“Well, what about the bell boy?” she shot back. “How do you explain him not coming when I rang? Is that your idea of service?”
Levi interrupted to answer for me. “There is no bell boy. That rope in your room is a relic from the early days when guests could ring the bell to call the maid. It’s not connected to anything now.”
Mrs. Forester snapped her eyes at him and then at me. I thanked the stars somebody around here was sane enough to deal with an irate guest. This Levi character could turn out to be very useful in this nest of vipers.
“Well, I never!” Mrs. Forester exclaimed. She threw up her hands and sailed back upstairs, just in time for a trio of other guests to take her place.
A tall man with a long comb-over and his pinched-face wife came down the stairs side by side in the middle of a heated discussion.
“I told you we should have gone to Disneyland,” the wife snarked, “but oh, no! You never listen to me. No one ever listens to little old me. Who would want to listen to me? What do I know? Now everyone’s unhappy, and you want to blame me for this.”
“No one is blaming you for this,” the husband returned. “How was I to know the place would be half shut down due to some local murder?”
I waited until they come down to the front desk before I spoke up. “Is anything wrong?”
“Why didn’t you at least check before we left home?” the wife asked her husband. “How long does it take to actually check the Internet before we wind up in this disaster? How many times do I have to tell you to always double check?”
“I told you the place doesn’t even have a website,” he countered. “I heard all your warnings, and I do check, but this time I couldn’t. I didn’t know we’d be halfway across the country with nothing to do.”
A freckle-nosed teenaged boy shouldered his way between them. “Can’t we please leave now? I haven’t been able to check my email in two hours. What am I supposed to tell the other chess club guys? They’ll be waiting for my answer on my next move.”
The wife crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her husband. “Well?”
I chose this moment to make my move. “Is there anything I can do?”
The husband’s shoulders sagged. “There’s nothing anybody can do.”
“I’m sorry,” I replied. “I’m the Allie Garrett. I’m the new owner, and I just walked in the door. If there’s anything I can do to help, I sure would love to know about it.”
The husband waved his arms. “If you don’t have teenagers, you can’t possibly understand. He keeps nagging to leave, and there’s not enough to do.”
I hurried over to the desk. “Here’s a list of the activities around the inn. Maybe you could sit down and figure out which ones you’d like to do. I understand you’re miles from anywhere, but there’s always something to do in the country.”
“When can I check my email?” the boy sniveled.
I glanced at Levi. “Does the inn have Internet?”
He shrugged. “It does, but it’s not exactly up to date.”
I turned back to the father. “I’m sorry, Mr.….”
“Townsend,” he replied. “Donavon and Sophia Townsend, and this creature is Rex.”
I couldn’t help but smile. The boy had some growing to do before he fit a name like Rex. “I’ll get right onto the Internet situation. In the meantime, try to find some activities you might like. You’re here to enjoy yourselves, after all.”
They wandered out into the garden. I turned around to find Levi looking at me. I shifted from one foot to the other. “What?”
“You handled that very well.”
I shrugged. “Don’t sound so surprised. Besides, you helped me. Thanks for sticking your oar in just now.”
He turned away. “Forget it. I have to get back to work. See you later.”
I stood stunned in the entrance hall and looked around. This was a fine introduction to the rest of my life. A hostile cook, a creepy gardener, a handyman who thinks he’s God’s gift to women—not to mention a bunch of zany guests. What next?
While I stood there like a stunned mullet, an older lady with short blue-rinsed hair and crystal-sparkly glasses perched on her nose strutted through the front door. Instead of barking out complaints or insults, she walked right up to me and laid her hand on my arm. “Isn’t this town just the cutest little thing you ever saw?”
I was dumbstruck for the first time in my life. Cute? I wouldn’t call it cute.
She gave my arm a squeeze. “Are you the new maid? That’s nice, dear.”
“I’m not the maid. I’m the new owner.”
She didn’t seem to hear me. “And I’m Earnestine Walker. I just love this place. It’s so quaint and woodsy.”
She inhaled a deep breath and headed up the stairs. Another string bean for the pot.
Everything that happened had overwhelmed me. This place was gonna take a lot more work than I expected. I couldn’t just walk in and start running it. Everywhere I turned, I faced some problem I was gonna have to tackle. This place would take all my power, and I hadn’t even started.
I decided to take a stroll in the gardens to clear my head, but when I stepped out onto the porch, the wind took my breath away. I ducked back inside fast and took refuge in the owner’s residence.
I made myself busy settling in and unpacking my suitcase. I could hide in there for a minute, but then I had to take this place on and beat it if it was the last thing I did. I couldn’t let problems get the better of me. If the staff and guests saw me running to hide every time something went wrong, they’d have me on the ropes in a matter of seconds.
Lucky for me, by the time I got all my stuff unloaded, the day was almost over. The sun sank into the lake and lit the whole sky on fire. I gazed out the window, and when the sun disappeared, the whole mountain fell into darkness.
I got some supplies out of the big kitchen to stock the fridge in my quarters, but I didn’t see Camille anywhere around. I was so much more exhausted than I realized, I couldn’t face the world. I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed. Tomorrow was another day, and I was gonna hit the deck running.
I drew up the covers, but when I turned over to switch off the bedside lamp, my gaze fell on a single scrap of paper on the smooth wood surface. I picked it up and read.
Get out of town if you know what’s good for you. Go back where you belong before you regret it.
Chapter 3
I woke up bright and early the next morning. The whole world looked better when you faced it rested and fresh. I sighed in deep contentment at the sight of the lake outside my window, but my blood ran cold when I spotted that note on my bedside table again.
Now who would go and do a thing like that? It cast a shadow over my first day at the inn, the same way talking about Beatrice cast a shadow over the town. Something weird was going on, but I couldn’t think about that. It was probably just someone trying to haze the new kid on the block.
I got up, got dressed, got the day going just like I usually do. No more hiding. No more Mrs. Nice Guy. This place needed a firm hand, and it had one.
I didn’t make it halfway out my front door when a woman sauntered up to the front desk. She wore dayglo paisley tights with a white button-down blouse tied in a knot at her waist. She chewed gum and lolled her painted eyes all over the room. I slotted into place and put on my best business façade. “How can I help you today?”
To my surprise, she cackled out loud with hysterical laughter. “I’m not here to check in, honey. I’m Eliza Potter.”
I frowned. “Potter? Where have I heard that name before?”
“Potter’s Hardware,” she replied. “My parents run it, but I work as a hairdresser out of my back office. You should come on down. I could do wonders with those curls.”
My hand flew to my hair. “Yeah, I know I need a cut. It’s been a crazy couple of months, what with inheriting this place, moving out of the city, breaking up with….” I stopped myself just in time befo
re I pronounced that dreaded name.
She closed her eyes and held up her hand. “Don’t say it. Just don’t even say it. I’m here to help you out on your first day.”
I couldn’t help looking around. “Help me? You’re the first person who’s even suggested it.”
She rolled her eyes to heaven. “Don’t pay any attention to these old cranks. They’ve had it their way so long, they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves if they ever left these hallowed shores. They need a good kick in the pants, and that’s what we’re gonna give ‘em.”
I had to smile. She actually said ‘we’. She said ‘we’re gonna give it to ‘em’. Not you, but we. I wasn’t alone. I could have kissed her, I was so happy. I didn’t realize how much I needed someone in my corner right at that moment.
She clapped her hands. “So, where do we start? You’ve got the front desk down pat, so that’s taken care of.”
“Not necessarily,” I returned. “I still have to go through the ledger and make sure I know all the guests currently staying here. Oh, and that’s another thing. I was going through the….”
The front door opening cut off what I was about to say, and two men in dark business suits walked in. They both wore sunglasses, and they didn’t take them off when they got inside. They marched straight past Eliza and me without a word and disappeared upstairs.
Eliza and I stared after them with our mouths open. “What was that all about?”
I bent over the ledger. “See what I mean? I don’t have a clue who those men were, and I don’t think any of the staff will help me out.”
Eliza leaned over the desk, too. “You have to find out who they are. You can’t have two strangers strolling in here out of nowhere. They could be anybody. They could be planning to rob the place.”
“I know that,” I hissed back. “The problem is, how am I gonna find out?”
“Ask Camille,” Eliza replied. “She’s been running this place ever since your aunt died.”
My eyes flew open. “She has?”
“Of course. She was half running it before your aunt died.”
I blinked down at the ledger. “I didn’t know that. That explains why she was so hostile toward me yesterday. She probably thinks I’m going to take over.”
Eliza bubbled over with laughter. “You are taking over, honey.”
I brightened up. “Yeah, but Camille would never tell me who those men were. She doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“Then you’ll just have to go upstairs and ask them yourself. Explain the situation and ask their names. That’s all there is to it.”
“I’ve got a better idea.” I lowered my voice to a confidential whisper. “Let’s start decorating for Christmas.”
Eliza gasped. “Really?”
“Sure. It’s only three weeks away, and nothing cheers me up like decorating for Christmas. It will brighten the place up, and I can dust out some of the skeletons from the closet.” I clap my hands. “Come on. Let’s go ask Camille and Nathaniel where Aunt Beatrice kept the decorations.”
Eliza trailed me to the kitchen. “You’ll ask them about the decorations, but you won’t ask them about your guests?”
I burst through the swinging doors, but I didn’t see Camille anywhere. Eliza breezed past me. “Over here.”
She led me to a small office tucked between the walk-in freezer and the dry-goods storage. Camille lounged in her office chair. She shot up when she saw me. “How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of the kitchen?”
I set my hands on my hips and did my best mother hen impression. “This is my kitchen, Camille. I’ll come in here whenever I want. I’ll go through every scrap of paper on that desk of yours, and you’ll have nothing to say about it. Now tell me where my aunt Beatrice kept the Christmas decorations. We’re going to start decorating. Maybe that will give this place a much-needed shot of holiday spirit.”
Camille reclined back in the chair. “Beatrice never decorated for Christmas. She pretended it didn’t happen.”
“She did not!” Eliza fired back.
Camille studied the big cork board over her desk. “She never decorated for Christmas. There are no decorations.”
I couldn’t stop staring at her. If this attitude didn’t change, I was gonna have to fire this woman. Wasn’t that a terrible thought to have about somebody on your first day in a new place—or even your second day? I never thought I would have to fire anybody. I thought I would move in, and we would all become one big happy family. Now I’ve got three employees I’d rather never see again.
Eliza leapt forward and jabbed a painted fingernail in Camille’s face. “You better tell us where those decorations are, or else!”
I pulled her back by the arm. “Just leave her alone. If she wants to be horrible, let her. It won’t make her job any more secure.”
Camille bared her teeth at me, but I only turned away and pulled Eliza out of the kitchen. We sure weren’t going to find any Christmas decorations in there.
I headed back out to the front desk. Now what were we going to do?
Eliza elbowed me. “Why do you let her push you around like that?”
“I’m not letting her push me around. I just don’t want this to blow up into a big ugly confrontation. She ran this place, and now I’m here. She’s upset. Maybe she’ll come around, and if she doesn’t, I’d just as soon not fire her until I have a chance to find my way around. Besides, I would rather focus on something fun and happy right now, like getting this place decorated. Come on. Let’s go look in the library.”
I headed to the library, but I didn’t see anything but shelf upon shelf of books. I was just about to give up when a creaking noise attracted my attention. A door on the other side of the room glided open, and Pixie slithered out. She looked right up at me and meowed.
I sighed in disappointment. So much for decorating. At that moment, a splintering crash startled me and Eliza out of our skins. The door opened behind Pixie, and a cardboard box tumbled over on the floor. Dozens of Christmas decorations fell out all over the place.
I collapsed on my knees in front of them. “The decorations! Pixie, you found them!”
The cat turned away and closed her eyes.
I picked up the decorations to put them back in the box. I found only one broken. The shards trickled to the bottom of the box, out of the way. I laid the colorful balls on top of each other, but at the bottom of the stack, I uncovered a pile of yellowing old photographs. I picked them up and sifted through them.
Eliza bent over my shoulder. “What have you got there?”
I held up one picture after another. “These are pictures of my Aunt Beatrice when she was a girl, and that’s her with her mother. Take a look at this. This is her when she was just a girl, and this is her as a teenager. Here’s another one when she’s an older lady, and all of them show the inn decorated for Christmas.”
“That only proves Camille lied about it.”
“But why?” I asked. “What could she stand to gain by it?”
The note from my bedside table flashed before my eyes. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make my life here unpleasant. Why?
Eliza pointed to the prints in my hand. “Take a look. The decorations are the same in all three pictures.”
I stacked the pictures together. “I’m gonna find them. I’m gonna decorate the inn exactly the way she did back then.”
I stood up, and Eliza and I looked around. “So, where do we start?”
“Most people keep their Christmas decorations in the attic. Let’s look there first.”
Just then, I spotted Levi passing the front window. I called out to him, and he told me about a pull-down ladder behind the back door leading up to the attic. In a few seconds, Eliza and I stood under the roof gables coughing dust out of our noses.
Boxes and boxes of stuff crowded every corner. Moldy old carpets, hat racks, trunks of rotten clothes—Aunt Beatrice must have stuffed half her garbage up here instead of
throwing it away. That was another job to put on my list.
I took the nearest stack of boxes and flipped through them as fast as I could. No Christmas decorations. I got halfway around the attic when I saw Eliza still pondering the first box. “What are you doing?”
She held up a book. “It’s an old Girl Scouts manual. Can you believe people actually taught girls this stuff back then?”
I didn’t reply. I could see I would be doing most of this on my own. I got another ten yards around the attic before I stuck pay dirt. I opened a box lid, and there gleaming up at me were all the decorations shown in Aunt Beatrice’s pictures. There were gold-glittered balls, strings of crystal beads, and even the feathery angel to go on top of the tree.
I hollered to Eliza, and she rushed over. We stacked all the boxes of decorations near the ladder to take downstairs. Eliza cast a wistful glance around the attic. “I wonder what else she’s got stashed up here.”
I turned away. “We’ll probably never know. Maybe she’s got gold coins stashed at the bottom of all these trunks.”
Eliza laughed, but there was nothing left to do but carry the boxes downstairs. I flipped back the lid of one more box just to take a peek inside. It was full of more books. I didn’t want to get stuck reading another Girl Scouts Manual. I was about to close the lid again when a flash of gold swirl caught my attention. Journal.
I took a closer look. Every book in that box was a journal. I picked one up off the top and leafed the pages. Handwriting covered every page. I picked up the first words at the top.
The inn is in a dreadful state of disrepair since I got here. This is going to be a much bigger project than I expected. What have I gotten myself into?
Sounded familiar. Aunt Beatrice must have gone through a lot getting this inn up to snuff. I turned more pages and read again.
I just made my first call on the new telephone. These new-fangled inventions are going to make our lives so much easier.
If she only knew. I picked up another book, but when I let the spine fall open, I gasped in alarm.
“What’s going on?” Eliza asks. “What does it say?”
Green with Envy Page 2
