She had no idea what was wrong with Erica, but she didn’t want Hattie thinking it was anything to do with the quality of the establishment.
Hattie dragged her anxious gaze from Erica’s face. “I’m pleased. We really want your stay to be special, so if there’s anything at all you need, please let me know. Now, let me get you checked in and show you to your rooms.” She leaned forward and hit a couple of keys on the computer. “You have three rooms together. I have Erica in the River Room.” She glanced up and Anna gave Erica a prod in the ribs.
Erica seemed to wake up. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
“I’m British. Born and raised in London, but I moved here when I met my husband.” Hattie saw Erica staring at the photographs on her desk. “That’s my husband with our daughter, Delphi—you’ll meet her at some point, I’m sure. She’s five and often manages to be where she’s not supposed to be. Here’s the key to your room.”
Erica reached to take it and in doing so knocked over the other photo on the desk.
“I’m sorry.” She picked it up and Anna waited for her to set it back in its place, but instead Erica held it and stared at it in silence.
Finally, she looked at Hattie. “Who is this?”
Anna felt a rush of embarrassment, but Hattie was warm and friendly and seemed not at all offended.
“That’s me, with my dad.”
“Your dad? He’s holding you. Swinging you in the air.”
“That’s right. He loved to do that. This is my favorite photo of him. He passed away seven years ago. I miss him every day. I was around four years old when that photograph was taken, but the weird thing is I remember that day clearly. It’s my earliest memory.”
Erica stared at the photograph for a long time. “You two were close.”
Anna shifted uncomfortably. This was becoming awkward. Why the personal questions? Since when did Erica show so much interest in a stranger? What was going on? Maybe this had something to do with Christmas. Maybe she was thinking about family. Although she rarely admitted it, she knew Erica had been deeply scarred by the way her father had treated her and her mother. His actions had pretty much defined her life.
Maybe hitting forty had affected her more than she thought it had.
“We were very close.” Hattie looked puzzled, but was still sweetly polite. “My mother died just after I was born, and my dad raised me alone. It was a special relationship. I feel lucky to have had that. Anna, you’re in the Forest Room. I hope you like it. Let me know when you’d like to hold your book club discussions and I’ll reserve the library for you. The only time it isn’t free is Wednesday evening.” She handed over a key, and then did the same for Claudia. Her gaze skated nervously back to Erica, who was still holding the photograph. “If you’d all like to follow me, I’ll show you to your rooms and have your luggage brought up.”
“We can handle our luggage, no problems,” Claudia said, grabbing her bags and Erica’s. She gave Erica a gentle push.
Erica looked at her blankly as if she’d forgotten where she was.
“Luggage. Checking in. Vacation,” Claudia muttered. “Any of these words ringing a bell?”
Erica put the photograph carefully back on the desk.
She looked pale and tired and Anna felt a twinge of real concern.
Was Erica unwell? Did she have some sort of health crisis going on?
It would be just like Erica to support all of them through a crisis and fail to mention her own.
“You’ve been so kind.” She smiled at Hattie, doing her best to compensate for Erica’s unusual behavior. “We’re all in dire need of a good break as you can probably tell, and we’re excited to be here. Lead on.”
They followed Hattie toward the stairs and wound their way up one flight and along a corridor.
“These three rooms are yours.” Hattie gestured. “The library is decorated for Christmas and there’s a log fire going in there, so if you wanted to have tea once you’ve unpacked, I could arrange that.”
Anna took a quick look at Erica’s frozen expression and decided they might need something stronger than tea.
“Thank you, but we might go for a walk. The town looked so pretty.” She decided that the sooner the three of them were alone, the better. “I’m sure you’re very busy, so don’t let us keep you.”
As soon as Hattie walked away, Anna removed the key from Erica’s numb fingers and unlocked the door.
“Let’s get inside.” She pushed open the door and sighed with delight. The room was light and airy, thanks to two large windows, which had views toward snow-covered mountains. There was a fire, a comfy chair for reading and a small desk tucked under one of the windows. “It’s gorgeous. What a dreamy place. Is this room okay for you, Erica? Do you want to check out the others in case you prefer one of them?” Maybe Erica was just thinking that the place wasn’t for her. It was quaint and quirky, and Erica’s preferences leaned toward sleek and modern.
Erica didn’t even look around her. She just sat down hard on the bed.
