Page 24 of Finding Home

“Call me if anything else happens with the site. And Cole⁠—”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t stay at the cabin for too long by yourself. Granddad would have said the same thing.” When Cole didn’t reply, James sighed. “I’ll call you next week.”

After they ended the call, Cole kept the phone in his hand. He stared at the two windows opposite him, at the porch steps barely visible through the dusty glass.

The cabin had been his sanctuary until it wasn’t, and nothing would change what had happened here.

Pushing away the tragedy clouding his mind, he walked across to the woodstove. He’d figure out how to heat the cabin. Because, despite the dust, the cobwebs, and the memories, he wasn’t ready to leave.

Chapter 16

Halfway through dinner, Julie looked around Susan’s kitchen and smiled. There was barely a break in the conversation as plates of food were handed from one person to the next.

Beth had brought her apple cake, and Laurel had made a loaf of cheesy bread smothered in bacon and garlic. Susan had made profiteroles exactly as promised, and Maria had contributed a pot of black bean soup. On top of all this deliciousness, the cornbread Rachel had baked was perfect.

Julie was glad she’d bought a rotisserie chicken and a bag of salad before she’d left the general store. Even though no one would have expected her to bring anything, it felt good to contribute, to be part of this friendly and welcoming group of women.

By the time everyone was onto their second cup of coffee, the fundraising discussion was well underway.

Beth had the mock-up of a poster propped against the sugar bowl. Laurel had printed a summary of the county permit requirements and was going through the sections that applied to indoor food sales. And Maria had worked out the ingredients they’d need, where they could get them, and the storage requirements.

It was, Julie thought, one of the more efficient planning meetings she’d ever attended.

“If we want the baking demonstration to run smoothly, we need to schedule everything in advance,” Susan said, refilling her mug from the coffeepot at her elbow. “People won’t be there if they don’t know when to show up. We need posters in all the store windows in town as well as in the church and the Welcome Center.”

“I’ll ask Owen if we can advertise the bake sale in his gallery,” Laurel said. “He knows a lot of other artists, too. They might be happy to help us advertise the event.”

“That’s a great idea,” Rachel said. “What do you think, Julie?”

Julie pulled her notepad closer. “Everything you’ve all suggested makes sense. I can write the press release and handle the community paper,” she said. “And I know a freelancer at the Kalispell Gazette who owes me a favor. Our fundraising bake sale is the kind of thing they’d promote. It will pull in visitors from outside the area, not just locals.”

Susan looked pleased. “That would be wonderful.”

Laurel circled something on her permit summary. “We need to confirm the date before we can advertise anything.”

“Pastor John said the Welcome Center doesn’t have anything booked on Tuesday the fourteenth or Saturday the eighteenth,” Susan said. “I think Saturday is better. More people will be able to come.”

As everyone agreed, Julie reached for a profiterole. Beside her, Maria had grown quiet. She’d seemed happy all evening, but after reading a text, something changed.

Julie leaned toward her. “Are you okay, Maria?”

Maria sighed. “It’s probably nothing.”

Laurel frowned. “My mom used to say that probably nothing is usually something.”

Maria looked at Julie. “It’s not about the fundraiser. It’s about the fire. At the resort.”

Susan set down her spoon. “What have you heard?”

“It’s not so much what I’ve heard, but what I saw.” Maria bit her bottom lip. “I was sitting in the Starlight Café when two men sat behind me and started talking. What they said about the resort worried me.”

Beth sighed. “Why doesn’t interesting things happen to me?”

“You wouldn’t have wanted to hear what they said,” Maria told her. “All it’s done is stress me out.” She glanced at her friends. “I don’t know who they were. One of them had a voice I recognized. I think he’s been in the diner a couple of times. He was medium height, probably in his mid-forties, with a jacket that had a construction company logo on it. I haven’t seen the other man before.”

Julie reached for her pen.