but so far she hadn’t been able to get in touch with her.

Kate secretly had her doubts that an estranged relative would be willing to put her life on hold to care for two young children, but she had been praying that whoever this woman was, she would make room in her life—and her heart—for them.

“What’s all the noise I hear in the background? I thought people checked into a bed-and-breakfast to get away from it all.”

So had Alex, who mentally cuffed himself on the back of the head for not ignoring the phone when Jeff Gaines’ number had appeared on the screen. Once he told the truth, Alex knew he would never live it down. Fortunately, Jeff’s visits to Chicago were limited to once or twice a year, when they fought for domination on the racquetball court.

“Abby hosts a weekly tea party for her guests.”

“A tea party?”

“That’s what I said,” Alex growled. “So, what’s going on with you?”

“Not so fast.” Laughter flowed beneath the words. “Your day sounds much more interesting than mine. I want details.”

“Earl Gray. China cups. Fussy little cakes. Cucumber sandwiches.” A vegetable that, in Alex’s opinion, didn’t belong between two slices of bread. “And hats.”

Lots of hats.

“I can’t imagine you presiding over a tea party.” But the amusement in Jeff’s voice told Alex that he was trying.

“I’m not.” Alex’s back teeth snapped together. “Kate is.”

“Kate Nichols?”

“That’s right.”

“I didn’t realize you two knew each other,” Jeff said carefully.

Too carefully.

Alex scowled into the phone.

Do you know Kate?
he was tempted to ask. The White Wolf Run condos were located half an hour north of Mirror Lake; but it was possible Jeff and Kate’s paths crossed occasionally.

“She’s doing the food prep here,” he said. “Splitting her time between the inn and the café while Abby and Quinn are on their honeymoon.”

“That sounds like Kate.” The admiration in Jeff’s voice was unmistakable now. “She’s pretty energetic.”

“Energetic?” Alex supposed that was one way of putting it. “If she wasn’t tied down by the café, she could be running Porter Lakeside.” Or at least the city of Chicago.

“So hire her.”

“I tried,” Alex retorted.

“You actually offered her a
job?
” Jeff said slowly.

Alex hesitated. He’d been teasing Kate that day.

Hadn’t he?

“She won’t leave Mirror Lake.”

“I have to admit, the place does grow on a person,” his friend allowed.

“And holds them here.” Holds them back. “Kate’s talents are wasted in a town like this. If she had time to venture past the city limits, she’d realize it, too.”

“Wow.” A low whistle pierced Alex’s eardrum. “I never thought I’d see the day that Alex Porter would have such strong feelings.”

“We lived in the same frat house,” Alex reminded him. “You saw a lot of those days.”

“Not your feelings about Kate staying in Mirror Lake. Your feelings about
Kate.
”

“Feelings?”

“Feelings.” Jeff stretched the word into at least four syllables. “Do I have to spell the word for you? Or just spell it out?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Alex snapped. “We argue all the time.”

They even argued about the fact they weren’t arguing.

Alex remembered their phone conversation and smiled.

“Uh-huh,” Jeff said smugly, as if he’d
seen
the smile.

Alex opened his mouth to tell Jeff he should spend more time at the gym and less time on the couch watching daytime talk shows when he saw a furtive movement outside the door.

“Sorry to cut this short, but I have to deal with something.”

“Yes, you do. And I’d apologize, but someone had to point out that are you
are
human and it’s perfectly natural to have—”

“Something else, Jeff.” Alex rolled his eyes and hung up the phone.

A flutter of pink told him that Tori was still lingering outside the door.

The hum of conversation, punctuated by outbursts of laughter in the gathering room, must have been the reason she hadn’t flown directly to Kate’s side when she woke up from her nap.

Alex hesitated as he reached for the doorknob; his ears were still ringing from the last time he’d inadvertently startled the kid.

“Knock, knock,” he said, taking a risk that Tori loved the silliness of the jokes the way Abby had at that age.

Alex had spent hours making up new ones in those first few days after the police had brought her home. It had been the only way he could get his sister to talk to him.

“Who’s there?” a voice whispered on the other side of the door.

“Butter.”

“B-butter who?”

“Butter open the door and see for yourself.”

A muffled giggle followed and then the door slid open another inch. Wide, periwinkle-blue eyes studied Alex over the top of the book cradled in her arms.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. The afternoon tea Kate had insisted on going ahead with was proving to be a success. Such a success that the guests seemed to be in no hurry to leave.

“Should we find your brother?” The last time Alex had seen Logan, he’d been splashing around in the shallow water with two teenage boys from the church youth group.

Tori shook her head.

Okaaay.

“Hungry?” Maybe if Kate found them in the kitchen foraging for food, she would take over and Alex could get back to work.

Tori’s lower lip drooped at the corners, a sure sign he wasn’t getting this right.

“What
do
you want?” Alex asked cautiously, even though he guessed what the answer would be.

Sure enough, she pressed the book more tightly against her middle and glanced toward the entrance of the gathering room.

“Kate can’t read to you right now. She’s busy with the tea.” The tea that would have been canceled, if Alex had had his way.

Tears splashed over the breaker of golden lashes.

And Alex caved in.

“What page are you on?”

“Do you think they’re planning to stay until breakfast tomorrow morning?” Emma whispered as Kate hastily replenished the dessert tray for the third time.

“I’m beginning to wonder that myself.” The event was only scheduled to last an hour and a half, but the guests were having so much fun they continued to linger, long after the last cucumber sandwich had been reduced to crumbs.

“You could always serve s’mores if we run out of food,” Emma teased.

“Those are for the campfire this evening.” Kate blew a curl off her forehead and handed her friend the tray. “Can you take these out? I’m going to run upstairs and check on Tori again. I know she was tired, but she’s been asleep for over an hour.”

Emma smiled. “She’s awake.”

“Awake?” Kate repeated the word. “When? Where is she? Did she go outside?”

“Take it easy, Mom.” Amusement danced in Emma’s eyes. “She’s in the three-seasons room. I peeked in on her a few minutes ago and trust me, she’s in good hands.”

Tim and Zach.

Kate breathed a sigh of relief. For going above and beyond the call of duty, she was going to make the teens a batch of the triple chocolate brownies they loved.

She made her way to the spacious glassed-in room off the library, one of several additions the camp’s previous owners had tacked on to the main lodge over the years. Steeped in sunlight and crowded with plants and the comfortable furnishings Abby favored, it offered a quiet refuge…

Kate braked in the doorway when she spotted a familiar pair of Italian leather shoes propped up on the low wicker table.

Alex didn’t
nap
during the day. Unless the anguished cries of a five-year-old who missed her mother had kept him awake half the night. Or he’d sought a quiet place to escape the gaggle of women who’d invaded the inn at
her
invitation.