Homecoming Reunion Read online

  “Good food definitely contributes to a good retreat,” Larissa agreed, making a note to talk to Garret when she was back at the inn.

  Then a movement and the sound of familiar laughter caught her attention and as she turned she felt her pulse step up its rhythm.

  Garret stood in the aisle, one hand on the end of the pew, as he chatted with his cousin, Hailey Beck and Hailey’s fiancé, Dan Morrow. A young girl sat on Hailey’s lap. Dan’s daughter Natasha.

  But Garret’s presence was a surprise to her.

  Garret had not attended church faithfully. When they were dating it had been a stumbling block. Yet, here he was in church wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt and a gray-and-blue striped tie, looking every bit the successful businessman.

  She thought he was staying at the inn today and supervising the new staff member who had been hired to help Larissa run the front desk. Obviously Garret thought Sheila capable enough to manage for a couple of hours on her own.

  And she was, Larissa thought. Sheila had worked in a large chain hotel for fifteen years and apparently was excited to be working in a smaller establishment. Though Larissa had initially been angry with what she saw as pushiness on Garret’s part, she had also seen the advantages in only a couple of days.

  Then Garret released another laugh, his eyes crinkling up at the corners.

  The sight plucked out a memory of Garret standing on the deck of a logging bridge up in Hartley pass, telling her that if she didn’t marry him, he would jump into the raging waters below.

  Larissa had almost believed him and had run toward him, pleading not to jump. Then he had grabbed and swung her around, laughing down at her, his eyes crinkling up in the same way.

  Just kidding, he had said. I’m not the kind to make needless sacrifices.

  He was certainly right on that score.

  “He is as good-looking as he ever was,” Alanna said with a gentle sigh.

  “Who is?” Larissa asked, turning back to her friend, pretending ignorance of her subject.

  Alanna gave Larissa a knowing look. “You know exactly who I’m talking about. Don’t tell me he doesn’t make your heart go all pitty pat?”

  “Pitty pat? What are you? Four?” Larissa flashed Alanna a tight grin, trying to shift the conversation to a lighter level. Her good friend’s gushing over Garret was not helping.

  “Thump, thump. Boom, boom,” Alanna said, glancing back at Garret. “Myself, I prefer pitty pat. It’s not too dramatic and a little bit silly—which is just the way you used to act around him.”

  “What I prefer is that you tell me about that new product you were talking about bringing in,” Larissa said. “Wasn’t it something about chocolate hearts?”

  “So we’re allowed to talk about my business in church but not yours?” Alanna settled back in the pew and released a sigh.

  “That’s right,” Larissa said, hoping Alanna took the hint and let her move on.

  “The hearts are huge. And they’re all chocolate. But the coolest thing is that they’re hollow and filled with other chocolate hearts.”

  Larissa tried to pay attention, she truly did. But as Alanna spoke Larissa caught a glimpse of a dark blue suit and she realized, to her intense dismay, that Garret and his nana had taken a seat two rows in front of her and to her right. She could see him, but he couldn’t see her.

  Seriously? Couldn’t she get even a single break from the man?

  She turned her attention back to Alanna who had finished talking and was looking at her with sympathy, realizing Larissa had completely missed out on the chocolate heart update.

  “You still like him, don’t you?” she whispered, leaning closer to Larissa.

  “Honestly, Alanna, it’s been years,” she whispered back. “The only thing I’ve gotten from him in all that time was a bouquet of flowers when my mother died. Garret Beck has moved on.” She clamped her lips together, stemming the angry tide of emotion negating her words.

  Alanna’s knowing look only served to underline a fact slowly making itself known to Larissa.

  She hadn’t ever truly gotten over Garret. He would always hold a piece of her heart.

  She turned ahead, trying to ignore both Alanna and the man in her peripheral vision. A man she was far too aware of.

  Help me, Lord, she prayed. Garret Beck is part of my past. Even though we’re working together, help me to keep my heart whole. He’s not the man for me. He’s not a man I can trust with my life and my heart.

  * * *

  “...do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Hard words for us to absorb, especially because so many of the things we do in life, we do for ourselves.”

  The minister’s words seemed to settle into Garret’s soul, creating a discomfort he didn’t want to analyze.

  Do nothing out of selfish ambition.

  Wasn’t his buying the inn selfish?

  It’s business, he reminded himself.

  Business that you’re thinking of getting rid of as soon as you can.

  Only after I make it profitable, which will benefit Larissa in the long run.

  Garret folded his arms over his chest, trying to still the warring thoughts, letting the minister’s words flow past him. He shouldn’t have come this morning anyway. It was Larissa’s weekend off. He had just hired Sheila and he should have stayed around to make sure everything was going okay.

  However, he had promised his nana he would try to come to church and if he were completely honest, part of him wanted to come for another reason.

  The reason being the woman sitting one row behind him and about fifteen feet over. The woman he’d been aware of ever since he sat down.

  He shifted his weight, which netted him a frown from his nana. He gave her a quick smile of apology, then bent forward, resting his elbows on his knees, trying to shut thoughts of Larissa out of his mind. This, however, was growing harder and harder. Every day he spent with her wore at the barriers he’d put around his heart. Every time he saw her face, heard her voice it was as if time shifted backward.

  He knew he had to keep his focus on the reason he came here. Fix up the inn. Sell it. Buy the mill.

  Selfish ambition.

  The words resonated in his mind and he tried to dismiss them. Was trying to make your way in life selfish?

  Depends on your reasons.

  Garret shot a glance in the other direction to where his brother sat with his wife and Emma’s little boy, Adam. Three years ago his brother was a broken, hurting man, rejecting God and family, trying to get over the death of his little boy, Harry.

  Now he looked peaceful. Settled. The ranch was doing okay. Not making great money, but doing okay. Carter seemed happy with that.

  Garret couldn’t help flashing back to the memory of his mother’s tears when she got fired from the mill. The helplessness he felt watching her, knowing he couldn’t do anything about it. He remembered all too well the humiliation of wearing patched jeans to school. The lack of money that seemed a constant worry.

  You’ve got to take care of yourself.

  Garret sighed again, sitting up, ignoring his nana’s admonishing glance at his restlessness. He’d seen that glance enough as a child. He could never sit still. Always had to be on the go. After his mother died, that busyness morphed into a need to find a way to make somebody pay for what happened to his mother.

  That somebody had been Jack Weir.

  When he first met Larissa he thought he had figured out how to accomplish this. He had thought that by dating her he could get to Jack. Instead, Larissa got to him and had softened his hard heart. Had given him a purpose at least for a while.

  Now he could sense her presence as real as a touch.

  He leaned forward again, this time directing his focus on the minister, trying to shift his attention away from Larissa.

  “...in the end the reality is, as the bumper sticker says, he who dies with the most toys, still dies. Doesn’t matter what we gain in our life, it will all turn to
dust. All our actions will be purified and only the important things in life will remain. Our service to God, our service to each other. Our purpose in life is not to amass, to collect, but to find our way to serve the Lord in all our actions. To find a way to make each thing we do glorify his name.”

  The pastor’s words were like a twist of a knife. Ever since Garret decided that money gave a person power, he promised himself that someday he would have that power too. But what the minister was saying shed a harsh light of truth on his actions, revealing them for the shallow plans they were.

  So what should he do instead? What was the solution?

  Garret blanked out both his questions and the minister’s words instead, concentrating on his next step with the inn. He’d heard that Pete Boonstra was chairman of the tenth anniversary celebration of the real estate company he worked for and that he had booked The Pines for his banquet and awards dinner.

  But yesterday, at Mug Shots, he’d heard that The Pines had suffered major water damage when some main pipes burst and Garret also knew their kitchen was out of commission. So of necessity they had cancelled all engagements for a month.

  Garret also heard that Pete was now desperately looking for another place to hold the celebration, which was supposed to happen in two weeks.

  This was a chance to get some more business and Garret knew he would take it. He reached for his cell phone to tap out a note, then glanced at his nana and caught himself.

  You don’t need to do this in church. He lowered his hand just as the minister announced the closing song. With a start he realized that church was winding down.

  He got to his feet and joined in on the song. When the last note was sounded, he stopped himself from looking back to where Larissa sat with her friend Alanna. He resolutely turned his back on her. Coming to church today had been a mistake. He had to keep his personal life separate from his business.

  Which was hard enough to do in a town like Hartley Creek. But before he could take another step away from Larissa, his nana caught him by the arm.

  “There’s someone I’d like you to meet,” she said, pulling him back in the direction he was trying to escape. “Stay here and I’ll be right back.”

  So he did, but his change in position put him face-to-face with Larissa who was walking out of her pew.

  “Good morning, Garret,” she said, her voice quiet, even. Like it always was around him. “Good to see you here.”

  Her last comment came out with a hint of a question embedded in it. As if she was wondering why he was here this morning.

  “Sheila had things under control at the inn,” he said, feeling as if he had to justify his presence. “So I figured I could leave.”

  “That’s why we hired her,” Larissa said. “So I’m glad that you could come this morning too.”

  “Nana Beck wanted me to come,” he said.

  Her expression shifted a bit at that. “I see.”

  Only two words but he sensed disappointment in them.

  He remembered how she had always asked him to come to church with her when they were dating. How he didn’t want to because that would mean seeing Jack Weir. And it would mean coming into contact with a God he had always believed had taken his mother. He didn’t trust God. At least he hadn’t then. However, of late a new emptiness had entered his soul. An emptiness that he sensed could only be filled in God’s presence. So he had come to church, hoping it was real.

  “But it was a good service,” he added. This was true enough. He had enjoyed parts of it. “It was good to feel part of...part of the community.”

  “It’s a good community,” she said quietly.

  “Speaking of, I set up a meeting with Pete Boonstra tomorrow, first thing in the morning at the inn,” he said. “I’m trying to get him to consider the inn for his real estate shindig.”

  Alanna frowned, poking Larissa in the back. “How come he gets to talk business in church, but I don’t?”

  “Just leave it be,” Larissa said to her friend. Then she turned back to Garret. “What time?”

  “I can call you later,” he said, feeling suddenly foolish after Alanna’s comment. He felt like a man playing a game without knowing the rules.

  “No. Just tell me now,” she said.

  “He wants to meet early. Before he opens up his business, so he’ll be there at seven-thirty.”

  “I’ll be there,” she said. “Anything else I need to know?”

  He was about to say more when a woman came up behind Larissa and caught her by the shoulder to get her attention. “Hey, sweetie,” the woman said. “Good to see you. How’s things at the inn with your new boss?”

  Larissa turned to the woman. “Fine, Daphne,” she said, By the way—”

  “I hear Garret is the new boss,” Daphne said not letting Larissa finish. “How’s that working out for you? Not tempted to rekindle the old romance? I know it took you a while to get over him.”

  A flush crept up Larissa’s neck but before she could correct her, Daphne turned to Garret. “Hey, Carter. Like the suit. Never seen that on you before. Emma talk you into it?”

  “Daphne, this is Garret,” Larissa said, lifting a hand in his direction.

  Daphne frowned, then she clapped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The words had flown out and could not be retrieved.

  “Oh. My. I am...I can’t believe...I’m so sorry.” Daphne lowered her hand, her cheeks flaming as her gaze flicked from Larissa to Garret, then locked on Larissa. “Honest mistake, right? I mean, they look so much alike and Garret never went to church...” Daphne shook her head, looking down. “And I’m stopping now.”

  “You might want to join On and On Anon,” Alanna joked. “The support group I’ve started for compulsive talkers.”

  Daphne released a nervous laugh, shot Garret another quick glance, then drew away. “I’ll catch up later,” she mumbled.

  Larissa looked like she was about to say something more but was saved when Garret’s nana hustled over. “So, Garret, I want you to meet Sophie Brouwer. She’s Ben’s mom.” An older woman stood behind Nana Beck, her white hair permed to an inch of its life. She wore a hot pink dress and a cheerful grin.

  “If all goes according to plan, I’ll also be your cousin’s mother-in-law now that Ben and Shannon are engaged,” Sophie Brouwer was saying, holding out her hand to Garret.

  Garret shook her tiny hand, surprised at the strength of her handshake. “Congratulations. I haven’t met Ben yet, but I’ve heard good things about him.”

  “Of course you have. Your nana is as in love with him as I am with Shannon,” Sophie said, her smile fairly taking over her face. “We are so blessed. And we’re neighbors too.”

  In the ensuing chatter, Larissa and Alanna had exited the pew, walking arm in arm down the aisle, their heads together, just like they always did in school.

  Probably laughing, he thought. Probably talking about what just happened just like they always did.

  He turned back to Sophie, part of his attention on her chitchat.

  But another part of his mind couldn’t forget Daphne’s puzzling comment.

  “...it took you a while to get over him.”

  What did she mean by that? And would he find out?

  Chapter Seven

  “I’d love to hold our banquet here at the inn, Garret, but we’re figuring on about thirty people staying overnight,” Pete Boonstra said, tapping his pen on the table tucked into one corner of the inn’s office. “I’m not sure you can accommodate us.”

  “We have thirty rooms,” Garret said, leaning back in his chair, trying not to get pulled into the trepidation in Pete’s voice.

  Pete’s sigh seemed to reverberate around the room. “Yeah and about half of them need work.”

  Before Garret could respond to that the door of the office opened and Larissa slipped in. “Sorry I’m late,” she said with an apologetic smile. “Had to help Emily with a supply list.” She glanced at Garret and for a moment their gazes hel
d, creating a surprising awareness, sparked yesterday at church and wavered between them.

  I know it took you a while to get over him.

  All day yesterday Daphne’s comment had stayed in his mind, raising questions he wasn’t sure he wanted answered.

  He had come here to build a future, not cling to a past Larissa was a part of. The emotions she created were just an echo of old unresolved feelings. Nothing more.

  Yet, as she sat down across from him, he had a sense of homecoming. Of rightness.

  He brushed the feelings aside as leftover emotions from a past he was trying to leave behind.

  “No problem,” he said, his voice brisk and professional. “We had just got started.”

  A frown creased Larissa’s forehead, as she wondered at his tone, but then she turned to Pete, holding out her hand. “Nice to see you again, Pete.”

  Pete’s smile grew as he stood and he grasped Larissa’s hand with both of his in, what looked to Garret, too friendly of a display. “Great to be here. You’re looking as beautiful as always.”

  Garret resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the obvious flattery.

  “I’m sorry you missed the last Chamber of Commerce meeting,” Pete continued, pulling out a chair for Larissa, making Garret suddenly feel gauche and inconsiderate. He should have done that. He should have stood when Larissa came into the room. His nana taught him better than that.

  But being around Larissa put him on the defensive and seemed to make him forget his manners.

  So he gave her a quick smile, by way of apology.

  Her answering smile was supposed to simply grant him absolution, but it settled into his soul creating an unwelcome reaction.

  “I heard you’re thinking of the inn to hold your mini-conference,” Larissa was saying, pulling her chair just a bit closer to the table, resting her folded hands on its scarred and nicked surface.

  “Thinking of it,” Pete said. “Garret has been selling me on the various aspects of having it here.”

  “It’s a great location. Peaceful grounds, idyllic setting,” Larissa said in reply.

  Garret tried not to jump in, letting Larissa’s soothing voice do its job.