Twins On The Doorstep

She’d been born and raised in Forever, and a little more than eight months ago she would have said that it felt as if things never changed in this tiny town. And then Aunt Kate had whisked her away on that European vacation—insisted on it, really—saying that she wanted Stacy to open her eyes and see that there was a world beyond Forever.

And, more importantly, a world beyond Cole McCullough.

The second his name flashed across her mind, Stacy clenched her fists at her sides as if that would somehow chase away any and all thoughts of the tall Texan.

She wasn’t ready to think about Cole yet.

Cole was the reason that she’d left Forever eight months ago.

And he was the reason she almost hadn’t come back. She didn’t want to see him, not yet.

Maybe not ever.

Not after what had happened.

But she really didn’t have that much choice in the matter. Aunt Kate, that unbelievably hearty, dynamo of a woman, had suddenly become ill in Venice. Never one to complain, Aunt Kate had waved away all of Stacy’s voiced concerns—right up to the time she’d taken a turn for the worse and died before a flight home could be hastily arranged.

Aunt Kate’s death had complicated matters far beyond the immediate emotional component. Alone in a foreign country, Stacy had felt utterly stranded. Aunt Kate had always insisted on handling everything and it was easier than arguing with the woman, so she had let Aunt Kate do it.

It had taken every fiber of her being for Stacy to rally, pull herself together and do what needed to be done.

Per her aunt’s specified last wishes, she’d had her aunt’s body cremated and then she’d flown back to Forever with an urn filled with Aunt Kate’s ashes.

Stacy would rather have flown anywhere else, but in all honesty, she couldn’t afford to travel any longer or go anywhere except the town she’d always called home. Aunt Kate had been the one with all the money.

Her aunt had left her a little money in her will, but that, too, required a trip back to Forever. Olivia Santiago, along with her partner, Cash Taylor, ran the only law firm there. As Aunt Kate’s attorney and executor, Olivia had the only copy of her aunt’s will.

So, with a heavy heart and more than a little reluctance, Stacy had returned. Once back, she’d presented Olivia with a copy of her aunt’s death certificate.

And that was when she discovered that some things in Forever had changed. The house that she’d grown up in, the one that her mother had left to her when she died and where she and Aunt Kate had lived before they’d gone off to Europe, had burned down while they’d been away.

The other thing that had changed while she’d been gone was that Forever had finally gotten its first hotel up and running. What that meant was that at least she had a place to stay while she waited for Olivia to square things away for her when it came to the will.

This was her first week back and, hopefully, her last.

Getting up, Stacy got ready quickly, intending to go downstairs to get some much-needed coffee and eggs over easy. The hotel, still in its infancy, had just opened a small restaurant on its premises. She’d heard it was having some trouble with a faulty refrigerator, but supposedly that had been taken care of. She crossed her fingers.

Stacy got off the elevator and was crossing the lobby to get to the restaurant when she heard Elsie, the young woman behind the reception desk, let out a loud, bloodcurdling scream.

Hurrying over, Stacy put a comforting hand on the young girl’s shoulder and asked, “What’s wrong, Elsie? Can I help?”

Elsie didn’t appear to hear her or even be overly aware that anyone was standing next to her. Her attention was completely centered on the paper she was clutching.

“I did it!” Elsie cried, waving what looked like a letter in her hand. “I did it! I’m going to college!” she squealed.

Scurrying out from behind the desk, she threw her arms around Stacy, and then around Rebecca Ortiz, the hotel manager who had been drawn out of her office by the noise. “I’m going to college!” Elsie repeated, obviously beside herself with joy.

“Somewhere not too far away?” Rebecca asked, obviously doing her best to share the moment with the receptionist.

Elsie stopped abruptly and then happily grinned at the manager. “I’m going to be going to the University of Texas in Austin,” she told her small audience proudly.

“Oh. That means you’ll be going away to school.”

“Yes, it will,” Elsie cried happily, her eyes all but dancing as she moved around the lobby. “And I can’t wait to go.”

“Well, you’ve still got some time,” Rebecca pointed out. From her expression, she was already trying to figure out how to get a replacement for Elsie. “You just came back from an extended vacation. And next September’s a long way away.”

Elsie shook her head so hard it looked as if it was going to go spinning off. The young girl held the letter up higher.

“No, it says here I can start in January, just like I applied.” The girl’s eyes were dancing. “There are so many things I have to do! I can’t wait to call my parents and tell them about this!”

“You didn’t tell them when you opened the letter?” Stacy asked.

With all her heart, she wished she had parents she could share things with. With Aunt Kate gone, she was on her own.

“I, um, didn’t open the letter when I got it,” Elsie confessed, sounding just a little subdued for a moment, like she was tripping over her words. “I’ve been carrying it around since yesterday. I was afraid that the school had rejected me. But they didn’t!” she exclaimed, her voice rising again. “They said yes!”

“Yes, we know, dear.” Rebecca sighed. “Looks like I’m going to have to find a new receptionist for the hotel. Quickly,” she added.

Turning toward Stacy, she ventured, “You wouldn’t be looking for a job, would you?”

“Well, if it’ll help you out—” Stacy began, gauging her words slowly.

Rebecca’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, it would, it definitely would,” she assured Stacy. “I realize that you probably won’t be staying permanently, but I’d really appreciate you taking over for Elsie when she leaves.” As an afterthought, Rebecca turned toward the receptionist and asked, “When are you planning on leaving, dear?”

“This minute!” Elsie all but shouted. It was like watching champagne bubbling out of a bottle a moment after the cork had been pulled. “I’ve got so much to do between now and January.” Moving from foot to foot, the now former receptionist gave the impression that she was about to jump out of her skin at any second. “Things are finally turning around and going my way,” she cried. “I’ve got to get home. I’ve got to tell Mom and Dad I’m going to college.” She paused for a split second before charging out the front door. “I’m going to college!” she cried, as if she couldn’t get enough of the simple declaration.

And the next moment, she was gone.

Rebecca shook her head and laughed. “Can you remember ever being that excited?” she marveled, glancing in Stacy’s direction.

“Once, a lifetime ago.”

At least, it felt like a lifetime ago. But in reality, it wasn’t. She’d been that happy when she’d found herself falling hopelessly in love with Cole McCullough. In the beginning she’d been convinced that it was strictly one-sided—until he began paying attention to her.

She remembered every word of every conversation they’d ever had. Cherished all the islands of time that they’d shared together. Back then—had it really been less than a year ago?—she’d honestly believed that maybe, just maybe, they were on their way to meaning something to one another.

Oh, Cole had meant a great deal to her, he had for years now, but it wasn’t until they started spending time together that she began to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was a happily-ever-after in store for her. For them.

She should have realized that she was too old to believe in fairy tales, Stacy admonished herself. They’d had one wonderful, magical night together, and then he’d turned around and told her that maybe things were moving too quickly. That they should slow down before it was too late.

As far as she was concerned, it was already too late. Like a lovestruck idiot, she’d thought he felt the same way about her that she did about him. She should have known better.

She’d given Cole her heart and he had stomped on the gift, offering her a bunch of meaningless rhetoric that, loosely interpreted, said I had a great time. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

She’d always been the smart one in her family; at least, that was what Aunt Kate had always told her. But Aunt Kate found her crying in her room. Stacy had tried to pretend that nothing was wrong, but her aunt hadn’t been fooled. Then Kate put two and two together, and just like that, the idea for the European vacation had been born.

Stacy had attempted to demur, but Aunt Kate wouldn’t take no for an answer. She’d said that she always wanted to travel abroad and felt that this might be her last chance.