Felicity blinked back unexpected tears and cleared her throat. She had work to do before Saturday. “Best get to it,” she said, and continued down the quiet road.
* * *
Felicity parked at the contemporary “barn” Olivia and Dylan McCaffrey had built on property he’d inherited from his father. It served as the base for Dylan’s fledgling adventure travel business and entrepreneurial boot camps and was just up the road from the pristine antique house Olivia had turned into a destination inn—a coincidence that had led to their meeting on an icy March day over a year ago. They’d also built a house up a stone walk from the barn, finally moving in earlier in the summer. Mark Flanagan had designed both the house and barn to meld into the rolling rural New England landscape. Felicity didn’t know if Gabe had ever seen them. Probably not.
Olivia greeted her at the front entrance. She was dressed in yoga pants and a long tank top, her dark hair pulled back. She was visibly pregnant, due in late autumn. “I had an urge for hot chocolate,” she said, smiling as she held up a steaming mug. “I know. You’d think I’d have an urge for lemonade on a hot summer day. Come in, won’t you?”
Felicity followed her into the barn. She’d checked out the space several times in the lead-up to Saturday’s boot camp. The interior included a large, flexible open area with a sectional sofa and comfy chairs in front of a huge fieldstone fireplace, a kitchen, a study and, up spiral stairs, a loft with offices and storage space.
Olivia led Felicity to a long, dark wood table in front of tall windows that looked out across wildflower-dotted fields to Carriage Hill itself. “Dylan’s thrilled you were able to handle Gabe’s add-on party on such short notice,” Olivia said, sitting with her back to the view, still holding on to her hot chocolate. “I’m happy to help in any way we can.”
Felicity sat across from her. “Thank you. I just want to be sure I have the logistics worked out. We’re having lunch here, then another panel in the main room—I don’t want to cause any distractions while setting up for the party.”
“What if we have the party at the inn? The weather looks great for Saturday. Everyone will probably appreciate a walk and fresh air after a day of speakers.”
“That’s a great idea,” Felicity said without hesitation.
“You can run it past Gabe and Dylan if you want, but they won’t care if it’s okay with me.”
“I should take a look at the space, but I can’t imagine any problems.”
Felicity had arranged for one of the speakers—a diverse group—to stay in the area, but the rest, and all of the attendees, were commuting for the day. Dylan had deliberately kept the one-day event simple. Olivia was having work done at the Farm at Carriage Hill, but it only affected its handful of guest rooms. Felicity could help Gabe find lodging if need be, but he had family and friends in town. She doubted he’d have any trouble finding a place to stay. He hadn’t asked for her help, and she assumed he had sleeping quarters handled.
“Maggie’s catered a number of events at the inn,” Olivia said. “She thinks it’ll work out well, if that helps.”
“It absolutely does. Maggie’s a whiz.”
Olivia smiled. “She’s bringing dinner. Why don’t you join us? Maggie always brings enough for days of leftovers.”
Brandon Sloan, Maggie’s husband, was in the White Mountains, leading the first group of Dylan’s adventure travelers on a multi-day hike. He and Maggie had been together since high school and had two sons in elementary school. Brandon, the third of six siblings, had a day job as a carpenter with Sloan & Sons, his family’s construction business. Gabe was friends with all the Sloans. Maybe he’d be staying with them.
Felicity frowned. Why was she obsessing about where Gabe stayed?
“I’d love to join you and Maggie for dinner,” she said.
“Wonderful,” Olivia said, obviously pleased. “Can I get you anything in the meantime? Water, iced tea—there’s more hot chocolate if that appeals to you on a hot day.”
“I think I’ll walk down to Carriage Hill first.”
“The back door’s open. I’d go with you, but I’ve been a bit wobbly today. I’m sure it’s the heat. Dylan will be back soon. Gabe picked him and Russ Colton up from the airport. I can’t remember the last time he was in town. Mark and Jess’s wedding, I think.”
Felicity managed to get control of herself. She didn’t swear out loud or even under her breath, but she was not prepared to see Gabe tonight—and she’d just accepted Olivia’s invitation to dinner. “It’ll be cooler on Saturday,” she said, getting to her feet. “I’ll scoot down to the inn.”
“Maggie and I can answer any questions once you’ve had a look.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Olivia abandoned her hot chocolate and rose, visibly stiff. A hand on her lower back, she walked with Felicity through the main room and out the front entrance. Buster, her German shepherd mix, had materialized on the stone
