Chapter 3

Jennie

"Ow!" I rubbed the spot on my forehead now sore from being poked over and over by a tiny finger.

"Mom! Mom! Wake up! Look at all the rain!" Ruby and Jane jumped up and down on my bed like it was Christmas morning. I wish I shared their enthusiasm. I was cocooned in my warm quilt, dreaming about palm trees, sandy beaches and fruity drinks with little umbrellas in them. I had no desire to get out of bed and face the day, the rain, or my mom. However, duty called and my girls were asking for breakfast. I sat up in bed, pulled on my slippers and robe and glanced over at my two angels looking out my bedroom window, giggling about all the rain.

"Come on, you two, I'm starving."

While I got busy making monkey bread, the girls' favorite treat, Fred kept them preoccupied playing Candyland in the family room. Mom's eyes were glued to the TV, not wanting to miss the latest storm update. A fire was blazing in the fireplace, and other than the house being empty of guests, it felt like a normal day.

I was standing at the counter, mixing melted butter and cinnamon in a bowl, when my mom came up next to me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"I love you, you know that, right?" she asked.

"I do. I love you too, Mom."

I leaned over and kissed her cheek, knowing that was her way of apologizing for last night. We didn't argue often, and I can't remember a time where she made me cry. It wasn't really her that made me cry though; it was more the painful memories of my relationship with Kai and doubt that I'd ever find the perfect man for me and the girls.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. We all looked at each other, wondering who would be out in this weather. Before Mom could even make a move toward the door … another loud knock. She hurried out of the kitchen, with Fred right behind her. The girls and I hung back. I heard talking and a few minutes later, Mom reappeared in the kitchen with a beautiful redhead who looked to be in her early 40s and a little girl who I guessed was about the same age as Jane and Ruby.

"Jennie, this is Catherine. Catherine, this is my daughter, Jennie. Those are her girls, Jane and Ruby," she said, turning toward the girls who were already by her side, anxious to meet their new friend.

I wiped my hands on a dishtowel and went over to shake hands with her.

"Hi Catherine, nice to meet you." I smiled warmly.

"Nice to meet you too, Jennie. This is my daughter, Jenna." She wrapped her arm around the shy little girl that was hiding behind her. "Sorry to barge in on you guys like this. I drove as far as I could, but the roads are getting worse by the minute, and the bridge at the end of the road is closed. I didn't know what else to do."

Her voice cracked as she held back tears.

"Oh, it's no problem." My mom rushed over and put her arm around Catherine's shoulders. "All of our guests left early, so there's plenty of room. Besides, Jane and Ruby will be thrilled to have someone else to play with."

With that, Jane and Ruby took Jenna's hand and pulled her over to join in their Candyland game.

There were three more knocks at the door that day, everyone saying the same thing. The roads were too bad to continue and they were desperate for a place to stay. Henry and Melissa, a sweet older couple, were first. Next was a spunky, cute college-aged girl named Ashley, who I thought I could get along with the next couple days, and last came a set of middle-aged sisters named Pat and Sue who were on their way to an antique show in Wisconsin.

Mom was thrilled as she went into full-on hostess mode. She was in her glory when the inn was full. She lived for it. The house was full of chatter all afternoon; people comparing their encounters of stuck cars and flooded roads. It was late afternoon and I was just taking a huge batch of my fabulous chili off the stove for dinner, when I heard another knock at the door. Mom was out on the back deck grabbing more wood for the fire. With the noise level in the house, I wasn't surprised Fred didn't hear it, so I wiped my hands on my shirt and headed up front.

I opened the door and my breath caught—I wasn't sure if it was because of the ear-shattering thunderclap that came into the house with the swing of the door, or the person standing on the porch. The tall, wet figure stood in a black North Face hoodie and a baseball cap. Her hands were shoved in her jean pockets. The wind was whipping around her and her cheeks were bright red, but she looked up at me from under long, thick lashes and smiled a big sexy smile. I swear the corners of her perfect teeth sparkled, like they do in the movies.

I stepped back, motioning for her to come in. Once she was in the door, my mouth went dry. She was tall. I guessed she was almost taller than my short five foot, four-inch stature. She pulled her hat off, revealing dark hair that was a wet mess of short, loose curls. She smiled that movie star smile again.

My heart was pounding so loud, I was sure it was about to jump out of my chest and land on the foyer floor at her feet.

"Whew! It's brutal out there." She shook the excess water off her jacket and ran her hands back and forth through her hair, messing it up in the most adorable way.

"Hi, I'm Lisa Manoban." She extended her hand for me to shake.

"Hi, I'm…" My mind went blank. When I paused, she raised a curious eyebrow and smirked at me. Holy crap, I was going to pass out.

Pull yourself together, Jennie.

"Jennie. Jennie Kim."

The minute her giant hand enveloped mine, I felt my entire body wake from hibernation. Her warm, strong hand acted as an accelerant that set all the cells and nerves in my entire body on fire. I felt like an idiot when I realized that we were done shaking hands, but I hadn't bothered to pull mine away yet. Quickly, I snatched it back and wrapped my arms around myself, instinctively.

"I took a wrong turn and thought I was on a road. Hard to see it was a driveway. Anyway, my truck is stuck in the mud out there. Any chance I could grab a room for the night?"

My shoulders sank, along with my heart.

"Uh-oh." She read the disappointment on my face. "Do you not have any rooms available?"

"No, they're all taken," I answered in a quiet, almost inaudible tone.

"Oh." She took a deep breath and forced it back out. "No biggie, I'll figure out a way to get my truck out and keep going. I'm sure there's something up the road a little more."

"Stay right here." I turned to go find my mom, but she was already coming around the corner from the kitchen.

"Hi there!" my mom said in her typically warm, welcoming tone.

"Hi, I'm Lisa Manoban." She offered her hand again.

"Hi Lisa, I'm Gigi Kim."

"You have a really nice place here," she said, flashing her gorgeous smile at my mom.

If there was a direct line to my mother's heart, it was complimenting her inn. This place was her other baby.

"I was actually just coming to get you. I know we're full, but it's awful out there. We can't send her back out in this weather, Mom," I blurted out, sounding more desperate than I meant to.

"Of course not, dear." She smiled curiously at me, before turning her attention back to Lisa.

"I don't have any rooms available, Lisa, but I do have a pretty comfortable couch in the family room. It's not private at all, but it's much warmer than your vehicle. We would love to have you stay with us."

"Uh, one problem. I have a dog too. He's super friendly and completely housebroken, but he'd probably be pretty mad at me if I told him he had to sleep in the truck. Any chance he could sleep on the floor in a laundry room maybe?"

"Absolutely not!" Mom said. "No laundry room for him, he can curl up by the fire."

"Are you sure? I don't want to put you out."

She was talking to my mom, but looking at me, causing my heart to race.

"Nonsense. You are staying here, so is your dog, that's final. Come on in and take your wet jacket off and warm up for a few minutes before getting your dog. You're going to catch pneumonia."

She put her arm around her and led her toward the back of the house while I followed behind. "You're just in time, actually. My beautiful, single daughter just made a huge batch of her delicious chili."

Mom looked back at me and winked. My face flushed as I rolled my eyes, just in time to look up and catch Lisa turning around, smirking at me. Suddenly, crawling into the couch cushions and hiding for the next couple days sounded like a wonderful idea.