Hours later,the firefighters let MJ and Cindy take a look at the aftermath once they’d determined that the lodge was secure and the roof damage, while severe, was limited to a small section of the kitchen.
Unfortunately, that “small section” included the mudroom, MJ’s living quarters, and her pantry, storage cabinets, and baker’s rack.
Cindy and MJ went together, with Jack. Stepping into the kitchen literally turned her stomach.
Where just hours ago there had been warmth and light and the comforting scent of baked goods, there was now chaos. A gaping hole yawned overhead with snow pouring in like a white waterfall.
“Oh, dear,” MJ whispered, her knees nearly buckling.
“We have insurance,” Cindy whispered. “The rest of the lodge is totally fine. People can sleep here tonight—well, not you—but we will fix this. This could have been worse. You’ll get a new kitchen. And a roof.”
She turned to her sister, hearing the encouraging words she should have been saying herself. Wasn’t she the optimist? Wasn’t her glass half full?
But nothing felt full or optimistic right then.
“Or we could sell as-is and save ourselves a lot of headache, trouble, and money.” The words slipped out of MJ’s lips, so foreign it felt like someone else was saying them.
“Not tonight,” Cindy replied. “Let’s get the photo albums in the cabinet and some clothes for you. You can sleep in Cabin Five since it’s empty. I’ll stay with you.”
“I will, too, Mom,” Gracie said. “Red took Benny up to our house, and Nicole is with Cameron and Elise, all of them staying in the ski shed tonight.”
MJ looked around, noticing most of the guests had gone to rooms or cabins after they’d been cleared. She had no fight left in her. No hope. No…nothing.
Moving through the motions like a zombie, she and Cindy, with the help of Jack and Gracie, got what they could, donned jackets, and headed to Cabin Five.
“Oh,” MJ groaned as she unlocked the door. “I haven’t even stripped the bed and put on clean sheets.”
“I’ll do the sheets, Mom,” Gracie said.
“Yeah, we got this, MJ.” Cindy hugged her as they trudged to the cabin.
“Don’t you want to be with Jack tonight?” MJ asked. “You just got engaged.”
“You need me more,” she said. “Sisters before misters.”
That made MJ smile for the first time since the proposal.
“Relax, Mom,” Gracie added, guiding her into the cozy one-bedroom. “We’ll get everything ready and no one is going to leave you alone tonight. Are the sheets in the bathroom closet? I’ll go change the bed.”
“And I’ll make a fire,” Jack offered.
Sighing, MJ turned to Cindy. “Why do I seem more upset than you are? You’re the numbers person.”
“Because Nicole told me three simple words just one minute before Jack proposed—anything is possible. Right now, I believe it. Yes, I’m wildly in love and back with my favorite guy”—she smiled at Jack and lifted her newly decorated left hand—“but I know we’re a family and this lodge is in our blood.”
MJ didn’t argue, but let them bustle about, getting the fire going while Gracie worked in the bedroom and Cindy made some tea. Jack slipped out to talk to Cameron, who was still with the firefighters, and MJ dropped into the cozy chair by the hearth.
Cindy handed her a steaming cup as Gracie stepped out of the bedroom, holding something.
“Mom.”
Sipping, MJ looked up, not able to read the look on Gracie’s face. “What is it?”
She held out a thin white envelope. “I found this under the pillow. It has your name on it. I think Matt left it for you.”
Her heart leaped. He’d left her a letter? She sat up a little straighter and set her teacup on the table next to her, taking the envelope.
It wasn’t thick, so his final words weren’t too long. “I’ll read it tomorrow.”
