Page 32 of The Christmas Lodge
It’s for a good cause,she reasoned with herself.Do it for Emma.
Taking one last steadying breath, Colette pushed open the door.
Relief, mingled with a good dose of nerves, poured over her as she saw Lacy’s telltale short honey-brown hair. Lacy was tapping away on her laptop, which was resting on the front counter of the bakery. After a moment she beamed, gesturing enthusiastically to Sarah and turning her laptop so Sarah could see the screen as well. Neither woman had noticed her yet, and Colette took the opportunity to take a step closer and squint at the screen as well. Pictures of gorgeous and decadent Victorian rooms filled the screen.
Maybe that’s a good sign. Maybe it means she is planning to restore Nicholas’s mansion to its former glory.
At that moment, Sarah looked up and saw her, interrupting Colette’s thoughts and sending nervous energy shooting through her limbs.
“Colette, hi! It’s good to see you out and about! I know you’re usually busy with Emma, so this is a pleasant surprise.” Sarah’s smile was huge and, as always, radiated with a bubbly warmth. “I’m going to flatter myself and say that you stopped by to sample my newest creation—red velvet brownies with white chocolate chips. They’re todiefor, promise!”
“I’ll bet,” Colette responded with a smile, although she didn’t tell Sarah that in her anxious state the thought of a sugary treat made her queasy. She took a deep breath and turned to look at Lacy, who was watching the interchange with mild interest. “Actually, I came to meet you. You’re Lacy Preston, aren't you?”
Lacy smiled with a warmth Colette hadn’t been expecting. “I am! It seems just about everyone in this town knows who I am before I meet them,” she said with a laugh.
“It’s a small town, so word gets around,” Sarah interjected. “Even over to Emma’s tucked away cottage.”
“Derek came by for a visit,” Colette said hastily, not wanting to lose her nerve. “He told me about Nicholas leaving you the mansion, and then, of course, I read the article in the paper.”
Lacy’s face stilled ever so slightly at the mention of the article and Colette felt her stomach clench. Everything in her wanted to run—after all, she was peace-loving and averse to conflict—but she had come too far now to just walk away. Nicholas’s memory deserved better than that. Emma, as his former love, deserved better than that too.
There’s no time to be a coward,she told herself. It’s now or never.
“Lacy,” Colette said, and her lips felt a little numb as she spoke. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that article…”
Lacy’s mouth pinched into a tight line and it was all Colette could do not to turn tail and run.
“I… er… well, I read it and… and… well, I don’t think you got it right,” she finally blurted at the end of her stammering sentence.
“In what way?” Lacy’s words were clipped off through clenched teeth. Colette felt a hot flush of mortification spreading up her neck and consuming her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, I’m not explaining myself well…” Stuffing her now-trembling hands into her coat pockets, she tried once more. “When I was reading the article, I just felt that… some things you said about Nicholas weren’t correct. Maybe you didn’t have all the facts about your grandfather, and no one can blame you for that,” she added quickly, as one of Lacy’s eyebrows arched high. “Did you know him well?”
Lacy folded her arms tightly, drawing herself up. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” she said, and her icy tone sent a chill through Colette. “I don’t think you have any right to interrogate me in this way, to be quite frank.”
Sarah was wringing her hands together behind the counter. “Ladies, maybe we should sit down…”
Lacy softened a bit, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and sending Sarah a weak smile. “It’s fine, Sarah.” She blew out a breath. “Look, I don’t mean to be so defensive, but it seems like everyone around here has an opinion on Nicholas, and it’s far different from what I’ve known my whole life. Derek made that more than clear the other day,” she added, sounding a bit grumpy now, as though the memory still rankled her.
Colette clutched onto that utterance like a drowning woman to a lifeline. “Derek! He’s my cousin, actually.”
That pulled Lacy up short. “He is?”
Colette nodded hard, then forced herself to stop when she realized she must look like a crazed bobblehead. “Yes. That’s part of why I wanted to talk to you. Derek was really close to Nicholas, as I’m sure you know by now. I also work for Emma Cleaver—she and Nicholas were in a relationship, and she’s taken his passing pretty hard.”
“I see,” Lacy said, her voice softer now. She slumped against the counter, clearly mulling over this new piece of information.
“I was wondering if you’d be willing to come and talk to Emma,” Colette continued, relieved that the worst was over now. “I just think she might be able to show you a side of your grandfather that maybe you never knew about. And I’m sure she’d want to meet you—Nicholas talked about you so much.”
Lacy blinked, looking a bit stunned. It was a far cry from her icy defensiveness only moments before. She hesitated, and Colette took a step forward, taking advantage of the moment.
“Please, Lacy. If not for your grandfather, then for a lonely woman who is grieving right now.”
Lacy closed her eyes with a sigh and Colette held her breath, forcing herself to wait. A moment later, her patience was rewarded.
“Fine,” Lacy said, her voice tinged with a grumble. “How about tomorrow morning, around ten?”
“Thank you,” Colette breathed, backing away before Lacy could change her mind. “I’ll let Sarah give you the address,” she tossed over her shoulder, hurrying out of the bakery and back into the cold.
