Page 93 of Undone

Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I hum under my breath as I climb the stairs to the second floor.

“Sally?”

“In here.”

I follow her voice until I locate her in the last room down the hall. A warm fire greets me as I enter. The logs crackle and hiss as they burn. A large four poster bed faces the fire and a flat screen hangs above the mantle. I cross the thick carpet, reaching the oversized window.

“This is beautiful.”

My nose presses to the glass as snow falls gently, covering the massive evergreen trees behind the Inn.

“Good. I’m glad you like it since this will be your room.”

I glance around, then enter the bathroom. “Jackpot.”

An oversized claw foot tub with plenty of salt soaks and soap sits by another bank of windows.

“This place is heaven.”

“That’s what everyone says when they come here. My niece came here for a romantic getaway… ending up marrying here and then bought the place a few years after. She thinks the beauty of the nature all around us inspires romance.”

“It does. It worked for my friend, Devon.”

“And not you?”

“The jury is still out on that.”

She fluffs my pillow then gestures toward the hall. “Come on. I want to get the nursery done before they get back on Monday.” My puzzled expression prompts her to continue, “My niece and her husband…they’re expecting a girl. The trip to Napa was a babymoon.”

I follow her to a separate wing and enter a small corner room off the master bedroom. “Do you know what the baby’s name will be?”

“Hannah Rose.”

“That’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

Bending down I pick up the cans of paint stacked in a corner. “Do you have any other paint in the house?”

“I have tons of it, all for the renovation—all different colors though. My niece, Maggie, never could make up her mind and we have samples in just about every color of the rainbow. Anyhow, we’re all excited about the baby. It took several visits to a specialist but she’s finally pregnant.”

I clasp my hands gleefully. “Can I try something? And if you don’t like it—they’ll be time to put a base coat over.”

I want to do something nice for the couple smiling in the photos on this side of the house. Something magical even.

“Sure. I hate painting. I’m going back down to the kitchen. Does chicken pot pie and fresh biscuits sound good for dinner?”

I nod. “Just tell me where to find the other paint.”

“In the basement. Everything you’ll need is down there.”

“Perfect.”

It takes several trips to gather what I need. But then I move the crib and changing table to the center of the room and cover the floor with the painter’s tarp. With my hands on my hip, the paintbrush in my hand taps against my thigh as I stare at the blank wall in front of me. I’m going to create magic for this little girl. Magic she can feel and touch every night before traveling to the land of dreams.

Images of woodland nymphs, fairies in flight, and magical unicorns dance in my head. Soon, tall evergreen trees grow to the sky. The moss-covered forest floor beneath them have violets and wildflowers peeking up behind rocks. A fairy village appears in hollowed tree trunks.

The woodland scene is vivid.

---