Page 6 of Christmas at Cozy Holly Inn
“You, too, dear!” her parents chorused.
Julie hung up the phone and stared at the cat.
If this was how her stay was starting, it was going to be a very long ten days.
Chapter 4
Aset of narrow, steep stairs led to the attic. Dust covered every step. As a child, the big attic had been a place to explore. It was the whole top floor of the house, with dormer windows and filled with cast-off furniture and boxes loaded with all kinds of old treasures. And spiders.
As she hesitated at the bottom of the rickety staircase, she caught a flash of white fur from the corner of her eye. The cat had followed her. Crouching down on her heels, Julie reached out a hand, hoping to coax it forward. The creature shied away instead. She sighed. She hadn’t been able to get it to warm to her when she’d unpacked her suitcase and found sheets—thankfully sealed in storage containers and free of dust—for the bed.
You don’t want it to warm to you. You aren’t going to keep it.
All true, but it would be nice to stop thinking of the cat as an “it” in her head.
Turning away, she muttered under her breath, “You probably know I’m trying to get rid of you.” Cats were uncanny that way.
It followed her up to the attic. There were lots of cobwebs, but she didn’t see any spiders. Maybe because it was frigid up here. Although the heat had been circulating for an hour by now, it apparently hadn’t made its way into the attic.
As she stood looking at the mismatched chairs and old bureaus, she felt like she was a kid again. The attic still looked the same, still had that smell of dry wood. She peeked inside a cardboard box, using the flashlight of her phone for light.
The light of her flashlight reflected back at her against glittering strands. A gold garland for the Christmas tree. She couldn’t help but smile as she opened the box fully and tallied the contents. More garlands, holly, mistletoe, and a hideously snarled string of lights. The next box held more of the same, and the third held ornaments carefully wrapped in newspaper.
“At least I won’t have to buy anything for the party.” It looked as though Gram had everything she would need right here.
But where was that cat carrier?
She made her way past old frames, kitchen chairs, cardboard boxes, and plastic bins until finally, wedged into the corner, she found the cat carrier. She pulled it out in triumph.
“Look. Your new home!”
The cat, of course, was nowhere to be seen. Well, Julie wasn’t heartless enough to leave the poor thing in the carrier overnight. She would have to catch it in the morning.
She made her way to the stairs with the cat carrier, glancing at the boxes of decorations on the way past. She’d have to come back for those. Three boxes of decorations, an entire house to clean and decorate, plus the catering and repairs to organize. It would be a lot of work, but Julie had insisted on setting things up ahead of Gram’s arrival. She didn’t want her grandmother to overwork herself.
“This isn’t going to be as easy as I thought it would be, is it?”
From her vantage point, she could just see the top of the cat’s ears poking up from the staircase. The ears twitched.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you to help, even if you would make a good duster.”
Her only answer was the swish of a fluffy tail as the cat turned around and quickly stalked off.
As she headed down the stairs, her phone rang. This time, it was Gram. Julie smiled as she answered it.
“Hi, Gram.”
“Julie, honey. Did you get to the inn safely?”
“Yes. No trouble. You sound better.”
“D-do I?” Gram devolved into a coughing fit.
Julie’s chest constricted. Maybe she’d spoken too soon. The coughing went on much longer than she’d hoped. So long, in fact, that it almost seemed a bit forced. But that was silly. Gram wouldn’t fake being sick—why would she? Except wasn’t that the reason that Julie had finally agreed to host one last party? Gram had asked her a few times over the years, and she’d always said no. But this time with Gram being sick, she couldn’t refuse.
When Gram stopped long enough to catch her breath, Julie said, “Are you sure you’re going to be okay to make the trip here for the party with Mom and Dad?”
“What? Yes, of course. It’s just a little tickle in my throat. Don’t you dare tell them otherwise.”
