The parade of stars began to pop in the dusky sky as Aiden made his way around the last bend in the road. The trees opened up, welcoming him. There it was, The Apple Blossom Inn. Something surreal happened when his feet touched the driveway. He stood there with his hand over his mouth in shock. The two-story pine lodge was not what it used to be. Gone were the window boxes filled with colorful flowers. Some of the green shutters barely clung to the windows. The roof sagged and the bright green railings that covered the front porch were now dull and had chipped paint. The yard, once manicured and filled with wild flowers was now filled with dirt and pine straw for a covering.

Aiden lowered his head. This can't be. When he gained composure, he walked down the long drive, saddened to see the long cracks in the concrete. Surely no one visited this place but faithful old travelers who remembered the glory days of the inn. The Apple Blossom Inn was a wonder in its day. A 250-room lodge sitting on 90 acres.

Nanna brought those acres to life with fishing ponds, barn fires, walking and horseback trails. A park for families to gather for picnics. Then there was the swimming hole and the small outdoor theater where kids watched movies under the stars. He flinched thinking all of that was probably a faded memory too.

As he got closer to the lodge he looked to the left to see if the trail was still there. He didn't want to see that trail, but something compelled him to look to the left. It was still there and it was well worn. That was the path to where he grew up, in his father's double wide trailer. Their property line was adjacent to the lodge.

The well-worn path suggested that his father still lived there. Billy Bob Johnson was born and raised in Ellijay back in those ancient woods. The trailer that they lived in had been passed down from his deceased grandfather. Aiden knew that he would never leave the place.

Perhaps if there was overgrowth it would have been a sign that he was dead. That is something that Aiden would have preferred. As he looked at the path his eyes narrowed and he felt the slow boil of rage. He kicked a rock as hard as he could, imagining that it was his father's head. Before rage could blind him from his purpose, he snapped his mind back to Jasmine.

Leaves crunched under his feet as he made his way to the porch. The steps sagged under his weight indicating that they were in need of repair. Now was the moment of truth. He swallowed hard, willing his heart to slow down but it did not. Reaching for the door knob was so difficult. His fingers felt like led. What will she think of me now?

The palms of his hands were sweating. He reached and then pulled back. Finally, he filled his lungs with air, grabbed the handle to the door and went in. The familiar clanging of the bells always had let the crew know that a visitor had arrived. He'd heard that sound a thousand times. The memory of it made him smile.

Then he stepped in and shut the door behind him. But this time there was no crew that came dashing out to greet a weary traveler. The roar of a blazing fire warmed the room. He stood waiting for someone to come out. Time suddenly stopped, nothing had changed. That was good for memories seeping into his conscious but terribly bad for business. The Apple Blossom Inn was stuck in the 70's décor. Everything was neat and clean, yet old and worn. An update was due decades ago.

The large brown bear rug was right in the same spot where he and Jasmine used to play and color by the enormous fireplace. The old red leather furnishing that were the talk of the day in the 70's was still making a statement, in this decade, not a good one. New woodlands paintings covered the walls, that was a plus. But the huge chandelier made of antlers should have long been gone.

Aiden was unnerved that the jingle in the bells had brought no one to the front. This was clearly a sign that the staff had been reduced. He groaned. After a few minutes, he walked closer to the fireplace and began to warm himself. It was then that he heard a voice that made his blood rush to his head.

"I'll be with you in just a minute," the voice called, "Welcome to The Apple Blossom Inn. We are sure that you will enjoy your stay with us." His eyes began to mist, and his heart was literally in his throat. Aiden braced himself against the mantle as he heard Jasmine coming his way. Then the footsteps stopped.

His eyes locked on her before she saw him. Jasmine was tall and slender as before but so much more wonderfully endowed. The jeans and the purple knit pull over she was wearing did an excellent job at revealing her curves. The auburn "mane" on her head was long, tapering down her lower back. Her face didn't shine. She's still so beautiful, but looks awfully worn. He wanted to run to her. If he could just place one finger on her, his raging heart would still.

He watched as she popped something in her mouth and then quickly picked up a glass of water and swallowed a bit. She placed the glass on a table and then headed into the room. He watched shock register across her face when she spotted him. She gasped. As she went to reach for the edge of the table to steady herself, she knocked the glass off and it shattered on the floor. "Aiden." She called his name no louder than a whisper and staggered.

Aiden didn't know how he'd gotten to the other side of the room so quickly. One minute he was here, the next minute he was there. He latched on to her arm to keep her from falling and his mere touch sent a fiery current through him. His raging heart didn't still, it was beating out of his chest. He saw such confusion in her deep brown eyes, and she called his name again. "Aiden Johnson."

He did not want to hear his life being connected to his father's last name. Yet he shook his head "Yes, and then said, "But I'm Aiden Ross now."

Jasmine looked too stunned to say anything, but her eyes clearly read – "What the hell...?"

"I'll explain it all to you later."

She was about to say something and he gently placed his finger over her lips. "Later," he whispered. She nodded her head.

Jas looked bone tired. His heart sank. Nanna's words seared his mind again. I'm not asking you to come home Aiden, I just wanted you to know what's going on. You have to make peace with your past in your own way. He hadn't intended to, but he reached up and touched her face. That's all he could do. He had no words.

Their eyes locked. She pushed his hand away. It grieved him, but he fully understood why. He could hear her labored breathing and felt the sharp rise and fall of her chest against his. Surely, she felt the fire that was raging through him. He touched her face again, but this time she didn't move his hand.

"There is no reason for you to be here, Aiden. You need to leave."

Her words were like a wasp sting to his heart. "I deserve that and I'm sorry."

"Go back to New York."

He lifted his hand from her face and ran both his hands through his hair in frustration. This is worse than I expected. He had prepared for her fury. He was expecting to be screamed at when he walked in the door. He wanted to be called out for breaking her heart. Then he could explain. This reaction was different.

No fury meant indifference as in I don't give a damn about you. Go back to New York was clanging louder in his head than the Liberty Bell. He watched as she turned her tall body towards the fireplace. The back of her was just as beautiful as the front. His eyes trailed down the shapely figure. She looks amazing in those jeans. He stretched his hand out to touch her shoulder, but then refrained. We'll get through this somehow.

He walked across the room and plopped down on the red sofa. Jasmine hadn't moved. She was staring into the flames in a catatonic state, rolling her hands over each other as if she'd experienced a devastating loss. Tension was thick as the bear rug under their feet.

Aiden and Jas attention shifted when they heard the sound of sweeping.

"I thought Flannery had broken something," smiled Nanna. "Do my eyes deceive me? Aiden Johnson, well bless my heart."

He lifted his tall frame from the sofa, walked over to Nanna and gave her a big hug. "It's so good to see you Nanna. I can't believe that Flannery is still alive."

"Oh, she's alive, ancient as these hills and fat as a Thanksgiving turkey. She'll come out to see you soon. I just can't believe that you're in Ellijay."

He stepped back. "Let me look at you Nanna. You haven't aged a bit."

"Stop lying, boy."

He chuckled. But in his mind Nanna did look the same as she had ten years ago being 72 years old at that time. She was wearing her signature pink fuzzy robe and shoes to match. She was still sassy and wore her pile of fading auburn hair wrapped up tight in a bun. Her dark brown eyes sparkled, and she had a sweet smile just as he'd remembered. Jasmine had her eyes. Yes, there was some sagging in Nanna's oval face, but that was common in older age. Nanna would remind you of Stephanie Powers in her older age – tall, shapely just like Jasmine and wearing her older years well. He imagined how good Jas would look like in her older age with Nanna's amazing gene pool in her blood.

Nanna took Aiden's hand and led him back to the sofa. "Have a seat Aiden and let's chat a spell. How long will you be staying with us?"

Jasmine swung around. Darkness sparked in her eyes revealing anger. "He's not staying here," she stomped her foot to make a distinguished point. "There are plenty new hotels in town that have better accommodations for guests of his caliber."

Aiden brows raised. His caliber - so, there is anger brewing under that cool surface of hers. A spark of hope lit inside. I might have a shot after all. "Jas is right. I'll stay in town."

"You most certainly will not. You will stay right here with us in room 208."

At Nanna's words Aiden's face drained of color. Jas eyes widened, her mouth flopped open. Nanna's eyes twinkled. Room 208 was the furthest room in the west wing of the lodge. The west side of the building didn't have the spectacular views of the mountain vista's. That wing was normally closed. They only opened it when there was a crowd. Nanna gave a hearty laugh. "You two didn't think I knew about room 208."

As shock faded, Aiden face bloomed like a bright red tomato. He loosened his collar.

Jas cried out, "You knew! But Nanna..."

The old wise woman smiled. "I was a teenager once."

Then she walked over and kissed Aiden on the cheek, then walked towards Jas and kissed her cheek as well.

"But nothing. Book him in room 208 and that is the end of this matter." Giving them a wink and she shuffled off down the hall to her bedroom.

Flannery quietly appeared from out of nowhere. She went straight to Aiden and snuggled against his leg. There was instant recognition. The cat stroked against him and purred. Aiden was so thrilled. His hand stroked her back. He and Flannery had a long and wonderful history. It would have been nice if Jas had welcomed me like you, Flannery. Yet realistically he knew that would never have happened. He had been the one that bombed the bridge between them.

Flannery curled her body between his feet, rubbing, until she'd gotten her feel of him. Then she sauntered down the hall towards her human and went to claim her bedroom.

"Can we talk Jas?"

Jasmine glared, then marched out of the room. He reached for a pillow from the sofa, stuffed his face in it and screamed.