Christmas at Holiday House - RaeAnne Thayne Page 0,31
softly.
“Winnie is part of this house and it’s part of her now. I understand that, believe me. Just as I accept that, eventually, Lucy and I will have to figure out what to do with the house when she’s gone.”
Winnie had been telling them for years that she was leaving Holiday House to the two of them, not to her own son, who would only sell it to the first buyer he could find with enough cash.
Ethan had no idea what he and Lucy were supposed to do with it after Winnie was gone. He didn’t want to think about that day so he pushed the question out of his head, as he had been doing for years now.
“Now that you’ve seen the rest of the house, I’m sure you will agree it’s too much for a woman approaching eighty years old to manage on her own.”
Abby ran a finger along the polished wood chair rail along the wall. “Her current injuries aside, Winnie still seems pretty spry to me. She also told me she has a good cleaning service that keeps things dust-free.”
“For now.”
“As long as she is still capable of managing things, I guess I feel like she’s the one who should decide what she’s going to do with the house.”
Her words echoed Lucy’s—and Winnie’s, for that matter. Apparently, he was the lone voice of reason.
“Winnie will stubbornly insist she’s perfectly fine and handling things until she wears herself out. She’s already broken her wrist. It’s a miracle she didn’t break a hip or her back when she fell. I worry that’s what’s next.”
He knew how devastating a more serious injury would be for Winnie. Something else he didn’t want to think about.
“I understand your concern. It’s hard for someone her age to come back from a major orthopedic injury like you’re talking about. But why worry about something that hasn’t happened yet and probably won’t? That’s another lesson I’ve learned over the past few years. Endless worry about tomorrow only steals joy from today.”
Lovely and wise. An intoxicating combination.
Abby glanced at her watch. “We’ve been at this nearly an hour. I can’t believe it’s so late. I should probably go check on Christopher.”
He suspected Christopher and Winnie were probably both sound asleep in the great room together.
“If you can give me a few more minutes, I have one last thing. I should probably show you where Winnie keeps all the Christmas decorations?”
“You mean there’s even more than we’ve seen so far?”
The astonishment in her voice made him smile. “We’ve seen the highlights. I only meant ribbons, lights, ornaments, that kind of thing. But, yes, I understand that it’s a lot to take in. Don’t worry about the rest. You can explore on your own when you get the chance.”
She hesitated. “We’re here. I guess you should probably show me anything else you think I might need to know.”
“This shouldn’t take long.”
He opened a door at the end of the hall to reveal another staircase.
“Yet another level?”
“The attic.”
He flipped on the light and ascended the stairs toward the vast space that ran the length of the house. It was filled with trunks, cardboard boxes, ornament containers, wreaths and at least a dozen pre-lit artificial trees.
She gaped at the assorted items. “Oh, my.”
“I agree. It’s a lot to take in.”
Abby looked back at the stairs behind him. “Surely she doesn’t carry this all up and down by herself?”
“Well, I haven’t showed it to you yet, but there’s an elevator that goes to all the floors.” He pointed to what looked like a large built-in closet in one corner. “My grandfather had it installed a few years before he died.”
Some of her tension seemed to trickle away. “I can see where an elevator will be a lifesaver!”
“Winnie also never decorates alone. Seems like she always has a friend to help her. I’ve pitched in to fetch and carry where I can in previous years. If I’m not available—which seems to be the case usually of late—I will loan her a few workers from one of the hotels in town for an afternoon to carry things down. I usually ask the staff who would like to volunteer on their day off and then I pay their salaries. They also know Winnie will give them a big tip.”
“That sounds like a brilliant solution. Too bad you’ve already said you’re not going to help this year,” she said pointedly.
“You’re going to throw that back in my face?” he said.