Sheila Roberts - Merry Ex-Mas

His eyes filled with regret. “What would it take to convince you I’ve changed?”

She studied him. “You know…”

He regarded her hopefully.

“I can’t think of a thing.” She walked to the door and opened it. “Good night, Richard.”

He took the hint and walked out the door, but as he passed her he said, “I’m not giving up. You’re worth fighting for.”

He hadn’t thought that a year ago. She slammed the door after him and locked it.

* * *

The Gingerbread Haus opened at ten but Cass was always in by six, baking cookies and, at this time of year, assembling gingerbread houses, many of which would be shipped all over the country.

She got plenty of appreciation in her hometown, too, and Olivia Wallace arrived at eleven to pick up the creation Cass had made for the lobby of the Icicle Creek Lodge. A perfect replica of Olivia’s B and B styled after a Bavarian hunting lodge, it even sported a blue-frosting creek running past it.

“It’s lovely as usual,” Olivia said. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to resist nibbling at it.”

Olivia’s well-rounded figure testified to her lack of willpower. But Olivia was a widow and, as far as Cass was concerned that gave her unlimited nibbling rights. Anyway, Cass was in no position to say anything. She was a nibbler, too.

“Here’s a little something extra for when you get the urge,” she said, and handed Olivia a box containing a baker’s dozen frosted gingerbread cookies cut in the shape of Christmas trees.

“Oh, thank you,” Olivia said. “How much do I owe you for these?”

“Nothing. They’re on the house. The gingerbread house,” Cass added with a wink.

Dani came in from sending off the day’s shipment of gingerbread creations. “Here’s our bride-to-be,” Olivia greeted her.

Dani’s cheeks flushed with pleasure and she smiled at Olivia.

She’s going to be a beautiful bride, Cass thought. If only they had more time to plan this wedding.

“I just gave your grandmother and aunt our last room,” Olivia said to Dani. “It’s a good thing you called when you did, or that one would’ve been gone,” she added. “I’ve had three calls since.”

“One of them was probably my stepmother,” Dani said, and now the pink in her cheeks wasn’t from pleasure.

Babette. Cass could feel her mouth slipping down at the corners. Bimbette was more like it. Cass hadn’t met her, but she’d seen pictures. The woman was nothing more than arm candy. Cass had it on good authority (her son’s) that she couldn’t cook.

Not that Mason had married Babette for her culinary skills. She’d been a professional cheerleader for the Seattle Seahawks, a Sea Gal, and she had the body to prove it. Of course, once she snagged Mason at the ripe old age of thirty, she gave that up. Now she was all of what, thirty-one? And stepmother to a twenty-year-old. What a joke.

Olivia looked distinctly uncomfortable. “I wish I’d known earlier. I’d have reserved a block of rooms for you.”

“If any of us had known earlier we would’ve been more organized,” Cass said. She’d meant that as an explanation, not an accusation of her daughter. Judging from the deep rose shade blooming on Dani’s cheeks, she’d taken the remark to heart. “But Mike got a job in Spokane and he starts in January and they want to be together.”

“Of course you do,” Olivia said to Dani. “I sure hope the rest of your guests find someplace. I know Annemarie is full up and so is Gerhardt.”

No room at the inn. What a shame. Mason and Bimbette might have to miss the wedding. Not a very gracious thought, Cass scolded herself.

“Oh,” Dani said, a world of worry in her voice.

“Mountain Springs over by Cashmere might have something,” Olivia suggested. “That wouldn’t be too far away.”

Dani nodded and whipped her cell phone out of her jeans.

As she stepped away to make the call, Olivia lowered her voice. “I imagine this is all a little awkward.”

There was an understatement. “A little,” Cass said.

“I almost felt like a traitor saving a room but Dani asked.”

“It’s okay. In fact, I really appreciate it. Otherwise, they might have had to stay with me.”

The very thought of that was enough to make Cass shudder. Her judgmental ex-mother-in-law and her gossipy ex-sister-in-law staying with her? Ugh.

Two middle-aged women had come in and were waiting patiently in front of the glass display case. Olivia, like everyone else in Icicle Falls, knew the value of a tourist dollar. “Well, I’d better be going,” she said. “I’ve got to get to the grocery store or my guests won’t have breakfast tomorrow.” To the newcomers she said, “The gingerbread boys are delicious, but make sure you get a couple of those cream puff swans, too. They’re to die for.”

The women took her advice, purchasing gingerbread boys and girls and a couple of cream puffs. One of them bought a gingerbread house, as well.

Meanwhile, more customers had come into the bakery. Normally Dani would be helping Cass, but right now she and her cell phone were in the kitchen looking for lodging for Mason and Bimbette.

Let them find their own place to stay. Cass moved to the kitchen area. “I could use some help out here.”

Dani turned her back and held up a hand, which meant—what? Trying to hear? Be there in a minute?

“Now,” Cass added in her stern mama-bear voice.

“Okay, thanks,” Dani said, and ended the call.

“Honey, you’re going to have to do that later,” Cass said. “We’ve got customers.”

“We’ve always got customers,” Dani muttered grumpily.

Which was how they paid the bills. This had never bothered her daughter before.

But then she’d never been engaged.

Twenty minutes rushed past before they had a lull. Cass knew it was temporary. Once the lunch hour was finished, the customers would return.

She turned the sign on the door to Closed. “We’ll Be Back by One,” said the clock below. That gave them time for lunch, and in Dani’s case, time to go back to calling every motel and B and B within a twenty-mile radius.

Cass sat down at a corner table with her cup of coffee and watched as Dani became increasingly desperate with every conversation. That desperation began to make Cass’s coffee churn in her stomach. If her daughter didn’t succeed in her mission it boded ill—not for Dani, and not for Mason and Bimbette, but for Cass.

Sure enough. At a quarter to one Dani plopped onto the chair next to her and tossed her smartphone on the table.

Tell me we’re out of eggs, tell me someone’s order never arrived, tell me anything but what you’re about to tell me.

“There’s no vacancy anywhere,” Dani announced miserably.

Cass spoke before her daughter could say the dreaded words. “It’ll be okay. Seattle’s not that far. Your dad can drive over the day of the wedding.”

Dani looked at her, eyes wide in horror. “But what about the rehearsal dinner the night before? And what if something happens? What if they close the pass?”

Then we can get on our knees and thank God.

Okay, that was truly rotten. This was her daughter’s big day and she wanted her father there. “I’m sure he’ll figure it out,” Cass said, trying to sound as if she cared.

“Mom, how can he when there’s no place anywhere?”

Surely that was a rhetorical question. She kept her mouth shut.

“Can they stay with us for a couple of days?”

There it was, what she’d known was coming all along. Just what she wanted for Christmas, her ex and his bimbo bride staying with her. “We have no place to put them,” she argued.

“They can have my room. I can sleep with Amber.”