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Chapter 74
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The Misfit Inn Chapter 75
Nearly fourteen months after Maggie first laid eyes on the mill, it rose before her, all decked out for the holidays and looking like a Christmas postcard. She leaned forward in her seat, trying to see if there was space left in the parking lot, and feeling a punch of pride as she took in the finished Stone County Artisan's Guild and Education Center. "Looks like a good turnout for the open house.""I'm still not sure you two should be out among all those people. That's a lot of germs. And you know there's already been flu going around."Maggie laid a hand on her husband's arm. "Porter, honey, I gave birth. I don't have a compromised immune system. Besides, I had my flu shot.""But Faith―""The baby will be fine. Your wife will not be if she doesn't get to leave the house." Having been ordered to bed rest the last two months of her pregnancy, she'd accepted Porter's overprotective streak. But she'd fully expected him to dial it back once their healthy baby girl had arrived. Inste
The Misfit Inn Chapter 1
VOLUME ONE: WHEN YOU GOT A GOOD THING"WELCOME TO O'LEARY'S PUB. What can I get you?" The greeting rolled off Kennedy Reynolds' tongue as she continued to work the taps with deft hands.The man on the other side of the long, polished bar gaped at her. "You're American."Kennedy topped off the pint of Harp and slid it expertly into a patron's waiting hand. "So are you." She injected the lilt of Ireland into her voice instead of the faint twang of East Tennessee. "You'd be expectin' somethin' more along these lines, I'd wager. So what'll it be for a strapping Yank like yourself?"The guy only blinked at her.So she wasn't exactly typical of County Kerry, Ireland. Her sisters would be the first to say she wasn't exactly typical of anyone, anywhere. It didn't bother her. But there was a line stacking up behind this slack-jawed idiot, and she had work to do."Can I suggest a pint of Guinness? Or perhaps you'd prefer whiskey to warm you through? The night's still got a bit of a chill."
The Misfit Inn Chapter 2
BY THE TIME THE Uber dropped her off at the house - and she was deliberately not thinking about how much that ride from the airport actually cost her - Kennedy was so far past exhausted, she felt practically out of body. She hadn't felt right bothering her sisters for a ride, and she was used to finding her own way from one point to another. When one of her flights was canceled and another delayed for weather, it had taken a series of planes, trains, and automobiles to get her from the west coast of Ireland back Stateside. Her luggage was - somewhere else, and she was a day later than planned, cutting it so close that she'd ended up finding funeral attire in a shop in the Amsterdam airport. The long-sleeved, jersey dress was simple and unadorned. Perhaps not as nice as she'd have chosen had she had any time to prepare, but beggars couldn't be choosers. At least it was the appropriate color.Kennedy didn't recognize any of the vehicles in the drive. And why should she? She'd left this
The Misfit Inn Chapter 3
KENNEDY WAS STILL HUNG over from tears and jet lag as she and her sisters stepped into the attorney's office the day after the funeral. The drive to Johnson City had been a blur, but at least there'd been coffee - Athena's doing, so it'd been excellent. Maggie gave their name to the fifty-something receptionist, and in a matter of minutes, the four of them were escorted into an office full of leather and wood and law books. The attorney, Robert Barth, came around his desk, offering a hand to each of them in turn."Thank you for coming to the service yesterday," Pru said.Kennedy fixed her attention on the man as she shook hands, noting the receding black hair, the faint paunch beneath his well-cut suit. He was close to forty, with laugh lines around his brown eyes. She had no memory of seeing him at the funeral. Then again, a stampede of elephants could've trooped through and she probably would've missed it. Her entire focus had been on Ari, her sisters, and that dreadful, dark hol
The Misfit Inn Chapter 4
"I DON'T KNOW WHY we're here," Pru said. "We've still got enough casseroles to get us through the end of the month."Kennedy grabbed a shopping cart and headed toward the produce aisle. "Because woman cannot live on casseroles alone, even in Tennessee. If I don't have some vegetables that aren't globbed in cheese or wrapped in bacon, my arteries are going to clog in a week. Plus, I need to pick up some basic toiletries and stuff since my luggage still hasn't arrived." She'd have to pick up some clothes, too, if it didn't show up soon. "You realize you've just blasphemed, right? Bacon and cheese are their own food groups here. Or had you forgotten?""I hadn't forgotten. But my tolerance is down after all the time away." Plus she'd wanted an excuse to get out of the house and away from the tension. Maggie had sequestered herself with copies of the financial records Robert sent over the day before. Whatever the news, it wasn't good. Athena was pacing the place like a caged jungle ca
The Misfit Inn Chapter 5
"ARI'S FINALLY OUT, I think," Kennedy reported. "Poor thing is exhausted."From her spot curled up on the sofa, Pru knit her hands. "I still wish she'd eat more than three bites at a time." She looked up as Maggie squeezed her shoulder."She'll get there. Everybody grieves differently." Maggie took a seat. "But now that she is effectively out of earshot for a bit, we do need to talk about what we're going to do about her."Kennedy dropped into a chair. "Even if Mae finds her parents, she doesn't want to go back to them. They left her. There's no evidence they wouldn't do it again.""I think we can all agree that it's best for Ari if she's kept as stable as possible. But the fact is, with Mom gone, there's no other option for her in the Ridge. The nearest placement would be in Johnson City.""We're not shipping her off to Johnson City," Athena snarled."None of us wants to do that. But let's look at reality. My life is in LA. Yours is in Chicago. That leaves Pru, and as capable as
The Misfit Inn Chapter 6
KENNEDY'S HEART BEAT SO hard and fast, she wondered she didn't just bleed out from the pain of seeing him look at her with all that guilt and shame. She'd been prepared for him to hate her. Ready for him to rail and rant and curse her for slinking off in the middle of the night without a word. She deserved all of that and more. But he thought he was why she'd left. All these years, he'd thought it was because of that stupid fight. She'd barely even remembered it. Why would she, given what came after? But clearly he remembered, and he blamed himself.The absolute wrongness of that had her stepping into him before she could think better of it, laying a hand over his heart. "Xander, I - " But what could she say to allay his fears? She couldn't tell him the truth, and she didn't want to lie. Another round of tears welled up as she realized all the other ways she'd hurt him besides just walking away. "I'm so sorry."His hand covered hers, pinning it in place. "I get why you ran. But why s
The Misfit Inn Chapter 7
KENNEDY GOT BACK TO the house braced for a fight. She'd meant what she said. With everything on their plates, letting herself be provoked was a waste of precious energy and detrimental to Ari. But she didn't actually expect any of them to let it drop. Why would they? It had been open season on her since she got back Stateside, and Athena in particular seemed determined to get in every verbal jab she could - maybe because Maggie was far too controlled for something like that.Her sisters were still in the kitchen, in the process of doing the dishes and clearing away the leftovers. From her position at the sink Athena smirked. "Back a week and already starting things back up with the ex you left high and dry. Ballsy.""I'm not starting anything back up with Xander. He gave me a ride. That's all.""Clearly not the good kind. You don't look anywhere near relaxed enough for that."Okay, that was it. Kennedy was about to drag her sister into the kind of rip-roaring, hair-pulling fight
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