Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Ed nodded as he watched me with a hopeful expression. “Your mom and I never go up there anymore, and you always loved it, so we’re giving it to you. We transferred the deed to your name, and your lawyer took care of the details. I’ve been paying a caretaker to look after it, so I set up an earmarked account to cover his salary, the annual property taxes, and any extra upkeep that might be needed at some point. You shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”
I whispered, “I don’t know what to say.” It was a wonderful gift, but what was I supposed to do with it now, with so little time left?
“If you decide you don’t want it, easy peasy,” Ed said. “Just call my assistant. He’ll arrange to have it sold, and he’ll distribute the profits any way you want. Your mom and I promise we won’t be offended if you go that route.”
“I really do love the cabin,” I murmured. “I have a lot of great memories of the time we spent there, and it’s in such a gorgeous setting.”
Ed nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly! That’s why we wanted to give it to you, instead of selling it.”
I got up and hugged him and my mom in turn. “Thank you both. This was incredibly generous of you.”
Kit hugged them too before grabbing me in an embrace and saying, “All of you have made this Christmas so special. Thank you again.” I kissed his forehead, and he asked, “Out of curiosity, where’s this cabin located?”
“It’s about four hours north of here in upstate New York, a little way past Sleepy Hollow.”
He looked surprised. “That’s a real place? Like in the scary story?”
“It is.”
“I had no idea.” Kit looked up at me and asked, “Can we go there? I know you mentioned going to New York City next, so maybe after that?”
Why not? It wasn’t like I’d planned that far ahead. “Sure. There might even be snow. If so, our new winter gear will come in handy.” Mom and Ed both grinned. Maybe that’d been exactly what they had in mind with all those warm clothes.
And Kit looked delighted. The snowfall yesterday had melted within minutes, so he’d missed out on his snowman. This might make up for it.
Later that morning, we all helped prepare a delicious holiday brunch, which included Ed’s famous stuffed French toast. I knew he made it specifically because it had always been a favorite of mine, and that meant a lot to me.
After we ate, Kit and I insisted on doing the cleanup while Mom and Ed bundled up and took a stroll around the neighborhood. We’d just finished loading the dishwasher when Kit’s dad called. Just like on Thanksgiving, he was hard at work preparing a huge holiday feast for his customers and the community.
I’d had a check sent to him right after our visit, and he was buzzing with excitement about starting the first phase of renovations. He wanted to avoid shutting down the diner for extended periods since many of his regulars relied on it, so he planned to do the work bit by bit, starting with the kitchen.
“I want to tell you both all about it,” he said, as a timer went off in the background, “so let’s talk next week, when things are calmer.”
After we both wished him a Merry Christmas and ended the call, I said, “He really needs to take a day off once in a while. He works harder than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
“He’ll finally be able to. He can afford to hire some help now, thanks to you.” Kit put his arms around me and asked, “Have I told you how grateful I am for all of that?”
That made me smile. “You might have mentioned it once or twice.” He brought it up all the time.
“Okay, good.” He kissed me, and after a moment he asked, “Was it okay that I mentioned going to the cabin in front of your mom and Ed? I realized after I said it that I might have put you on the spot, especially if you had other plans.”
“It’s fine. I’d assumed we’d head back to San Francisco after New York City, but this is better.” A thought occurred to me just then. “Actually, how would you feel about spending the entire month of January at the cabin?”
He seemed surprised. “Is that something you want to do?”
I nodded. “I love the idea of the two of us spending time together in one of my favorite places. I know you’ll love it there, too. It’s so beautiful and peaceful. We can curl up in front of the fireplace, and read, and play music, and you’ll have all the time you need to sketch and dream up mind-blowing new designs.” I grinned and added, “We can also fuck all day and run around naked if you want, because we’ll have total privacy.”