by Tey Holden
Alana graciously smiled, and chuckled when she heard Addy speak. “Thank you for your frankness. I do appreciate it. Perhaps we can have that hand shake later.” Alana was absolutely enthralled with Addy. She couldn’t take her eyes from her from the moment Addy walked into the room, and when Addy spoke with her usual frankness, it had the effect of adding wood to the fire.
JP, who had been listening to the whole exchange, saw how Alana was devouring Addy with her eyes. Oh, oh, this smells trouble. He could recognize that look anywhere, and he knew that so would Karen. Addy, of course, was oblivious to it.
It was evident on Karen’s face that Alana’s response did not sit well with her. The bitch wiped her ass with my introduction. I’m certain that she didn’t think I just meant partners in business. Addy, of course, naïve and good hearted as she was didn’t think much of it and just smiled oblivious to the many under currents.
Addy looked incredibly awesome in her dark-blue jeans, brown riding boots, and suede jacket. She also had her hair tousled, which gave her a younger appearance. Karen immediately caught Alana’s drift and figured that there would be trouble ahead.
“Of course. Now, if you’d excuse me, I need to go home. It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Dickerson.” Then she spoke directly to Karen. “Ker, I’m going home to take off my boots. They are suffocating my legs. I’ll see you later at home.”
Alana smiled wickedly as she watched Addy leave. “So you live together?” Alana pushed for clarification just to be sure.
“Yes, as I mentioned earlier, Addy is my partner.”
“I thought you meant business partners.”
Yeah right? “No, not just business, we are life partner.” Karen wanted to be as clear as possible.
Alana smirked, while JP smiled. Yeah, rub it in! You go girl!
***
That evening, before leaving for the cottage for the night, Addy ran again into Alana by the pool deck.
“Howdy, cowgirl. Going somewhere?”
Addy chuckled. “Hello there, are you enjoying your stay? Have you made any plans for tomorrow?” Addy innocently asked.
“Not really, do you want to make some for me?”
Realizing that she was being baited, she quickly made several suggestions, carefully excluding herself from any plan. “Well, you could go sailing on the lake in the morning. They can pack a lunch for you in the dining room, and if you don’t know how to sail, we have someone out there that takes people out in the morning. A real cute fellow, if I may add.”
“Thanks, it so happens that I’m not interested in sailing, or cute fellows.”
“Oh, well. Let me see what else we have available, an afternoon at the spa maybe?”
Alana liked Addy’s simplicity. “I’d like to go horseback riding with a cute cowgirl.”
This was a direct hit, which Addy handled very professionally. “Well, Mr. Nelson is certainly a good instructor, although I don’t think he qualifies as cute.” She chuckled.
Alana gave her a naughty smile while carefully scrutinizing her like she had done hours earlier. “I think I know someone very cute around here who rides, even though her boots suffocate her.”
At this point, Addy knew that there was no way that she would be able to divert the conversation. It was very clear that Alana was hitting on her. “Miss. Dickerson—.”
“Please, call me Alana.”
Still, Addy answered politely, and very professionally. “Ms. Dickerson, I’m sorry, I can’t. I have an inn to run, and I don’t usually ride with the guests.”
“Not even special guests?”
Although Addy was reaching her boiling point, she tried to handle the matter the best she could. “Not to be offensive or anything like that, but I fail to see what it is that makes you special. As I understand, you run our advertisement and promotions and you are well paid for doing that job.” Addy decided to be blunt, and in so doing to let her know that she was a hired employee.
“Ouch!”
Addy gave her a distant smile. “Please, excuse me. I have a million things to do. I’m certain that you will find something to do tomorrow. Have a good evening.”
Alana smirked. She thought she had captured Addy’s attention and that Addy was running away for fear of changing her mind. Alana was a player, and knew all the right moves, including when to withdraw. She was used to getting her way with women and had figured out ways to make everyone succumb to her.
***
Addy didn’t know whether it would be better to relate the incident to Karen, or to handle the matter on her own, knowing that Karen would surely get all worked up, she decided to wait. Maybe the woman got the message and would leave her alone, and it would be totally unnecessary to disturb Karen.
This did not happen. The next morning, Alana called, the concierge, who happened to be JP, and asked him to find Addy. She claimed requiring special attention from the owner in order to get some things straight regarding the many services offered by the inn. JP tried to offer whatever assistance she required, but she insisted on speaking with the owners.
JP called Addy. “Sweetie, that woman from the marketing company, who I’m now calling Cruella de Vil is asking for you.”
Addy laughed. “And a very appropriate name that is! I do not like her at all.”
“Hun, look out for her. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but she’s hot for you.” JP was also aware that Addy was a bit naïve when it came to certain things, so he decided to be direct. “I don’t like her either. She has trouble written all over. Maybe you should have Karen talk to her.”
“I can take care of myself, JP. Karen has enough on her plate already. I don’t want to worry her unnecessarily, especially not about something like this. You know how she is about me. I will deal with this woman. I can handle her.” Addy was not too sure about her statement, but for sure, she was going to try to take care of the situation. She needed to keep Karen out of the matter to avoid further trouble.
***
Addy agreed to meet with Alana in the inn’s dining room, a very visible and busy place, and in JP’s direct line of vision. “If you need help, just scratch your nose, as a sign, and I will be there immediately.” Addy smiled and affectionately touched JP’s arm in appreciation.
Then she sat in the dining room handling some of the inn’s paperwork while waiting for Alana. “Hi Addy. Thanks for meeting me.”
“So, what’s going on? What do you need to know?” Addy lost no time getting to the point.
“I need to know all the activities available to the guests and their cost.”
Addy looked at her and knew that she had been right about Alana’s intentions with the meeting. The information Alana was requesting was readily accessible from any of the inn’s brochures, and anything not in the brochure, JP could have easily answered. Still, this was her inn and she took the high road going through the whole list of activities.
Alana appeared to be interested in Addy’s explanations, but she wasn’t really listening. She merely sat and scrutinized Addy closely. Alana already had all the information she needed. The meeting was just an excuse to spend time with Addy. Of course, Addy was unaware of the scrutiny she was getting until the end of her talk when she looked up from the brochures she had displayed on the table and caught Alana’s eyes devouring her. JP had been keeping a watchful eye, as promised, in case Addy needed help with the snake, as he also called her. While all this was happening, Karen was home working on her legal work.
“Addy, do you ever go to London?”
Addy looked very seriously knowing that Alana’s out of the blue question would require a bold move on her part to end the conversation. “No. We did when we first got here, but we haven’t since.” Addy made sure to include Karen in her response.
“Listen, I know that you are with Karen, but if you ever want to come to London and go shopping or to the theater, I can put you up. I have a very nice flat and plenty of room.”
Addy was a very polite, nice p
erson and expected people to treat her in the same courteous manner that she treated them. By now, she was very much aware that Alana was relentless in her pursuit and that she was going to have to put an end to her advances once and for all.
“Alana, thank you for the invitation. Last night I tried to be polite and professional and perhaps I didn’t explain my situation well. So let me try again. Karen is my partner—.”
Alana interrupted. “Addy, I know. You don’t need to explain anything. I just wanted to let you know that I like you, and that I think it could be fun if we got together. You might like it a too.”
That did it for Addy. She couldn’t stand people who had no morality, and Alana obviously didn’t, as she was obviously asking her to cheat on Karen. “Alana, I don’t like your style. I’m very sorry if this comes out a bit rude, but the truth is that I am very much in love with my partner, and I have no interest in spending time with anyone else.” JP noticed that Addy’s gentle demeanor had changed, and he walked over to the dining room pretending to tidy up the place. In so doing, he caught the last of the conversation when Addy was actually going for the kill.
“If you feel that this conversation might prevent you in any way from carrying out the duties for which you have been hired, please let us know now, so that we can release you from your contract. Also, if I am confronted with this matter again, I will be obligated to terminate our business contract. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe this conversation has ended.” Addy got up and left, not without glancing at JP, who was pleasantly astonished by the exchange.
Alana remained seated. She was not used to being turned down. And most surely, she would have never expected to be turned down in such a classy way. But the truth was, she had never come across someone like Addy. Regardless of the disappointment, the turn down had been more of a turn on, making Addy more desirable now.
***
Addy went home still mad at the woman’s audacity. There was no way she could keep this to herself anymore. Karen would know that something was wrong the minute she saw her. She’d have to tell Karen. It didn’t matter now that it was all over.
“Ker?”
“Up here in the office.”
Addy went up and sat on one of the comfy reading chairs by the window. Karen was sitting in front of the computer, but from Addy’s tone and the way she walked into the office, Karen knew something was wrong. “What’s going on, Ms. Addy?”
Addy looked at her and made funny movements with her mouth and pouted. “I have to tell you something. First of all, the matter has been resolved. I dealt with it.”
This statement worried Karen immediately. She knew Addy was preparing her for a blow. “What happened?”
“I don’t want you to be mad, or do anything. In fact, I don’t even know how to tell you.”
“What? You are worrying me. You know you can tell me anything, what’s going on?”
“That woman, Alana, we need to get rid of her.”
Every hair on Karen’s body rose, and she became tense already knowing what Addy was about to say. “Did she come on to you?”
Addy was not surprised at how quickly Karen picked up the issue. They had talked about the woman the night before and neither of them liked her. Karen already looked mad, and Addy hadn’t even given any details.
“Please, calm down, and don’t get mad, the matter has been resolved. And yes, she did, twice.” Karen listened, while fuming inside. She could feel her heart picking up speed.
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier? Did she touch you in any way? I’ll kill her!”
“No, she didn’t touch me. And you don’t need to kill her. I already put her in her place. Just listen to me. Yesterday, she invited me to ride with her. I was polite and told her that I had an inn to run, that I didn’t ride with the guests, and I referred her to Mr. Nelson. I spoke to her very professionally. Today, she suggested I visit her in London. That did it for me, and I told her off. At that point I was mad.” Addy continued to tell Karen the whole story. “I don’t think she’ll come near me again, now that she knows she doesn’t stand a chance.”
As Addy spoke, Karen remained silent. Her mind was in overdrive. Addy knew Karen was livid and decided to preempt the venting that was sure to come. “Ker, I told you this because I want you to know everything going on, but if you get near that woman on my account, I will be very mad. I’m warning you! Promise me you that you will not go near her.”
“She’s a bitch. That’s what she is! I knew it. I saw the way she looked at you yesterday when she first saw you. This is the type I told you about, the worst kind. Bitch! You should have said something earlier. I would have been delighted to be the one putting her in her place! Right on her butt from the good punch I would have given her! Bitch!”
“This is precisely why I didn’t tell you sooner. I knew you might want to have a word with her and I was trying to avoid any confrontation. I, on the other hand, managed the whole situation with civility. But, don’t worry, the matter has been resolved. Anyway, she leaves tomorrow, and I don’t plan to go by the inn until she leaves, okay? Promise me that you will not go there either. I don’t want you near her.”
Karen gave her a somber look and made no promises. “Ker?” Karen remained silent. Addy was not happy with Karen’s silence, so she tried to divert her attention to other matters. “Come on, let’s put this behind us and go make dinner.”
“I’ll be down in a little bit. I need to finish something.”
Addy went downstairs not happy that Karen had not gone down with her. Somehow, Addy didn’t think this would end so easy. She wondered what was going through Karen’s mind.
They ate dinner quietly and even in bed Karen remained somber. The truth was that she had spent a good part of the night planning how to dump Alana’s company.
Addy could sense Karen’s uneasiness. “Ker, give it a rest! It’s over. You are not thinking that she had a chance with me, do you? Because if you are—.”
“I’m not, Addy. I just that I hate the fact that she thought she did.”
“Karen Larsen, relax. It’s over. She will be gone tomorrow. You are my one and only. I’ve told you before I have a ‘Karen thing’ and nothing else.”
“I know, but I’m pissed off that she tried to move in on my turf.”
Addy remained quiet thinking that she would feel the same way, if Karen had been the object of someone else’s desire. “I’m yours, baby. I’m just yours.” Addy came close and hugged her.
The thought of Alana having thoughts about Addy kept Karen awake a long time that night. She used her time to continue to think of a plan to end their business relationship with the Dickerson firm. She hoped Alana would be gone early the next day, but she’d stick around Addy tomorrow, until she knew for sure that the woman was gone. She was going to take matters into her own hands and protect ‘her turf,’ as Addy would put it. She smiled at the thought. Alana didn’t know what she was up against. Her turf would be protected to the death.
***
The next morning, after breakfast, Karen officially broke ties with the Dickerson public relations firm. Karen thought that if Alana Dickerson ever showed up at the inn, she might regret her visit after encountering fierce opposition, probably, in the form of a fist. Karen hardly recognized herself. She had never been the violent type, but now she was not only angry, but ready to whack Alana, if necessary. Karen was deep in thought looking at Addy while having breakfast. There was nothing she wouldn’t do to protect her turf. Addy was right. If she had come across Alana, civility and Alana would have flown out the window for sure.
“What? Why are you looking at me with that serious look?”
“Because I love you,” she looked down to her coffee mug, “and because I hate the fact that Alana had any thoughts about you.” Karen remained serious.
Addy smiled. Ironically, she liked Karen’s jealousness. It felt good to be so wanted. Addy came around and kissed her. “I never realized you had this possessive str
eak in you, you know?”
Karen remained quiet. “I was never like this before you. But the truth is that I can’t explain, or control my behavior when matters relate to you.”
Addy smiled. “I like it.” She kissed Karen and as she was walking away, Karen grabbed her by her waist and brought her closer. “I thought you hated that kind of stuff?”
“I did, I don’t now. I guess it’s all a matter of who is claiming possession.” She grinned and kissed Karen on the cheek.
Karen’s heart swelled with joy. “Addypooh.” She snuggled into Addy’s shoulder, and found her peace.
After the Alana incident, all went back to normal, and life continued. Summer ended and gave way to fall. This time of the year the tourists came looking to go horseback riding in the country, or to take rides in horse drawn carriages, drink apple cider, enjoy fire pits in the patio, tour local wineries and breweries, and to enjoy the inn’s gourmet cuisine.
Being innkeepers was a busy job, especially because the inn boasted on its attention to detail. Addy wanted the guests to be pampered and not feel like they were paying for that little extra which was, in her own words, “what brings them back.” So, they talked to the guests every day to see what they liked or not, and when possible they would cater to their wishes, even if unpaid. Addy believed that the customer was always right, and that since they were paying handsomely for their stay at the inn, they deserved the best treatment.
The number one rule to the staff was: “Assume that each and every one of our guests are the King or Queen.” It wasn’t long before the inn acquired the reputation of treating the guests as royalty and the staff and guests began to call the inn, the Royal Inn of Scotland, as word spread, it became institutionalized in tourists’ brochures, books and web sites. And after a few royals slept over, the inn became formally known as the Royal Inn of Scotland.
Needless to say the inn was always booked to capacity, even at the very premium rates it charged. The guests always thought that they were getting their monies worth. Because they changed the activities according to the season, even in winter they were fully booked. They contracted theater companies to perform murder mysteries as well as standup comedians while the guests enjoyed their meals, and had musicians perform every evening. The inn was wonderful year round.
