Their Yuletide Promise
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Stacy Connelly
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16.9K
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18
Prologue
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
Evie McClaren glanced up from her computer screen, surprised to see her cousin biting her lower lip as she stood in the doorway. It was a sign Rory was worried when she had no reason to be.
“I’ve got this,” Evie reassured her. “I’ve done the math.” She placed a hand on the business plan she’d printed out. “With the work you’ve done establishing Hillcrest House as an all-inclusive wedding destination, occupancy rates—and profits—are up. Once I show Aunt E the projections, she’ll forget all about selling the hotel.”
Her stomach hollowed out as she said the words. Selling Hillcrest House... She still couldn’t believe her aunt was even considering an offer from a national chain. One that would turn the unique Victorian with its floral-themed suites into a bland, carbon-copy hotel where all the rooms would look the same whether in Portland, Oregon, or Portland, Maine.
“I can’t even imagine losing this place. I mean, I thought we loved it when we were kids...” Rory’s voice trailed off. As young girls, they had roamed the halls of Hillcrest like it was their very own fairy-tale castle, weaving once upon a times and never doubting one day their princes would come. “It means even more to me now.”
Rory had never lost her belief in happily-ever-after, a faith that had only grown since she’d found the love of her life. Evie was glad for her cousin. She really was. She simply didn’t have time to hear about it. Again.
So before Rory could start in on how romantic it was that she’d met her now fiancé at one of the weddings she’d coordinated, or how her brother, Chance, and his bride-to-be, Alexa, had reunited right here at Hillcrest House, where the elegant hotel brought two hearts together with its blend of magic and romance and blah, blah, blah—Evie reminded Rory of an upcoming appointment with a potential bride and ushered her cousin out of the small office.
Settling back at her computer, she clicked the mouse. A slideshow of colorful graphs and charts flashed across the large monitor. Maybe she should have had the meeting in one of the hotel’s larger rooms and used a projector for bigger impact.
But with her aunt arriving in five minutes, it was too late to second-guess herself. Besides, her aunt didn’t want bells and whistles. Cold, hard numbers were the way to go. Evie was sure of it.
Half an hour later, Evie was no longer sure of anything.
Staring at her aunt, she sputtered, “But the numbers...” She gestured to her business plan—one that detailed the hotel’s occupancy rate, the increased revenue, the growth projections for the next five years. The one her aunt had barely glanced at before setting the spiral-bound document aside.
“I know what the numbers say, hon.” Reaching up, the older woman tucked a short strand of hair behind her ear. A few months after chemotherapy, Evelyn’s once-color-treated auburn hair had grown back into an almost-pixie style with a wisp of silver-streaked bangs falling across her forehead.
The small sign of victory over the deadly disease filled Evie with a sense of relief and pride. Her aunt was a fighter and no one in the family was surprised that she’d beaten cancer. But Evie was still getting used to her aunt’s new look...and new outlook.
Because Evelyn’s hair and more casual clothes—today, a colorful broomstick skirt and peach tunic sweater—weren’t the only changes. Everything about her aunt was more comfortable and relaxed. All of which made Evie feel strangely on edge.
“Running the hotel takes a level of commitment, of...sacrifice,” Evelyn began.
“I know how hard you’ve worked all these years, but that’s why my idea is so perfect. I’m ready for the challenge. This job, Hillcrest...” Though Evie reminded herself this was a business meeting and she was a professional, she couldn’t help the tremor of emotion as she said, “It means everything to me.”
Though she had always scoffed at her cousin’s belief in the hotel’s magic, Evie had fallen in love. She’d fallen for the history, the stability, the permanence of the gorgeous Victorian mansion.
Crunching the numbers, overseeing the staff and managing the business side of the historic hotel did more than simply satisfy her CPA brain. Her success—after public and private failures—had started to heal her broken spirit. She felt that she’d come full circle, that all the heartbreak of the past had led her back to Hillcrest House and to a future running the hotel.
Her aunt’s smile was tinged with a sadness Evie recognized but didn’t understand. “And that’s the problem,” Evelyn said.
Evie shook her head, refocusing on the logic of her argument. “No, Aunt E, there’s no problem. I’ve done the research—”
“Evie, sweetie, I’m not talking about the research. I’m talking about you.”
“Me?” She was the problem? There wasn’t a single equation where Evie hadn’t factored in turning Hillcrest House into an even bigger success. How could she be the problem? “I—I don’t understand.”
“You’re a young woman, and it’s a Saturday night. You should be out.”
“Out? Out where?” With her head spinning, Evie was unable to silence the inane question. None of this made sense.
“Out with friends. Out having a good time.”
“I don’t have any friends here. I haven’t had...”
“Time?” her aunt filled in when Evie’s voice trailed away as she realized a split second too late that she was adding to, rather than subtracting from, her aunt’s argument. “If this illness has taught me anything, it’s that there’s more to life than work. There’s family and friends and falling in love.”
With her thoughts still reeling, Evie had no idea what they talked about before her aunt said her goodbyes. Dropping back into her chair, she stared at her computer until the screen blurred and tears burned her vision.
Eyestrain. Nothing more than eyestrain.
Evie wasn’t the emotional type. Certainly not someone who would break down and cry just because her aunt, her namesake, the woman she had admired and emulated her entire adult life, didn’t think she was the right person to take over the family hotel.
And the ridiculous reason why her Aunt Evelyn didn’t want Evie taking over? Well, that was almost enough to make her laugh.
Love?
Once upon a time, Evie had believed in love. She’d spent the past two years paying for that mistake.
The PowerPoint slide shifted, the colorful graphs and charts flashing her five-year plan across the screen and making a mockery of all her hard work. She’d built the business model step-by-step and...
Leaning forward, she reached for the mouse and hit the button to freeze the slides. She blinked a few times to clear the darn eyestrain. If there was one thing Evie knew, it was how to follow through on a plan. This time she didn’t even need to formulate the steps to success. Her aunt had already given her specific instructions. If Evie wanted to take over Hillcrest House, all she needed to do was to prove to her aunt that she could run the hotel and have a life.
Straightening her shoulders, she rolled her chair closer to the computer and got down to business. Determination burned through her disappointment like wildfire. “I’ve got this,” she muttered beneath her breath.
Family...friends...fun...falling in love...
How hard could it be?
